help for a new guy

[txfordguy]

hey i am new here and i need help. i have a 1963 mercury comet cyclone that needs lots of tlc and my father passed away and don't know where to start to restore it in his honor(he was working on it when he had a massive heart attack.) i live in texas. my father was old school mechanic, so i have lots of equipment just not sure where to find the parts for such an old car. i would like to restore it back to original if can be done. please offer any advise. thank you tony

[jaywish]

This is a good group of helpfull people here. Most do not specialize in this vintage though some probably do. I suggest hemmings motor news. They have a bounty of vendors and hopefully clubs that might specialize in some similar stuff.

Not to say that the folks here will not help, I am sure some will.

Anyone know any sites or forums dedicated to that vintage?

That is a nice car to have. What state of restoration is it in? Any pictures?

[sly]

Where abouts in Texas? I know a few folks I can contact to get info on where to get vintage parts, but knowing at least which major city you're near will definitely help to be able to tell you if you can find it in some specialized shops or have to go mail order. Functional components (engine/trans parts) should be pretty easy to get. The body and interior stuff will be harder. Interior may just need to be done by a shop unless you can do that stuff yourself.

[gadget73]

I'd actually figure you can catalog order a lot of that stuff for a 63 Cyclone. Those actually have collector value, unlike our cars for the most part.

[sly]

I know a guy that restores old cars (64-65 mustang, 58 Ford F-1 Pickup, etc) and might be able to find out some info through the grapevine about where he gets his parts. I do know that body parts were sourced through junk yards and people with old back yard car burial grounds (kinda like what Pantera77 has in his back 40).

[txfordguy]

ty everyone for the info. it is great to know that there are people out there willing to help and offer advice. i live in ivanhoe tx.

[tikitiki65]

Comets of that vintage are cousins to the falcons of the same era. Like the Crown vic to the Grand Marquis. A lot of the early mustang mods would work.
A great site to join would be www.tffn.net and www.fordmuscle.com has a pretty good forum for falcons and comets.
I've also got a '63 falcon sprint we almost got my wife a '63 comet conv. awhile back but the deal fell through.

[t65neon5]

for interior stuff http://www.dearbornclassics.com/ should have most of what you will need,they will also have a lot of trim items and mechanical stuff ,however,if you just want good mechanical stuff without "numbers correct",then your local parts hose should be able to source most stuff...body panels,bumpers etc will be much harder to find

[sly]

kewl, you're not real terribly far from me then. I see some of the other guys already got some good info for ya, but if I get anything else... I'll post it up.

[txfordguy]

ty for the infor..the site was great help with a few things, now with a little help from my friends(oh god quoting Beatles song, bad joke) lol and finding someone with the engine work ( not good at that) the car will be a blast