“SINister EDition”1966 Mercury Comet

The story

After waiting for nearly 30 years to replace the 1966 Fairlane 500 that I'd had in high school I stumbled either by accident or fate upon this 1966 Mercury Comet Caliente. I am the fourth owner of this slightly upscale cousin to the Fairlane. When I purchased the car in June 2010 it had 47,000 original miles, it retained its original interior and it had been repainted only once with it's original Raven Black body color.

The modifications described were begun in October of 2010, there have been many phases to get to where it is today. The one goal which has remained a constant is maintaining a period correct sleeper appearance as if it were built in 1966.

Engine: With the exception of headers the engine compartment has the appearance of a stock 427 equipped Comet. Ford had produced a handful of 427 Fairlanes in 1966 however Mercury did not did not offer a 427 until 1967, this is my tribute to what could have been with a few extra ponies added for good measure. The engine had dynoed at 465 hp at 5600 and 481 tq at 4200 with C6AE-R iron heads, oversized CJ valves and 427 adjustable rockers. With the BBM heads and roller rockers added the engine is estimated to produce 539 hp at 5800 and 530 tq at 4200.

Chassis: Modifications include mini tubbing the rear wheel wells to the frame rails. Relocating the springs inward 3 inches per side making room for more tire. And adding sub-frame connectors to stiffen the unibody structure.

The interior is original but for a new headliner installed in 2010 and new carpet installed in 2014. The seats, door panels and dash pad are as they left the factory. A retro look tachometer and gauge set were added to monitor the engines vitals and an NOS under dash FM/8-Track player was installed for playing those classic tunes while parked.

Future upgrades;
Vintage Air underdash a/c (maybe) — SE2839