My 1971 Sleepy Comet

Hey guys! I decided I would make a build thread for my '71 Comet Four door which I have decided to call sleepy. Rather than just posting in random threads

Shes in very rough shape right now. But shes coming along rather well!

I'll try and update it in just this post. My general plans are to turbo this beast, and black out EVERYTHING. As it stands on ..

December 17th, 2013 my car is sitting on the stock 4 bolt rims, hood completely tore off. Engine bay apart. Exterior stripped. Interior still in it, and an ugly shade of blue. I hand sanded most of the surface rust and Im gonna spray the bare metal with some black primer tommorow just to stop it from rusting before I can paint it.

I got a LOT of good news today, I finally looked at my vin and the sticker in the door. Turns out I have a 3.00:1 rear end! Better than that.... turns out my car has a 250 in it. I know, I know, I'm an idiot. But I counted my freeze plugs and saw five, glanced at the starter and THOUGHT it was above the oil pan. and just havent thought of it since.

AND, my T4 turbo was shipped today

Tommorow I plan on firing up the DA, and sanding down some of the more serious rust on the rear end. Also gonna try the BFH approach to a dent in the rear corner of my ride. My engine bay cant take any more until I get the thing jacked up. except those four bolts that hold the strut braces on. My god do i hate those things. Will update tommorow y'all.

This is the last picture I have (from two-ish days ago)



December 18th
Had a primer can explode, after this i decided to remove the bumper. Got some metal in my eye and am headed to hospital right now. Damn delays

December 21st
Heater in garage failed, so I was working in half hour spurts, still managed to get the strut tower braces off, the rear bumper (and those rounded l pieces of trim. Looking at the engine bay and seeing that all I can do is clean and paint (and like hell im doing that in this weather) was a good feeling. Still don have jackstands (father-in-law is getting me some for xmas) so I started on the interior. Got a a bit of the pipe of the heater/vent system out. The stereo, and all the lower bolts/screws I could see.. the top five however eluded me. I considered smashing out the windshield and claiming it on insurance but thought that would be frowned upon. Any tips?





January Fifth

Well after a much needed break from EVERYTHING.... the car is coming along and University starts up again in two days... unfortunately I am in engineering so I wont have too much time for the car... but I might get lucky as I took a few electives this semester and that shoiuld make the work easier. (Ive been fluent in french for years and am taking french 100)...

as for the car! Turbo is finally here... as is all the flanges... the head is off the car (the gasket was already pooched!) I bought a steering wheel puller, and a really nice steering wheel/kit. Intercooler piping is on the way, as is an intercooler to go with it! My boost controller... blow off valve.... fuel pump block off plate... all of it is here. and a LOT of JB weld and I made a deal with a high school buddy so I can get any 4 rims and tires at cost... once I feel like driving 3 hours one way to pick it up.

I talked to 55m8a1 (who was my inspiration to turbo rather than 302 swap) and am just waiting for a response... but it looks like I've got it figured. Im gonna drop off the cylinder head at the machine shop once Im back at the university... and then play the waiting game.

OH, I also snagged some Hyundai Tiburon Seats to replace the broken down bench in the front. It might be blasphemy but they were 40$, in great condition, and actually hold me in the seat. The rear bench is gonna get reupholstered to match.

January 7th

I am losing track of the parts I have and the tools I have bought in the past month. But it was all worth it today when I walked into the store today, and the man behind the counter looks at me and said "what in the world are you doing to your grandpas car over in selingers garage?" and I laughed, and said I was building me a summer car. He says "a four door?" and I says "Thats what they'll say when I beat them" he laughed and it... Turns out his son had a turbocharged, nitrous fed cavalier which he totalled. And Im going over tommorow to pick up a wideband afr gauge for 50$! as well as some nice mandrel bent tubing. (for my jpipe and down pipe) I had a bit of cash on me when I went to princess auto and picked up a grinder... and I ordered a Holley 7448 "race arb" with "quuick change jets" You can imagine how excited I am to teach myself everything about a carburetor . Im also about to win an auction on a mallory fuel pressure regulator.. and boost gauge.


February 17th

So many things have happened... The cylinder head is built, car is finally stripped. I haveto decide tommorow if I want to rip the Brake system out too, since im planning on doing a 4 wheel disc system. I got a fuel cell, and a grill! all my lines, a battery relocation setup.. Interior is basically done, just need to fill two holes on the dash and paint! Then I can mount my steering wheel, new dash pad. And be happy! its super simple. Steering wheel, a go pedal, and a stop pedal. Nothing else is left.

Im trying to source the parts for the rear end swap to go five lug/discs. I know where I can get the parts for the front. My girlfriend, bless her ****ing soul, got me a propane heater for valentines day. 80000 BTUs or something, so its toasty in there now.

As it stands the car is still sitting headless on four jack stands no wheels, soon to be no front brake setup.... The difference is... I can start to build lines and stuff soon. I dont want to bother putting any parts in until I paint her (less to cover makes me happier). But it's coming along!

 

oh no...not the ...claw...and two of them......(a T.L. thing).

 

When one hammer is not enough.....grab two!!

 

What, no vice grips???

Every good mechanic has at least three or four pair in various sizes...

 

yep. and now I also want to know'sy what the OP is hiding behind that big tarp back there too. lol

I tease. mostly.

 

hahaha I have a LOT of vice grips laying around too, Ill get a tool shot for you guys later (god that sounded dirtier than intended)

behind that tarp is a bunch of stuff for my girlfriends fathers 69 Camaro. Her parents split and he just left a set of heads and a crankshaft and such in the garage. Bunch of other random stuff too

 

Hey, it's coming along! A 250 has 4 water pump bolts (sure fire way to tell). Remember to put your car back on it's wheels before you tighten up the strut braces, or your alignment will be screwed! I hope your injury wasn't too severe! I've had lots of stuff get in my eyes over the years. Brake fluid is bad, but the worst was spray carb cleaner. I had safety glasses on both times, but the liquid managed to get by them!

 

Nothing to severe, just had some rust fall and manage to swerve around the glasses, no doubt thanks to the angle I was laying at. to get a 2 foot breaker bar with u-joint in to crack those sunnabitches. I got up and went to the house to flush my eyes. But apparently just the amount of blinking I did managed to scratch my eyeball. Hurts like the dickens but he assured me Its fine. Usually Im not a wuss but cant take any chances with your eyes!

Anyway, I'll be back to working on the car come Saturday. Im in the city for work for three days.

 

Updated the first post: thought of the day "I hate this dash I hate this dash I hate this dah"

 

A little trivia on rust in the eyeball if its not completely removed it will actually '' eat'' your eyeball . I had to have my eye scraped with a scalpel onetime to get it all out. you are right take no chances with the eyes.

 

Update coming in a few minutes here.

 

Great job so far -- Keep it up!

 

Thanks man! I'd have a lot more done but we've been having -50 Celsius days with the windchill over here. And in an unheated garage that means "Screw this im going inside to buy more parts" Oh well. I told Donna (the owner of the garage) Id have it running by the summer, not necessarily that it would be running to MY satisfaction!

-Another Update Coming-

 

I know exactly what you mean - nothing like working on the cold concrete floor in the winter

 

Yeah.....lets NOT do that.