Projects 1965 Comet Caliente Convertible Project

6/17/2012 - I got a lot done but not much to show for it if that makes sense. I welded up all the 60 to 70 holes in the engine bay and ground them flat. I primed, seam sealed and undercoated the front wheel wells. I undercoated the rear p***enger side wheel well and the inside of the font fenders. Sunday was a momentous day it was father’s day and I bolted the first parts ON the car as opposed to cutting things off and dis***embling.

Picture 1: my fancy paint booth.

Picture 2: Fenders undercoated.

Picture 3: The beginning of the Granada disk brake conversion. YES these are parts that are being put ON the car. This includes the Shelby drop and the coil cut out of the spring.

 

Jeff;I bet that is a good feeling[put parts on for good],be sure and put the outer spring bucket back on,it is part of the support structure! ROY.

 

Roy,

Thanks for the heads up about the spring buckets. They are still in the garage waiting for restoration. I like to keep some projects for my daughter to do since she’s not into welding and cutting steel so she gets the wire brush and paint projects like the spring buckets.

Jeff

 

6/21/2012 - I have heard several comments about the Rims I have called slots and I should take care of them so I thought I would take an hour and clean them up. There is definitely rust damage to the chrome so they would need to be re-chromed but they have no scars and no bends. They are nice rims.

 

Looking good!

 

6/24/2012 - I didn’t have a lot of time this weekend but I did get some things done. I started out by cutting out the bracing I put in the car to keep it rigid during the sand blasting and all the welding I did under the car. Basically the door were welded shut so it’s a big day I can open the doors again (Picture 1). I worked on the mods to the steering column tube and shaft to fit it to the Borgeson steering box but nothing to show in a picture. I installed the Granada parts for the front disk brakes conversion and set the car back down on the ground (pictures 2 and 3). I’m still waiting for the new center link and sway bar so I can finish up the front suspension.

 

Jeff;WOW,it is beginning to look like a car again!! Use the Granada outer tierod ends,the taper is too large for the Comet ones. ROY.

 

Roy,

Thanks it&#8217;s nice to have the car look like something other than a Fred Flintstone car on it&#8217;s side. Thanks for the heads up on the front end. I read several articles on the Granada conversion before I decided to do it and I have had the parts for about a year and a half some from eBay and some from AutoZone. I like stacks of new parts but I like them better when they are on the car. Currently the front suspension is torqued in place and last night a put the engine in hopefully for the last time. I think this was the 6<SUP>th</SUP> time putting the engine in. I&#8217;m getting pretty good at it.

 

Jeff;I forget,are you going to a rack and pinion?The way you are going it won't be long until you fire that ****er!!! ROY.

 

Awesome Father/Daughter project!

 

you have come a long way in two years. some guys dont get that far in 5 years. including me. good luck and carry on.

 

Thanks all. I am happy with the progress during the past year but before that we spent a lot of time doing travel ball soft ball with my daughter. Lots of fun but no time for car projects

Roy: I am using a replacement for the Comet power steering box from a company named Borgeson. It bolts right in but uses a manual center link and the connection to the steering shaft is some work but over all it&#8217;s very nice.

 

7/4/2012 - I spent some time in Colorado for a softball tournament and we had a great time. I did get some work done on the 4th . I removed the 8 inch and installed the 8.8 pictures 1,2,3 and 4. Then I started to figure out what look my daughter wanted for the car. Picture 5 is the look she thought she wanted but wants to go more traditional. The rest of the pictures are some different looks. We need to make these decisions now otherwise down the line changes can get expensive

 

Jeff;it is your and your daughter's Comet,but I am NOT a fan of big,modern wheels and tires on old cars,but it is your car,do what makes you happy! ROY.

 

Like Roy says, it's your car. You're doing a GREAT job! However, I'm not a fan of that rear rim on this car.

 

On the other hand, it might grow on me.

 

You were right!!! You've been doing lots of welding.

I always say "I wish these cars could talk".

This one would say.... "Ouch"!!!!!

But I am sure it is feeling much better now..... being in your hands.

You are making GREAT progress.

 

Roy & JunkYardFrog: Thanks for your input on the wheels. My daughter agrees with you so I guess I am out voted. She originally said she wanted the rims you see in the fifth picture which are 2005 Mustang but after seeing them on the car she said there was no way those rims were going on her car. She wanted something more period correct. She has decided on the 14 inch steel chrome slots that you see in the sixth picture. Two came with the car and I have found 2 others that I should be able to get in October. The problem with this is the differential needs to be narrowed which is not the case if we use the Mustang rims. My brother and I are going to narrow the diff over Thanksgiving. You might say why not use the 8 inch that came with the car. The problem with the 8 inch is the condition, the gear ratio and the drum brakes so we are sticking with the 8.8. I don&#8217;t always take the easy way out just the least expensive. Thanks for the input.

