Show car engine

[Ron61]

This is for all the guys that claim the waxers don't drive their cars. This is my engine and you will please note the two braided hoses and chrome air cleaner.

Ron

[flipper35]

It took me a minute to find the two braided hoses. I have to admit I haven't seen a brace like that in a Cobra engine bay before. Or the steel shock towers.

Kidding aside, I assume it is the Torino Cobra?

[Ron61]

Brent,

Actually it is the 289 in my 1965 Comet. I get more compliments and people wanting to buy that car than both of the others put together get. Just my daily driver and I had the engine rebuilt at 152,000 as this lousy gas had really messed it up. Not a lot of power but it is really nice to drive. The braid someone gave me and I was just looking for something to put it on.

Ron

[computerworks]

...can I have your old ignition coil when you do your next tune-up?

(seriously)

[flipper35]

In my younger (dumber?) days I put the MagnaBraid on mine. I suppose it helps keep the coolant hoses from expanding in the 120* weather. It does have a real braided fuel line though.

[Ron61]

Brent,

All of the braided hoses I have in the other cars are real braided hoses. That braid it yourself stuff is a killer. Try to do a long radiator hose with it. I watched a friend of mine spend over a week trying to work it around the bend and then when he finally got it finished and saw mine he was stunned that I had done it so fast. I just ordered a long piece of already braided hose for radiators and cut it to the length I needed and put it on. I still haven't told him that I didn't put the braid on myself.

Ron

[casaleenie]

Ron,

I'm in the process of replacing the stainless braid over rubber as we speak... Thought I liked the braid look but I'm heading for a more Spartan appearance... Want a very basic engine compartment..

Love the Comet.... Post some pics...


What does the mileage compute to year wise...
4K a year????

[Ron61]

Al,

What do you mean about what does the mileage compute to year wise? If you mean the total mileage from the day the car was new, it does come out at 3,931.46 per year. I don't drive it a lot any more as I am not traveling far. Redding is 10 miles and Red Bluff 30 and that is about as far as I drive now that I don't have to go to Sac. and San Francisco. I prefer to fly if I am going very far. I looked at my log and in the last 5 years I have put 3,856 miles on the Comet. And that is my daily driver.
Good luck with the braid. Everyone that I have talked to who has done it said it is a pain and sure don't go on like they say it will. Being born naturally lazy, that is why I ordered all of my lines already braided, plus thay have the stuff under the braid that wraps the lines. Hope I answered your question. If not, e-mail me and tell me exactly what you want to know. I will post a picture or so in the next day or two. I have some on CDs.

Ron

[Ron61]

Al,

I found a couple of the pictures of the Comet that I took over near Shasta Dam. Will post them in two posts as I forgot about putting them in my gallery and just linking to it in one post.

Ron

[Ron61]

Al,

Here is the other picture.

Ron

[flipper35]

I put all the braid on in about a day. Once you figure out the chinese finger puzzle trick it isn't bad. It doesn't stay looking good very long. Eventually I will replace it when I move the radiator to fit a puller fan behind it. The guy doing the fab work for the rad says he will custom bend tubing so I will only have some short sections of hose.

[Ron61]

Brent,

Once you got it on did you tape the ends after pulling it tight? I have seen some that the guy's here put on and it has looked good for several years. One person didn't tape the ends under the covers and his started looking bad as it was trying to work back out from under them and that gave slack in the rest of the braid. They used black electrical tape at the very end, then tin snips and cut past the tape. Gave a very clean cut. After watching them, I was just to lazy to spend all that time and ordered the pre braided hoses. Very quick and easy to change. A little pricy for the radiator and larger hoses but they have been on now for over 5 years and still look good.


Ron

[trularin]

Ron, good looking 65, I thought you were using the cobra for the daily driver.

It definitely is not a eastern car, there's no rust.

[Ron61]

Trularin,

Another raise in gas prices around here and I will be walking. It cost me $4.50 to fill my lawnmower two days ago and it has gone up again since then. On the good side, the pump prices will soon be right up there with my racing gas. I was thinking about buying a garden tractor until I found out they just get 35 miles to the gallon.

Ron

[Clois Harlan]

I really like that model Comet (is it a Caliente'(sp.)). I am, not sure if the Caliente' came out until later on in the 60's. Not bad for a daily ride, auto or standard?

Clois

[flipper35]

Ron, I taped them but it is the chrome/stainless like coating on them that is looking a little long in the tooth. Wipe them down and they are a dull grey. Try to shine them with windex and it appears to take the coating off leaving a copper color. I used a scissors to cut mine to length. The pre-braided are a much better quality deal and they protect a lot better.

[Ron61]

Clois,

The Comet is a late 1965 Caliente, with the 6 bolt bell housing. Motor is a 289 with 2 barrel carb and automatic on the collum. No rust or dings in the metal at all but a lot of paint that has been touched up from the parking lot wars. I should have it repainted, clean the motor up and use it to show and forget the other two. And the windshield has several small chips from flying gravel. But it is still the original one so I guess that is to be expected. The weird shaped windshield washer bottle had the little plastic things the tube slipped over break off years ago so I took it off and put in an overflow tank but saved it. I still have the original wheels, the yucky yellow valve covers, and that yunky yellow air cleaner that came on it when it was new.
Brent,
I don't even bother to wipe mine down except with a lightly damp rag and now I know why they look so much better than my friends. I just got them because I was to lazy to do all that work.

Ron