69 and a half value

I would probably fix it and sell it if the price is right. I would love to keep it, but between the Comet & Cyclone I am out of space, I would also like to stay married.

 

When I say original I mean mechanically. It does'nt appear to be modified in any way. I expect the usual repaint, stereo and aftermarket wheels (he said he has the original wheels and hubcaps) you're right though I just tend to zero in the drivetrian.

 

Unless you steal it I would be very careful about the flipping it idea. I think it's great for personal use but at the risk of drawing the ire of some readers, ours are not popular cars and the market is quite limited making it questionable risk vs reward.

Before anybody flames me, I recently put over $40k in my 75 Comet GT that I have owned since new so my commitment to these cars is pretty solid

 

I'm sure there are a lot of pristine original Mavericks out there for sale from all years and I wouldn't pay more for one just because it is considered an early 69.5 version. I have a 69.5 myself and it is kind of a novelty having the ignition under the dash but unless the car is found to be the first one made or formerly owned by Elvis, I wouldn't pay any extra for one.

 

It's worth whatever someone will pay for it. These cars were never "collectors items".

The steering wheel, wheels, and "F O R D" letters on the hood are not original.

I know these are bolt-on items, but to me, "original" means original.

 

Oh come on, Frank, we all know those brakes are plenty "adequate".

 

A re-paint, some bondo in quarters, original brakes?? AND a rusty turn signal lever...Not to mention the un-original hood...Sheesh c'mon guys. It cant be worth more than 850.00.

Now for the real comment: If its as clean as you say it is despite the obvious. He shouldnt be asking less than 3K (I wouldnt...As long as cowl is not a leaker) 4K tops all things considered....

What makes you think it needs valves & hardened seats??? May just need seals.

 

The owner brought it my friends shop because it had a slight skip. He pulled the plugs, checked it out said it's got a burnt valve. I say a good valve job and hardened seats because of crappy modern fuels.

 

The lead in the days-gone-by gas had some cooling and/or lubricating properties needed to keep the exhaust seats in good shape. Without the lead, I have seen exhaust valves pound their way deep into the valve seats. Replacing the original seats with stellate seats solves that problem but the replacement seats are pressed in so there is always that chance that one will come loose sometime in the future.

 

Honestly...If its just a cruiser,weekend toy...You dont have to have hardened seats.
Hardened seats are a must if the car is going to see constant high rpm, high heat,and or stiff valve springs and lumpy cams. Of course if the valves have recessed into the heads far enough that a valve grind/replacement wont restore proper installed height. By all means go W/ hardened seats. As for falling out...I have seen it happen on aluminum heads that have been severely overheated. I wouldnt be too concerned about it on a cast iron head like that 6 bangers.
Knowing this I will adjust my purchase figure to 2500 to 3K purchse price.

 

True on the seats - same story my machine shop/speed center told me - I had a machine shop install the seats in my original open chamber Cleveland heads years ago. When I had this same 351C stroked to 393, I replaced the original heads with closed chamber ones from a Boss 351 and the speed shop told me that it would be a shame to replace the original seats in the Boss heads as they were so perfect. My build if for the street so I opted to leave them there and possibly just add some lead to the gas for safety's sake

 

I don't want anyone to get the impression that I am trying to make a fast buck here not that there's anything wrong with that. I would genuinely love to have the car. The owner seems to be down on his luck and I dont want to take advantage of that but he said he was just going to let it sit in his garage. For 3000 I would buy it if I had somewhere to keep it. If I could get it for half that I would sell it. I honestly don't know the value of these cars. My Comet was my first car and my dad bought it for me 25 years ago. I only know what I spent on it.

 

That's actually a myth. With or without lead, valves will "pound their way deep into the valve seats" unless the valve seats are hardened. A fairly recent study determined that there was no significant reduction in valve seat wear in engines that used leaded gasoline. The sole purpose of adding lead to gasoline was for boosting octane levels. It had nothing to do with reducing valve wear.

 

Maybe so but I put a set of hi-po 289 heads on my Comet in high school. They came with the car when my dad bought it in 91. They had 327 Chevy valves, good spring pressure & stock rockers. They were ported, polished & assembled by Reed Cams in Atlanta in the 70's. They were finally installed in 91. They really woke up my little Comet until it started smoking three years later. The seats were absolutely beaten. Either way you look at it modern fuel carries no weight (lead) and is ..well.....corny.

 

Tetraethyl Lead (TEL) was added to gasoline in order to permit higher compression ratios by suppressing spark knock aka preignition.

Tetraethyl lead does not "cushion" the valve when it closes. This is likely a story made up by additive marketeers.

Valve seat damage happens over tens of thousands of miles.

Valve seats can be damaged by improperly set ignition timing with insufficient advance. This will cause there to be unburned fuel in the spent mixture which reignites when the exhaust valve opens. This superheated exhaust will make the valve seat area susceptible to deformation because it is red hot and soft.

I don't doubt that lead has some lubricating properties, but when it was first added to gasoline, the last thing on anyone's mind was lubrication or "cushioning" of valves.