It only makes sense that if I’m going to drive somewhere to drag a car home that doesn’t belong to me, I should probably hit the local classifieds and see what would be available, right? With the recent trip down to southern Georgia to take delivery of a car for my wife’s uncle, I figured it couldn’t hurt and decided to do my usual Rough Start hunting…$5,000 limit, 20 years old or older, and search. Surely, after a few minutes, there has to be something worth checking out, right? Maybe I’ll find something from the Eighties that is still clean enough to be respectable. Maybe I’ll find a nice 1970s truck that has aged well over the last forty-odd years and would be neat to polish back up into something cool.
But this…yes, this is why I love doing these searches. 1972 Mercury Comet…Mercury’s barely-different take on the Ford Maverick, rocking a .030-over 302 between the shock towers and built to be something between a hot street car and a bracket racer. The 4.11 gears are pretty much the only thing that is keeping this Mercury off of the Interstates, but the idea of burying foot to floor with those gears out back is happiness, defined. We don’t see any downside, just some work that needs to happen to bring this car back from the dead. You see, it’s been sitting for a bit. Why, we have no idea, but it’s been sitting. That’s a travesty that must be addressed, so prepare to check the brakes, change the fluids, and be ready to irritate your neighbors half to death when you fire this wicked little Merc off. You’ll be out the full five grand acquiring it, but within a paycheck or two you should have the start of what will be a beautiful thing.
5K? I see people spend more money for less desirable project cars on a regular basis!
It appears to be solid and straight, for damned near 50yrs old that’s pretty cool – here in the “frozen north” we don’t see much of that.
Just how having to go through the car because it sat qualifies as a “travesty” I have no idea.
Talk about an easy car to go fast with! Maverick/Comets are light, with workable suspension – with very little in the way of modifications there are some turning low 10s on the stock leaf springs. Being an older 302, the block is stronger than the typical 5.0 and every modification for the 5 liter is a direct bolt on, so there’s almost no limit to making good power.
For someone who isn’t “brand loyal” an LS is an easy fit even though these cars have shock towers.
One hell of a find!