Kick Off

I am going to start restoring my 1961 Mercury Comet that I have owned since the summer of 1991. This car is basically the same as the early Falcons, except that the trunk is bigger and it has four headlights (an additional pair for the high beams). There are also some unique emblems and trim elements, but that's about it. One of the most unique features of this are are the cat-eye tail light lenses. This is what really sets the car apart. They were only available for a couple of years (1960 and 1961, I believe). First, some history of the car

Stats

• 1961 Mercury Comet 2-door sedan
• Red inside and out
• 170 c.i.d. inline 6
• 3-speed column shift transmission
• Mileage is unknown
  

The Purchase
I bought this car because my 1978 Plymouth Fury was totalled. The insurance company wasn't going to pay much for the Fury, so I started to look for another cheap mode of transportation. A timely purchase of the local Auto Trader in San Antonio yielded a classic car that really caught my eye. Not only was it cheap, but it had fins too! My Dad and I went down and test drove the car. It drove really bad, but we both agreed that it could be a good fixer-upper. This would also be my first actual project car. Since it is an old vehicle, the mechanical stuff is pretty easy to learn.

We didn't buy the car that day. We headed back to the house and I started to pack for a trip to Dallas that weekend. A friend of mine was getting married and I was going to be out of town for a few days. Well, my Dad thought this would be a good way to surprise me. When I came back from Dallas, the '61 Comet was parked in front of the house! This was a huge surprise. I couldn't believe that I actually owned this car.

Initial Minor Repairs
The first order of business was to get this thing in more driveable condition.

1. The left-front wheel cylinder was frozen, so the car would basically drive itself into the curb when the brakes were applied. This is because only the right-front brake was working. Replacing the left-front wheel cylinder fixed the problem.
2. The clutch was chattering really badly. This was my first clutch repair, and it turned out to be quite and experience. The parts that I bought at Pep Boys didn't fit correctly, so I basically had to do the clutch repair twice. Once I got the right parts from another supplier, I had the flywheel machined and the ring gear reversed. The clutch was installed with a new release bearing as well. After this, the car really drove much better.
3. The left window regulator had some worn down gears. The window would roll up smoothly, but it really chattered on the way down. I picked up a used one at a junk yard and installed it.
4. Some of the front end components were worn, causing really bad tire wear. I replaced the upper & lower ball joints, shocks, and center link. This really tightened the front end and fixed the tire wear problems.
   

These were the first few repairs that I did to get the car at least driving well enough to get around town.

Current Restoration Effort

I have done some restoration work on the car's drivetrain.

1. Engine rebuild
2. Carburetor rebuild
   
3. Transmission rebuild
4. New clutch
5. Driveshaft rebuild & balance
6. Rearend rebuild
7. New leaf springs & bushings
8. New fuel tank, sender unit, and fuel lines.
9. All new brakes, including master cylinder, hoses, and lines.
10. New radiator

This is about as much as I can do on the car by myself. Now it's time to call in the professionals. I need to strip the car down as much as possible and then getted it painted and have a new interior installed.

Why?
Man, this is a good question. No doubt all this work is going to cost a lot of money. Is this car worth it? I suppose that depends on your perspective. From a purely financial view, it's definitely not worth it. I will never be able to sell the car and get my money back out of it. So, why do it at all? I really like the looks of this car. I have yet to see another one, either on the road or at a show. I have considered selling this car and getting something like a Charger, Mustang, or Cutlass. There sure are a lot more parts available for these cars. However, I think it would be really tough to have a car that stands out much at a show. After you see twenty Mustangs, it seems like they all look the same. Granted, a Comet is not really an eye-catcher but it is different and it's really grown on me over the years.

Restoration Plan
I really want to get the car media-blasted and repainted with a new color. The color scheme that I have chosen is from a 1994 Eddie Bauer Bronco with Electric Red exterior and Medium Mocha interior. I'm not going to put leather inside, but I do plan on doing a vinyl that matches the Eddie Bauer color scheme. I will also replace the front bench seat with some low-rise buckets from either a Mustang or Falcon of the same era. Eventually, I want to replace the motor with a V-8. This will be left for a later project. For now, the original I-6 will be placed back in the car.

So there you have it. This will take some time, and I plan on taking pictures along the way and updating this blog with the progress.

Later,
Jim