Strut brace question..what happend here?

Discussions about general body work and modifications
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joerg
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Joined: Tue Sep 25, 2018 3:56 pm

Strut brace question..what happend here?

Post by joerg »

Hi everyone!

My name is joerg and I am a total newby to Comets, and unfurtunately not a nativ speaker.
Sorry in advance.

Recently I stumbled around a 65 (or early 66?) comet on a german car selling site.
The car has several places to put work in (rebuilding tranny, interieur, oil leaks,..), but nothing impossible for an optimist, I think :wink:
Car sits for a year without valid licence
https://suchen.mobile.de/fahrzeuge/deta ... =267723920

But one think makes me feel uncomfortable about this deal and thats the fact, that there seems to be only left side of the "stock strut brace" (correct word for the connection from shock tower to firewall?)

https://www.dropbox.com/s/rodbtfbddl5ko ... y.png?dl=0

For me, this looks very odd.
Is there a reason for such a radical interference?
A crash comes to my mind at first, but is anything else realistically imaginable?
(btw my heart wishes answers like "don't worry, buy XY, bolt on, drive away" :mrgreen: )

Are these reinforcements welded or bolted?
Wondering, if this is still a manageable project for a guy in a garage.
Straigthening a chassis is definitly way over my experience.

Looking forward for your replies.
Joerg


Edit:
Altough there are crack in the paint at the bottum end of the rear window.
I have seen pictures of 66er Comets with chrom(?) part in this location.
Is there a functional background for this parts? So will "my" car suffer from this missing parts / bondoed spot?

barrys65cyclone
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Re: Strut brace question..what happend here?

Post by barrys65cyclone »

it is a 65 for sure and yes the orig brace was welded in from factory you can replace it with a aftermarket / factory style bolt on brace like the orig hipo cars had.

comethead
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Re: Strut brace question..what happend here?

Post by comethead »

Seems like the braces were removed for access all the time. The left side was cut out on my car (and bolted back in).
I wouldn’t assume it’s been in an accident because of that...but I wouldn’t assume it HASNT been in an accident either.
There are signs of a prior repairs and measurements to make if one suspects a car has been wrecked.

Joe
1965 Caliente HT- 289/4 speed
1964 Falcon HT- track car- 302/4 speed
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poboyjo65
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Re: Strut brace question..what happend here?

Post by poboyjo65 »

Welcome on ! :D
This is the export brace that was mentioned
https://www.ebay.com/itm/Dynacorn-Expor ... 56b7457a95
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Johno

Rocket989
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Re: Strut brace question..what happend here?

Post by Rocket989 »

Shucks, you're halfway to an export brace (like Johno linked to)! :D :D :D They're a better part IMO! Is that really a single pot plastic master cylinder?!?!? Man! FYI that those (any single circuit) master cylinders are almost always replaced with dual circuit designs for safety.
'cause Johno says you gotta have a sig pic! :)
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joerg
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Re: Strut brace question..what happend here?

Post by joerg »

Hey guys,

thanks for your replies!
Based on your comments I would sum up, thats not a deal-breaker, but a
point to negotiate the price and buy the linked part.
I'm glad to hear this!

Thanks for the hint at the single circuit unit although.

Maybe someone could refer to the marked parts in the link below. These parts were removed on the car for sale
Cosmetic? or functional parts missing? Seller says, there are cracks in paintjob where these parts have been.
(https://www.dropbox.com/s/ob723wslpbco7pw/rear.JPG?dl=0)

I also would be very thankful, for any advice on expensive/rare comet-parts, that should be observed in deep, when visiting the car.
Maybe someone has a link at hand, to identify which parts are "special comet" and which are borrowed from other ford models

Thanks to everyone
Joerg

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SASSY
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Re: Strut brace question..what happend here?

Post by SASSY »

Cosmetic, were installed hide the cracks in paint created by body flex.
Probably hard to find, but not really necessary anyway unless you are after a high quality restoration.
Fred
I'd rather do it myself if it's done right or not,,,isn't that what hotrodding is all about

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Jims65cyclone
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Re: Strut brace question..what happend here?