John: Ain&#8217;t that the truth I wish cars could talk. This car has had a hard life and I hope I have given it the 2<SUP>nd</SUP> or 3<SUP>rd </SUP>or ... whatever the next life is. No matter how may pictures I post they just don&#8217;t tell the story of what I found when I got the car. Although it was in great shape compared to some of the restoration projects I have seen on this forum.

 

This is what I like about soooooo many of the people here on HAMB..... they are NOT afraid to do WHATEVER it takes to SAVE or BUILD a hot rod.

Sadly, I remember a time (more than a few years ago) when ANY street rod, muscle car, etc which was not a rust free project built using NOS parts was looked down upon by certain groups. Even MORE SO if the car had body putty/filler and/or fabricated parts welded in.

Thankfully times have changed!!!! Your Merc is PROOF of that!!!!

Gonna to be a great car..... your must have a great daughter to be doing all that work for..... LOVED seeing the pic of her getting involved.

I will be started on the Opel soon. Still in the parts gathering & planning stages. The Opel is a 100% drag car that I will be turing into a 100% radical street/strip g***er(actually an altered) for street cruising & nostalgia drag racing. Going to be a FUN WINTER....

 

Jeff

You can narrow the 8.8 by using two of the short side axles and only cut one of the axle tubes. If I remember correctly there is about 3" difference in the length of the axles side to side.

 

ffr1222k: Thanks for the info. That&#8217;s what my brother and I are going to do at Thanksgiving. Below is a link to the process in case anyone is interested

http://www.stangfix.com/testforum2/index.php/topic,11946.0.html

John: Very cool project. My parents had a yellow Opel coupe in the late 70&#8217;s. Good on gas bad on power. It looks like you&#8217;re going to take care of the power problem with yours. Someone took some time with the rear fender flares. Have fun with the build. Do you have a build thread on the forum?

 

7/8/2012 - My daughter is out of town so I am on my own this weekend. I started on the rust damage on the rear and the problems with the right rear fender that was replace sometime in its life. I fixed the rusted out section and with that fix it allows the trunk to be sealed. No more holes. I fixed the gas filler flap that was miss aligned because to the fender fix. All cutting and welding (pictures 1 and 2). I then moved to the front and took out the rusting fresh air grate and filled it in (pictures 3 and 4). I then worked on the windows and got 3 out of 4 to work by replacing the plastic rollers and lubrication. I found that with the car I received a left hand window register for the right door so I have to get right one before I can make the right door window work but I think I have everything else. I also thought I would clean the windows. Two hours later I was finished. What a mess! I use cleaner, solvents and s****ers to get everything off. Like everything else on this car they are not perfect but they are usable.

 

7/22/2012 - I was out of town last weekend so nothing got done but I got some things done this week and weekend. I worked on installing the Borgeson power steering box. I bought the box and the rag joint from Borgeson and made the rest myself from what I had. I spent about a day and a half worth of time making what is basically a bracket (first picture). It holds the end of the steering column and seals it from the outside. I also made a seal for the end of the steering column that seals the shaft inside the column (picture 2). I cut the column to leave enough room to install the rag joint and then cut the shaft off the old Comet box and had my brother mill a double D on the end of it for the rag joint. Picture 3 is my daughter installing the new sway bar and picture 4 is the difference between the old and the new WOW. My daughter finished painting the engine bay and we started to install stuff like front suspension, steering box, sway bar, master cylinder, steering column &#8230;

 

There is hope for our future. Nice to see a young person with the correct at***ude.

 

RagTop: I also had an Opel ( Gold - '68 Rally Kadett)..... I had spent some time in Germany and really liked them. So when I rotated back to the states I enrolled in college and picked up the Opel .... like you said it was good on gas & fun to drive. When I graduated I promptly bought an SS Camaro. So it is kind of ironic to have another Opel now.

I did not start a build thread YET!!! I have been busy remodeling my workshop to suit the Opel. The shop was originally built for motorcycle/chopper building so I have had to do quite a bit of work (and add-ons) to make the workshop "Opel-Friendly".

The main thing was opening up the doorway. It was made for motorcycles & NOT cars..... Not even SMALL ones.

To do that (right) I practically had to take apart the entire front of the shop. Needless to say this non-hot rod related project has taken MUCH LONGER than I had originally planned. In fact it is STILL going on.

Once I start some "dedicated time/work" on the Opel I'll start a build thread & let you know the link address. Threads p*** by so quickly on this forum it's easy to never see them.

Yes.... the fender flares were really done professionally!!!! That is why I debated LONG & HARD about taking the sawz-all to them.

As nice as the fibergl*** fender flares are they just DID NOT go with the "period-correct" look I want for the Opel.

Plus there was rust on the lower sections of the sheet metal causing the fibergl*** fender flares to start to pull away from where they were attached at the bottom of the rear fender panels.

The really GOOD NEWS is when I cut off off the fenders flares I found g***er-styled radiused wheel openings underneath them ..... EXACTLY what I planned to do!!!!

