I'm still trying to learn how to navigate on this board. I posted to tinnoka already introducing myself. Now I fine this forum. Anyway I'm restoring a 1971 merc comet that I have had in my driveway for 3 years now, it's time. It has a boss 302 in it right now which I am taking out and putting in a 351W/408 stroker. The engine is being built as we speak. I need to know if the fenders, grill and hood will fit on this car from a 71 maverick? I found one as a donor car? I was also told I will need a cowl for the hood because the engine might be a tad tall? And what does this car weigh? This should do it for now questions wise. I have lots more coming.Thaking y'all in advance. james comet
welcome James to the board...yes the 71 parts will fit, no problems.these cars are pretty light , 2800 2900 pounds give or take. 408 will make it stand up and scream...good luck...Jim
probably also need the bumper and gravel shield. very sure that you don't have a boss 302. that's a lot of money. i had a 351w in mine with a 1" spacer under the carb. hood clearance wasn't a problem, but i didn't have a high manifold like an air gap. was an edelbrock performer if i remember right. 408 will make it fly. remember that it has to stop also.
thank you for the welcome and the advice. This project is going to take about 3 months or so. I am having the motor professionally built and it will be rather expensive. I will give more details on the motor later. I already have the read end built and done. 9inch 31 spline, all the suspension has been done and next week I am picking up the tranny. I am using a baby c-6 manual valve body with a 3000 stall. Pictures won't be for a while yet. Anyway, thanks again for your kindness and will talk later. james comet
speaking of breaks and stuff? What would you recommend. I was thinking of drums back and disc front? I made up my mind to do this car right and not spare any expense. Here is the site of where my motor is being built. www.badasscars.com Check it out. Click on Prices and go down to 450-525hp 408 stroker. It's going to cost around 9 grand. I only payed 500 for the car and all it needs is new interior a front left fender, hood and windshield. The kid that had it needed money bad. I figured the total project will be around 14 to 15 grand. Btw, I'm not doing this to drag race at the strip (although I can, it has 3,000 stall converter). It's mainly a freeway car with 3:50 gears. I like messing with vipers, vets and the like. I still have alot of questions like what size tires and rims to use in order to get the maximum benefit. Thanks again in advance. james comet
i think most on here would reccomend the disc brakes all around for a street car with that much power. i run discs up front and drums on the back. it's a strip only car and i've got a lot of room to stop. runs low 12's/high 11's at 114mph.
Thanks. I have to say that my two favorite cars are a 1965 comet which my father bought me. It was loaded with the 289 hypo. To this day I still feel the body stlye never seems to be outdated. My other favorite is the 1970 Mustang. I use have a couple of 428 CJ's. What a mistake in selling them years ago. Btw, are there any numbers production wise on 71/72 comets. I just don't see any out there? And what about the Mavs? james comet
You may wish that you still had the Hi-Po Comet ('65). I know a guy in NJ who sold one recently for over $40K. He bought an '89 Saleen Convertible (1 of 6 or 7) for half that money-only had 4K miles or so. Seth Oh, welcome to the board.
I enjoyed your site and now it is pop quiz time. I plan on painting my car black as well. Btw what kind of times did it run? Now for my question. First let me lay some ground work. The motor that is being built (professional) is a 408 stroker, intake duration 242, lift 608. Exhaust 248 and 614 solid roller can with lobe of 110. Using victor jr heads with a 750 holly built by Quick fuel technalogy. Eagle 4340 crank and 6.250 H beam 434 rods. Now, I do not plan to drag race this car at the strip. I have 350 gears with posi, 9" 31 spline. Most of the races on the streets do not happen from a dead stop waiting for the light. They start after were going 10-30,40 mph. I ask my mechanic what kind of stall converter I should use and he recommended 3,000. I took my baby c-6 to the trans guy a couple of weeks ago and he told me that my mechanic does not know what he is talking about. So my mech talked with him on the phone and said to build a 3,000 stall. Remember I gave the trans guy all the figures of the car, cam, gears, weight etc. He calls today for me to pick it up and he said that the stall converter place said I would only be happy with about a 23- 24 hundred stall and that is what he built. The total price of the whole job was seven hundred $, which included the stall, manual valve body kit--everything. I paid the man and just brought it all home. I will give you my reasons why later but I want to know who is right on this? The trans guy says the car won't move until I rev it to 3 grand and my mech says the thing will idle and move by itself at 10mph and the car is totally streetable. Thank you. james comet
still looking for some answers? Let me add that if I am running 3:50 gears and the cam that I described, it's duration, car weight etc (in my last post) what size stall converter would best get the most potential out of the car? One last thing, what size tires would best suit my needs. Remember, this is not for drag racing from a standing start? Thank you all again. james comet
