Father and Son Comet Project (with photos)

[popscomet]

Take it to a starter shop and have it rebuilt....It has already failed once,you can't trust it....POP,,,,ps,my pic ain't very good,but is that wire a field wire ? thanks

[Groover]

Well… actually it was completely rebuilt at the start of this project. I took it back today and they fixed it no charge. Turned out it was a different wire that had come unsoldered, but while they had it open, the cleaned it up, changed the brushes. Got it back in and it spins with more vigor than ever. Apparently, since the case is the ground, that wire in the picture isn't completely necessary, but there for safety.

We got the 44 jets in now and tuned it up. Gonna drive it a bit with these and see how the carb performs.

[eatonch]

Hello - I know that this is an old thread but I am interested to know if you built the inner rocker panels or if you purchased them. If you purchased them, where from?

Any help would be great, thanks!!

[Groover]

Bought them from KP Auto (Jerry Kratz). He makes them for falcon/comet. They come long and I cut them. I would definitely recommend them. Good price and making them yourself would be near impossible. kpauto@aol.com. He was also very helpful on the phone.

[ants875]

Groover,

What a build!!! I couldn't look through it all it brought back to many memories of doing my GTO, convertibles are a nightmare when it comes to rust. We had to do floor pans and the driver's rocker had a spot by the kick panel that was bad but not quite as much work as you put into yours! You guys did some real nice metal work!!!

Ant

[Groover]

Well... finally got to one of those long awaited high performance modifications this weekend. Something I've been meaning to do for a long time. I bought the parts back with my first big old MAC order at least three years ago, but just hadn't gotten around to it... until today.

And man what a difference this is going to make when I get her out on the road. Especially when it rains





Oh Yea Baby! New trunk seal gasket.

I cleaned out the original one, wire wheeled the drip tray and painted it with my favorite blood red oxide primer. Once it's dry, it almost looks the same color as the car. Pleased to note that the only place in the whole trunk where there was a hole, was the lower passenger side as you can see in the photo. Not enough to worry about patching it up, so I just put the new one on (after the primer dried).

That bad boy has been leaking all along, and with my new burtex trunk liner for Christmas, I was tired of getting water in there. Plus the boy says it will reduce drag coefficient when we get out on the Bonneville Salt Flats.

Pigeon Forge, here we come. Rain or Shine

[Groover]

So this has been the summer of electrical hell.

1. Perfect trip to PF
2. Perfect trip to the Jimmy Buffett drive in movie theatre summer concert in Dixon, IL
3. NIGHTMARE drive back.

Drove all the way up on a perfectly sunny day for six hours with the top down. Then it poured. Then on the way home it stalled out (maybe a combination of pouring rain, every accessory on, lots of idling... or maybe just a bad generator or something).

At any rate, the amp gauge was all over the place (super charging, then super discharging -- like about 1/8 to 1/4 off the center mark. Squealing noises coming from under the hood, but every time I pulled over to look the gauge would balance out and the noise went away. As soon as I started driving the gauge would rise with my RPM. I've never seen the amp gauge move more than about the thickness of the needle plus or minus before. Now it was acting like a tachometer moving up with the RPM until almost 1/4 deflection. Then I'd drive a while and then suddenly it would drop to like minus 1/4 and then the squealing would eventually start again (coupled with the dimming lights and slowing wipers).

Anyway, limped her all the way home, stopping to buy a new voltage regulator, battery, and generator belt along the way trying (did I mention the wife was with me, so I lost all the Comet points I had built up).

Sent the generator back to my guy who fixed it up (an hour away) and he went through it and sent it back. It was damaged, but couldn't say whether the generator brought down the car or perhaps the voltage regulator brought down the generator. Bought a new regulator. Put it all in and when I started it, it makes a whining noise (different from the danger sound of the trip). So I sent it back and he tested it again and said it tested out fine (and that he tested it under load -- some sort of device that simulates the load of the car -- he's a very reputable shop who only does starters, alternators, and generators, and he does a lot of them, but he is an hour away so I couldn't easily drive to him and let him listen).

