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The early mustang, 62 comet?

9K views 59 replies 15 participants last post by  Snowseeker 
#1 ·
I bought this car as a half finished project. I actually bought it so I would have an "old car" to enjoy so I can take my time on my 68 stang build.

The Comet is a bare bones 160 I6 car. It originally had a 2 speed trans and a worn out I6 that ran but knocked, smoked, and leaked. I swapped (what I thought was a 200) I6 from my 68 mustang along with its 3 speed trans into the comet. After pulling the "200" I quickly realized it as well was a 160, someone must have swapped it into the stang at some point in its life. Oh well, the comet is just a driver and I just needed a decent drivetrain.

After the swap over, my son is pleased with it:




After a few meets and car show cruises with the family my daughter says she wants the Comet to sound like a the other cars (V8). How can I argue with that? :D

So I have a donor truck with a 351 that our family has owned since new and I know is a great motor. But the Comet needs some love before it gets a new heart.

The Comet has been patched up pretty roughly under its skin. The first I need to address is the front floor pans. The previous owner replaced both sides but with his own made up flat steel with some lousy bends and even lousier welds. The drivers side toe board isn't even connected to the frame rail! I plan to cut it all out and replace the pans and toe boards.

Now I have mustang buckets in this car, I saw someone mention that the newer 65-70 mustang floor can fit in this car, then the seat risers would match the seats. But that is more work than I want to put into this car and money. I figure if I just replace the pan and tow board I can make up my own seat mounts and save both time and money. However there are so many places a guy can get pans from and prices are all over. Anyone have some input on good pans that won't break the bank? I found this place that looks to have nice pans and reasonable prices, anyone have any experience with them? https://www.c2cfabrication.com/collections/1960-65-ford-falcon-floor-pans

I use this car as a daily driver in summer so when I start work I would like to have everything ready and get the floors done and the car ready to drive again asap. The motor swap will have to wait for winter, I have to prep the motor anyhow. The other thing I will be doing and is part of the floor work is a mustang 2 front suspension with rack and pinion. That part I plan to get done just before dropping the V8 in. Right now just floors.

If you guys don't mind the comet and this thread can stay I will update with progress pics as I get stuff done. There will be a lull here for a bit while I gather pieces though.

Here are a few pics of the car as it is now.



Yes it is dirty, did I mention I use this car in summer?




 
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#3 ·
Now I have mustang buckets in this car, I saw someone mention that the newer 65-70 mustang floor can fit in this car, then the seat risers would match the seats. But that is more work than I want to put into this car and money.
I will be doing and is part of the floor work is a mustang 2 front suspension with rack and pinion.
How is a new floorpan too much time and money but a MII suspension with R&P is not?
I'd do the floorpan and forget the MII steering.
 
#9 ·
Thanks everyone! I will definitely post as stuff happens.

My thinking on this is, the rear floor is in a good shape yet and doesn't need replacing. I would be doing it basically for the seat mounts which I can very easily make up over the existing floor.

For the MII front end, rack and pinion steering, IFS, disc brakes, all new ball joints, tie rods, tie rod ends, brakes, ect. (stuff that needs to be replaced anyway) for under a grand. Plus I need the cross member/engine mounts for the 351 swap later on.


It's awesome. I love it. Please post your build progress. (It appears that you have a driver in waiting.)
Will do! I have a couple drivers coming up. Had my 10yo daughter out in the field driving just the other day. They grow up to fast!

 
#7 ·
Entertain us with the build...Comets are cousins to Falcons and Falcons are cousins to Mustangs.....and NO, I don't like cousins just cause I live in rural Kentucky!
 
#10 ·
Cool Comet... I think that you meant 170 cid engine, and not a 160....

I like those wheels too... Pretty rare to see those in 4-lug today... Who made them???

:eek:)

Tony K.
 
#11 ·
Yes, 170, my mistake. Too many engines and numbers around here. :D

The wheels are either one of two things. I bought them listed as Mustang Cobra wheels. When I received them a couple had Nissan center caps in them. I couldn't find any factory marks in them that I remember, there may have been but it has been awhile since I had them off and looked at them. I bought them going only off the measurements, the rear wheelhouses in the comet are annoyingly narrow. However the rear end is in the plans as well but much later after the motor swap and all. The wheels are temporary till the MII front end goes in and eventually the new rear end. I have been on the fence about what bolt pattern to go with on the Comet since I will be changing the axles. But I think I will stick with the ford pattern so when it does come time for the rear end I can just shorten and use a stock Explorer rear. I have narrowed a few of these for people and like them. I have another here in fact to be shortened and mounted in a 2000 Camaro I think. It has an aluminum center chunk, pretty neat.
 
#14 ·
I just took a look quick (car is on the hoist) on the way in from work. The Wheels do say SHELBY in the casting.

I am going to order flooring tonight. Might get to work on it some over the weekend or next week.
 
#15 ·
Floor pans are on the way! I took an extra good look the other day at the floors just to be sure I was getting what I need. Luckily the nonexistent main seal in the last motor undercoated the car good. There are a few extra holes punched in the rear floor from different seats being installed in the car over the years but will weld up fine. I for sure only need the front pans and toe boards. Since it will be all cut out I will most likely fab up a bigger trans tunnel in the forward section so I won't have clearance issues later on with the newer engine/trans swap. I see the 3 speed trans I installed with the mustang engine is already really tight in the tiny comets trans tunnel.
 
