I don't post too often but I've been trolling around here for years. I'm also lousy at taken progress pics and even worse at keeping track of when and why I took the pics I did. Despite all that , I wanted to create a little thread for my 60 Comet. Back at the tail end of the last millennium my Dad and I found this car on the side of 422 near where he lived in Oaks, PA. We went and looked at the car and with a little cajoling from me he went home with the Comet and a free beagle puppy to my mothers great surprise.
He drove the car for a few years before moving back to his childhood home in West Virgina. Then a few years before he p***ed, probably 2003 or 2004 I bought the car from my Mother and immediately started to make changes. To start with I spray bombed the car black and added scallops. I also cut 2 or 3 loops from the front coils and put blocks in the back.
My buddies and I drove it that way to a ton of shows while I worked on a 50 Ford & a 50 Dodge. Both of which I sold years ago, but I still have my Dad's Comet. Eventually I needed to do some engine work that was a lot easier to manage with the motor out so I yanked the 200ci straight six and started to do some more work on the car. First I removed the trim and welded all the holes shut. You'll also find that when you remove the trim on a Comet's fins that there's a half inch tall tab that's spot welded together. To remove this tab I cut a few inches at a time out and welded the seam back together. Once everything was welded and ground smooth I used some filler to even it all out.
Then back in with a cleaned up and fixed motor. I think this pic is probably a year or two after putting the motor back in so it's not that clean any more, but you get the idea. Here's what it looked like when we got the car. Nothing crazy or drastic.
After that she got a fresh coat of Krylon Semi-flat black and was back to regular show duty while the boys and I where busy building a 64 F100, my 68 Triumph bobber, and a slew of other bikes. I think around this time we put my old 66 Galaxie back on the road for one of my buddies too. She makes a nice bench I had also semi-frenched the tail lights when I did the fin work.
This is really a story of the unsung hero of hotrodding. It's about that car you have around forever that's always ready to go when you need it. The car that's always neglected while your busy working on something cooler. The beater that always gets you to the show when everything else is still in pieces on the shop floor. This pic I stole from the Hot Rod Hoedown website. It's from the 06 Rock-N-Rods show in Philly. Here's where it became the "Award Winning" Comet at the Magnetos' show years back.
After years of ignoring the car for cooler projects, many of which still aren't finished, I started to realize how much this car had become apart of my life. When I first got the car I was basically a slacker who just wanted something cool to take to shows, but now my Dad is gone and I was a new home owner on the verge of getting married and starting a family. The car like the last decade of my life had grown and changed so I decided that for my wedding day it was time to finally give her the badly needed attention she deserved. My buddies and I slaved away ever weekend and many week nights for a couple months getting the Comet ready for her wedding day debut, so my bride could show up in style. My Dad couldn't be there but his Comet at least was.
Awesome. I can't tell you how many times I pined over the cars my grandfather owned while going through old pictures. Nice ride.
Very nice story and tribute to your dad.. Your Comet looks awesome I too have fond memories of my father.......
Thanks guys. It's really pretty sad that in the last 11 to 12 years this car has been in my family I don't even have 30 pictures of it to put online. Here's a like to a facebook gallery that has a few pics I didn't bother to post here. http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2070317&id=1394347801&l=528cbf69d3
My '62 Falcon has been with me nearly thirty years now, and just like yours, it has always been the driver while I worked on every thing else. Now it quietly waits in the back yard for it's third or fourth reincarnation. This time I intend to make it nice and take lots of pictures! Love the color combination on the Comet.
What a great thread ! The Comet looks really AWESOME - I can't wait to see it in person . At first , I thought it was going to be a thread where ya sold the Comet , but I'm really glad to see you've still got it & it's looking better than ever . It's a really cool little car . Oh yea ... no more sitting on the hood , lol !!!
Great little car, looks like its earned its keeper status, your dad would be proud! I like the finshed product. Proof that if you keep, after a project, you dont have to spend a ton of cash, to have a lot of fun, with an old car.
I love the cars transformation to the end product along with the story. keep building memories for the future
I've gotta admit that I was thinking you messed it up spraybombing over decent-looking paint. Good ending.
Brad, Thanks for sharing the story and the progress pics. I am so happy for you...the new paint looks stunning. Jerry
Is not a real expensive paint job so up close there's some not so great spots, but compared to what I'm used to it's great. The funny thing is the waviest spot is probably the trunk and I know it's from all those years of using at as bench.
The Jalopy Journal
