Project Junkyard Dog

[Joe Toller]

Question, would you just run it as is, off the street, or if you already had a cam, converter, and gear, go ahead and put them in first? Odds are (I will know in about 4hrs) if this Comet runs ok I will drive it home. But with the season over, it would be April before it would see a racetrack. I don't want to tear it apart if not necessary at first; I want to follow everyones advice and see what it will do for a baseline, I guess at minimum I could remove the unnecessary stuff and whatnot over the fall? I have a carport, so no winter tinkering if the weather is as usual...

I want to take everybodys advice, start at square one, and do it right. One car, one plan.

[Robert Swartz]

Originally Posted by iraceitall

Question, would you just run it as is, off the street, or if you already had a cam, converter, and gear, go ahead and put them in first? Odds are (I will know in about 4hrs) if this Comet runs ok I will drive it home. But with the season over, it would be April before it would see a racetrack. I don't want to tear it apart if not necessary at first; I want to follow everyones advice and see what it will do for a baseline, I guess at minimum I could remove the unnecessary stuff and whatnot over the fall? I have a carport, so no winter tinkering if the weather is as usual...

I want to take everybodys advice, start at square one, and do it right. One car, one plan.

I would say you're getting the holy grail of advice from some of the real heavies in this categorey.

I'm just going to go at this from my view. If you get your Comet, and it runs. What I would do, not change a thing, except get the car as close to class weight as you possibly can. Then take the car to a track, make some passes, record the information, baseline the car. See what kind of times you get. Just get a feel for the car. After this, I'd then take it as is, back to the track or maybe, depending on how far you are , go to a different track, see if you can repeat your results. Tracks can have different conditions, some tracks a car will go faster, others, they will slow down.

Then, if you have a choice of tracks, go to the one where the car performed best. Then start making your changes. Others here might have a differing opinion. The first thing I would do, give it a good tune up. Then, I would start with putting a gear in it and some slicks. Next, freshen the transmission, put your converter in. At this point, you would have a real good base on what the car is capable of. If the car gets into the range of the index, then I would start considering going into the engine.

Like Billy has said, if you don't have a wealth of experience, you can get the best advice there is but there will still be a learning curve. Good luck.

[Joe Toller]

Sounds good to me. The car runs pretty good for ancient gas and drives alright around the wrecking yard, so I got it. I will just check it all out (compression test, check it all out, fresh fluids), clean it up and out, and start with bone stock. It has sat for about 4 years prior to them getting it from an estate, and they've had it a couple months. Since all the tracks are closed I will drive it around a little and then stash it away until spring. I will get some pics this weekend; she's a gorgeous light lime green with dark green interior...

[Joe Toller]

I cut and pasted all the advice here, plus the original Dime Rocket advice, and posted it in my garage right where I always see it, to keep me focused.

We should cut and paste and sticky a thread...

[Joe Toller]

Project update: The car runs and drives pretty nicely, I changed the fluids and threw a cap,rotor, and wires at it (Accel, off ebay) plus a TFI coil ($5, junkyard) and a 10x2" open air cleaner. I also relieved it of it's exhaust. Then, some junkyard scrounging netted an 8" trak-lok with 4.62 gears from a 69 Econoline van. WOW! This is gonna be fun! I also swapped it to manual steering (junkyard, $50) and found a pair of 15x4 steel wheels off a 54 Ford for the nose. The original slicks from the Buick project (26x9x15 Hoosiers, traded a case of Bud Light) made it onto 15x7 Chrysler steelies. I had great 60 degree weather this last week, but the snow is a comin' so that's it for this year as all I have is a carport and an unheated workshop space. I will start a new build thread this spring.

I will leave you with some 'Rocket tips I picked up...

1) Social Media. Yep, good ol' Facebook is a great place to find parts and sell others. I scored a set of new Hedman Hedders (100), shift light Sunpro tach (40), and a pair of 165/80R15 front tires (100).

2) Find an enthusiast group for your model of car. If the car has little aftermarket resto support (and most rockets won't) it will be even more lucrative. I have sold the power steering assembly, AM radio, gauge printed circuit board, heater assembly, wheelwell moldings, E-brake cable assembly, and wiper linkage for more than the car's original asking price. Should I count it in my total budget? We'll see.

3) If you run a Ford, a cheap mini starter lies under 92-up F-series, some 90-91 Lincoln Town cars, and 91-up T-Bird/Cougar 3.8 V6s. I just learned about the V6; that's where I scored a near new one for $10. Gotta love a messy, old-school pull-your-part yard!

