1965 Mercury Comet Project

[1970cuda]

I did not see where you guys mentioned what kind of engine control system you are using. I have a 4.6 dohc that i want to put in an old mustang.
thank you

[Krashyman]

Thanks for everyone's comments.

Pops -- Good to see you on here (only took 2 years)! Check back for updates, and let me know if we're going to Cincy on Tuesday.

Chris -- No full side shots yet . . . front inner fenders are in, but outer fenders are not yet in place. Good luck with the '64, let us know how it goes.

Robyn -- We had trouble figuring out a solution for the ECU/harness for the 5.4 GT500 engine. Aftermarket was a possibility, but the shop had programming issues when they were installing an LS7 with an aftermarket computer -- and the 5.4 Ford was even less widely used in the aftermarket when we bought it. As it turns out, Sean Hyland Motorsport was the one place that said they could sell us a "plug and play" 5.4 engine (with computer and harness). My understanding is that SHM uses a factory ecu and re-programs it, but I don't know the details. For your 4.6 dohc, I think there will be more options (whether its a factory part from Ford or an aftermarket part from places like FAST, Accell, BigStuff, Venom or the like). Here's a link to a Hot Rod article on EFI systems -- not exactly what you're looking for, but might be an interesting read: http://www.hotrod.com/howto/113_0504...ems/index.html. Good luck with your project.

[lozell]

Oops.

[lozell]

Josh, I'm enjoying all the comments and learning a lot from everyone. Seems to be good energy on this forum without anyone becoming negative. Some beautiful cars. Wish I could take a ride in each of them but will have to settle for riding in yours. It'll remind me of when I was cool in THE '60s instead of being old in MY 60s. I guess we'll decide on Monday if we're seeing the car on Tuesday. Are you calling it Black Beauty officially?
Pops

[Krashyman]

Josh, I'm enjoying all the comments and learning a lot from everyone. Seems to be good energy on this forum without anyone becoming negative. Some beautiful cars. Wish I could take a ride in each of them but will have to settle for riding in yours. It'll remind me of when I was cool in THE '60s instead of being old in MY 60s. I guess we'll decide on Monday if we're seeing the car on Tuesday. Are you calling it Black Beauty officially?
Pops

Hey Pops . . . we'll definitely talk tomorrow about whether we're going to Cincy on Tuesday to see the car. If so, we'll need to take a bunch of pics/vids and post them -- remind me to take the camera. As for a name for the car, it's just the comet right now . . . "Black Beauty" is a bit cheese-whizzy, don't you think?

[Miss Daisy]

Josh, I'm enjoying all the comments and learning a lot from everyone. Seems to be good energy on this forum without anyone becoming negative. Some beautiful cars. Wish I could take a ride in each of them but will have to settle for riding in yours. It'll remind me of when I was cool in THE '60s instead of being old in MY 60s. I guess we'll decide on Monday if we're seeing the car on Tuesday. Are you calling it Black Beauty officially?
Pops

I don't know you, but I have became an ongoing supporter of Josh and his Comet project. I think I put the tag "Black Beauty" on the car after I saw the first paint. Whether he thinks it's "cheese wizzy" or not, the car is well qualified to carry that name. After all, I named my 65 Comet "Miss Daisy" and even had the name pin stripped on the trunk lid LOL.
And oh, by the way, I don't recall ever stating my age on here, but I was 62 years old when I started on "Miss Daisy" and the guy who helped me build her was 65!

Hi Josh!

Bob

[Krashyman]

I don't know you, but I have became an ongoing supporter of Josh and his Comet project. I think I put the tag "Black Beauty" on the car after I saw the first paint. Whether he thinks it's "cheese wizzy" or not, the car is well qualified to carry that name. After all, I named my 65 Comet "Miss Daisy" and even had the name pin stripped on the trunk lid LOL.
And oh, by the way, I don't recall ever stating my age on here, but I was 62 years old when I started on "Miss Daisy" and the guy who helped me build her was 65!

