Introduction and Carb/Dizzy Combo for a 62 Comet

Chapa71

Active member
First of all my name is Juan
I recently bought my daughter a 1962 Comet with a 170. It drives decent but am seriously wanting to replace the Carb and Distributor.
My daughter goes off to college this summer (2 hours away from me) I am trying to build the best reliable car I can for her as a daily driver while is at school. Over the years I have owed and worked on old cars such as 60 Galaxie, 64 F-100, 64 impala, 60 Buick Invicta Wagon and a 62 Chevy Truck. But this little thing is a bit different.

Any direction/feedback would be welcomed.
I have read the Tech Archives and it seems that getting rid of the stock distributor is key.

Oh it has a Holley 1909 I believe

Thanks
 
Howdy Juan:

And welcome to The Forum. Yup, it is that good. Congratulations on getting into small block sixes and keeping it straight. The 170 is a solid and long running engine platform. If I were in your shoes, I'd be looking at getting the engine running as sound as I could. What do you know about the car and the engine at this point?

FYI- The Holley 1909 carb and the Load-o-Matic distribute are linked by the Spark Control Valve (SCV). The carb sends a load sensitive vacuum signal to the carb. When working as designed the system works fairly good. Set the initial advance with 5 degrees more than the stock setting.

Check both the gas and vacuum lines over carefully for leaks- and repair. Point distributors require regular maintenance. Changing over to a Petronix Ignitor will eliminate the points and give a more reliable spark and get rid of the points.

Also go over the ignition system- spark plugs, spark plug wired, points and distributor cap and rotor. Since you have experience with old engines you likely know about all this. Anyway make the engine as sould as possible.

The Holley carb is a good carb but will likely need a good cleaning, inside and out. Aerosol carb cleaner will do that for you. IF it is running good, I'd run it.

I'm guessing it is an Automatic trans car? I'd also take a good look at the tires, brakes, lights, steering and gauges. Daughters are precious! Good luck and give us any more info you have on the car- miles, condition, etc...

Adios, David
 
"..rid of the stock distributor..."
What's yer budget?
Sounds like U may want the DSII and a carb upgrade?
(I 2nd that, AND...)
Frnt discs rounded out the 1st upgrades I did w/my 170.
No changes for nother 30 yrs or so. Kept me happy till now...

W E L C O M E !!! Hope U stick a-round & enjoy!
may B ck out i6 prts on vintage inlines dot com where U can get a copy of "the Handbook" many of us find useful.
Both these references R by members here.
 
A cost effective, easily installed, RELIABLE, and efficient combo is a late (80-ish) Holley 1946 + and a DSII electronic distributor and ignition. Production parts, so, designed for long term use by a maintenance averse general public.

DSII retards the ignition initially for easy starting. 1946 is the last (and most -efficient-) of the 1bbl production Holleys made, holds tune for years (decades).
You will need an adapter to mount the larger venturied 1946 to the early small hole head, and their are lots of unneeded vacuum ports that should be blocked off. Only real issue I can think of with a 1946 is to pay attention to setting up the electric choke. If adjusted too cold, it isn't hard to flood the carb if you pump too many times starting. However, since it is an electric choke, leaving the key in the on position will heat the spring to open the choke after a few minutes. So, a light gas pedal tap to snap it off the lock-out and you should be good to start. Five minutes wasted, but you won't be popping off the air cleaner and wedging the choke open. If you adjust the choke right, it shouldn't be an issue. Still, teach her how to deal with flooding before you send her off.

Other daughter/safety upgrades:
3 point belts.
Dual circuit master cylinder.
Drill the drums.
Swap the "spear of death" steering box for a faster rag jointed box and (tilt) column.
Sheet metal divider -well- secured between the trunk and back seat.
Relayed halogen (or better) lights.
Electric wipers --> use an 80's Ford truck controller and motor (for mist settings).
Biggest heater blower motor you can find.
Five blade flex fan.
Bigger radiator.
Swap to an alternator if it has a generator.
Oil pressure and volt meter.

Other worthwhile mods:
A/C if you're in a hot area. Use a Sanden compressor. A York gobbles up 5x as much hp. Old Ford under-dash units work just fine with R134 refrigerant.

Most of the stock wiper/wash bag/pumps are shot, so plumb in an aftermarket or JY reservoir and pump.