4) Ford 8" rearends are cheap and plentiful, and from what I have read and seen plenty strong for a Dime Rocket. if you can, check V6 Pinto wagons and 68-72 6 Cylinder Econoline vans, they often have 4.11 or 4.62 gears under them.

5) GM has their aluminum rear drums, and so does Ford, albeit not an easy find. 1982 (and 1982 ONLY) Lincoln Continentals (the humpback ugly ones) had a 10x2 aluminum rear drum. I am on the hunt...

I will be using every last speed trick I can, as well as lots of junkyard scrounging, and alot of Junior Stock influences to finish this build. The best part, unlike my Buick, this baby runs and drives! Too bad the dragstrips are closed for the year!

To everyone who has followed along, and given encouragement or advice, THANK YOU!!!!!

[Joe Toller]

Update: I couldn't help but dig into the motor a little to see what I had. Glad I did. I popped the valve covers to replace the gaskets and found fulcrum rockers. I have a 78-vintage 302, with D8OE heads and what appears to be a nice recent overhaul on the whole thing. Because it has a nice standard set of the 77-newer pistons in it already, and the shortblock works fine, I picked up a set of D7OE's and had them cleaned up, and sent an extra cam off for a regrind at Delta Cams in WA for $82 to my door. I will be running the car as a 77, at 137hp (not that it is an issue for me right now). I traded some misc. parts for a set of 1.6 Comp Magnum rail-style roller tip rockers, my score of the month! In the meantime I managed to clean out the fuel tank and mount my Holley blue pump and regulator. I also put in fresh motor mounts and an oil pan gasket, along with servicing the C4 and putting in a shift kit. At this point, I am putting the car away; it is reassembled and running well with the stock shortblock and 77-vintage upper end, and now I have a cam and converter to swap in after some baseline passes in the spring, so I feel pretty good about what I have to work with.

I can say I am MUCH further along then I was last project, and at a total of under $1600, not counting anything I sold/traded off the car. I will make some baselines in May or so; I can't wait! If it works I might even have to clean it up and break out the Rustoleum lol!

[goinbroke2]

Originally Posted by iraceitall

Update: I couldn't help but dig into the motor a little to see what I had. Glad I did. I popped the valve covers to replace the gaskets and found fulcrum rockers. I have a 78-vintage 302, with D8OE heads and what appears to be a nice recent overhaul on the whole thing. Because it has a nice standard set of the 77-newer pistons in it already, and the shortblock works fine, I picked up a set of D7OE's and had them cleaned up, and sent an extra cam off for a regrind at Delta Cams in WA for $82 to my door. I will be running the car as a 77, at 137hp (not that it is an issue for me right now). I traded some misc. parts for a set of 1.6 Comp Magnum rail-style roller tip rockers, my score of the month! In the meantime I managed to clean out the fuel tank and mount my Holley blue pump and regulator. I also put in fresh motor mounts and an oil pan gasket, along with servicing the C4 and putting in a shift kit. At this point, I am putting the car away; it is reassembled and running well with the stock shortblock and 77-vintage upper end, and now I have a cam and converter to swap in after some baseline passes in the spring, so I feel pretty good about what I have to work with.

I can say I am MUCH further along then I was last project, and at a total of under $1600, not counting anything I sold/traded off the car. I will make some baselines in May or so; I can't wait! If it works I might even have to clean it up and break out the Rustoleum lol!

Good to see everything is working out so well. After I read what you said about Delta Cams, I had to google them.(never heard of them) $82 for a regrind seems awesome, I sent away for a quote from Bullet but after reading that I just sent away for a quote from Delta too, so we'll see what they say.

[Joe Toller]

Just got word that Yellowstone Dragstrip just 120 miles away went back to NHRA and will have a Division 6 race in June. I am so excited I am shaking right now. Gotta get the Comet rearing to go and dialed in for this!!! I wish it wasn't a block of ice right now!

[MICROMACHINE72]

Any new pictures on progress?

[Joe Toller]

Nothing new, I have a pic on my phone when I brought it home and right after pulling the motor to clean things up, but thats it. In the spring I will have progress, need to get it to the strip, baseline it, and stab in the cam and converter to see where I'm at. Looking for 15-flats at this altitude to comfortably make U. It is finally above zero now though, so maybe I can dink with it this weekend or even better on Christmas break.