I picked up a 1971 Mercury Comet that was factory straight 6 but the engine was missing. The body has about nothing for rust expect a finger sized hole in the drivers side truck by the wheel well (seems normal for these car). The interior isn't very good but is mostly drivable. My plans for the car are as follows. 1. I want to make it a street/strip car. -I'm shooting for deep 10s/high 9s in the 1/4. -I NEED to be able to drive it to the track. I'm thinking I need a transmission with an overdrive. ---I don't build anything I couldn't drive everyday if I needed to. Period. 2. After I get all the mechanicals worked out and the cars runs how I want it to I plan to do a very nice paint job and fix the interior up. -The paint on it now protects it well, but looks hideous. I want to pick color(s) that are period correct (not necessarily Comet/maverick correct) but I don't plan to keep it fully stock outside so I can fudge things a little. I like dark greens, blues, and charcoal colors and preferable metallic (Did they have factory metallics on fords during this period??). I'm thinking white striping on the side like the Comet GT had but instead say Comet 302? So I have a few questions that I'll ask here and if they don't get answered I'll post them in a more appropriate area. 1. Does the 1971 comet have a bigger transmission tunnel? How big of a transmission can it fit? Have many made it larger to accommodated certain transmissions? 2. Does anyone know how much hood to engine clearance there is with a Coyote 5.0 stuffed in there? I've heard that it's been done before and I love my Coyote 5.0 in my F150 that I supercharged to 700hp (the blower might be coming off the truck and going on the car is why I want to know). 3. How big of a tire can be fit in the factory wheel well? I really don't want to tub the car as I want to be able to put my two kids back there for car shows. 4. Which mustang II front end kids fit the maverick/comet? Are there kits I should avoid? I have plenty of fabrication experience and plan to do all the work myself. 5. With a Mustang II front end, what addition bracing is still needed? 6. The rear bumper is bent, should I try to straighten it or are they easy/cheapish to come by? 7. I need to replace the trunk lock and ignition. Where is the best place to find parts like that? Rockauto.com? 8. What else should I know about my plans and this car? I've already purchased the car and would like to do this project right and not hack it up to make things work and getting information from this forum is what will help make that happen. Thanks guys -Daniel (mechanicboy)
I dont usually welcome new members but you have similar build interest as I do mine to try and answer what I can I know there are a couple of kits for the m2 front end I believe one is r&c (I dont know the names as I havent gotten that far into my car yet) an important thing to know is whether or not your cowl(vent in front of windshield) leaks if that leaks get ready for a HEAP of work to repair it. just about any local auto parts store should have the ignition and trunk lock as far as bracing goes you want as much as possible if you take out the shock towers as for my car like yours Im trying to build it street strip but I dont know how streetable it will be when its done. I wanted to keep the back seat but with the engine choice I made I dont know if thats going to be possible thats why I have two comets. one is fairly mild and the other will be WILD. the kids already love riding in the driver car so Ill keep on building both of them on the back bumper if its just bent in the middle take it off and straighten it yourself if its twisted either buy a new one ($400 if I remember right) or take yours to a frame shop and prolly spend the same amount of money getting it fixed OR if youre lucky enough you can find nice a used one from a member here for a decent price good luck youll find a welcoming community here
Thanks for taking the time. Is there a way to visually inspect the cowling for leaks or do I have to spray water a certain water on it and check for leaks? Is this common on these cars? What do you mean Heap of work, can you point me somewhere with pictures to give me and idea? I believe using the modern engine will help drastically in the drivability department. Make 450hp N/A right out of the box. Make 600 on nitrous easy or put my blower on it and make 700. This is the main reason I want this engine. If all I wanted was a strip car it would be different. I have access to several presses, maybe I'll try my hand at it.
we also have similar build interests...ive heard of people running up to 295 in the rear, 295/50/15 without cutting anything, thats the size I'm going to try fitting as well... if i remember correctly 4 inches of backspacing is the butter zone for these tires fitting. these tires are 26.6X11.61R15 in standard sizing if you wanted to transfer it over into drag slicks
to check the cowl you need to just pour a gallon or two of water right down the middle all at once and if the inside of your car gets wet the cowl is leaking. the water is supposed to come out on the side by the fender and pour on the ground in order get the cowl off you have to take your windshield out your dash completely out and you have to drill out ALL of the 100+ spot welds after doing all of that you have to cut out the rotten metal and replace it then weld it all back together heres a link to just one of many cowl replacement threads http://mmb.maverick.to/threads/paul-massons-71-grabber.92251/page-7
That would suck but I can do that. I didn't plan a budget before but I guess $4-5k for the mechanical bits to do this year and maybe another $3-4 next year for the pretty stuff. I'm very resourceful and patient to find the right parts and deals.
from Atlantic Canada! Where abouts are you? Location usually has a lot to do with finding parts, etc.
Welcome aboard. Your goal for deep 10's to high 9' will dictate the bracing needs (sanctioning body rules for those classes) unless you aren't planning on taking it to the track.
