Springs and dash

[vicegrip]

Noob here but a long time lurker.I 'll try to post a few pics(hope it works!) A couple of questions...trying to figure out how to reapply the wood grain on the dash of my nice rechromed 65 Caliente dash pieces.The stuff you get from Auto Krafters wont stick to the chrome and the original alum.backing is too bent up to work.
Are the trunk springs different on a 2dr ht than on the sedan?Mine are sedan and the trunk won't stay open on the ht.
Will 65 Mustang leaf springs work on the Comet?I have a new set of the Mustang springs collecting dust and was wondering...Bent mine with the slapper traction bars.Need to weld an extension on the bars so the snubber is closer to the eyebolt.Looks like Photobucket will only give me half a pic but it's a 65 Caliente,521BBF,close to 600hp,C6,4:30 9 in,coilover rack front,4 whl disc brakes.

[popscomet]

MAN o MAN,,you have a nice looking COMET !! thanks for showing it ,,and WELCOME ,glad your here POPs

[lowrider91]

Welcome. Very nice, love the rims. Looks like it hauls ass. Jim

[B_Hix]

Welcome and nice ride
One thought, though I know you said original.... There is a place here in town doing the 'hydro-dipping' - wood grain is one of the finishes they can apply. Might check into that.

Interesting that your slappers bent your leafs ^^ I'm using slappers too and mine are about 1.5" from the leaf. Guess before I do the same thing I had better make that mod. Was reading the other night that about 1/2 - 1" is ideal.

Not too sure on your leafs - as long as the bolt holes are close to the same, but No idea if one is heavier than another - you could call General Spring of Kansas City, Inc
http://www.generalspringkc.com/
Address: 915 U.S. 56, Olathe, KS 66061
Phone:(913) 829-0619

They would have the specs.

[comethead]

Nice ride!
I believe the Mustang leaf springs are too short. Remember the Comets looooong trunk!

Joe

[poboyjo65]

Nice looking ride! To see the whole pic; hold the Ctrl button down & scroll, it will make the writing tiny so you'll have to move it back.
who redid your dash? how bout a pic?

you might use super yellow weather stripping adhesive. follow the instructions on the wood.

I may have some trunk springs, I'll look for them.

[comethead]

BTW I just parted out a sedan and it looks like the trunk lids are identical. I would assume the springs are identical too.
Did you install the trunk lid springs correctly? I about killed myself getting those off.

Joe

[vicegrip]

Thanks for the kind words!You gotta love Comets.Where I'm from,there ain't any other ones on the streets as far as I know.The Ford guys love it,Mopar guys think it's one of theirs,Chevy guys....they're pretty sure it's not a Chevy.
On the trunk springs,mine are off a 4 dr sedan parts car I had.Still have the originals but the 4 dr springs were cleaner so I used them.Listen to this...Got this goofy looking lever like thing in my tool box I been moving around for 5 yrs.I knew I made it but couldn't figure out what for...until just now!Trunk spring tool.I'll switch them and see what happens.
On the dash rechroming.It took 9 mo. from start to finish.Picked a pot metal "specialist" in Hemmings.They had them 4 mo,$600,got them back,were hideous,completely unusable.Said they would redo,4 mo later,got em back with refund,couldn't do them.Found a mom and pop plater in Ohio,1 mo,$275,look fantastic.The bad news,they quit doing pot metal.
I'll have to wait till the roads dry up to get a couple more pics and get the leaf spring deal worked out.I have considered Cal-Tracs but not convinced they will work with Crites relocation kit. It hooks good and launches straight with 10.5 drag radials now and I hate to mess with it too much.
I could go on and on.

[popscomet]

WELL,if you want to go on and on,,we'll sure sit and liten !thanks,,POPs

[383MERC]

The Crites spring relocation kit scares me a bit. The rear brackets don't seem too strong for something with any kind of horsepower. Just my opinion. I am just going to make my own setup for the back. I'm sure i can come up with some type of a crossmember that will be stronger. I put the entire Caltrac system in my car and it made a difference. My 60ft times at the track picked up nicely. That was all the proof i needed. Good Luck! Mark

[B_Hix]

I put the entire Caltrac system in my car and it made a difference. My 60ft times at the track picked up nicely. Mark

Hey Mark how much effect, if any, on your ride quality? I'm swappin in a 9" this winter and have been considering the Caltrac's. Running slappers right now...

[383MERC]

I switched from slappers to the Caltracs. I don't drive the racecar on the road, but i can tell you the ride is stiffer for sure. I have the mono leaf springs, traction bars and the adjustable shocks. I'm sure you could adjust the ride with your particular setup, but i've got mine for best launch.

[vicegrip]

The Crites spring relocation kit scares me a bit. The rear brackets don't seem too strong for something with any kind of horsepower. Just my opinion. I am just going to make my own setup for the back. I'm sure i can come up with some type of a crossmember that will be stronger. I put the entire Caltrac system in my car and it made a difference. My 60ft times at the track picked up nicely. That was all the proof i needed. Good Luck! Mark

Mark,you are probably correct on the Crites kit.I thought the same thing when they went on.My motor gained a couple hundred horse after the fact so I have to get my thinking cap and Sawsall out and do a little reengineering.Considering the shock mounts have to be relocated on the slappers with the kit,what mount provisions do Caltracs have and would it be a problem with the narrowed springs?
Doug
P.S.
The front brackets don't impress me much either.

[383MERC]

If your asking about the shock mounts, they will mount the same as they did originally. If the springs are moved inward, i guess the shocks would just end up being a little shorter. As long as you have propper travel, i don't see it being a issue.
As far as the rear spring mounts, i was thinking of running a crossmember between the rear frame rails with some type of a dropped piece with an insert for the shackles to connect to. I saw a job someone did with some 2" square steel that looked pretty decent. I'll have to try and find the article for you. Mark

[vicegrip]

In order to relocate the springs,you have to move the springs from outside the frame rails to inside the rails.It's the only place they can go and 5" minimum on each side.The shock mount on the u bolt plate or slappers in my case,has to be moved from inside the spring to outside the spring for any kind of decent geometry on the shocks (using the orig upper mounts) IMHO