Just purchased a 1962 trying to learn w/1st ever project car

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zion633
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Re: Just purchased a 1962 trying to learn w/1st ever project car

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zion633
Posts: 14
Joined: Sat Jan 09, 2021 1:45 pm

Re: Just purchased a 1962 trying to learn w/1st ever project car

Post by zion633 »

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zion633
Posts: 14
Joined: Sat Jan 09, 2021 1:45 pm

Re: Just purchased a 1962 trying to learn w/1st ever project car

Post by zion633 »

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zion633
Posts: 14
Joined: Sat Jan 09, 2021 1:45 pm

Re: Just purchased a 1962 trying to learn w/1st ever project car

Post by zion633 »

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zion633
Posts: 14
Joined: Sat Jan 09, 2021 1:45 pm

Re: Just purchased a 1962 trying to learn w/1st ever project car

Post by zion633 »

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Coming back from cruising around the block

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Groover
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Re: Just purchased a 1962 trying to learn w/1st ever project car

Post by Groover »

Love everything about this car and project. 62 and 63 have the best chrome of all the years. You will make all kind of new friends. Not a day goes by I don't get at least one acknowledgement when I drive ours. Had two different people offer to buy it the last time I was in it. :o
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1964 Comet Caliente Convertible
30,000 miles on our rebuild

All Comets start out as dreams...

lavron
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Re: Just purchased a 1962 trying to learn w/1st ever project car

Post by lavron »

Just from those pictures you posted, it looks like the bones of that one are in really good shape, I wish my trunk was that rust free when I started, the POR15 is a good idea to prevent future rust the only problem is if you want to paint over it, nothing really sticks to it, I have heard that Kiltz primer will give you something to use in between it and paint but have not tried that myself, of course, you may not be top coating it the only time you really need to do that is if it will be exposed to sunlight because UV discolors it, I am not sure if it damages it but it looks bad.

You look like you are doing a good job, you should be proud of yourself so many people would not even attempt to do this kind of work, and I mean no disrespect, especially a woman, so kudos to you and keep up the good work and thanks for the pictures, keep posting so we can follow along.

The first thing I would probably look at addressing is the brake system (I sound like a broken record sometimes and this is just my opinion) and see about doing an upgrade to a dual bowl master cylinder because I would hate to see you crash your pride and joy and possibly be hurt because of a brake system failure, IMO brakes are one of the most important, but overlooked, area to get right and safe in any cr build, it may not be the most exciting or glamorous work, most people are not going to ooh and ahh over you brakes but they are kinda like your gall bladder, you don't pay much attention to it until it fails :roll: shiny paint and nice chrome won't matter much if the front of your car mashed up against a solid object. (I have experienced brake failure in my Comet so I speak from experience, I was fortunate and was able to get it stopped and it was not a panic situation, now my car has brake overkill).

I think the original mufflers were kinda like the one that was on there, in my '64 the gas tank is/was offset to the left to accommodate the muffler, in your pictures this does not appear to be the case in '62, a slimmer muffler should be fine, however.

Glad you have a project that you and your husband can work on together, the best I can get my wife to do is come out and occasionally push a pedal or the like as I lay under the car etc to see what it does :P

Keep it up, if you guys need any advice don't hesitate to ask, most of us have an opinion and sometimes even good advice :P

See Ya,
Mike
Mike's build thread
viewtopic.php?f=9&t=13058
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SASSY
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Re: Just purchased a 1962 trying to learn w/1st ever project car

Post by SASSY »

lavron wrote:
Tue Jan 19, 2021 10:38 am
The first thing I would probably look at addressing is the brake system (I sound like a broken record sometimes and this is just my opinion) and see about doing an upgrade to a dual bowl master cylinder because I would hate to see you crash your pride and joy and possibly be hurt because of a brake system failure, IMO brakes are one of the most important, but overlooked, area to get right and safe in any cr build, it may not be the most exciting or glamorous work, most people are not going to ooh and ahh over you brakes but they are kinda like your gall bladder, you don't pay much attention to it until it fails :roll: shiny paint and nice chrome won't matter much if the front of your car mashed up against a solid object. (I have experienced brake failure in my Comet so I speak from experience, I was fortunate and was able to get it stopped and it was not a panic situation, now my car has brake overkill).
See Ya,
Mike
I'd like to second Mike's statement. I had a pressure switch for the brake lights fail. Because everything was on one line, a single bowl master pumping the brakes just pushed more fluid out the leak. I sailed through a red light on a busy intersection
heart pounding!! Luckily no one coming,,.
There are several articles in the Driveline section where you can get info.
Fred
I'd rather do it myself if it's done right or not,,,isn't that what hotrodding is all about