They will need a little m***aging & repairwork but all & all I could not have asked for much better. I WIN one for a change !!!!!

 

Jeff;did you check to see if the engine will clear the brake booster?That ****er looks HUGE!!!! ROY.

 

Nice build, especially considering you've done it all in the driveway, or lying on your back in the gr***. Your car reminds me a LOT of the '68 Mustang convert we did for our son when he was 16. He's 34 now, and still has the car, and while it's in need of some cosmetics, I'd still jump in it and drive across the country. It's got an '87 Mustang GT 5.0 HO/AOD, kin to the 5.0 you're using. I LIKE the modern 5 spokes on the Comet, if it makes any difference, especially against the rusty old Astros.

Brian

 

Pwschuh: Thanks this was her choice of cars knowing the work and time it would take.

John: Well you have to have a work space to work in so that&#8217;s first. I noticed your forum name so I am ***uming some or all of your work was with Indian motor cycles. &#8220;Project has taken much longer&#8221; I find that in most my projects even if I multiply the time I think it will take by 2. You start out with &#8230; I will just do this and that and be done and it turns into rebuilding the entire thing case in point the Comet. Personally that&#8217;s not my favorite shape for flares so I think the car looks much better without them. It looks like you have some rust to deal with too but it doesn&#8217;t look like much. How are the floors? &#8220;The GOOD NEWS is&#8221; you have to look on the bright side with these projects. The entire transmission tunnel was missing on the Comet but I figure the previous owners did me a favor because I had to fit a much larger transmission in there anyway and they saved me time by removing it for me. "Threads p*** by so quickly on this forum&#8221; that&#8217;s an understatement. I can&#8217;t believe the traffic on this forum. I guess that&#8217;s good and bad.

Roy, Yes I did a lot of research on the brake booster. I wanted the biggest brake booster that would fit in that space. It&#8217;s from a 97 Ford Probe. I had to build several adapters to make it work (with help from my brother) but it all fits and that&#8217;s the donor master cylinder from the Mountaineer. Rule number one use what you have.

Flynbrian48: Cool car in your avatar. The Mustang and the Comet are really similar unibody&#8217;s so for example I am using 1968 Mustang motor mounts for the Comet. I agree the 5.0&#8217;s are built proof. This one has the GT40 heads so the headers are an issue but I like the engine. This is being built using the donor concept the donor being a wrecked low mileage 1998 Mercury Mountaineer. I am having to spend time on my back under the car now but prior to this the car spent a lot of time on it&#8217;s side on a home build car tilter which really helped. Since it is my Daughters car I have to go with her wishes about the wheels which are the slots. I will keep the other wheels for a while but then sell them if we don&#8217;t use them.

 

Yes I am very happy to have a good space to work on the Opel and other things around the house/yard that need to be done. I finished building the workshop about 5 years ago. Prior to that I was also in the driveway.

I am glad the flares are gone. I am sure I cut away PLENTY of hours of quality work. I am sure when they were put on it seemed like the RIGHT thing to do.

From what I have been told the Opel started being built back in the 70's..... then is sat for a long time (20 yrs?) it was then bought by another hot rodder who did more work to it and then finally it was sold to the person I got it from who finished up & improved the car so it was able to run somewhat successfully on the drag strip.

The floors in the Opel are in GOOD shape. NOT made of the greatest of material. Especially certain sections of it in the seat area. So in a way I would be better off if they were not there at all.

I was also told parts of the interior are made from "old signs"..... Typical "old school build" method. Use what ya got or can get for free.

I plan to re-do and replace most of the seating area using either new sheet metal or stainless steel that will be bead rolled for strength (and of course looks).

Like your ****** tunnel I WISH some of the things done previously on the Opel where NOT done. I hate cutting up "workable" things ..... especially when they are done in a quality fashion or "good enough" for most people.(like the fender flares)

BUT..... I have committed myself to doing this "build" .... make that "rebuild" as if it was being done by me.... my way originally.

Which means a LOT of the things done to this car over the years "gotta go".

If you like Sawz Alls, die grinders & cutting torches..... stay tuned!!!!

 

It took 2 months but I am officially current. Below is my most recent post from 8/6/2012.

I haven&#8217;t had a lot of time to work on the Comet for the last 2 weeks and my daughter has been out of town but I did get some stuff done. I did an initial alignment on the front end, plumbed the brake lines, torqued the front suspension, finished fabricating the EGR tube, worked on the locks and had some rekeyed and keys made, finished detailing the engine, replaced the Mountaineer oil filter setup with a standard mount and finished installing the pedal box. Because there is now a rag joint on the steering column I was able to pull the steering wheel out about ½ an inch so I put a collar in place to limit that. I installed the engine again to find out that the air conditioning compressor doesn&#8217;t clear the shock tower so it will be coming out again so I can cut up the shock tower one more time. Below are a few pictures.