(At age 16 and on) Cristian’s 1962 Mercury comet s-22 build thread

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Cris4942
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(At age 16 and on) Cristian’s 1962 Mercury comet s-22 build thread

Post by Cris4942 »

So after getting a very warm welcoming from pops, mike, and the others <3 I have decided to start my thread early, and that is to get some information so I can do thinks properly. Now as of right now, Me and my dad are looking for work so I can support all the work I want to put in.

Now there is currently 4 things I want to get completed soon which are 1)shocks, 2)Disk brake conversion, 3)New wheels, and 4)puller fan installment. I do have other things that I will eventually do, that are not as big of a necessity right now (such as fixing up my lights again, some mild rust work, and other(rust work will be done once I get a welder) All mentioned things are planned to be done by the end of the year if God allows it.

To start off, I want to get some info to see which disk brake conversion would be best. I’ve heard of Granada and scarebird conversions and some others. I’ve heard that I would have to change the control arms to a model of a 65 in order to do change also steering linkage. I do plan to keep using the 14” wheels until further in the future. I’m not quite sure what my best bet is on but that is where I need advice and information on which conversion would be best. Anything and everything would help<3

I have also made a custom center console resembling the style of the original, with the addition of cup holders. Never again will I spill ice cream on myself on a cold night at a turn! I will get pics up soon

Please help with advice and info, it would be appreciated
With love, Cristian

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SASSY
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Re: (At age 16 and on) Cristian’s 1962 Mercury comet s-22 build thread

Post by SASSY »

Read through some of the stuff in Driveline on brakes.
Imo, convert the car to 65 stuff and use Kelsey Hayes style
brakes.
Other than the centerlink everything is basically Mustang stuff so parts will be around for a long while yet. And,,, it's good stuff!, works well and lasts.
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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tomb22
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Re: (At age 16 and on) Cristian’s 1962 Mercury comet s-22 build thread

Post by tomb22 »

What are your thoughts about the fan? Are you thinking an electric one or a flex fan? What is on it now?
tom
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tomb's 65

Cris4942
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Re: (At age 16 and on) Cristian’s 1962 Mercury comet s-22 build thread

Post by Cris4942 »

Hey Tom, the car is currently running the stock engine mounted on as of now. Houston heat is really bad, so I’m thinking maybe an electric fan can help it cool down specially during traffic and just stopping. Thinking a puller fan set up would help. What do you think?

popscomet
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Re: (At age 16 and on) Cristian’s 1962 Mercury comet s-22 build thread

Post by popscomet »

I'd check to make sure the rad was in good shape,,,belt tight??,,,thermostat working properly ???///pop
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tomb22
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Re: (At age 16 and on) Cristian’s 1962 Mercury comet s-22 build thread

Post by tomb22 »

I would check out everything POP mentioned first. Does your existing set up have a fan shroud? I know that I went with 16" electric puller fan and a new aluminum radiator sized to fit the 65 comet. Last year when it got 90 degrees and tried using the AC, the set up couldn't keep it cool. I didn't have a shroud though. This winter I installed a big block radiator with 2-12" fans with a shroud and this really cools good. In fact the fans shut off it cools so well. I think the shroud is a must for real hot weather.
tom
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rusty_apache
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Re: (At age 16 and on) Cristian’s 1962 Mercury comet s-22 build thread

Post by rusty_apache »

A stock 170ci shouldn’t need a fancy electric fan set up and properly adjusted drum brakes perform surprisingly well. You might want to check your timing and look for rust buildup in your radiator and/or engine block.

Cris4942
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Re: (At age 16 and on) Cristian’s 1962 Mercury comet s-22 build thread

Post by Cris4942 »

Hey guys, it has been a heck of a while now, but I have made a ton of improvements. I have been rebuilding the most of the whole front suspension parts and it has ultimately been going well. But I have hit now somewhat of a roadblock. Changing the strut rod bushing has been difficult mostly because the strut rod itself is rust welded to the bolt and the thread is just bad. Now I can try to sorta revive it so that the people can work the alignment well but it seems like it just going to be a pain and last resource. Does anyone knows where I can find the strut rods or some interchangeable ones for it? It’s literally the last thing I need to fix, cause everything else seems like it has life.