Hi Josh!

Bob

Hey Bob! Lozell is my dad, so I like giving him a hard time! Miss Daisy has been around awhile and she definitely deserves her name. I think my comet doesn't get a name at this point -- at least not until the car has been finished for awhile and can live up to a kick-butt car like Miss Daisy.

Also, when we meet you at a car show (hopefully this fall, but who knows with how long the car is taking), you and my dad can compare memories of when people used to get around using horses instead of cars! Just joking -- my dad loves the old-timer jokes!

Best,
Josh

[Johnny C.]

I always liked the 65 Comet and your is by far the coolest one I have seen. Awesome work. Can't wait to see the finished product.

[Miss Daisy]

Hi Guys,
I have tried to inspire you over the past months, and now it seems I am trying to inspire your Dad! Just remember, us old guys can take it as well as dish it out! LOL
I also hope that your Comet is finished before the end of the car season, and we can meet up. Miss Daisy is no comparison to "Black Beauty" LOL, but you are right - for a shade tree project by a couple of old guys, she has kicked some butt! As a matter of fact we won a top 20 award since I bragged last.
Tell your Dad that there are at least two cars that have been discussed in your thread that he can ride in and drive at least one of them - he would get the same thrill that I do while going through the five speed and feeling the three deuces kick in! He would get that 60's generation feeling all over again just as I do!
I know that the set up you have in your car is far and away "badder" than my 302 CI with posi 3.73:1 rear gears, but back in May on two passes on the quarter mile track (out of my curiosity, won't do it again) with street tires we turned 13.5* @ 107 mph in one lane and 13.4* @ 109 mph in the other! I'm satisfied with that. LOL
Did you get to Cincy today? Gitter done!

Bob

[lozell]

I enjoy reading about these cars and I know that both Miss Daisy and Black Beauty will bring smiles to my face when I see them or if I ever have the privilege to sit behind the wheel. I can already hear those carbs. My only puny effort was to fix up a 1965 Fairlane a few years ago—not restore it, just try to make it run and stop when it was supposed to. It had a 289, which wouldn’t hold a candle to the engines discussed here but I still think pound-for-pound it’s one of the best, most reliable engines we ever made. I was driving the Fairlane one day with a lady when it started to rain and the engine began misfiring. I pulled over to the side of the road and shut off the engine. The lady asked what was wrong. I told her that when the spark plug wires and distributor got wet, they caused the engine to misfire. She asked me what I was going to do about it. I said I intended to sit there until the rain stopped and everything dried out and then we’d be good to go. She was astonished. THAT is your repair strategy, she wanted to know. I allowed as how it was. She was upset, to say the least. I guess women just don’t understand the finer points of automotive engineering. Next post, I will explain to my whippersnapper son why the ‘60s were such great years.
Lozell

[Krashyman]

I guess women just don’t understand the finer points of automotive engineering.

How much are you going to pay me not to tell Kathy that you said this?

I can already hear those carbs.

You'll have a hard time listening for the carb in my Comet . . haha, nice to be able to correct the old man about something car-related (first time for everything). But you are correct about Miss Daisy -- her 302 was converted from EFI to carb.

Next post, I will explain to my whippersnapper son why the ‘60s were such great years.

If you say you were at Woodstock, I'll tell everyone not to believe you!

[Krashyman]

I know that the set up you have in your car is far and away "badder" than my 302 CI with posi 3.73:1 rear gears, but back in May on two passes on the quarter mile track (out of my curiosity, won't do it again) with street tires we turned 13.5* @ 107 mph in one lane and 13.4* @ 109 mph in the other! I'm satisfied with that.

You should be more than satisfied with that! Very impressive, especially considering you have 195s in the front and 235s in the rear. Can't wait to see Miss Daisy in person.

Did you get to Cincy today? Gitter done!

