'64 Comet ,AWB/or Gasser???

here's some updates on my project a/fx. still a works in progress.

here are some updates on my project. 64 caliente that I found in Colorado. just a few pictures of the progress and a lot more in my album linked below.
started with this

found a lot of this

friend of mine built the qtr replacements from scratch, and after a little tweaking they came out great. floorboards were repop panels. top of cowl had to be replaced and that came from donor car. lots of hours in body work due to p.o. trying to fix with plastic and even welding the fenders on.



put in a fe kit from crites along with headers, and teardrop hood.

engine is 428 .060 over with a bunch of other goodies, to include offy 2-4 intake w/ 600 holleys. as of this post it's in the machine shop. picture is of mockup block

finishing up the spring slider cage from Competition engineering w/ladder bars on the 9". got this idea after seeing an install on Gearz. if this works as all have said it will, then the ride should be fairly good. ladder bars are homemade out of 1 1/2" sq tubing with 3/4" rod ends. adjustable for pinion angle and squaring in frame. should have the rear end finished this weekend with the bars (10-16-09)

shot of car on the rotisserie for body work,now is painted and starting on trim and wiring and 1000 other things. shot in my shop w/ single stage and hardener. will put doors, fender, hood, and trunk on when engine in, wiring done, and almost ready to fire.


front suspension is in with granada disc and baer brakes, upgraded to all 65 comet/falcon man steering w/ mustang box, mod to use borgenson shaft connector and stock column tube.

lot's more to go. hopefully on the street in early 2010. will be at Colorado good guys in june for sure. more picture as progress progresses or regresses or whatever.
hope to get looking as good as this

mine hopefully will be very similar to this but with blue interior. 9" is out of 59 wagon and toploader is out of 390 fe fairlane. block was purchased at swap meet and other parts gathered at different places. same friend that did the qtrs is building an air cleaner box for the ram air from scratch. not going to be a 100% a/fx clone, but close and somewhat streetable. as mentioned lots of other pictures in the album linked below. so far a fun project especially for a one person build. you learn to improvise on a lot of different things.
updates as they come in.
alan

 

Very nice. I really like it.

Jon

 

I like my AWB a bit more subtle as this doodle illustrates!
Gotta LUV them A/FX cars!

 

finally got the rear suspension finished as far as fabrication and engineering. the cage is finished along with the ladder bars. front of the bars are tied to the frame connectors so if it goes all goes. so far all looks to work fine. will get the chunk, axles and brakes this week. here are a couple of shots of the final product.


still have to go back and check all the bolts and add loctite but for now all looks good. pulled the 3:50's w/ posi out of the 55 and put the 3:42's back in. figured I needed the posi more with the fe and 4 sp than the 55 needed with the 355 sbc and muncie. nice having 2 cars with the same identical rear. both have 59 wagon 9". still have a set of 4:11's but no posi for it. maybe later do some more switching but for now 3:50's will have to do.
soon as the engine is back and I get it assembled and in, I think it will downhill from there.
more updates as the come in.
alan

 

man,what a nice job yer doing on this car

 

Sander;that is a great drawing!! Slightly Altered,I should say so!! Alan's 64 is going to be bad assed!! ROY.

 

Sander- dig the drawing!!
My '64 altereed won't be 'quite' as rad as that rendering of yours. Its gettin there:
http://public.fotki.com/teddisnoke/the-rosedale-rocket/page2.html

 

Dale:

I hope this attched pic becomes usefull. It was taken from a 1964 publication of which chronicled the 1964 A/FX 427 Comet of Bill Shrewsberry. The article states Bill ran 9x15 Slicks and actually lists the wheelbase as 112 inches in lieu of the factory 1964/65 Comet 114 inches.

1) Notice upper right top pic of how the leaf spring attach points remain in the factory location?

2) Notice the bottom right of how the wheel house "Appears" factory stock and unaltered?

If the two above mentioned statements are accurate how in the world could a 9 inch slick fit within the factory 1964 Comet wheel houses? I am sure hoping they can! Please comment on the above.

