Projects ***DONE*** 1964 Comet Cyclone. "Just a quick project...."

This one is WAY out of my usual build range, but I have always had a soft spot for these little hard tops.



Very patina'd dark maroon. Original color, but not original paint.



I don't get all goofy about numbers matching stuff, but she is an original K code Mercury Cyclone with all the cool emblems, dash tach and correct vin. She rolled out of the Cincinatti Ohio plant in May '64 dark maroon, black bucket seats and autoflush.



It ran when I picked it up, but the tranny is already on the ground.



I remembered why I quit being a Ford guy about 30 years ago. There are 76, 843 different flywheel possibilities for the small block Ford.



You can still buy Cragars new (made in the USA), but they are not 50 bucks a set anymore.



See you next time.

-Abone.

 

That will be a great project. '64 Comet hardtop is one of the best looking 60s cars ever made IMO. The roof line and trunk profile are perfect.

Yeah SBF and C4 had quite a few combos.. Pre-'81 engines were 28 oz-in imbalance, 50 oz-in after that. Then there's case-fill C4 with the 157-tooth flywheel and 10.5" BC torque converter versus the pan-fill C4 with 164-tooth and 11 7/16 BC converter. Oh, then there was the 24-spline input shaft versus 26-spline...

 

I remember a few of those Comets in my neighborhood when I was a kid that were fast. I always liked them and still do.

 

Looking Good, remember the K code for ‘64 Comets was a 210hp 289; four barrel single exhaust, single point distributor. The K was a 271hp 289 in Mustan* and ‘65 Comets.
‘64 blocks were 5 bolt bell housings and (3 bolt starters), 6 bolts started in ‘65.

 

When I sold my 1964 Cyclone I immediately regreted selling it and still think about it!

 

That is a very neat car. Cyclones are cool!

 

Fear of regret is the reason I have owned mine for 55 years.

 

The HiPo 289 was never a production option in the first-gen Comets (or Falcons for that matter) as the drivers side exhaust manifold wouldn't clear the steering box without grinding on both of them. With that said, Mercury did build a dozen '64 Caliente Hardtop HiPo 'specials' for an advertising stunt (100,000 Miles At 100 MPH!) but those had a 'D' engine code (for Daytona, where they ran the miles). Some of these did end up in private hands. In '65 they again built a small number (4 to 6?) with the 'D' code motor but these were sold as race cars only and intended for B/FX racing. Stripped like their bigger brothers, these were fitted with the standard single exhaust, but had either a 2-4 or 4 weber set-up delivered in the trunk. Doug Nash got one of them, the motor ended up in his infamous aluminum-framed Bronco Funny. These have disappeared without a trace AFAIK.

And one last one.... In '65 Ford of Canada built 50 HiPo-powered Falcon Sprints to generate traffic in the showrooms; Canada didn't get the Mustang until the following year. Sold to select racers, they got NHRA to accept these for legal competition but because NHRA was normally requiring 100 examples for legality at that time, these were only legal in Canada, not south of the border.

 

Always (and still are) a favorite of mine! Back when they were new, I was a GM man thru and thru, but the Cyclone was such a sweet looking car that I had to like it. All the advertising may have had something to do with it, but the potential was there (i.e. Chrisman's Comet)! Nice color, will look great with the Cragars, Carp.

 

The Ford flywheel fiasco is a perfect reason for a Pontiac replacement.

 

I thought there were only 7 271 hp Canadian Falcons in 65. Never seen the 50 number come up.

 

The flywheel changes are hardly a “fiasco”.

Certainly no worse than early/late Pontiac starter mounting and intake manifold interchange issues.

 

Cool car, I have a friend with a 4 door V8 '64 in his backyard, keeping an eye on the herd of mustangs he has corralled there.

 

I had a friend in high school that had a maroon '64 Cyclone sporting a set of Hurst mag wheels, it was one of the nicest cars in the parking lot, he joined the Air force just after graduation.

Lee showed up at the 50th high school reunion and he said he still has the car and has retired from service and is the process of restoration.

I know you will build a nice car even if it's not your normal build, I bet it will be black before everything is said and done. HRP

 

The 64 and 65 Comets are easily my favorite 60's Mercury's. If it runs and drives perfect, if the engine needs a going through or rebuild I'd look at a 347 stroker kit for it. Very cool car.

