Lavron's '64 Build Thread

[Joe Travers]

suppose in the old days it was like my tractor, look down the fuel filler hole and guess how much is in there or use a stick and see how much is wet

Nah, don't do that!
Then you'll have to install one of these in front of your tri-carb setup.


JT

[lavron]

Then you'll have to install one of these in front of your tri-carb setup.

My '57 855 still has one of those, mainly because I can't find an adapter with the correct threads to screw into the carb, but I guess it is ok because the gas tank is rusty and needs to be sealed so I have to dump the rust out of the sediment bowl all the time, the '57 630 has an inline filter but it has a different carb (one has a Marvell just can't remember which) someday when the Comet is "done" I need to do some work on old tractors and maybe sell one because I have too many.

See Ya,
Mike

[Jims65cyclone]

Got one of those on my '48 8N Ford tractor.

Jim

[poboyjo65]

had one of these on a 53 ford truck with 6 banger & it kept getting little curled up pieces of green plastic or rubber in that glass bowl. I finally figured out that it was shavings from a garden hose. I was siphoning some gas out of it & when I pulled the hose out the sharp edges of the tank filler spout shaved one of the beads on the outsides of the hose partially & still hanging on the hose & it curled up just like the pieces I was finding & it was a AH HA moment the old farmer that had the truck so many years must have always siphoned gas for his tractor out of the truck because there was a lot of the green curls in it!

[A/FX]

Posted in wrong thread, sorry.....

[lavron]

Ok so if you watch this video, I know it isn't worthy of much, but just know I worked for two days just to get it uploaded I know it is titled about changing the second tire on the Comet (which is what I do) it is rare because it is the first video where I have sat down, or stood in front of the camera and talked face to face with everyone (you will see I did dress up some for the video ) I also talk about my dad while I work and I think most will find this relatable and know what I am talking about (I wish I had a microphone, but I will tell you it is hard to set everything up to make videos, I kinda like doing it because I feel like everyone is there with me in the shed) I miss my dad and I think this next year he will have been gone for 8 years.

Changing the Other Rear Tire on the Comet and Reminiscing

I would like to hear how you guys unmount tires off of wheels etc or what you have learned from your dad/granddad/etc, and if doing things reminds you of them. (a lot of stuff reminds me of dad, I am so grateful I had many opportunities to spend time with him and even work at a job side by side with him)

Hope you enjoy the video, it might be good for a laugh watching me try to change a tire

See Ya,
Mike

[lavron]

Looking for some advice on bodywork in case there are any nice few days I can do any work. I can check on what the requirements for the 3M panel bonding adhesive is but guessing it wants 70 degrees + but maybe it would be able to work ok in the 60-degree range, not sure I will see that for a bit still, might be time to find a cheap tent I could heat and later use as my makeshift paint booth. Looking for any comments from the talented and educated body men on here, even though I grew up around a body shop things have changed a lot since the late '70s

Made a video of the areas of concern.

64 Comet Body Work Preliminaries

This will be something I do in short chunks of time in-between working on other things, weather permitting.

Think I may go ahead and order the $100 stud gun and puller from HF (maybe I can find a coupon), I only have a couple of places I need to use it and I don't remember if I posted about the areas of concern that I am hoping a stud puller would fix, I know I have raw video of it but can't find the file so I will post a few pictures later to see if you guys think the little stud puller/slide hammer would pull them out.

See Ya,
Mike

[power band]

The video is very good for the novice like me. Assessing what to do and the sequence of work is critical to successfully completing a big project. The minor issues from sail-panel shoulder trim fasteners (behind headliner) to painting the door jams are all connected. My '61 is a 'rescued' long-time junkyard resident Comet and following your continuing project development and fun ... .

a few cents more:

the 'sail panel' is where Ford filled body panel joint with Lead thru 70's, also trunk to window frame on the '61. Be careful it sands deep - fast...
.

'have the Horror Freight stud gun, haven't used much but well worth it for occasionally saving @60 year old tin .

Working and learning slowly, disassembled and starting on roof, stripped, phoshpo'd and Epoxd entire rusty body then sanded off to do the metal work, re-epoxied in steps .



Epoxy is white / Hi-build is grey


-> gap above rear window frame was issue so I had a friend who does tile work caulk and smooth it.
> rear window replacement vertical channel needed weld-kluge to guide window correctly.
> Repaired front fender/support was @ 1" out when first re-assembled, 2X4 , BFH and more filler fix ...

Have fun

Pics from PO found in car:
.
when found:
"headliner" .
front suspension

yard art for a few years
@ 10 years later;
-

[lavron]

the 'sail panel' is where Ford filled body panel joint with Lead thru 70's, also trunk to window frame on the '61. Be careful it sands deep - fast...