Hook up the cigarette lighter to a distributor lead, so that if the lighter is pushed in, ignition is grounded and the car won't start (aka, CJ5 anti-theft). Turn off the key jam in the lighter, car is dead to 99.9% of thieves.

T5 swap (with a tach) will really increase mpgs and keep highway cruise rpms reasonable.

Maverick 8" rear end.


Rick(wrench)
 
Howdy Back Juan:

I should have asked you to clarify your intentions. Is it a reliable, safe, economical car for your daughter to take to school, or a project for dad? What is your budget?

As for upgrading the distributor, the early '62 block precludes installing a DuraSpark or a DuraSpark II system as the hole in the '62 block and the oil pump driveshaft are not compatible with the later DS II systems.

Also a carb upgrade would have to be compatible with the ignition vacuum system ei. a carb with a SCV signal and a Load-o-Matic type distributor. Change one and you will need to change the other. FYI- upgrading to a late model Holley #1946 would not be a direct fit onto a '62 manifold. The modifications to adapt the bigger base, larger throttle bore plus linkage, gas line, and air cleaner make that option less than ideal.

If I were in your shoes, on a limited budget and sharing the car with my college daughter and I wanted a little performance boost I'd be looking to upgrade to an Autolite 1100 from a 200 with an auto trans. It would be rated at 185 cfm as compared to 150 cfm on your 170 Holley. It would be compatible with your L-o-M distributor vacuum advance system. Linkage, choke, and fuel lines are all the same as on your '62 170 Holley carb. No adapting needed.

I would also upgrade your stock L-o-M distributor to a pointless Petronix Ignitor and Blaster coil for a more reliable and hotter spark. Tuned right you'd notice the difference. I'd also upgrade the stock muffler to a turbo type.

But before I'd be tempted to spend one dime on upgrades I would want to clean, assess and tune what I had. I'd do a compression test as well as vacuum test.

I'm hoping to hear back from you in hopes that you can clarify your plans, goals and budget for this car. The more we know the more exact and specific we can be with suggestions.

Keep it coming.

Adios, David
 
First of all WOW!!!
What a warm welcome and thank you for your input/suggestions!!!

To Clarify a few things:
1. Daughter will be using this car as a daily driver in college. She is currently a Senior in High School
2. Intentions for the car is safety and reliability for her (BUT...its an old car so I should say as reliable as I can make it) :D
3. Budget, I would be willing to drop a 1-2k if needed between now and the summer
4. The car runs right now (it's a little rough but am currently tuning it up)
5. If I had a choice I would go with as many bolt on/Mild modifications on this specific motor for now.
6. She picked this car out herself, so if she falls in love with it like I did with my first car (60 Galaxie) I will build her a 200 in a year or two

Whats been done:
New Brake lines/Breaks (dual master is a good idea i will look into that)
I was told motor/trans had been done recently (need to test it)

My Current Plan:
1. Get Motor dialed in
2. Seat belts
3. Go over suspension

Questions I have:
1. If i go Pertonix is the Pertronix I the way to go? if so why?
With Pertnonix what kind of relay do I need to install?
2. If choose to go DUI Dizzy can I still use the Holley 1909 or is it best to upgrade the carb at that point? if so what carb would bolt on?
 
"...early '62 block precludes installing a DuraSpark ..."
o0OOPps. Wonder what's the break yr...

RW"s headlght change idea is good. My late 60s just didn't shine till I put in the H4/9300. Not sure if there's an aftr mrkt kit (buckets, pig tail, relay) or what 4 U. Mine was $75 a side. Well worth it & I'm in the lower 10% income.

I got a 22 y/o girl who's gone thru a coupla cars already so I think safety at all costs. (y)

I would not use the DUI dizzy on that budget. Altho sold w/alota hype some of us here don't subscribe to that.
If goin to the 200 (good on ya mate!) I'd keep the 170 head. I believe it has the same volume as the '65/9 200. U can install the 200 motor wholesale, 'have yer way" w/the 170 head when affordable, & install it later (back cut valves, bigger 1s, even direct mount 2v carb, etc). I'll need to pull in my enthusiasm as I could B incorrect on this (like the DSII) so let's C what those in-the-know say...
 
Hey Juan happy to have you on board.