Nope, unfortunately, we didn't make it out there. But, I dreamt about the Comet -- does that count?

[Krashyman]

I always liked the 65 Comet and your is by far the coolest one I have seen. Awesome work. Can't wait to see the finished product.

Thanks Johnny. Your 67 Lemans is a great looking car -- it will be awesome once you're done with it!

[Miss Daisy]

You should be more than satisfied with that! Very impressive, especially considering you have 195s in the front and 235s in the rear. Can't wait to see Miss Daisy in person.

I was hoping for mid 14's, and was plesantly surprised - I must have done something right!
And I can't wait to to see your baby - I call Miss Daisy a resto mod, but WOW, what is being done to Black Beauty is awesome!

Nope, unfortunately, we didn't make it out there. But, I dreamt about the Comet -- does that count?

Dreaming is good, but the "real deal" is much better. I can only imagine the anticipation you are having right now - waiting.......

[Miss Daisy]

How much are you going to pay me not to tell Kathy that you said this?

I liked that 65 Fairlane story Lozell - don't worry about Josh's wife, he's the one who has to answer to her, not you..LOL

You'll have a hard time listening for the carb in my Comet . . haha, nice to be able to correct the old man about something car-related (first time for everything). But you are correct about Miss Daisy -- her 302 was converted from EFI to carb.

Josh, you quit picking on your Dad..LOL - I bet he'll understand a lot more of what I did with the Miss Daisy build than he will of the Black Beauty build.

If you say you were at Woodstock, I'll tell everyone not to believe you!

I'll vouch for you Lozell - we were both there rolling in the mud - Josh is just jealous..LOL

[Miss Daisy]

I always liked the 65 Comet and your is by far the coolest one I have seen. Awesome work. Can't wait to see the finished product.

[hechtrod]

Well, it didn't go well. The car looked good from the outside, but once you got close it was really rough. I did drive it. The 3 speed conversion was poorly done, the car didn't go well, 1 gear was too high, 3 gear too low for cruising/commuting. Oh well, it was cool to drive.

[lozell]

Josh, is a serious road trip out of the question for Black Beauty? I don't mean the week after you take delivery but maybe a year later after the newness is worn off. I can imagine cruising that machine out in the Midwest or West where the roads go on from horizon to horizon and you can drive for hours without passing anyone. Maybe the speedometer will also creep slightly past the legal limit, too--not that I'm advising breaking the law, of course.

How far has Miss Daisy been driven on a road trip? I know she was pretty awesome on the track.

Lozell

[Miss Daisy]

Hi Lozell,

Miss Daisy's longest road trip (maiden voyage) was 1,205 miles from Bastrop, LA to Bel Air, MD. Had a over heating problem during last 100 miles - reason was the 27,000 mile "junk yard" Explorer engine (my after the fact determination) evidentally had been in a vehicle that had had some sort of 'stop leak' put in the original radiator that had settled in the engine block from sitting around prior to our putting it in the Comet. I think the 20 hour trip 'cooked/vibrated' all that gunky stuff loose after 1,100 miles and was getting into the radiator. Some extensive flushing of the cooling system revealed that to be a fact, and now, 5,000 miles later there have been no more problems. Last fall we went on a 600 mile road trip out through western Maryland and down through the West Virginia mountains and she done great.

[lozell]

I used to live in WV so I know those mountain roads can be both beautiful and a challenge for a car. We had a little Subaru once that was okay on the flats but I felt like I should get out and help push it up the hills. After that, I said no more underpowered cars! Obviously not a problem with Miss Daisy. Regarding all that fix-it-up stuff that people put in tires and radiators to stop leaks or clean out fuel injectors or make transmissions run smoother--I don't know if any of it ever works in the long run, do you? Anyway, I'm glad you got all that sorted out. I love road trips in almost any vehicle but in something Super Coolio like Miss Daisy or Black Beauty would be AWESOME.
Lozell