Does anyone know anything about 64-65 AFX straight axle altered wheelbase Comets.....Did they have fiberglass fenders,hoods and doors or aluminum? Any way to tell a real factory built one from a home grown? I may have found one, and hope to have pics real soon. I do not know if it has a motor yet. But was searching for info and can not find no info on these, must be looking in all the wrong places. So I thought I would tap into the wealth of info that is the H.A.M.B......................Littleman
To the best of my knowledge, the '64 fairlane T-bolts had aluminum bumpers. Pretty sure about that. Not sure about the hood and fenders, but I suspect also aluminum that year. My guess is that Comet/Cyclone would be the same in the same year, so see what T-bolt's had. Couldn't help you on '65 other than to say that Mopar's had to go to acid-dipped steel rather than aluminum for some sort of reason. If a class edict, then that would affect Ford's as well. The above info, however good or bad it may be, is for S/S cars. Not sure what the diff's would be for A/FX.
Don't take my word for it, cause I'm not sure.. But I think the T-bolts used glass fenders and hoods. I'm also under the impression that NOTHING came from the factories with a straight axle.... Hmmmmm...I'll be interested in seeing if that info is actually right.
You would really need to send in Pics. In 64 Christman had a comet he put a blown 427 running fuel in a stock body, it had fiberglass and plexi. Because of traction problems is was heavily modified the next year. He added a 427 SOHC two feet farther back, gutted the interior. By 66 Nicholson had the full glass flip body 'funny car' we would recognize. It was a Logghe chassis that used a straight axle. I think since these cars morphed from Super Stock so quickly, and never really has a class to run they became outdated quickly. They were more for show or exhibition runs. The year would be right for an AFX car, and even factory cars subbed much of the work out to other shops. Hope it helps Steve
I can't remember about the Comet A/FX and B/FX cars, but something tells me that the fenders, hood, doors, trunk, and bumpers were 'glass. Slightly off the topic, I've been sitting on these scans for a while, hoping to find a thread that I could post to. Early Falcon A/FX cars...
I have a press release in my collection from the Public Relations Department/Lincoln-Mercury Division for the 1965 Comet Cyclone that "Dyno" Don Nicholson ran. "The Comet Cyclone 427s compete in the Factory Experimental class. In addition to the big single overhead cam Mercury engines, these cars have some 16 other high performance features, including extensive use of fiberglass for hood, doors, fenders, front bumper and windows." The press release also stated: "A second group of Comet Cyclones being readied for drag racing have high performance 289-cubic-inch engines rated at 271 hp and similar fiberglass components." I know that in 1964, Don ran a straight axel on his 1964 Comet. In 1965, that straight axel was gone and it utilized the coil spring front end. That didn't last long because he changed it back to a straight tube axel with a single transverse spring. Later in 1965, Don had changed the carbed 427 sohc to a Hilborn injection system setup with a manifold that was originally used for Weber carbs. Don was the National record holder with this set up and those records were set at Cecil County Dragoway in May of 65'. The record was 10.56 @ 131.96. I hope this info helps. It comes from Super Stock Magazine's October of 1965 issue as well as the Lincoln-Mercury press release.
I'm pretty sure Tommy Culbertson here in Indy (Road Rockets) ran an A/FX comet with a 427 cammer. I also recall him telling me it was used and he thought it was the only one. Maybe it was Christman's, I dunno. Ya might wanna give him a call at 317-244-8271 and ask him about it. I'm sure he could tell ya all the details. He's got one kinda waiting in the wings right now as a clone car too.
Dyno Don, Arnie the Farmer and Hayden Profitt were the 3 big Comet names and some of those rides may have morphed into altered wheelbase, straight axle. They were fiberglass front ends, hoods, etc. From NHRA's site: "Nicholson was also among the first racers to use narrow rims to accentuate the wrinkled-sidewall effect on the tires in the mid-1960s. He accordingly recorded the first 10-second runs for a doorslammer with his '64 A/FX Comet and was also the first to begin lifting the front wheels of the ground on gear changes. The rivalry between the Dodge-Plymouth teams and the Ford-Mercury camp was extremely intense in the mid-1960s, and Chrysler made major moves for 1965 by luring Sox & Martin from Mercury to Plymouth and gained a significant performance advantage by moving the front and rear wheels forward for superior traction." Here's Dyno Don: "The cars were declared illegal for NHRA competition, but their nine-second performances easily outclassed the 10-second potential of the NHRA-legal Ford and Mercury entries. When Ford subsequently disallowed their cars from competing against the new Mopar "Funny Cars," Nicholson faced a serious loss in match race income. By August, Nicholson was forced to take matters into his own hands, and he converted his A/FX Comet into a Funny Car by altering the wheelbase and adding fuel injection and nitromethane fuel. Weeks later, he defeated the swiftest Mopar entry, the Ramchargers Dodge, in a pivotal match race with 9.30, 150-mph clockings."
Did an article on the Wild Child in the March 2005 issue of Hemmings Muscle Machines. That was originally a 65 Falcon with the Mustang 289, which eventually morphed into an A/FXer with the 427 SOHC engine. Let me know if you need any other info. d
If anyone is looking for a 64 fairlane to make a t bolt copy or altered wheel base car I know the where abouts of a hard top rolling body and it has all new crietz fiberglass front end that goes with it.A good friend of mine bought it to help a guy out and now I dont thimk he is going to build it.Pm me if anyone is interested and I will get some info for you and maybe some pics.I might be able too little man to get you some info on these cars as my friends brothers were sponsored by ford in the day and always were given the light weight cars to run in super stock. Later Shoe
If my memory serves me right, in '65 there were something like 11 factory built Comet Super Cyclones(Glove box tag NOT FOR STREET USE).Seven were A/FX the rest were B/FX cars. My brother ran a B/FX Super Cyclone in the late 60's to early 70's out of Ceresco, MI. Rangoon Red,Lexan, Fiberglass,etc. Still trying to track it down!!!
For Comet information go the the Comet site here on the HAMB: Lots of good information on there. I could be wrong but to the best of my knowledge, Nicholson didn't go to a straight axle until some time up in the '65 year sometime after he altered the wheelbase. The shock towers were reveresed (on the outside of the inner fender panels) on the '65 to allow the SOHC in the beginning. http://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=335534&highlight=comets 64/65 Comets old drag cars lets see pictures
Here is a few pics of Chrisman's Comet. 1964 1965 Cammer Engine Set Back By '67 it was a flip top with a Cammer and tube chassis.
The Jalopy Journal