I too have a 62 with a 170, ive done just about everything thats been suggested minus the major upgrade suggested from RW. The pertronix units do not require any sort of relay but the power wire from your ignition switch to the coil will have to be replaced as they have a resistor run inline and thats no good for the system. (it will run but wont perform as well) But as for installing the unit itself its a super simple remove and replace i did it in about 10 min with the distributor in the engine still. I also took the time last summer to upgrade the holley to the 1100 autolite as david suggested a noticeable power increase was made. My 170 got some head work done which also increase C/R some so this could also have a little to do with it. If you check out ebay SpeedDaddy offers 2 different headers for these engines a dual outlet and a dual into single outlet both stainless and pretty high quality for the price. I have the dual outlet on mine and i had to do a little bit of filling on the holes to make it fit but overall have been very happy with them. Now if you are wanting to make major performance increases then the best bet is to get the 1/4 drive DUI from vintage inlines and get a 32/36 or 36/36 weber and best to have it direct mounted to the head, which would require machine work. Alternatively vintage inlines also makes and adapter to mount and while you will still see a slight increase over stock as the dyno reasearch done my Mike in archive the adapter only shows about a 12HP increase over stock when used with the DUI a notable amount for our anemic engines but not world winning by any means. The direct mounted units have show roughly a 30HP increase over stock which is over a 3rd of what these cars made factory so its much better as they say.

If you are wants to keep it 1-2k or less i would start with safety stuff, sounds like brakes are handled so i would focus on tires and steering / suspension, then move on to radiator and cooling system and then general all around service stuff would be next. I will say that getting an upgraded alternator and brighter headlights are important but i think she would agree a working radio is importanter. if the radio currently works a cheap solution is a REDIRAD unit it allows her to use anything that will hook up to an AUX and play it through the radio (pretty spiffy units). Alternatively retrosound offers replacement AM/FM radios in a decent selection of extra options ie Bluetooth, AUX, double outputs for subs or mulitple speaks what have you, for a very reasonable price under $300. As much as you want the car to perform she likely cares less about that and more about enjoying the car. So for the time being id make the cheap upgrades Pertronix and new coil, Autolite 1100, bigger or rebuilt radiator, better cooling fan, new tires if needed, new suspension and or steering components, alternator, better headlights, radio and or new speakers, seat belts, general maintenance items. and maybe some auxillary gagues so she has a better idea of how the engine is running. Then if she loves it build the 200 as you said and you can more focus on power then.
 
62cometman
Very good advice! Thank you!!

I think I will start with the Pertronix and get it dialed in
I am sure I will go with the DUI and Carb before she leaves but I need it to run good for now

The car has new tires but the shocks are shot.
I will be replacing those soon and taking a close look at the tie rods and whole front end for sure.

I had not thought about the headlights but makes so much sense.
She does have a radio so we are covered there ha ha!!

Quick question on the Pertronix am I looking for the 1261 unit? and is it best to go with their flame thrower coil?
anything else I need to consider on this before I order parts?

Thanks again all with your great input
 
One more question
When looking for an autolite 1100 it looks like I need one that will work with stock dizzy.
anyone know of a place I can get one? VintageInline is out of stock at the moment.

By the way ordered the handbook today :D
 
I like:
Mike's
ebay
car-part.com
(all on-line)
sorta in reverse order cuz I buy low, rebuild.
Mikes Carbs is great for prts, rebuild vids'n other research (like ID model #s for Y/M/M car).

Good Luck, ask around bout the DUI dizzy, the out lay (2 me) is not returned in results. Don't need to carry it onto the 200 if beyond the yr break ('65?) on a DSII retrofit either (re-sell?).
 
First of all, welcome to the forum.

The Pertronix I is more reliable than the Pertronix II ignitor.

If you have an Autolite distributor, you need the Pertronix 1261.
If you have a Motorcraft distributor, you need the Pertronix 1266.

Get the Flamethrower coil for a hotter spark, also upgrade the ignition wires to ones that can handle the increased voltage.
The pink resistor wire going to the ignition should be bypassed to get the most out of the Pertronix I/Flamethrower coil

If you upgrade the headlights, you will have to either install relays, or rewire the headlight system; the original wires will not handle the increased power required for halogens.

When you replace the LOM distributor and carburetor, my suggestion is to purchase a DSII or HEI from wsa111. He can recurve them to your needs.