Yes I am pretty much done stripping that area down mostly will be light sanding, by '64 Mercury/Ford decided to not make the joints so clean and filled on the sedans, the trunk to the window has a visible joint (not sure if I could make it smooth or if it is designed to flex somewhat so it would crack filler) Most of the leaded spot between the roof and sail panel was not rusty at all just the top flat part of the roof so it just got sanded with 80 grit or so, I was not trying to remove all the paint unless I had to, like on the roof, so mostly on it right now I am thinking DA with 80 or 120 and shoot it with epoxy then follow with a couple coats of high build and then block sand it, again not looking for perfect (even though I can be a bit OCD at times, my wife says perfectionist) I know I will be fixing any low spots on the roof (I know there are few small hail dents up there, fortunately when the tornado and severe hail storm that came through it had a padded cover on it, tornado took it away, but there was bound to be some over the last 55 years)

I dug around and found some pictures from after the tornado at the old house (01,2008), this was way too close for comfort.


See Ya,
Mike

[lavron]

I had made comments about my trailer tires needing to be replaced before I make an attempt at PF with it, I just noticed in the picture I just posted from the tornado in 2008 you can see the trailer is sitting over behind the Comet, look between the fork of the tree, I had already had that trailer for a while when that picture was taken so the tires are definitely 10+ years old, I guess time really does fly, you can't see the doublewide but it would have been over and behind the Comet to the left. That was the end of the car cover, we had a demon dog that had ripped the bottom off of the cover so I had that blue tarp over the cover and strapped under the car, I think it protected the Comet somewhat from the hail and flying debris until it got shredded. In that picture to the right, the tree is sitting about 1-2" away from the rear bumper of the car, my wife thought the tornado sucked the taillights out of the Comet (even though I still don't know exactly where they are now, someplace in the shed in a tote) you can see I was already dismantling the car in 2008 so that was 10 years or so into its exile when I had pulled all the carpet, etc out to keep from rotting the floors of the car any worse.

That night (because tornados always come at night) after it was over I came out to survey the damage and check on neighbors there was a certain dread when I first saw the Comet, I knew that tree had landed on it but the Good Lord was watching out for me/us our house was basically untouched, the doublewide was damaged beyond being livable and one old shed was destroyed (which paid for the big Quonset at our current location) but there was a big horse barn just north of us that blew away that was full of Tennessee Walkers (thankfully all of the horses survived but had to be rounded up).

We moved the damaged doublewide later that year up to this current property which we had owned for a few years already and had been working on, the insurance company paid to have the trailer reblocked u which was enough to move it and have it re-blocked up here

Blocks were broken etc.

Even with it being tied down I bet that thing was rocking and rolling during that!

Hard to believe this all happened 13 years ago this month, whoever heard of a tornado in January? I guess like most disasters it motivated us to get moved, which we did that year and the doublewide looks better and is stronger than it ever has been and we were able to live in it while we built our home.


I guess not too Comet related (I may have hijacked my own build thread ) except to show it could have been the build that never happened if things had gone a different way

See Ya,
Mike

[Joe Travers]

I guess not too Comet related (I may have hijacked my own build thread ) except to show it could have been the build that never happened if things had gone a different way

It was saved so you could share it with others Damage pics remind me of a recent visit to look at an old parts car for a friend. I robbed parts off it back in the 80s. It's still there but a tree next to it uprooted during Hurricane Laura and it fell parallel to the car. Can't get the passenger side doors open without a chainsaw but it's still there. Didn't find what I needed that day but shared a good time with an old friend.

JT

[popscomet]

everything happens for a reason....hard to understand sometimes.....but that's the way it is...pop

[lavron]

Went ahead and ordered the HF stud gun puller set today, I decided I could use it in a couple of places, hopefully, and I guess when doing something like this it is not like I am ever going to make my money back but will I like it more when I am done, I guess my personal satisfaction won out and having the body as straight as I can make it not using thick layers of filler

I hope I can figure out how to properly pull that long body line without pulling too much, my guess is it bows back 1/8-1/4" in a 4' long space, I guess I need to just keep the straight edge handy and take it slow (many studs welded along the length on the body line)

The little dent in the B-pillar should pull right out. The worse dent was the one that was in the rocker and I cut it out and welded a patch in, that metal is so thick I can't imagine a stud puller would have ever pulled it, I drilled holes behind it and used a punch with a hammer but couldn't budge it. finally, if I find any deep hail dents I can pop them back out with the stud puller

See Ya,
Mike

[lavron]

I got my replacement gas cap put on today, it fits much more securely.

I almost didn't buy it because of the hoky sounding name but went ahead anyway



Weather warming some this week I might be able to get out and get a little something done on the Comet hopefully.

See Ya,
Mike

[Joe Travers]

I got my replacement gas cap put on today, it fits much more securely.
I almost didn't buy it because of the hoky sounding name but went ahead anyway

Just replaced a MotoRad radiator cap that finally gave up the ghost. They are a good company based in Israel.

JT