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zion633
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Re: Just purchased a 1962 trying to learn w/1st ever project car

Post by zion633 »

With drum brakes all around, I definitely felt the difference when trying to slow down to turn corners etc. I’m not used to that kind so it freaked me out a bit the first time I hit them. I’ll have to start doing my research on it.

zion633
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Re: Just purchased a 1962 trying to learn w/1st ever project car

Post by zion633 »

poboyjo65 wrote:
Sun Jan 26, 2020 5:13 am
lots of us use CSRP . the ''swap 1'' is manual brakes,& the cheapest most complete kit. Has every thing but the hardlines & fluid. even has grease & thread locker.
http://www.discbrakeswap.com/Mustang%20 ... SWAP1.html
Btw unless you have a bum leg the manual brakes are plenty easy to push.
I checked out this kit but I saw they only have a 5 lug, and I have a 4. Anyone know where I can find a compatible kit, or am I going to have to buy new wheels and tires? Mine are 13 inch and I really like the low look.

zion633
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Re: Just purchased a 1962 trying to learn w/1st ever project car

Post by zion633 »

It has a 2 speed automatic transmission. And we can’t find drive, but low is fine. I have a maintenance manual, but I’m hoping someone on here knows the basics of what I should look for when troubleshooting this issue.

lavron
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Re: Just purchased a 1962 trying to learn w/1st ever project car

Post by lavron »

zion633 wrote:
Tue Jan 19, 2021 5:07 pm
I checked out this kit but I saw they only have a 5 lug, and I have a 4. Anyone know where I can find a compatible kit, or am I going to have to buy new wheels and tires? Mine are 13 inch and I really like the low look.
Search for a company called Scarebird (I think) they have a 4 bolt disc conversion, your issue may be that the brake calipers won't fit inside the 13" wheels, but really you shouldn't need disc brakes, my wife who is pretty petite never complained about the brakes on my Comet just that the clutch was too hard to push, you shouldn't have that issue with the automatic of course. The thing that is the issue with the original brake system is what Sassy was talking about, any single leak or point of failure will leave you with nothing but the e-brake to slow you down, and that is sometimes hard to reach for in a panic situation, make sure the e-brake is operational at a minimum, there are several different ways to address the single bowl master cylinder and alleviate the single point of failure (you want a dual bowl master) there are most likely several of them on the forum, years ago I can remember folks were installing GEO Metro master cylinders and they were a semi bolt-on solution (if I dig through my old files I can probably find the instructions if you can't find them on the web), I think you could even add a booster for power brakes easy, most instructions were for cars with a clutch where there wasn't much room for a booster and the clutch linkage it should be easier with the auto. Manual drum brake pedals actually push easier than discs, I put 4 wheel manual discs on my Comet to keep my wife from wanting to drive it too often :roll: :P

One of the other things you may end up looking for is power steering, I like the EPS (electric power steering) assist, there are a few posts on here but I am not sure anyone ever did a complete install thread, I don't need it so don't have any personal knowledge on it, I put a Mustang 2 front suspension in my Comet with rack & pinion steering and left the big Comet steering wheel in there so it turns super easy now (I am not suggesting you do that, it is a major operation so maybe you should build a few before you attempt anything like that :roll: :P ) With EPS you don't have to change any of the front components or add a pump, just cut the steering column and add the electric motor, again you might not be interested in any of that, I just wanted you to know there are options out there.

See Ya,
Mike
Mike's build thread
viewtopic.php?f=9&t=13058
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Jims65cyclone
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Re: Just purchased a 1962 trying to learn w/1st ever project car

Post by Jims65cyclone »

Looks like you're making good progress. Mike mentioned an EPS conversion for power steering. It's not a project for the faint of heart, but it is a relatively cheap rout to PS if you can weld. Fred ("Sassy") is the only one (living) on this forum that I'm aware of who has actually made the modification, so he can speak with authority. He used parts from a Saturn Vue. I plan to make the conversion, too. I have access to a unit out of a Prius, I just have to remove it. The link below is by a fellow who's actually made a science project of sorts out of the process, experimenting with EPS units out of several different makes/models. His conversion is on a Falcon, which is basically a Comet with different skin. He has also converted his car to rack and pinion steering, but that's not necessary to do the EPS conversion. The videos at the end of the link are pretty interesting.
https://www.therangerstation.com/tech/t ... onversion/

Jim
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