72 Mercury Comet GT in Germany

**tody** · 2009-05-09, 13:51

Hey folks,

some of you may have stumpled upon this post where robert pointed out a comet in sweden:
http://mmb.maverick.to/showthread.php?t=55026

yesterday, i flew from germany to gothenburg to take a closer look at the car. it looked good from the pictures, so i figured it could be worth a try.

needless to say it was a fairly big disappointment. the car looks decent from a distance, but turned out as a restoration project upon closer inspection.

the car has been lowered way too much up front and the suspension is junk. it is held up by hijackers in the rear. the tires stick out really wide - the have been cut by the wheel openings, which broke in return.
the car has fairly big rust issues. the passenger door is toasted on the front inner side. the passenger floor pan has rusted through as a result of that. it has a lot of surface rust everywhere on the inside. the corners of the trunk are rusted through. the drivers upper door hinge has been fixed badly before, same as the area where the brake cylinder is mounted. the underside was completely covered in black conservation material, so i expect a lot more rust.

it's been obviously a project for all of the previous owners. the engine bay and the wiring harness are a total mess. the interior is rough. lots of weatherstripping is missing, so is a lot of chrome parts. the grille is busted.

with the price the seller was asking i couldn't really see a point in buying it. after negotiating for a couple of hours he lowered the price considerably.

so i made a decision which i will be cursing a lot - and bought it. this decision was backed up by my girlfriend, so she won't be allowed to complain when i spend a lot of time on fixing the car!

from gothenburg, we took the ferry to kiel, germany. we then drove 400 miles home - flawlessly. so the good seems to be a decent engine - 302 with edelbrock performer intake and holley double pumper carb, a good transmission, the 9 inch rear and disc brakes all round. and the paint job is quite nice.

i just brought the car to a friend's shop. i'll be tearing down the car and keep you updated on the progress! right now i'm browsing through the old documents (in swedish and danish) and evn found the old title - it's a florida car which was exported in 92!

here are some pictures:

Grabber71 · 2009-05-09, 14:12

Car sure does take great pics! Glad it went to a good home! Loved the pics at the Ferries...we have them over here(B.C. Ferries) and although we complain about them a lot it is one of the highlights of any trip to be in the terminal and get on one! Be sure and keep us up to date on your progress!

**don graham** · 2009-05-09, 15:01

Looks like a good project. Good luck with it. Keep us posted on the progress.

**tody** · 2009-05-10, 05:40

i will keep you updated. i'm recovering from the trip today, so no work done. next week, i'll have the underside all cleaned up and the interior will be ripped out. then we'll see what rust issues have to be dealt with.

@Grabber71: i like the horseshoe bay - nanaimo route best. but only so far, because next time i visit, i'll be going the inside passage finally. bc - definitely one of the most beautiful places on earth!

Fish OutOfWater · 2009-05-10, 11:29

I think its a good looking car, sounds like you are going to take it to another level, Good luck with the resto. Thats a unique car anywhere you go in europe. How often do you see old American cars there?

**tody** · 2009-05-10, 12:55

Quote:

Originally Posted by Fish OutOfWater

How often do you see old American cars there?

they are fairly common. not on a daily basis, but the scene has gotten pretty big. it's mainly mustangs, but also quite a few mopar drivers. but i have never seen a maverick in europe, let alone a comet - so i hope it turns out as a real head turner!

littleredtoy · 2009-05-10, 21:24

Same car in the other post?

**tody** · 2009-05-11, 00:59

yes, it's the same. i thought it would make sense to start a new thread where i post updates regularly

**tody** · 2009-05-12, 01:25

the marti report for the car has arrived - a real gt with a floor shifter. nice...

Andysutt · 2009-05-12, 06:24

Cool!

Your gas cap should ship tomorrow if the payment hits the bank. Thanks again

2009-05-09, 14:12	#2
Grabber71 Milique Toast Join Date: 2003-02-26 Location: Vancouver Island, Canada Posts: 860 Vehicle(s): '71 Grabber Maverick 351w iTrader: 2 (100%) Images: 21	Car sure does take great pics! Glad it went to a good home! Loved the pics at the Ferries...we have them over here(B.C. Ferries) and although we complain about them a lot it is one of the highlights of any trip to be in the terminal and get on one! Be sure and keep us up to date on your progress! __________________ Crazy,but that's how it goes Millions of people living as foes Maybe it's not too late To learn how to love And forget how to hate -Ozzy Osbourne, Crazy Train

2009-05-09, 15:01	#3
don graham Senior Member Join Date: 2002-03-10 Location: arizona city, az. Posts: 15,751 Vehicle(s): 70 mav, 71 grabber, 73 mav, 73 Comet, 2004 f-250 crew cab diesel, 98 taurus, 2001 montana iTrader: 16 (100%) Images: 12	Looks like a good project. Good luck with it. Keep us posted on the progress. __________________ don graham q751

2009-05-10, 11:29	#5
Fish OutOfWater Brian Join Date: 2007-01-30 Location: Long Island, NY Posts: 899 Vehicle(s): 72 Maverick Grabber, 71 Plymouth 'cuda440-6 iTrader: 1 (100%) Images: 68	I think its a good looking car, sounds like you are going to take it to another level, Good luck with the resto. Thats a unique car anywhere you go in europe. How often do you see old American cars there? __________________ Click HERE to see a video on on Youtube. Click HERE to read all about my 1972 Maverick Grabber.

2009-05-10, 21:24	#7
littleredtoy Seth Join Date: 2002-04-27 Location: North Carolina, Triangle Area Posts: 4,016 Vehicle(s): '74 Comet GT iTrader: 16 (100%) Images: 27	Same car in the other post? __________________

2009-05-12, 06:24	#10
Andysutt '72 Comet GT Join Date: 2002-12-30 Location: Conway Arkansas Posts: 3,086 Vehicle(s): 1972 Comet GT iTrader: 11 (100%) Images: 3	Cool! Your gas cap should ship tomorrow if the payment hits the bank. Thanks again __________________ ex 1972 Comet GT '97 Taurus LX 3.0 24v '66 F-100

2009-05-10, 05:40	#4
tody Senior Member Join Date: 2008-04-12 Location: cologne, germany Posts: 1,092 Vehicle(s): 72 comet gt, 65 mustang iTrader: 15 (100%) Images: 8	i will keep you updated. i'm recovering from the trip today, so no work done. next week, i'll have the underside all cleaned up and the interior will be ripped out. then we'll see what rust issues have to be dealt with. @Grabber71: i like the horseshoe bay - nanaimo route best. but only so far, because next time i visit, i'll be going the inside passage finally. bc - definitely one of the most beautiful places on earth!

2009-05-11, 00:59	#8
tody Senior Member Join Date: 2008-04-12 Location: cologne, germany Posts: 1,092 Vehicle(s): 72 comet gt, 65 mustang iTrader: 15 (100%) Images: 8	yes, it's the same. i thought it would make sense to start a new thread where i post updates regularly

2009-05-12, 01:25	#9
tody Senior Member Join Date: 2008-04-12 Location: cologne, germany Posts: 1,092 Vehicle(s): 72 comet gt, 65 mustang iTrader: 15 (100%) Images: 8	the marti report for the car has arrived - a real gt with a floor shifter. nice...

Thread Tools
Show Printable Version Email this Page
Display Modes
Switch to Linear Mode Hybrid Mode Switch to Threaded Mode