#17 ·


So, don't get pans from that place. While I knew they were cheap and bent on a brake I figured they would need a bit of work to fit. They are a long way from "just a bit of work" and weld. A guy would honestly be better off starting with just a flat sheet. Even their own two parts (floor pan and toe board) that are supposed to mate up to each other don't. I should have known better.

Now it is not a total loss, I will be able to cut and bend and form the pans to work. The Comet is just a driver after all. Its not a concours restoration. I really just want the floor sealed up and welded to all the structure, unlike it is now.

Off to a good start!
 
#18 ·
I may have jumped the gun a bit on the pans. While they still aren't great I was able to get (at least the first one) to fit alright after quite a lot of bending and adjusting. I took some pics along the way, I'll post some in a bit, forgot the camera in the shop.

Some rust repair but not to bad. The bottom of the subframe at the joint to the front has some rust pinholes starting. Not much of a problem, I will replace it when I connect the subframes before welding the pans down.
 
#21 · (Edited)
After all kinds of bending, tweaking, hammering, more bending I got the pan and toe board in place enough for a test fit.







Then I moved onto subframe connectors since now is the time, plus the stock rear part of the front section of the subframe has some rust holes.




Now I am off to take my son for ice cream.
 
#22 ·
Got the subframe connector/replacement all welded up in the front end today. I found some rist in the rear corner so I will be making a patch panel for that yet. I am going to wait till I have the subframe connector installed on the passenger side before installing the floor pans. Mainly because I need to build a new cross member/trans support 'while I'm at it' haha.








I boxed in (mostly) the rear of the bigger subframe section, mainly so I could fully weld the box tube to the front subframe section.



I am going to finish up the small patch I cut out today on the driver rear. Then I will move on to the passenger side and get to the same point I am at now on the drivers side then start work on the cross member and trans mount. From what I see and read the AOD isn't much 'if any' longer than the C4 that is in the car now so I should be able to just match the mount to the C4 and it should be close enough for the AOD yes? Thats my plan unless someone has some insight they are willing to share? :)
 
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#25 ·
Thanks! The reason I am thinking of the drain is the front section of the subframe isn't sealed up well. There are holes here and there and the front of the frame isn't completely welded shut. The factory subframe I replaced had "breather or drain" holes in it. While I will be welding up as many holes and joints as possible when I do the MII front end I still feel there may be ways moister can get in. If it does get in it can't get out and where I circled is the lowest point. I am not much for drilling holes in box frames especially if I know it is sealed up well. But this one I feel is not.
 
#27 ·
Its not that I doubt my welds, what I am concerned about is ford never sealed up the front section of the subframe very well at all. Water getting into the front section will run down inside the frame to this spot (circled) and then have no way out.


After sleeping on it I think I will drill a 3/8" hole right at the joint threw the strap/plate. After I am done with all the welding I will shoot sealer into the frame threw the remaining holes (and new hole I made). Then later on when I do the MII front end and weld up as much as I can on the front section of the subframe I will assess again if the frame is sealed up enough to weld the hole I made shut and seal it all up for good.

But I still have time to change my mind as I only get weekends to work on my car, if even that. :(
 
#28 ·
I turned the car around to start on the other side. Even without the drivers side floor pan in I can tell the car is stiffer with just the connector and all I did was pull out of the shop, turn the car around, and back in. My yard outside the shop is uneven, any other time I turned around with this car in the yard I would hear creeks and pops out of it. It was silent this time. Exciting times! Chassis will finally hold up to that I6 powerhouse!
 
#29 ·
Weekend is here!

Put in some good time today on the passenger side. I remember when putting the fenders on this car I had nothing to bolt the bottom to. Found out today the whole front of the rocker was gone. Only the inner piece of the rocker was there floppin in the wind. I cut back to a solid section and made up a replacement rocker section and finally patched over the whole deal with a single piece.





Still have the drill the inner hole for the fender bolt.



Its not anything beautiful but does the job right.


After I got the rocker boxed back up and welded I cut out the rest of the passenger floor. Had all the same bondo, fiberglass, seam sealer mix as we saw on the drivers side.




I'm not far away from going the other way now. Just have to get the connector in, cut out the trans tunnel and whats left of the trans cross member, than I can finally start putting stuff together!
 
#30 ·
Got in some Noico 80mil sound deadening material. 10 1sq/ft pieces. Is it better to paint first then install the sound deadening or lay it right over the bare metal?

Have a week of real work now before I can get back to the car. :(
 
#31 ·
Definitely paint first. If you ever get high humidity, rained in etc. you want some protection of that metal. The material may be water proof but I guarantee you moister can get through seams etc.
 
#32 ·
Had another thought the other day.

How about a waste oil coating, every couple years even?

Reason I thought of it is because I use it on some of our trucks. I have tried a bunch of different things on our trucks over the years including por-15 and chassis saver. The thing that seems to work the best and I will be going back to it for all our trucks from now on is waste oil from the diesels. Undercoat and let drip for a couple days. Kills rust, keeps metal from rusting, it creeps, and is free.

This would just be for the insides of the frame sections. The outside will all be painted. I think without getting direct road wash and not a real lot of water running threw the frames the oil should stay for a long time.

I got the kbs spray gun with wand:



I ran some water threw it to see the spray pattern and whatnot. Seems like it will work well. I can spray any fluid out of it.



Some visual, thanks to fords excellent filter location on their OBS trucks the whole front diff and cross member gets an oil coating every oil change. Look how nice the frame stays when oil covered all the time.






The only reasons I worry about any sort of paint is if there is a spot where the paint ends (or even a pinhole in the paint) water will get in behind the paint and rust from the back side and we all know how fast rust travels when covered (under paint).
 
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