new member with factory fe 4 speed 66 caliente

[fryedaddy]

hello everyone, my name is brian,i live in east tn.im a fe fan from way back. i have a black 66 caliente with a 428. i have a c6me block,int. bal. crank,cj heads a pi alu. intake,arp,msd,950 ulta-hp holley headers,411 gears slicks.etc. i bought this comet in 83.its a pretty rare car.it came out with a 390,4 speed,buckets,factory tach,black with a black dash and carpet with white seats and headliner. for some reason i have never seen another caliente with 390,4 speed,buckets and tach, they came standard in cyclones, but i heard the calientes were 97 percent 289s.this is my 4th fe in this car. it has been my daily driver for 33 years. i put this motor in last summer.i will have many questions in the near future. this is the best fe site in the world,very glad to be a member

[BruceS]

Welcome Brian, got pictures of your Caliente?   We'd love to see them! 

Bruce

[Stangman]

Sounds great welcome a lot of information from here

[Bolted to Floor]

Welcome to the site Brian.

[manofmerc]

Brian have you been to the Dawsonville moonshine festival in Ga.?Last year I met a guy from tn. that had a mercury comet similar to what you have .I was parked at the school and had my black 66 cyclone with me .Regardless welcome to the forum .And if you haven't been to the moonshine festival please go you wont regret it .Doug

[fryedaddy]

i will post some pics and details as soon as i can get my son to help me. no i have not been to the moonshine festival but it sounds like fun,maybe i can go this year. thanks for the warm welcome guys!!

[chris_r]

Welcome Brian, sounds like a fun car to drive i am Chris by the way i live in Johnson city

[fryedaddy]

i posted a few pics at the start of this topic. this car is a daily driver not a show car or pro street. just a 66 caliente with a few mods and upgrades. it came with a y code 390 from the factory.when i got it it ran ok for what it was. i had a 63 1/2 galaxie with a rebuilt 390 t-bird engine that my dad gave me when i was 15. it would fly.i out ran many chevrolets with this car. it didnt take me long at that young age to figure out if i had a lite body to put the 63 1/2 390 in,it would really go! so my friend found me this 66 comet. i put the t-bird engine in it and it ran well for many years.i later put a 390 with cj heads in it. someone dropped some screws down the carb and it beat up a piston and busted a cyl. wall. i had a couple 428s sitting in my basement,so i took one to s&g machine shop in bristol tn. Larry Sneed,a well known engine builder in this area and a ford drag racer for many decades did the work,i had it int.balanced,rebuilt,all the oiling tricks. it has arp studs in the rods and mains,we used the liter 390 rods,speed pro pistons,comp cam,hamburger true roller,melling pump.cj heads with matching pi intake,msd pro billet dist.engine works box and coil, and a 950 holley. its nothing like some of the engines i read about in this forum,but hey,i am proud to own and drive it everywhere i go!

[ScotiaFE]

Welcome
Kool Ride!
It would be a very rare Merc intermediate.
A Y code 4 speed.
Is the door tag still there? It would interesting to see/decode?

[fryedaddy]

Welcome
Kool Ride!
It would be a very rare Merc intermediate.
A Y code 4 speed.
Is the door tag still there? It would interesting to see/decode?

the door tags is still in place,it reads,6H23Y533036  63C  A  H6  O4L  23  1  5

[fryedaddy]

i hope i get to take it to bristol this summer and see what she will do.i cant wait.i need to do a little chassis work and some new front runners,but i dont like much more getting it ready.

[ec164]

Hey Brian Welcome nice looking Comet............

[fryedaddy]

thanks EC164,this comet is the first car i ever bought when i was a teen.i have owned it for 33 -34 years.its had 4 engines 3 trans,4 rear stumps.i have run the pee out of this thang!!

[TomP]

I like it. I used to have a red with white painted roof 66 Caliente hardtop. Red bucket seat interior, console, 390 and 4 speed, 3L25 diff. It was a 2V engine according to the VIN tag but the original owner I got it from swore that C6OF Holley on the S intake and the chromed valve covers was the way it came.

I met a guy from the dealership years after I sold the car who says they couldn't give Calientes away with two barrel carbs so the dealer swapped on the GT engines manifold carb and valve covers to sell them. He said some buyers prefer the extra chrome of the Caliente to Cyclone GT's but lost interest in the car when it was just a two barrel.

[fryedaddy]

i just retired in nov so i thought i would get myself some retirement-xmas presents for my comet.i bought a set of bbm heads,rpm intake,hooker coated headers,and hs rockers for my 433.i got my annuity in a lump sum,so i have big plans for the old comet. im just starting under the hood.i have plans for a cage and new suspension,front and back.i just need to get everything rounded up before my wife asks how much i spent.i hav'nt been online for a while so merry xmas and happy new year to all