Post by Jims65cyclone »

Welcome to the forum! :D
It's hard to tell from the angle of the photo, but it looks like the car has a single bowl ("fruit jar") master cylinder, but with a plastic bowl. It's not original, but I've not seen a replacement MC like it before, so it may be intended for another make car and was adapted to the car. It also appears there is a brake booster between the MC and firewall, so I assume it has power brakes. That is most likely why the the brace was removed from the driver's side. The booster extends the MC from the firewall to the point that it either physically interferes with the brace, or the lid to the bowl is so close to the brace that you can't get the lid off to add/check fluid. It may be that the booster and MC came as a unit from another make car. Most guys that retrofit power brakes will convert to a dual bowl MC to separate the front and rear brakes, and replace the original welded-in braces with a one piece bolt-in export brace. It will require metal cutting and drilling to install the new brace. That keeps the inner fenders well supported, and gives room for the larger MC set up as well as easier access to other parts of the engine.

Like Fred said, the chrome pieces at the rear window are just for looks. It looks like there have been a lot of other body trim modifications made:
The wheel lip trim has been removed
The rocker molding has been removed
The sargent bars on the front fenders have been removed
The Comet script has been removed from the hood and installed on the trunk lid
The hood lip trim has been removed
The COMET letters have been removed from the trunk lid
The Caliente script has been removed from both rear fenders and installed on the front fenders
The Caliente trim bars have been removed from the rear fenders
It appears that the trim panels between the tail lights, and on the gas access door, have been removed

I point these out because if there is cracking where the chrome pieces were removed at the rear window, all these other modifications may be suspect, too, and worthy of close inspection.

As far as parts accessibility is concerned, it depends on whether you mean body/trim parts or mechanical parts. Most of the mechanical parts are interchangeable with Falcon or Mustang parts for 64 - 65. Body/trim parts are not easy to find, particularly in Germany. The 65 Comet was a one-year body style. The doors will interchange with a 65 Falcon, but that's about it. :roll:

I wish you luck with it. It's a good looking ride. 8)
Jim
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tomb22
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Re: Strut brace question..what happend here?

Post by tomb22 »

I have a pair if you need them. There is a body joint right there and it comes from the factory leaded. I took the lead out and welded it up. I've also installed some heavy duty sub frame connectors so my body shouldn't flex anymore.
Tom
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tomb's 65

joerg
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Re: Strut brace question..what happend here?

Post by joerg »

Gentlemen,

I would like to thank all of you for the shared knowledge and advices.
Special thanks to Jim for the listing of visable modifications and the explanation of the "jar-fruit"/brace interference.


I'm planing to visit the car this weekend.
Lets hope, its not a waste of time :roll:

I'm going to report here, as soon as possible.

Best regards
Joerg

joerg
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Joined: Tue Sep 25, 2018 3:56 pm

Re: Strut brace question..what happend here?

Post by joerg »

Hey guys,

yesterday I checked the car 2,5h away.
As described in the text there was
- a leaking rough running engine
- a worn tranny (almost no reverse)
- cracks in paint at the bottom of rear window
- wireing consists of several lose wires

non of the above would worry me so far


Not described was
- more cracks at the trunk lit where the "COMET" Scriple was, and where the roof-line meets the rear fender
- it was a former manual 6-inline, swaped to v8-automatic, including cutting to make room for the automatic (noticable from the pictures, if I had been more into the topic)
- bondo:
--my fridge-magnet did not stick to any place on both sides (later I noticed the magnet would not stick to metal when more then 3 sheets of paper in between :cry: , so I have no idea how much bodyfiller is on )
but
--rear quarters had candybar-sized blocks of bondo on the inner sides of the lower corners (to stabilze the "construction"?!)

I took several detailed pictures to discuss with my buddy from our car inspection department called TÜV

For now I have to step back from this car, due to the fact that german regulations asks for authentic vehicles to receive a "historical licence" for reduced tax and unlimited passage through "clean air zones"

Thanks to everyone,
hope to come back soon
Joerg

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Jims65cyclone
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Re: Strut brace question..what happend here?

Post by Jims65cyclone »

Sorry for your disappointment, but we're here if you need us. :D
Jim
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