Also pop, thanks for the advice. Radiator was trashed from the previous owners, and I believed the thermostat probably got stick. Got it cleaned and changed thermostat. Still overheats in bad traffic and really hot weather but I’ll figure something out. Everything else is looking hold though, I adjusted the brakes, changed ball bearings, ball joints, tie rods.thanks for everyone that had been suggesting things. Probably need to check timing like Apache said so. I’m the meanwhile I’m probably going to take a rest to look good into everything. Thanks for everyone bringing me to my senses like Apache, mike, pops, and etc. I really appreciate it

Cris4942
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Re: (At age 16 and on) Cristian’s 1962 Mercury comet s-22 build thread

Post by Cris4942 »

This is it
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This is it
This is it
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Cris4942
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Re: (At age 16 and on) Cristian’s 1962 Mercury comet s-22 build thread

Post by Cris4942 »

Hey guys, didn’t expect to be here so quick again. But I managed to get the remaining tie rod out and now it looks like I just have to clean up the thread with a saw. Belt seems like it’s tight enough but I’ll look into getting a shroud or other things. Looks like I’ll be able to buy some brand new white walls for the car too. It really feels like I’m making quite some progress.
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lavron
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Re: (At age 16 and on) Cristian’s 1962 Mercury comet s-22 build thread

Post by lavron »

Hey Christian you are doing it right, getting in there and getting your hands dirty 8)

Keep at it and keep us posted, I think everyone here enjoys seeing and hearing what you are doing, reminds me of when I was around your age doing a re-ring on my Comet 6 cylinder (engine in car) blocked up on the gravel drive, dirty and greasy and loving every minute of it, drove the Comet after that probably 10 years before pulling the engine and doing a proper rebuild (well sort of, a little speed equipment might have been added) it never did have ring blow-by just a little leaky valve seals/guides.

Keep at it and I am sure you will get it all running like a top.

See Ya,
Mike
Mike's build thread
viewtopic.php?f=9&t=13058
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Re: (At age 16 and on) Cristian’s 1962 Mercury comet s-22 build thread

Post by Jims65cyclone »

Hey Cristian..........looks like you're making good progress. Keep at it! Here's a link you may want to bookmark. It's a shop manual for the 64 Comet and Falcon. It's not your 62 year model, but most everything will be very similar if not the same. It shows you how things are supposed to work, how to take them apart, fix what is needed and put it back together again.
http://falconfaq.dyndns.org/display1.ph ... Page=front

I'm a little confused. In one of your posts you said:
Cris4942 wrote:
Sun Jun 14, 2020 4:03 pm
Changing the strut rod bushing has been difficult mostly because the strut rod itself is rust welded to the bolt and the thread is just bad. Now I can try to sorta revive it so that the people can work the alignment well but it seems like it just going to be a pain and last resource. Does anyone knows where I can find the strut rods or some interchangeable ones for it? It’s literally the last thing I need to fix, cause everything else seems like it has life.
Then in a later post you said:
Cris4942 wrote:
Sun Jun 14, 2020 7:32 pm
But I managed to get the remaining tie rod out and now it looks like I just have to clean up the thread with a saw.
Did you mean you got the remaining strut rod out, or were you having trouble with a tie rod (end) as well?
I highly recommend a penetrating oil spray called PB Blaster on the rusted bolts. Works great for me.

Jim
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Cris4942
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Re: (At age 16 and on) Cristian’s 1962 Mercury comet s-22 build thread

Post by Cris4942 »

Hey mike, I have to say I definitely get the same feeling each and every time I put in the work. And every time I finish for the day I can’t help but just feel joyful about it. I’ll make sure to keep everyone posted more on a day to day progress.
And Jim, it seemed like I got a little confused while writing. I meant that the other strut rod bushing was hard to get off. It was the original bushing setup. I had to torch the thing pretty well and spray with wd40 and water. Took a while since I really had no space for my “breaker bar” ( 4 foot tube). I did the same to the other bolts so alignment can be done with no problem. Thanks for the shop manual and the tip on the penetrating fluid. Really was trying to figure out a good solution for rusted bolts. Torching first the first time really was fun.
Today I think I’ll just clean up the thread after work and get an alignment in the next few days. And without a doubt I’ll be getting new tires. Still don’t know if I should go whitewalls or black walls with white lettering. If anyone has an opinion on it it would help out

popscomet
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Re: (At age 16 and on) Cristian’s 1962 Mercury comet s-22 build thread

Post by popscomet »

black walls for sure,JMO !! later they will go with what ever whls you might want to go with,,just always keep clean,cause they look like crap when dirty,,,keep up the good work,,,we are all proud of you !!! POP
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lavron
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Re: (At age 16 and on) Cristian’s 1962 Mercury comet s-22 build thread

Post by lavron »

Jims65cyclone wrote:
Mon Jun 15, 2020 11:19 am
I highly recommend a penetrating oil spray called PB Blaster on the rusted bolts. Works great for me.
I second that recommendation, it is what I use as well.

See Ya,
Mike
Mike's build thread
viewtopic.php?f=9&t=13058
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