1965 Mercury Comet Project

[BADVELLE]

Going to be an awesome car! I can't wait to see the completed pic's of the 3 SuperRod cars that Woody's built, been following them myself, very cool. When is the last time anyone has seen a rather stock appearing Willy's?? I have seen one in my life!

[Krashyman]

Thanks LMDGUY!

Craig, thanks -- check out this month's SuperRod . . . Woody's made the cover (Chris, the owner, is on the cover with the 55 Chevy). All three Buckaroo buildoff cars are pretty much done and I believe they are being tested next week.

Joe, to answer your questions about the rear tires, it's actually been an issue we've been discussing in the past week. The original plan was to go with 255/45/18 in the rear and 225/45/18 in the front. But that was when we were going with the 4.6 mod motor (305 HP) and auto tranny. Now that we're using the GT500 5.4 mod motor (500 HP) and TR6060 (or T56) manual tranny, we thought that we should get a little thicker for the rear rubber. The problem is, when we ordered the AME chassis, the plan was for the smaller tires.

Woody's is looking into how thick we can go without having to redo anything with the chassis. We also want to avoid mini-tubbing if possible (although there is a chance we will need to do it). I would like to try to use 275/40/18 in the rear. I believe that this would be about a 10.80" width and 26.70" total height (wheel and tire).

Either way, I'll be sure to post info/pics when we get it figured out.

Thanks,
Josh

[Krashyman]

A few early speaker install pics:

[novanutcase]

Lookin' Good!!!

John

[formula98]

That does look good!

[BADVELLE]

What I have seen in the mag's from Woody's is outstanding, I can't wait to see their work in person!

[Krashyman]

Thanks for your comments, everyone. Here is a new pic of the Comet with the fenders back on (if only temporarily):



Also, I know people have been following the Buckaroo Buildoff cars that Woody's has been doing (which has caused the delay in the Comet project). Below are pics of the three final products. They were at Good Guys Columbus last weekend -- maybe some of you saw them and can give your views.







Thanks,
Josh

[Krashyman]

Update -- brakes and radiator. What do you think?

[Cometose]

The brakes look killer!6 pistons should do well to stop that monster. Nice rad too,is the engine gonna set back a bit to help fit the rad or maybe fab a new core support to make room, I know it's kinda tight in there..
Also, any pics showing how the body and chassis are going together? Get hints in some of the pics, just looking for more!

It's looking great Josh, thanks for the updates and pics. For some reason I can't get enough of this build

laterjoe

[LMDGUY]

looking good!

[Krashyman]

Thanks LMDGUY, glad you like it.

Joe, good to hear from you -- it's been awhile. I know you're a Comet guy each time you post, because you always seem to ask the right questions.

I talked with the shop earlier this week and, indeed, they are going to need to set the engine back farther. To do so, they likely will be cutting out the firewall and moving it back. The core support also is being fabbed and will be made so that the rad will fit -- should look pretty cool also.

While there is a lot of weight in the back of the Comet, the position of the engine also should help with front/rear weight distribution. The new GT500s are something like 57% front and 43% rear, and my guess is that we'll be in the low 50s for the front (high 40s for the rear). Overall weight should be just around 4,000 lbs (give or take).

The engine is going to be a real tight fit, but we think it will squeeze in there. The biggest thing is the height, because the awesome hood is already fabbed (see pics earlier in thread) and we don't want to modify it anymore. Hopefully, this shouldn't be a problem, and moving the engine (and firewall) back will actually help the top to bottom fit. Also, we don't plan to have a super low car anyway. While I know people will criticize the ride height, I like cars that sit up just a bit higher than many pro-touring cars (as long as it doesn't affect the handling too much).

As for more pics of the body/chassis, I don't have any now, but I've asked the shop for more and will post them when I get them.

Thanks,
Josh

[Cometose]

Yeah, I'm more of a lurker than a poster...
Still in the planning/dreaming/researching stage so it is especially cool to see project builds on this site, especially one that is same make,model,year as my own! Thanks for answering all my questions,more to come no doubt!

The engine set back/weight distribution stuff sounds good,all the tweaking to get that engine to fit(under that bitchin hood too) will totally be worth it. I haven't seen too many 65 Comets with big inch rims so it's hard to say what a good ride hieght is, the wheel openings are a lil funky-not round like a Camaro or Mustang-and at this point I'm still pondering, cutting and pasting to see what looks right.I gots lots of time to ponder..cut and paste...so by the time I start in a few years I'll have a clear plan(yah right!)

Keep the updates and pics coming, good stuff!!

[hechtrod]

Can't wait to see this car done. It's been months since I visited this site and was glad to see this car is progressing. I should send the link to my dad, he owned a '64 Comet Cyclone for years back in the 70's/early 80's.
Thanks,
Chris

[novanutcase]

Lookin good Josh!

John

[Krashyman]

Thanks Chris. Good to see you made it back to the site. The 64 Comets are really great also (if they had stacked headlights, I might even like them better than the 65's). Hope your dad enjoys the project pics if he takes a look.

Thanks for checking in, John. Your Chevy II is just awesome and I'm following your project thread closely. You've gotten way ahead of the Comet!!! Keep it up -- can't wait to see the finished product.

A few more update pics . . . .

First, making the core support so the radiator (and eventually the engine) will fit.





Second, cutting out the firewall so it can be moved back for the engine to fit -- the dimensions of this motor are pretty mammoth. I think the plan is to re-use the old firewall, but no final decision yet.





Third (and finally), Ididit has become a sponsor and donated a shorty tilt steering column, under-dash mounting kit, and steering column drop mounts. Thanks Ididit!

[Krashyman]

The Comet is sitting on the ground with the AME chassis -- even though the wheels/tires aren't mine, it's nice to see!

A few update pics:

[fast Ed]

It looks great with 82 Z-28 wheels installed ... you should leave those on!! LOL


cheers
Ed N.

[Krashyman]

Ed - LOL, with those wheels, I'm a trend setter! Good to hear from you; it's been awhile. By the way, the 5.4L engine is being picked up this week (hopefully) and I'll be posting pics as soon as it gets in the shop. I can't wait! Best, Josh

[fast Ed]

It's great to see the project moving forward, Josh.

Haven't done much with my Cougar this summer, other than drive it of course. A few weeks ago we welded in some frame connectors, and did the 3G 130 amp alternator swap. Still want to get a T5 trans in there, and get the monster brakes behind my 18s, but it hasn't happended yet.


cheers
Ed N.

[70TWO NOVA]

The car is looking sick man, the hood is awsome also.