So this became the time to learn one more mysterious aspect of Comet voodoo, so we took the generator apart ourselves. Checked the bearings which seemed to be quiet and spin fine, so we pulled the brushes back so they wouldn't touch the armature, put the generator back on the car, put the belt on, left the wires off the generator, started the car and it was quiet. Pushed the brushes back under the spring, and wired it up and the noise is back.

Here's a video (with audio - which is what matters in this case)


So has anybody heard of the brushes making a whining noise (which may really be more of a clicking but at high enough speed it sounds more like a whine)? Will it go away once they wear down a bit?

The generator seems to be performing correctly, although the gauge still move a little higher than I'm used to seeing, but not 1/4 up the scale. I've checked and I'm getting 14.25 volts out of the generator and 13.75 at the battery which is about correct from everything I've read. The battery shows about 12.75 when the car is off.

Once I feel safe enough driving, I'll head to the shop and have the generator guy listen, but figured somebody here has experienced this.

... oh, and damn it I burned out the solid state constant voltage reg, so now my gauges are crapped again (except for the amp gauge). Grr..

[poboyjo65]

Groover we all know you have a chip in your distributor. (NOT STOCK) so since you fell off the wagon why dont you get one of those alternators that looks like a gen????? We wont tell nobody!!!

[popscomet]

I would think that the brushs are making the noise and it 's caused by when they jump over the slots on the armature,,when the brushs get seated it should go away. notice also how tight the brush is in it's holder,,that brush whine ain't nothing,my 51 ford did it,,now GROOVER I already know your next question,,,,how did you fix it ?? and here's how I did it......DUAL EXHAUST,,twin SMITTY glass packs,if it still makes that brush whine,I can't hear it,,,it ain't no biggee...........(being's it's chargeing and working like it should) pop

[Groover]

Groover we all know you have a chip in your distributor. (NOT STOCK) so since you fell off the wagon why dont you get one of those alternators that looks like a gen????? We wont tell nobody!!!

Careful John, don't make me go back to points just to prove I can. If an 'ole Comet gen set is good enough for Pops, it should be good enough for me

[poboyjo65]

Ok I wont make you.
Pop I know he isnt going to change his brand new stock exhaust .
Groover you could turn up that new Tayman radio that still looks original to drown out the whine. everybody on here knows you have fell off the wagon, so I'm not telling off on you.

& btw Groov, we've been hearing that whining for a couple years!

[Groover]

Ok I wont make you.
& btw Groov, we've been hearing that whining for a couple years!

Dang, John... you're on a roll. Good thing I replaced my regular skin with this new 14 gauge

[ants875]

So here's a question your voltages sound funny to me if your putting out 14.25 at Gen why are you losing a half a volt to the battery? I would say to do a voltage drop on all your positive wires, just in case you have not done this before with the car running go from the positive on the battery to the positive on the Gen and other leads you really should only see around a tenth of a volt on the meter anything more may be a bad connection which could be causing the spikes you are seeing on the gauge. Do the same on your grounds just make sure you have some kind of a load, headlights on...

Ant

[poboyjo65]

sorry Groover, I couldnt resist. wasn't worried ,your old skin had you covered. It's what we do on here, if we can't help we keep it bumped up with bull!
you know I wish you the best with that old thing.You are still our most ''stock'' kinda guy, & we wouldnt want it any other way

[Groover]

So here's a question your voltages sound funny to me if your putting out 14.25 at Gen why are you losing a half a volt to the battery? I would say to do a voltage drop on all your positive wires, just in case you have not done this before with the car running go from the positive on the battery to the positive on the Gen and other leads you really should only see around a tenth of a volt on the meter anything more may be a bad connection which could be causing the spikes you are seeing on the gauge. Do the same on your grounds just make sure you have some kind of a load, headlights on...

Ant

I'll double check. My numbers above aren't exact readings, they are my estimates from what I remember, but it seemed like it was about .5 volts and you're right that does seem to be too much loss. I've tracked several wires withing reach for continuity and they all test out ok, but maybe a hair of voltate seeping to ground on some wire? I'll double check it all.