I'm looking at a 66 Mercury Cyclone GT that I really like. It's basically original, with some speed mods. Don't know a lot about these cars, did some browsing and found some racing history. Has anyone owned a Cyclone, or had any experience with the model, anything to look out for?
basically a great car. I had a 65 Cyclone and a 70 GT and they both were good cars. The 66 I think had the 390 as the standard engine and performed well without doing alot of work. They were unibody models without any faults that I ever knew about.I'd love another 65 if they weren't so damn pricey now
Well, if you cant find a site spacific to 66/67 Comets/Cyclones, go to a Fairlane site. Its basiclly the same car as a 66/67 Fairlane. I believe they had rust issues with what would be considered the rear frame rails, (if they had frames, which they dont) I just cant remember the correct name of the part.
Hey, Take a good look at the torque box areas of the unitbody in the floor kickup sections, both fore & aft. Also, the rear frame rail to floor areas. The rocker and skirt areas will require an honest look, as well. The power train is pure Ford! S****ey Devils C.C. "Meanwhile, back aboard The Tainted Pork"
My first new car was a 66 Fairlane GT and it was a great car. All GT's are 4 speeds and the only problem I recall was the stock shifter is a piece of junk so you may want to replace it with a Hurst shifter.
No they were not all 4 speeds.... My dad bought his new....has 93k actual miles. You could get 4 different ******'s...standard 3 spd, heavy duty 3spd(which dad's has), a 4 spd, or an auto...which was called a GTA... Check the VIN... see if it is a true 'S' code car. Even though it is a unibody, the main places in the Cyclone/Fairlane to have problems was the torque boxes, trunk pans, rocker panels, and the leading edge of the hood. Good replacement parts are hard to come by and very expensive, and only a few vendors carry parts. Check Woody's Fairlane Site...best reference i've found. Hit me up if you have any Q's....I know the Fairlane/Cyclone very well.... Mott
First new car I ever bought was a 66 Cyclone GT. Kept it many years. They all came with the 390 335 hp engine. After 66 the GT was a trim option, in 66 it was a specific model.
as you said, GT's were 4 speeds, GTA's were autos. i wouldn't doubt 3 speeds were available but there were NO GT's with autos. they were GTA's (before the firebirds ) i used to have a 66 fairlane GT ragtop in high school. only ford i EVER owned i'd like to have back broke 9 (yep 9) 9" 3rd members in that car and it came with a cop in the trunk...
everyone has pointed to torque boxes (front and rear), and the rear "framerails"...I love my 65 Comet..the 66 went larger as everyone has also pointed out with the Fairlane ch***is. Keep us posted
We had a '66 Comet ragtop for a while here, same color as that picture. Someone bought it down south, took it apart, then never did anything with it. Was pretty solid, too, it needed front pans and that was about it. Sold pretty cheap.
fordfe.com is a good message board for your fe drive train in the cyclone. There are also a few cyclone owners on the board who can give you some tips on what to look for and performance suggestions.
...and the RENAULTS!!!! (An Alliance by any other name...is still a piece of ****!) Ha Ha...I only know that because I worked at an AMC dealer back in 87 when the GTA came out...ha ha, the salesmen treated them like they were really something special, too! Nothing but a junk Alliance with a monochromatic treatment, a spoiler and a 2.0 instead of a 1.7! My buddy had a 66 Fairlane GTA in high school and when the Renault version came out, he was pissed that they'd hang the same designation on such an awfull car! But, then along came the Firebirds in 89 I think... Nothing new under the sun!
Car is in great condition, mostly restored to original. Few things stuck out, but owner is willing to fix those. Here are the numbers from the drive line: Engine plate: 390 66 6 6b 321 s (66 merc cyclone gt 390 4 barrel- only available to gt?) Transmission: heh cl (66 ford fairlane and mercury cyclone 390 toploader) numbers on bottom 021010, not certain what these are Rear: jan 66, ford 9 inch c5aw 4668a (this is also the original to car) This is a solid, rust free car, no body repair. No rust on the torque boxes, the car was undercoated from the factory. The owner has the original dealer order form, original window sticker, original registration from the first owner, and much of the cars history. Car was pulled from long term storage and restored over the past 4-5 years. Total restoration on the drive train. Owner added some upgrades, ladder bars, 3.73 gears, headers, pinned hood and some other bits and pieces. All the original parts are included to take it back to original. All new interior, fresh paint to match original Ford Maroon. So, I have a tenative deal and will meet the owner again this weekend to finalize the purchase. I'm trading into this car and will end up in it less than what I am finding them on line, and below the value guides. I have done a lot of research on the Cyclones and it seems a fair deal. There sure isn't much info on line about these cars. Friend says it's because it's a Ford and hillbilly's don't own computers! Any additional information or insight would be greatly appreciated.
hey man, They are great cars. I owned a 66 fairlane with NICE 289. I have to let you know though, finding replacement parts is gonna be tough. If you do find something, it's gonna be EXPENSIVE. I found that EVERY time I found an auction on ebay, I was WAY out of my comfort range. I quickly realized that parts are rare and I bidding against other people who realize this. great cars. Good luck. Cheers and beers Hodge
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