History 64/65 Comets old drag cars lets see pictures

Sad to say we lost Jim Barillaro

 

What?? That is very sad.

 

posted by tommyd in here:https://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/threads/drag-cars-in-motion-picture-thread.228509/page-1865

 

I know this isnt on topic for this thread but its such a cool video, just wanted to share with other Comet brethren



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posted by swi66 in the vintage thread

 

Jim Howell has passed on, He leaves a vast car collection. All of his cars are being sold, including the yankee mercury. Also a 66 gt350H, 63 galaxie lightweight, type NW, "2" Boss 429's, hurst scrambler, numerous mach 1's, scj cars. Around 75 cars in total

 

Tim Coward

 

The Tom Coward Comet was purchased by an employee of the dealership named Joel Kanios when Tom Coward moved to a '65 Comet. He campaigned the car under his own business name Kanios Enterprises for a couple of years and modified it extensively. When I first met Joel the car was apart and parked on his slant back hauler truck. He eventually sold the truck and the car sat in the weeds behind his shop for a couple of years. He then moved the car to a storage building and never looked at it for the next 7 or so years. When he removed the car from storage time and damp conditions took its toll on the body. I saw the car again shortly after it was removed from storage and the floors were gone. The cars body had also received many modifications like cutting the rear wheel openings so the rear axle could be moved forward and cutting the leading edge of the front fender opening so the straight front axle could be moved forward. When the straight axle was installed the the shock towers and inner fender panels were cut out so not much of the stock body was left after the modifications and rust damage.
Joel told me that he had plans to bracket race the car using a 426 Chrysler Hemi engine that was sitting on the floor of his shop. ( the 427 was still in his possession but he was planning to use the Hemi to run the brackets)
Joel became ill and sold the car, shortly after that he passed away. Joel was a great guy and always took the time to talk to me about the Comet. He did me a couple of favors to help me build my '64 Comet, which is another story for another time. ( I still own my Comet)
The Coward car was restored and recently was featured in Hemmings Muscle Machine magazine. I have attached a photo that was part of that article. The car resides about 20 miles from me but I have not seen it in person since the restoration.
Jim
'64 Comet Cyclone

 

Sheesh, he spelled his name wrong on the car.

 

I don't think I have seen this one yet Not quite a drag racer but interesting anyway

Super Comet

It doesn’t appear there was ever any production intent for the Comet Super Cyclone, Mercury’s far-out fastback show car of 1964, but it’s still fun to wonder what if. Designed by Ford advanced stylist David L. Ash and his staff, the Super Cyclone was constructed by Dearborn Steel Tubing, a local Ford contractor that was also responsible for the Fairlane Thunderbolts, the Thunderbird Itelien concept, and other exotic skunkworks-type projects.




To create the Super Cyclone, famed designer-fabricator Vince Gardner and his associate Paul Shedlik, then in the employ of DST, started with a stock ’64 Comet Cyclone hardtop equipped with a 289 CID V8 and a Borg-Warner four-speed. After removing much of the factory sheet metal aft of the A-pillars, they modeled and constructed a new outer skin in fiberglass. The revised look sported radiused rear wheel openings to match the front and a radically sloped roofline to support a large, wraparound rear glass. Other custom features included a complete interior in white naugahyde, Astro custom wheels with bolt-on knockoffs, and teardrop racing mirrors. The revised front end treatment featured a custom grille with fine vertical teeth and French Cibie headlights. The rectangular lamps were popular on the custom car scene in the ’60s but technically, they weren’t legal for street use in
the U.S.




The Super Cyclone made its first public appearance at the Chicago Auto Show on February 8-15, 1964. The fastback was also a regular feature of the Lincoln-Mercury Caravan of Stars, a traveling exhibition on the hot rod show circuit, and in the April 1964 issue of Rod & Custom magazine it shared the cover with Ed Roth’s latest show rod, The Road Agent. We don’t know this, but since the Super Cyclone hasn’t been sighted in decades, we assume it was destroyed once its show career was over—the usual fate of show cars and concepts.

 

Hello,haven't posted here yet but here is my 64 caliente I've had since 1989.been through lots of changes,here it is today.just dropped in a new 363 stroker.has a c4 auto.anxious to get it to the track.

 

363? Based off a 351 block?


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Using a dart block.same deck height as a 302 8.2 deck,but dart block starts at 4.125 bore and can be opened up to 4.185.so can go up to 374 cuin.

 

Now available is a 460 ci based on a 351W [or 302, I forget] Ford Dart block with 4.150 bore and 4.250 stroke....

 

Yea that would be based off of the 351 deck height you have a longer stroke so you can get more cubic inches . That's crazy though 460 inch out of the small block .

 

which original 63 galaxie lightweight is it? Thx, Len

 

nice shifting

 

Not always!!!

 

is this site not being used anymore

 

Just a quick note. Selling my 65 Caliente HT. 61,000 miles stored since 1972. Doesn't fit into HAMB category for years manufactured in the classifieds. Very minor rust in trunk drops to the 1/4 panels.
I bought the car new in Rochester Michigan in 1965.
PM an e-mail me for picturee and details.
Movin/on

 

I watch it but the activity has slowed down. I know the title is "drag" cars but maybe there would be more action if was open to most any '64-65 Comets. I would consider posting some progress pictures of my Cyclone if their was any interest from other members but not being a drag car it may not fit this threads title.

 

I will be digging up more when I can sit in my computer chair for more than a short while due to the pain.

 

Found one

Dyno Don

 

How about a clone?

 

Very Nice! Running a FE?
Are you from the Land off Lincoln? How far from the WI-IL state line?
Jim

 

Yes, it has a Blair Patrick Highriser in it. I’m in southern Illinois near St. Louis.

 

Louis,
Again, VERY nice, and well done. Your roll bar design is similar to what I just installed in my ‘64.
Looks like we are about 5 hrs apart, I am near Milwaukee.
Jim