1965 Comet Caliente (little red)

The Era of The Square Body Racing Comets
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Jims65cyclone
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Re: 1965 Comet Caliente (little red)

Post by Jims65cyclone »

Sugarmaker wrote:
Sat Aug 17, 2024 11:03 pm
I guess I like the look of the rear end!
What's not to like about a good lookin' rear end?? :lol: :lol:

Jim
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Joe Travers
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Re: 1965 Comet Caliente (little red)

Post by Joe Travers »

Speaking of rear ends........ :P

Are the rear leaf springs on the Caliente original to the car? You made a statement about the right front being high.

Joe
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1963 1/2 Custom Hardtop
342 stroker, solid roller, T-10, 3.55 posi

Sugarmaker
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Re: 1965 Comet Caliente (little red)

Post by Sugarmaker »

Joe, folks,
I believe the rear leaf springs are original. The right side front is lower by about 3/4 inch. Could this be from a sagging rear spring on that side? Maybe?? Open to suggestions on suspension improvements. Guy guys have the experience.
Regards,
Chris and Cheryl
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Joe Travers
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Re: 1965 Comet Caliente (little red)

Post by Joe Travers »

Sugarmaker wrote:
Thu Aug 22, 2024 10:24 pm
Joe, folks,
I believe the rear leaf springs are original. The right side front is lower by about 3/4 inch. Could this be from a sagging rear spring on that side? Maybe?? Open to suggestions on suspension improvements. Guy guys have the experience.
Driver side of car has been carrying more weight over the decades than passenger side, so you get the sag over time.
The driver side leaf on my '63 was sagging 3/4" when compared to passenger side, sounds about right.
My front coils were changed by a PO but A/C compressor and PS pump were added to the front.
I changed the rear leaves and pulled the compressor, everything leveled up on all four corners.

Joe
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1963 1/2 Custom Hardtop
342 stroker, solid roller, T-10, 3.55 posi

Sugarmaker
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Re: 1965 Comet Caliente (little red)

Post by Sugarmaker »

Joe, folks,
Thanks for the suggestions. I may have to look at these rear springs also. I see them listed in Auto Krafters catalog. We also have a local shop that can re-arch springs or make new.
Heading to a car cruise in tomorrow near lake Erie with the Comet. Will try to get some pictures.
Regards,
Chris and Cheryl
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Sugarmaker
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Re: 1965 Comet Caliente (little red)

Post by Sugarmaker »

Comet folks,
Several nice days have allowed us to venture to local car shows and tractor pulls. A good cruise in this Sat in Lake City PA.
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This is one of our Allis tractors at Wattsburg Fair.
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Regards,
Chris and Cheryl
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Sugarmaker
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Re: 1965 Comet Caliente (little red)

Post by Sugarmaker »

I did mention we take the 65 for ice cream often! We went across the line into Northeast Ohio for a cruise in on shore of Lake Erie. It was cool and we had to put on jackets. The Comet preformed well!
Grandson Mike and I are going to start on the front steering and suspension improvements soon.
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Regards,
Chris and Cheryl
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Jims65cyclone
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Re: 1965 Comet Caliente (little red)

Post by Jims65cyclone »

I can see why you went to OH. Those things are probably illegal in PA. :lol: :lol:

Jim
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Sugarmaker
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Re: 1965 Comet Caliente (little red)

Post by Sugarmaker »

Comet folks,
Monday night on the Presque Isle Bay front. A lot less cars due to the holiday but a great night for a drive in 'lil' red!
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Tonight we plan to take the Comet to Conneaut Ohio, may stop and get a root beer float at the White Turkey too.

Last night we took one of the Allis-Chalmers WD tractors to local tractor pull. Testing some recent changes, and it preformed fine. Need to do more weight balancing, and add some weight back on the rear. Sorry its a daily blend of a lot of old tractors and cars too!:) Thanks for checking in on me.
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Regards,
Chris and Cheryl
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Sugarmaker
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Re: 1965 Comet Caliente (little red)

Post by Sugarmaker »

Comet folks,
Well a slight delay on the front end work but we get that started soon. I am glad that we are going to look at this the camber has been way off and the new tires this spring are showing a lot of wear on the inside of both front tires.
I have been working in the shop to add some low cost work surfaces and storage areas near the car lift. I have been wanting to do this as the shop is 4 years old and I did not design in any real storage areas. This will allow some car projects just to be easier to have tools and work areas near the car area. I am cheap and have been hoarding some materials from various projects. Keeping the cost down is a good thing for us. I am not a perfectionist and can live with not high end items in the shop. I have picture of my junk and some improvement on a budget if interested.
I do plan to take a bunch of pictures as we take the Comet front end apart to replace components.
Regards,
Chris and Cheryl
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Jims65cyclone
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Re: 1965 Comet Caliente (little red)

Post by Jims65cyclone »

Unless you camber is extremely negative, you tire wear is more likely due to the wheels being toed-out rather than toed-in. You toe-in a rear wheel drive car because as the rear wheels push the car forward, the front wheels spread apart slightly. Ideally, they should spread to zero toe-in, or straight ahead. If the toe-in is set to zero, or toed-out, the toe-out is exacerbated by the forward motion, and it scrubs the inside of the tread. Not that it matters in your case, but you align a front wheel drive car just the opposite, setting it so its toed-out. When the front wheels pull the car forward, they straighten to zero toe-in.

Jim
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Sugarmaker
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Re: 1965 Comet Caliente (little red)

Post by Sugarmaker »

Jim,
Thanks for the words of wisdom on the toe in vs toe out. Whatever it is we are going to attempt to improve the drivability of the old Comet. Mike came over and last night we removed most of the components from the passenger side steering. I have a bunch of clean up of parts and then we can begin to reassemble with new components and the front disc system. We found lots of worn components along the way. Mike feels its going to drive much better. Getting the coil spring out was a little bit of a challenge. It matches pretty close to the same length as the new spring. We will see if we have a increased ride height in the front end. Thanks for checking on me.
Regards,
Chris and Cheryl
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Sugarmaker
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Re: 1965 Comet Caliente (little red)

Post by Sugarmaker »

Comet folks,
Some highlights on the front end work.
This is the improved work area:
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Just bought a third old Craftsman tool stack. Going to put that right near the end of the other counter top.
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This spring compressor worked.
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Cleaning up the parts that will go back in the car suspension:
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Several hours in Electrolysis tank and most of the crud was loosened from the components. Will sand blast them and apply a coat of black paint. Just trying to clean things up a little.
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Regards,
Chris and Cheryl
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Sugarmaker
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Re: 1965 Comet Caliente (little red)

Post by Sugarmaker »

Well Guys,
A big thanks to Larry! He got me back in to the Comet Central forum. If there are others out there check in with "Boss Cyclone" His contact info:
admin@cometcentral.com

So I only lost about a day or so on the forum and will get caught up soon. Yes a bunch to update on "lil red"!
Cheryl and I just got back from visiting a friend and his wife and going out to dinner in Erie, abut a 75 mile round trip. Weather was great. Testing on the Comet out on the interstate too!
Pictures coming Soon!
Last edited by Sugarmaker on Mon Oct 07, 2024 9:21 pm, edited 1 time in total.
Regards,
Chris and Cheryl
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Boss/Cyclone
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Re: 1965 Comet Caliente (little red)

Post by Boss/Cyclone »

Nice, I have been through that area a few times recently.
1965 Mercury Cyclone former drag car, 1971 Boss 351 engine, 4 speed, ladder bars, etc. Now returned to a street car.
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Larry

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