 

Back in the early 70's I bought a similar Comet, a four speed that someone had swapped in a 302, bucket seats etc. I pulled the engine/transmission, eventually the bucket seats ended up in my old Chevy. Cut the rest of it up and threw it away. Just one of the many stupid things I've done in life

 

I used to work with a guy who had a Comet like that, 289 4 speed car. He beat on that thing all the time, never broke it. Went through countless back tires!

 

A friend of mine recently bought a real similar Comet. Neat project and will be even cooler once it is Pontiac powered.

 

I just snagged a zero mile Comet Caliente 260 with a few performance mod's. Never started after rebuild. Included new flywheel, PP, disc, TO bearing, T-10 tranny, and that bitch'n Ford linkage. All from a one owner Caliente convert that had never been modified. Now I'm all dressed up with nowhere to go, no car to put it in. Actually, one of the threads today was on that little English critter. I just happen to have one of the early "small" Jamaicans, on a TR3 chassis. That 260 would slide right in. Kind of a Tiger of different stripes....

 

For you new owners of Comets there is an active forum dedicated to Comets. If you are in need of parts or advice it is a good place to visit. I have been hanging around the forum for almost 20 years now.
https://www.cometcentral.com/forum/index.php

 

I hope you don't mind me posting the link to your build. The quality of your car is absolutely fantastic.

https://redirect.viglink.com/?forma.../kabinenroller/albums/72157686464305953<br> I

-Abone.

 

My favorite late model Ford. A friend had a 64 4 speed in high school, fast car.

 

That may be the actual number built. Ford of Canada may have told NHRA that they 'intended' to build 50 to gain legality but failed to find enough buyers. Kind of like the aero-bodied Torino Talladega/Cyclone Spoiler deal in NASCAR. Supposedly required to build 500 of each car, Ford built the required number of Fords but fell short on the Mercurys, doing some sleight-of-hand to try to hide the shortfall. Rumor has it that Bill France wasn't fooled but decided to ignore it as they were essentially the same car. And Ford didn't document these NHRA 'specials' very well if at all so actual numbers built are murky. Besides the 'official' Comets, there were several FE-powered Falcons built as well as some SOHC Mustang fastbacks as FX cars, all driven by 'factory' drivers like Hubert Platt and Gas Rhonda. And you'd think that if Ford of Canada built 50 of those HiPo Falcons more would have survived but who knows?

The '64-65 Comets are interesting cars. From '60 to '63 they were basically mechanically identical to the Falcon. That changed in '64. Mercury discontinued the Fairlane-based Meteor in '63 so repositioned the Comet to fill the gap. They made two major changes. One, up until then the six cars and V8 cars had two separate body shells, with the V8 cars having much heavier-gauge metal and additional bracing in the frame rails, crossmembers, inner and outer rockers, shock towers and added torque boxes. Mercury dropped the six shell, switching to the V8 shell for all models making for a much stiffer body structure. Falcon (and the soon to be introduced Mustang) still used the lighter shell for the six cars. Two, Mercury increased the wheelbase/length. While the floor/frame structure was still identical from the doors forward, from the doors back it was now completely different, with a redesigned rear suspension. It's generally assumed that Ford based the Mustang on the Falcon but truth be told, they used more parts off the Comet than they did off the Falcon (other than 'shared' parts). Ford lifted the Comet rear suspension for the Mustang, as well as a fair amount of the interior trim (which is helpful if trying to restore one). Be aware that Falcon front floor pans will fit, but the rears won't.

The last remaining issue is the steering linkage. The '63-early/mid '64 V8 cars have unique linkage that is pretty much unobtainium these days, and horribly expensive if you can find parts. It also came with built-in bump steer. Ford didn't transfer this over from the Falcon/Comet to the Mustang, instead completely redesigning it. The Mustang went on sale in April '64, Ford switched the Falcon/Comet to this design in late May/early June (depending on where you look). Every part is different, including the spindles. The aftermarket now offers kits to convert to the Mustang design if your early linkage needs repair. The one unique part is the center link, which is narrower than the Mustang. Some Mustang swaybars can be made to fit, check before you buy. And if you swap to Mustang upper shock mounts, you'll find more choices in shocks as well as a better mount.

