Hey guys. I have been lurking here a little while, figured I would register. I have never owned a Maverick or Comet, but I have been a closet fan, mostly of the early Comet GTs. I like the Grabbers too, but having owned 5 classic Cougars, I tend to favor the Mercury. I have always driven my classic cars daily, so I am exploring the possibilities of owning/driving a Comet GT (or clone) daily. I'm guessing these cars are relatively inexpensive to drive & maintain, but I will defer to the experts. Thank you for sharing your Mav & Comet passion!
to the board. I drive mine daily. Take it to shows. These cars are meant to be driven & enjoyed. That is exactly what I do. No trailer queen here....Good luck on your search.
welcome abord im guessing your very famiular with the mechanical workings off classic cougars. tho the comet isnt an exact clone, if you know cougars there probably isnt too much on a comet that should have you confused. comet GT's actually use the same hood scoop the cougars of the era had. ive got one on my car even tho its a maverick.
Thx! Thanks y'all, for the welcome! Hopefully I can find a Comet/Mav owner in my area to look at one of these cars up close. This is true, many an Eliminator or restomod has used the Comet scoop. The bolt pattern is not exactly the same, but they do work. There may even be plans in the works for someone to produce a correct-pattern Eliminator scoop so that the Comet GT scoops can rest at ease! What other parts are carryovers? The GT/Mav turn signal indicators look the same as the ones on my lower valance. The AT shift bezel looks the same. The gauges might be the same?? Do the racing mirrors interchange? Also, I'm guessing there is a lot of FoMoCo direct bolt-in swaps, i.e. any SBF, 9" rear, toploader 4spd, etc.
Front suspension is the same as your Cougar. I think a 9 inch from a '66 Mustang is the only 9 inch that is a direct bolt in, and they are hard to find. The stock 8 inch is more then strong enough for a mild street car. Lots of little odds and ends as you mentioned will swap over. "If it looks the same it probably is" kinda deal. I have 8 Mavericks including a couple of Grabbers, but grew up around Comets, so I really like Comets more then Mavericks. Just gave up on looking for one in my price range. These cars are extremely easy to maintain and work on. They make really good daily drivers also. I drive my '72 daily, have drove a little over 60,000 miles in three years in a Maverick. Just be forewarned, these cars can get a lot of attention. Mine is not even really in that great of shape cosmetically, but it's still not uncommon for random people to start talking to me at gas stations or in parking lots about the car. Seems everybody either had one or knew somebody that did. They are great cars.
carryovers between mavs and comets? what doesnt carry over is a shorter list hood/latch tail panel tail lights 70-72 front bumpers grill aside from emblem and trim diffrences everything else is the same between maviricks and comets
Actually I meant Comets to Cougars & v. versa. Yes, I get the similar routine with the cougar. But with a lot more Mavs & Comets originally built, I'm sure more 'I used to have one" people would come out of the woodwork. I guess driving a Comet you would have to practice your "No its not a Maverick" reply, to go along with the Cougar's "No its not a Charger/Mustang/fill in the blank" reply. LOL
Welcome to the Madness! It's all good. I've owned many Cougars(14) and Mustangs(12) in the past. They have many common parts with the Mavericks and Comets. They make great daily drivers. I drive my '69 Cougar conv almost every day. Cats don't like to get wet, so on those days, I use my Explorer. Currently, I am working on a '72 Sprint Mustang, a '72 Sprint Maverick, a '72 Comet GT, and a '69 XR7 conv. I also have a '71 Grabber on the back burner. No matter whether it is a Cougar, Mustang, Maverick, or Comet, all the work is very similiar. When I get tired of working on one, I switch over and work on one of the others. Good luck in your pursuit. Dreams come true if you keep working on them. Jim
Deviations from stock... Thanks again everybody for the warm welcome! Tonight I whipped out some pix of Comets and Mavs and showed them to the wife, and discussed the possibility of getting one of these cars someday. She was open to the idea. Probably not too tough of a sell, because she is the one who mostly drives the Cougar! In looking around on this site and others, I am struck by the various opportunities to deviate from stock, i.e. motors, tail-lamps, transmissions, etc, and I dig it . But it also seems there are next to no 71-73 Comet GT's available on the net right now. It seems most folks have just stumbled upon their cars locally or by word of mouth... I'm wondering if getting a Mav and making a Comet GT clone out of it may be an avenue to pursue? Perhaps even a later-model car, and do the ol' bumper-switch?
BTW, thanks for the encouragement, Jim. I can see this page has a lot of resourceful & helpful folks who have been-there-done-that, which reminds me, If you haven't checked it out already, drop by www.mercurycougar.net for a site with knowledgeable, helpful cougar folks.