 

Thanks for posting the picture up. It appears that the Sach's car may have re-centered the axle centerline, or may have used a spring that has the centerpoint more forward, I.E. Chrysler. That would account for the shortened wheelbase. Notice the axle centerline, in relation to the rear window pillar? It is moved forward compared to the stock location I believe. A nine inch tire will fit this way. My car sits higher that Wild Bill's did in the rear. The problem I would start to have would be if I started to drop down the back. It'll pinch the tire up in the top of the wheelhouse, where it tapers . But side to side, its all good, with adequate room for tire growth. I'm almost postive they moved the axle centerline forward though. If they still used the stock springs, they just re-drilled the center pin to adjust. This is still done today, and seems to work fine. Good stuff, thanks for posting!!!

Dale

 

A 9" tire will fit,I ran my Comet in NHRA Stock Eliminator and that is what you must run.I used a 7" wheel with 4" backspace.You need to remove the bottoming stop brackets from the frame.My car was at stock ride hieght. ROY.

 

Good information.

 

AWBsers are the beginning of the Funny Car... What I was told by the one of the best... I live in Houma La.

 

Plus 1

 

Itsa for sure with the small block. I was gifted a set of pre-GT-40 Alan Root aluminum cylinder heads for my little 289 to help complete the engine. While not era correct, they have decent flow numbers, were free as opposed to $1200.00- plus for a new set of AFR's, and have a bit of unique history to them, not unlike everything else that is coming out of the woodwork to find its way onto the car. I"m still looking for a 'beat-up" parachute bag to mount on the trunk. Can't tell you guys (hell, some of you are here on the H.A.M.B!)how many conversations got started over that Deist unit on my Dart! Its going in after the new year, to get stripped down, and prepped for paint.

 

I have an old 3x2 set up I have had since the sixties that I think I will use, my engine will be pretty mild but hopefully sound a lot stouter. Whose tires are you running on the rear?

 

het DALE...sweet comet, but i'll take the polara thank you! unless you instaling a HEMI in the comet! HA!...POP.

 

AWB. lay some 60's flake or candy on there and youll be set

 

The two attachments are underneath shots of the rear end set up of the White 1964 Comet of Jack Chrisman. The Tires are Pie Crust 10.50 x 16 mounted on AR TTOs probably with the 3 inch back space. Notice how the rear leaf spring hangers appear to by shifted 4 inches inboard from factory position. If this 4 inch relocate of the rear leaf spring hangers is accurate that would result the front segment of the leaf spring indexing to the inner instead of outer side wall off the forward segment of the frame rails. Notice the interior trunk shot of the full Tubs.....Take it for what its worth.

Please input and also share of how "Streetable" the above mentioned configurations are.

Tomarrow I will add another pic shoot of which chronicles something very profound regarding the 60's A/FX Comet rear end set ups. Please stand by!

 

I ran the factory style traction bars for a few years.They worked good,for the times,but were very stiff on the street,they basically stop the front half of the spring from flexing.I built mine from an article in the old SS&DI magazine that gave the dimensions with lots of photos. ROY.

 

Attached are two pics of Dyno Don's 1964 A/Fx Mercury wagon. These pics come from a 1964 publication. Notice of how the article states and provides pics of leaf spring "Cut Out" to allow wide slicks! Thats how they were able to shorehorn 10 inch wide Pie Crust slicks WITHOUT leaf spring relocate! Please Comment.

 

Any opinions on this? Relatively safe or reciepe for disaster?

 

if it were me, Id relocate the springs...my fathers falcon has relocated springs and is mini tubbed to the frame rail and it fits a 10.50 comfortably on a 10 inch rim. on the other side is we all know how hard that wagon ran..and ive never heard of a spring breaking under it...take this for what its worth...haha

 

Yeah, but theres a big difference between a few blasts down the strip and constant street duty.

 

Muttley;a friend has a 67 Cyclone that he did that too about 30 years ago,no issues,427,4-speed,3600lbs.A lot of street miles and a bunch of drag strip use. ROY.

 

Good to know. I'll be getting a pair of Slicks soon and would prefer to not have to relocate the springs if I need a little extra clearance.

 

thats a very nice car.

 

any updates?

 

Yikes!

 

How about this?

 

Done deal, I went with different tires and didnt have to modify anything.