There used to be a couple of aftermarket suppliers of Falcon/Comet specific shock tower braces as well as a bolt-in lower crossmember, both well worth it for improved handling. Delta Bay was one supplier.

A few other comments. If you still have the 5-bolt motor, that will severely limit your transmission choices if desiring a change. Easy to check; if the bellhousing is attached with 3/8-16 bolts with a 9/16" head, it's a 5-bolt. The 6-bolt uses 7/16" bolts with a 5/8" head. I'll also note that if it is a 5-bolt, that C4 will be a 'Cruisomatic' type, not the later 'Select Shift'. Difference is the Cruisomatic will have D2, D1 and LO detents, not the later D-2-1. These start in 2nd gear in D2, low in D1, and LO is low. There isn't a selectable 2nd, although you can keep it in second by starting in low, shifting to D1 and as soon as it upshifts into second pull it back down into LO which will hold it in 2nd until you upshift into one of the 'D's. These also have a weird rear trans mount. The trans doesn't sit 'on' the mount, it 'hangs' off of it. Don't lose any of the parts, they're hard to find. There are aftermarket crossmembers that accept 'standard' mounts if you source a different trans.

And as far as engine swaps, anything wider than the 289/302 Ford will require hacking the shock towers for exhaust clearance. Pretty much every American V8 is wider than those....

 

https://redirect.viglink.com/?format=go&jsonp=vglnk_167433441468510&key=3ddbb42d66675f20d3a5103dae5d4319&libId=ld6fh3ca010025g1000DL4p0r83xf&loc=https://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/conversations/do-you-have-a-build-thread-on-your-mercury.5668863/&v=1&out=https://www.flickr.com/photos/kabinenroller/albums/72157686464305953&ref=https://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/conversations/&title=Do you have a build thread on your Mercury? | The H.A.M.B.&txt=https://www.flickr.com/photos/kabinenroller/albums/72157686464305953<br> I

That is one well-massaged Comet! Beautiful car....

 

I do not mind that you share the link, it is on a public photo album for anyone who may be interested.
I did not post every step of the build, it was a five year journey after the car sat idle in my collection for the better part of 40 years.

Thank you very much for the kind words. I spent quite a bit of time and thought on the build, I wanted to keep the body and trim completely stock but every mechanical component slightly tweaked. I built the car completely in my home shop with the exception being having it chemically stripped, e coated, bodywork and paint. Even the interior was done by a good friend without the car leaving my shop. I had a hand in everything done on the car except plating. The color change to the interior and body took many years for me to decide but I am much more pleased with the change over the common red/black that the car once was.
The Boss 302 is from a wrecked Boss Mu*s*ang that I purchased in 1972, it was first installed in the car in 1973.
The fiberglass hood is not a modern reproduction, in 1973 I pulled a mold from the Tom Coward A/FX Comet and had this hood made from that mold.
Thanks again,
Jim

 

I had 64 Sedan 4 speed , 289 . Toploader was tough swap in , trans mounts are 1 off ! I used a 65 Galaxy left hand exhaust manifold . No issues with clutch linkage or manifold clearance that I recall . It was owned by 92 year old woman : before I purchased it . 57 -59 Ford 9 in will bolt in no fabs necessary .

Traded the Comet for an all steel 37 Chebbie body , 265 powered with 3 speed , 55 rear axle did not run for 15 years but one sweet body and frame to build on .

 

When I was an 18 year old know everything kid in HS I had a '65 Falcon 2 dr. wagon with a 289 and and an automatic. Loved the car but hated the automatic. Then a buddy wrecked his '64 Comet with a 289 and 3 speed full syncro trans in it. I bought the entire wreck for $185.00 and proceeded to install the engine and trans in the wagon. Luckily, everything was a bolt in swap including the funky ass trans mount. Only issue was the driveshaft. The one from the wagon slid right into the 3 speed and I thought I was off to the races. Turns out the splines were different and when I let the clutch out for the first time all I got was a horrible grinding noise and the car didn't move. Took me a while to figure it out but not before I pulled the trans thinking it was the problem.

 

Was it on Marketplace when you bought it? I saw at one like that on marketplace about 2 weeks ago.

I really wanted it but have too many thing going at the present.