Lavron's '64 Build Thread

[poboyjo65]

I dont know why you dont build the exhaust yourself,you built everything else.

Stainless.

Can't weld it, can't bend it.

Oh-h-h. I thought it was because you didn't have any scrap stainless bed rails or trailer tongues in that pile out back that you could form into tubing.

Jim

I think you hit the nail on the head Jim. & I still wonder if he's just bluffin,,,spend all that money for bling no one will see.Now Jim you got me thinking he'll pop out at the last minute with a triple dual exhaust with 6 mufflers & 6 tail pipes made from an old bed ! blowing on that train horn too!

[lavron]

Oh-h-h. I thought it was because you didn't have any scrap stainless bed rails or trailer tongues in that pile out back that you could form into tubing.

While it is true my scrap pile is rather limited on stainless anything I believe the real reason was answered in my reply in the last post from Fred, while I do enjoy making stuff myself I really want to drive this thing.

I can't buy a welder and stainless bends for what I can get it done for, I don't think I may change my mind after I talk to them

See Ya,
Mike

[SASSY]

I hear ya on the "drive it" Mike, I know you'll do the right thing
Fred

[lavron]

That has to be good for an additional 10-12HP



They didn't have the filter element I needed so I just got this instead, I had to use the base off of the other one to make this work.

See Ya,
Mike

[lavron]

And with that electric choke hooked up it is firing right up, I was doing more wiring on a few little things this afternoon and thought I should see if it still started when I finished, banged off without any hesitation.

I haven't driven a carbureted car in so long you forget how life was before fuel injection, same for a stick shift, just the little bit I have drove it around lately I found myself trying to push the clutch on my automatic truck before I started it

See Ya,
Mike

[comethead]

And with that electric choke hooked up it is firing right up, I was doing more wiring on a few little things this afternoon and thought I should see if it still started when I finished, banged off without any hesitation.

I haven't driven a carbureted car in so long you forget how life was before fuel injection, same for a stick shift, just the little bit I have drove it around lately I found myself trying to push the clutch on my automatic truck before I started it

See Ya,
Mike

I do the same all the time! Forget what car I’m in old or new... manual brakes or power

Project is looking good

Joe

[Jims65cyclone]

Same problem. My truck and my wife's car are both ATs, but my shifter is on the column and hers is on the floor. I frequently grope the air next to the steering column on her car, and whack my hand on the console lid of my truck.

Jim

[lavron]

I drove to the highway and back this afternoon in the Comet, got to shift into second on the way back but my drive gravel and not super smooth in spots, because I live on top of a hill I was mostly coasting all the way down so the brakes seem to work well

Next project is to get my home alignment done and next Friday load it up and take it in for the muffler shop to look at it, the exhaust guy is there on Friday only.

See Ya,
Mike

[caseville cyclone]

You and that Comet have come a long way. I started on my Cyclone about 17 years ago and it was 2018 before I got to drive it to the of the street. That was a really exciting day. Keep up the good work!!! Andy

[lavron]

You and that Comet have come a long way. I started on my Cyclone about 17 years ago and it was 2018 before I got to drive it to the of the street. That was a really exciting day. Keep up the good work!!! Andy

Thanks Andy, I really need some exhaust hooked up because I am trying to listen to every bang, pop, and thump and it is really hard to zero in on where it is coming from with the open headers.

One thing I did not expect is the air gauges rising and lowering in pressure as I hit bumps, etc., I guess I figured it would be a little more subtle than that The gas guage moves a lot too going up and down the hill.

See Ya,
Mike

[lavron]

OK, I know this picture doesn't look like much but it is a picture of the trunk closed without the bungee cord holding it shut



It also would have been a picture of the weatherstrip installed around the trunk opening but after adjusting the trunk to align slightly better when I closed it I had to slam it a bit hard and then it wouldn't unlatch So then I was in a pickle. I know most people would say just crawl in the trunk from the car side and unlatch it (or send my wife in because I might be rounder than the hole is tall) but just a reminder of what it looks like from the car side.



I possibly could have removed the battery and stuffed my wife through the hole but decided not too, it was the end of the day and I was just going to quit for the day and stew about it all night but instead, I took the leftover piece of double-d steering rod and ground the end so a socket extension would fit on it, stuck every extension I had on there, taped them all together so they wouldn't come apart accidentally, stuck a 1/2" socket on the end and hoisted the whole 4' long beast into the trunk and unbolted the lower trunk latch by using a crescent wrench on the flats of the bar to turn the two bolts out.

I had a hard time getting the lower latch free from the upper latch even after I got the trunk open but I finally did, I readjusted (or un-adjusted) the trunk lid and aligned everything so the latch would release easily, so now I have an operational trunk lock/latch.

By the time I was done, I just closed the trunk and came in the house and never took a picture of the inside finished.

I guess next time I am at HF I need to invest in a couple of really long extensions in case I ever have to do anything similar again

I think I am all set to load the car up on the trailer Friday and haul it to town and have the exhaust guy look at it. Hopefully, I can figure out how to get it up on the trailer without it high centering, if I raise it up as high as it will go it should make it.

See Ya,
Mike

[lavron]

Now that I can open and close the trunk at will the weatherstrip looks good.



Also got the taillights working properly today.

I guess I need to break out the woodworking tools and get on mounting the intake pattern and building some flasks for casting.

See Ya,
Mike

[lavron]

Ready to road test the Comet I guess She is loaded up on the trailer for the trip to town tomorrow.



Having it tied down and up on the trailer you can see the ground clearance slammed, or the lack thereof, I think of how low can you go? I think I made it



Maybe a little tiny baby snake could slither under the crossmember but it would be a tight squeeze.

Actually it looks like the transmission mount bolts are touching the bed of the trailer, you can kinda see them in the center of this picture way forward.



If it wasn't for the strap I don't think those touch but that is certainly the low spot under the car, I am thinking about redesigning the mount to use rod ends like my motor mounts so I could scoot it up a bit higher, however, this one is made from 1/2" steel and sort of protects the bottom of the transmission from dragging on anything.

I went through and cleaned everything out of the car and tied everything down that was loose so hopefully nothing will blow away or fall off

See Ya,
Mike

[popscomet]

PAT yourself on the back.MIKE ...................looks great ,,you done good..............pop

[lavron]

PAT yourself on the back.MIKE ...................looks great ,,you done good..............pop

Thanks Pops.

Made an appointment to take the Comet back to the muffler shop next Friday and get the header hooked up.

Made a few visits around town with it in tow for a few of the people who had asked to see it, the Ford dealership was the biggest crowd, several "That was not what I was expecting to see" when they looked in the engine bay. Fired her up and the owner of the dealership asked me how much of the engine was original, I told him the block and the crank

I decided to just leave the car on the trailer this next week so while it was up there I decided to finally get the rear panel that sits behind the bumper wire brushed and painted, I was not able to do it with the rest of the bottom of the car because the tip over jig was blocking it.



It was pretty crusty and pitted but not going to do anymore to it, can't see it anyway, it is still pretty sound just not too pretty

I also tried to adjust the e-brakes out more and may finally have them out enough for the shoes to actually touch the drums. Still thinking about a front line lock/hill holder for it, I sure could have used something when I was loading it up on the trailer.

See Ya,
Mike