Socal 1973 Comet V8 2 door

I'm almost in possesion of a 1973 Comet that I had thought I was getting back in the spring but it's taken quite awhile to get the deal done. The car is a little old ladies cars with 90,000 miles, runs good and AC even works, and getting it for $1000. The roof has the vinyl top and it has a few dings here and there, but straight and solid car otherwise.

I need info on what is the cheapest and easiest way to do the following

1. Front disks
2. Aluminum rims / tires 17" prefered
3. Headers
4. Intake & Carb
5. Lower and stiffen up suspension

I will be scanning the tech articles and things here for the answers as well, but if you have first hand experience on what works and what is a waste of time, let me know.

Again the key here for now is a cheap, fun, decent looking, throaty sounding, budget hotrod.

Tom in Torrance, CA

 

I'm sure you can find all the info you need on this board, just look 'ere up.

 

from - north sacramento

rim's try craigs list

headers - i bought a set from summit racing that are summit brand for $-99 and 10 shiping

 

1. the best place to get Disc Brakes from is to swap them from a 74-77 Maverick/Comet or 75-80 Granada/Monarch. 2. get hooker (part #6901) headers. 4. a edelbrock performer rpm or weaind stealth intake. then use a 500-600cfm carb. like a holley 4160 or an edelbrock #1406. 5. To lower the car you can cut the front springs, half a coil at a time until you get the stance you want. Then install lowering blocks in the rear, you can get them at parts stores. Good Luck!

 

Thanks everyone for the info. Picking the car up sat can't wait to start wrenching.

What factory ford rims bolt right up? I would like to run some aluminum rims from a mustang or ranger or whatever, something that looks decent but can be found for cheap. It's a V8 5 bolt lug pattern car.

 

Got the car on sat, here are a few pics of it, I'm going to give it to my brother who is in the pic, I have too many projects going on right now but had to jump on this deal, got it for $1,000, and it's super clean, little old lady car with all reciepts, everything has been changed in the last 10 years. Runs perfect and starts right up first crank. Neighbor is an old mustang guy and has a 500cfm holley ($60) for me once I get the exhaust on. It's a 302 with 90,000 original miles.

Spent half the day on sunday cutting front spring one coil which gave it the perfect stance without touching the rear. Next up is a power steering leak somewhere, and a set of turbo mufflers. Here are poor cell phone pics if I can download them correctly, these are before we cut the front springs, I will get some decent pics this week.

I still need to know if any rims from existing car will bolt up without spacers, such as ranger or explorer rims?

 

Just about any 5 lug ford/dodge car rims will fit it. I think the truck rims are a little wider bolt pattern but a Ranger rim MIGHT work.

 

I will keep looking in the forums for cheap ford/jeep/toyota wheels that might fit the Comet WITHOUT spacers, thats really the key is what is a direct bolt-on for the V8 Mavs & Comets, I'm trying to do this car as cheap as I can, but yet not too "Bubbafied", no offense to any Bubba's out there. Now that I have the car I'm really starting to think all it needs is a bigger carb (500cfm), dual exhaust but no headers, front disks, and a new white paint job with black Comet GT stripes

 

I have Heddman Hedders Elite series that I bought from a guy here. They are a perfect fit(once I get them on...)
As for rims you can't go wrong with Cragars or Keystones or slots. They look great and are easy to find. Magnum 500s look really good too. Craigslist is where it's at for inexpensive parts. I scored a pair of Flowmaster 40s from a repair shop where the owner has a Mustang fetish. They were a steal at $25 for the pair. There is no shortage of shops like those! We all know the local Mustang guy and his shop. Thats where I got my Mustang 5.0 buckets too.
As for the disc conversion I'd hit the classifieds right here in Maverick/Comet online heaven! They come up for sale here all the time usually complete and sometimes even cleaned and ready to go at reasonable prices.
Intakes are all over Craigslist, just type in 302 intake in parts. Locally there was an Edelbrock RPM for $75 but I was too late for it.


I'm one of the bubba-ist guys here. My Comet has coat hangars in it and I don't mean holding up my suits. I paid $600 for mine and still haven't topped $1000 yet.

 

get some Cragar S/S it'll really change it

heres a pic of one cragar and one hubcap.
View attachment 37666
View attachment 37667

 

Thanks for the info, I'm going to keep the stock intake and exhaust manifolds but change to dual exhaust and 2 barrel 500 cfm carb, it's such a great running engine I don't want to end up breaking off an exhaust manifold bolt or something bad.......

I will do the front brakes and a stereo system, besides the carb and mufflers, and I already lowered the front which made it look good, I might even keep the stock wheels for now, they have the original hubcaps and look halfways decent. The brakes are surprisingly horrible, so they have to go, will hit up the pick your parts soon and collect the parts.

I might eventually go with a 5.0 swap and then I will do the headers and intake, and problaby a 9 inch rear with a posi, but that will have to wait untill this economy picks up.

 

wow nice find! make sure you keep in touch! maybe in april you can get to the knotts show with all of us!

 

A white 1973 Comet 2dr with a 302 and a C4.
Exactly like mine. Do you have a glovebox or the package shelf?

 

It's got the glovebox, however it's debatable whether you could fit a pair of gloves in it! That is the smallest glove box I have seen. It's a white Comet with original 302 with vinyl top that really needs to come off so I can fix some rust under there, thank god it's a Southen California car with little rain, but it does show signs of rust under the vinyl. The plan is to fix all rust and take off excessive trim and give it a coat or 2 of white paint and then a set of black Comet GT stripes, who knows maybe the ugly brown interior will come back around in vogue and I won't have to do anything to in the interior. Seriously I will keep a log of what stuff cost and really make an attempt to do this car on the cheap, and I'm actually doing it for my little brother who doesn't have a car and it will be his daily driver

 

1973 Comet=$600
Cragars with good tires=$0
Smaller tires for the front=$30 mounted
Mustang fox buckets=$0 (both passenger side)
Shackle lift kit=$10
Flowmaster series 40s=$25 for both
Flex pipe and clamps=$20
Grant steering wheel=$30
B&M Starshifter=$0
Heddman Hedders=$75 used but very nice
Mud flaps=$0
Fog lights=$0
Custom grille=$0(wire shelving)
CD player=$5(junkyard)
Spoiler=$0
Minitach=$20 Autozone discount table
1993 Taurus radiator fan=$15 Craigslist score
10SI alternator=$0

2 speeding tickets=$750