Clearing the barn in Thornton, Texas means that the 1976 Mercury Comet that’s been there for ten years has got to go. The owner has the car up for auction here on eBay, where the bid is a paltry $520. Things don’t wind up until Sunday, so you’ve got lots of time to jump in. Note that one photo in the ad shows an old “For Sale” sign sitting on the car’s floor. Frustratingly, you can see “OBO” but not the price demand. It can’t have been much, as the car is set at no reserve, two bidders having moved it off its starting point of $500. So bid with confidence, but be careful if you’re not entirely committed to this project.
What’s a Mercury Comet, for those who don’t remember them as everyday cars? The Comet started out in 1960 and concluded its eventual fifth generation in the 1971-77 timespan. By this final generation, it was built on the chassis shared with corporate cousin the Ford Maverick. Most sheet metal was shared, with differences in the hood, grille, and taillights. During this last generation, the base engine was a 170-CID 6-cylinder. Next up the line was a 200-CID six, and the king motor was the familiar 302-CID V8, which produced over 200 horsepower at its most potent, not bad for a choked-down era.
There was a two-door and a four-door model. The two-door became the platform for the Comet GT. The car for sale here fell outside the window of GT availability, which ended in 1975, though buyers in the last two model years could get the same equipment with the “Sports Accent” option package. You could, of course, turn this Comet into a GT “Tribute” if you pleased.
Small money for this one, but is this Comet a bargain? The clock shows only 68,000 miles on what disappointingly appears to be an inline 6-cylinder. So that gives you a sense of direction for your build—this one’s getting a V8. There’s lots of room under the hood for such an upgrade, even past the 302, if you want real power. The body shows some rot, including being very crusty behind at least one rear wheel and at the base of the doors. This points deeper—what’s the trunk area look like? The floors? You’re fine to take an optimistic view on this, but until you get into this build, you’re not going to know how much the bodywork is going to cut into your budget. What’s the old saying—always assume it’s going to cost twice as much and take twice as long to get the car back to right? The needs are obvious, though the long-view image shows a nice-looking package, a body style you’d be happy to approach, key in hand, and crank over for a cruise.
My parents had a really nice looking
’75 4-door with a 302 and all the goodies. The things I recall most about it are the wheezing 302 and that awful whining from the rear axle.
After hearing a comparable Granada,
I realized that it was a factory problem that Ford never bothered to
fix. Such was life in the Malaise Era.
Nice looking cars for the era, but those bumpers…
And the bumpers.
Yes, when the 5mph bumpers law came into affect in 1973, it ruined the look of many pre-existing designs.
It took a few years for manufacturers to mitigate the look.
The Comet and Maverick went from svelte to hideous overnight.
There were some great looking cars from this era. This wasn’t one of them.
This was an economy car, Ford/Merc threw out, as a slight upgrade from the
Pinto/Bobcat.
This had to be one of the worst looking heaps of the era.
Yeah, the bumpers are hideous. I had two 71 Mavericks and one 71 Comet and I found them decent looking and running cars. The two Mavericks had 6cyl (one was a Grabber?, had spoilers and a hood bulge) and the Comet was a V8 and it had decent power for what it was. Dk blue with a black top and black bucket seat intetior.
Nothing wrong with the 6 banger in this car but for upgrade power I’d install an aftermarket turbocharger instead of a V8. Worst thing about these cars were the door hinges , doors almost always sagged. Anyway that’s all I got.
god Bless America
The 300 ci Ford straight 6, and a turbo, now that would be cool.
A few YouTube vids out with that engine build up.
The big 300 Ford won’t fit in the same space as the 170/200. You might get one in the car, but it’s longer than the small six, taller, etc. I love the 300 and have 4 of them, but not in this car.
The worst things about these cars was the rear bumpers used to fall off – the rear bumper reinforcement, and the brackets rusted badly here in New England and it was very common to see these ( and many Fords of this era) to have a wooden board on the rear as you couldn’t find a good one in a salvage yard.
I took my driving test on a Comet sedan. My parents rented one for the teat because our Lemans Sport 2 door had a center console. The tester needed to be able to reach the brakes just in case. I think that the Comet was tan and had a tan interior. I also remember when first pulling out the instructor barked at me; ‘don’t you use your rear mirror when pulling out”? I did pass the test though and it amazes me what one remembers after 5i years. I did like that Comet sedan nothing fancy just an everyday car not that unpleasant to drive. I am sure that the gas miles per gallon were better than our Lemans Sport . That was fun to drive but was worn out after 5 years.
That’ll be a 250 6 cyl. Engine and they are quite capable of pulling 300 horse power out of them. You don’t even have to spend a fortune.
The big bumpers can be tucked up to 4 inches i believe which makes them look tons better without buying small bumpers for it, relatively easily too.
Cool car.
Don’t know what era you’re from, but Comet’s were never considered cool cars. Maybe a car a grandmother would drive to the grocery store.
300 HP…lol.
This could be a nice project, I agree the park bench bumpers need to go, either fit the small bumpers with the lower valance or roll pan maybe, being from the north east the rust doesn’t look terrible but I’d sure like to see under the car and in the trunk before buying.
Unless the bidding improves, this could be a good deal for some lucky person.
I don’t understand all the kvetching about the big bumpers from this generation. They are a part of history and I think they might make a nice place to sit down and have a beer while one ponders life. :)
Mavericks/Comets were like bottom of the barrel cars….other than the Pinto/Bobcat twin heaps.
So take the $735 bid and run !
Just like the Falcons, Novas and Valiants …whats your point ? They were economy and entry level cars , and not expected to be treated to be treated with the best of care. That being said, they were all rugged little cars and were usually pretty well thrashed when their time was up. Finding a nice one today isnt as easy as it once was and being a Texas car, it could be rust free. Well worth more than $735 !
There was nothing wrong with the looks of these cars, sure the safety bumpers were horrible and yes it was a inexpensive little car but it was affordable and in grabber or the gt in the mercury it was a good looking sporty car.