Seatbelts should be at the top of your list after making the Comet go and stop reliably.
There are companies that make three point shoulder belts that can be retrofitted into your Comet. Here's a link for installing shoulder belts in a 1965 Mustang; your installation should be similar:
http://www.midnightdsigns.com/james/3PointBelt.html
And of course, one from our member, rickwrench's 62 Falcon:
http://www.rickwrench.com/index79.htm Just scroll down until you find "Falcon Updates".

Do you have a 2 speed automatic in your Comet? If you do, upgrade to a C4 when you install the 200.

When your searching on the Internets for ideas for your Comet, look for things done to early Falcons and 65-66 Mustangs. These vehicles would have bodies and engines similar to yours.

And of course, ask here.
If you want opinions, they're like belly buttons, everybody has one. ;)
 
Howdy Back Juan:

1. If i go Pertonix is the Pertronix I the way to go? if so why?
With Pertnonix what kind of relay do I need to install?
A- answered by Rocklord.
2. If choose to go DUI Dizzy can I still use the Holley 1909 or is it best to upgrade the carb at that point? if so what carb would bolt on?
A- To repeat, the DUI will not fit your '62 170 engine. All small sixes were upgraded to a larger hole in the block and a larger diameter drive out of the oil pump. Save the DSII or DUI until you upgrade to a 200 engine. Depending on which 200 you get it may already have a DS II. The time to upgrade the carb beyond stock type one barrels is also best to do with a 200 while you are doing head work.

So, let me prioritize my list for you. 1- A good set of seat belts. 2- safe tires. 3- safe brakes. Then, in close order, clean and tune the engine, inspect the steering and suspension, install a Petronix Ignitor and Blaster coil, find and swap on an Autolite 1100 from a 200 with an auto trans. Period!

I'd live with that much while you are considering your options. What ever is next will be more expensive and would offer more bang for the bucks when/if you decide to upgrade to a 200/C4 in the future.

That's my two cents, for what it is worth.

Adios, David.
 
“So, let me prioritize my list for you. 1- A good set of seat belts. 2- safe tires. 3- safe brakes. Then, in close order, clean and tune the engine, inspect the steering and suspension, install a Petronix Ignitor and Blaster coil, find and swap on an Autolite 1100 from a 200 with an auto trans. Period!”

David,
Very sound advice. Thank you

I’ve got the tires and breaks done
Going to order seatbelts tonight
Will work on the inspection of suspension and engine next and see see if I can find me an Autolite 1100

All thank you very much for your advice I will keep you posted
And maybe post some pics if I can figure that out ha ha!
 
I put my three girls in Volvo’s. When the inevitable happens, they open the door, look at the car and drive home. The other car gets towed.

A 62? No way, I care too much. Sure they can drive my old stuff now and then, but for daily use with all the bad distracted, texting and impaired drivers? Not my kid.
 
Looking at my distributor
It is neither a autolite nor motorcraft
Mine says C2GF-12127-B FOMOCO

The shaft where the rotor sits is a solid bar with a third cut flat so rotor has a place to sit
It is not tube like shaft that has a cut out
Hope that makes sense

Trying to order a Pertronix and make sure I get the correct one 1261 or 1266?
 
I have to agree with Max_Effort. I love old cars, but it's comforting to know my youngest is driving a late model saab hatchback. Yeah they're defunkt and I told her not to buy it b/c of that but I'm happy knowing it's a safe car. My son, he could drive whatever and I may worry but not more than usual and I did it. I've raised 3 kids, boy between two girls, and I worry more about the girls and they're good kids. It may be old fashioned but that's just the way it is. And it depends on the kid. The boy has been a pita and my youngest was a bull in a china shop from a young age growing up, in a good way, and I think she'd be fine. But I would worry more if she was driving a 62 anything.
 
Max_Effort and Econoline

I completely understand your concerns and yes it worries me too
The comfort I have is we have set some rules
She is going to drive it to school and back Jan-May this year (we live a mile from the school)
If at any point she doesnt feel comfortable or gets tired of smelling like an old car
We have other cars she can drive

My job for now is make it as safe and as reliable as I can
 
I'm not saying I wouldn't let her drive one if she wanted to. She'd listen but I couldn't stop her. It sounds like we're on the same page, you're giving her the precautions. Defensive driving is what it's all about. Staying off the damned phone and never assume until you make eye contact. That's how my dad taught me before cell phones. That's the scariest thing out there now, it's like drunks at noon.
 
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