1964 Mercury Comet Cyclone
VIN: 4J27K515940
This is an original 1964 Comet Cyclone 289 4V automatic as verified by the VIN tag. However, the paint color is not original. The car was restored from 1999-2023 and has been sitting in the garage ever since. It probably has less than 100 miles on the restoration and is a gorgeous car that runs and drives very well. However, it is not perfect, as I have detailed below.
Body/Paint: The car is beautiful. All the body/paint work was done at my brother’s body shop, and he said they had a minimum of 1000 hours into the body/paint work. They also did a lot of the general restoration of the car. The bodywork/bodylines are very straight. The paint is enamel (Dad didn’t like clear coat) and is very nice as shown in the pictures. It has never been waxed and only washed 1 or 2 times. It is not perfect, mostly from sitting in the garage for years. There is one 11” blemish on the driver quarter panel bodyline that starts at the door edge. It’s hard to see but is visible in the rear driver side close up pic. There are a few other imperfections that don’t really show in the pics, but overall, the paint is very impressive, and while not a top-tier show car, it could definitely be taken to car shows. The car always got attention the few times it was driven, or when somebody saw it in the garage.
Doors/Windshields/Bumpers/Trim/Emblems: Front and rear windshields are both nice (front probably new), as is the stainless trim. The bumpers and mirrors are new (reproduction I believe), but the emblems I’m pretty sure are the originals, and not perfect, but not bad. The door vent glass and backseat glass chrome frames are original and have some pitting but are presentable. Door glass/trim is nice on both sides. The doors close nicely, and all the windows roll up & down/open as they should. The driver’s side door window does rattle a bit when the door is opened.
Engine: Rebuilt 289 4V, not sure if it’s the original, but if not, it is period correct. Basically stock except mild cam/mild head porting/Edelbrock carb and manifold. Dual point original style distributor. Stock exhaust manifolds. The radiator is an aftermarket upgraded one but looks pretty stock. Runs and sounds good. It’s not even broken in yet, so it has never been floored.
Transmission: Rebuilt C4 Cruise-O-Matic 3-speed automatic. Drives and shifts well. Can start in 1st or 2nd gear depending on if you use D1 or D2. Column shifter works well, but gear indicator does not line up perfectly with the gear letters on the shifter base.
Exhaust: New custom dual exhaust, sounds good, but not crazy loud. Turbo style mufflers.
Battery: New July 2025.
Interior: Door Panels, carpet, seats(foam/upholstery) are all new/rebuilt. Handle,window rollers are nice, maybe repros. Gauge cluster and other dashboard items are original, not great but not bad. The doors were painted for during the restoration, but not the dash.
Wheels/Tires: Tires are new, wheels are the originals correct for this car, in good but not perfect shape.
Brakes: Power brakes (booster rebuilt), front brakes were upgraded to disk by the previous owner, some rear brake lines replaced as needed, pretty sure the fluid was flushed. Not sure if pads were replaced or not, but the brakes work well.
Steering: Power steering, works well, can turn the car with your pinky. I think it was rebuilt but I’m not sure.
Misc: Upper and lower ball joints were replaced on right side, alignment done. Blinkers, lights, and heater all seem to work fine.
Thousands of dollars were spent on various parts/seals/gaskets/fasteners during restoration. Over $55K was spent on the car/restoration parts & labor, and that doesn’t count all the labor dad and I did. The paint job alone (not counting the bodywork) would be about 10K now according to my brother.
The car comes with various extra parts and comet brochures/manuals (one of which was from my dad’s 1964 Hi-Po 289 Comet Cyclone he bought new, the reason for this car’s restoration). The car also comes with an original correct style Autolite 4-barrel carb, an extra radio, a windshield washer kit (not installed), etc.
Known Issues: The fuel gauge does not work (shows empty all the time). The tachometer, while the correct original Comet Cyclone piece, works but does not read correctly (it shows a lower than actual RPM). The ammeter does not really work (common issue with old Fords – should replace it with a voltmeter).
The Car has been consigned to the 13th Annual Montana Classic Car Auction, hosted by the Classic Car Auction Group. The auction is Saturday July 12th, 2025 at the Expo Center in Metra Park. To consign your car and/or to register to bid on this and other cars in the auction go to http://www.classiccarauction.us.
