This is the kind of story you would read about in a Ford magazine.

About a month or so ago I received a call from a guy asking if I was interested in a old Comet. He said he got my name from a gentleman at a car show a few years back. I know it had to be more than a few years because the gentleman he was referring to had passed away 5 or 6 years ago.

I asked what year the Comet was and what body style? Was it a 2 door, 4 door , hardtop or a sedan?

He said it was a 1964 Comet Cyclone and that it had been in storage since 1986. My man genes started to kick into high gear as he began to tell me the cars life story.

The car had been in his family a long time. He said he drove the car through high school and college back in the mid 70's. Than it became a work car as he began his teaching career. One day in 1986 the car was stolen and used in a bank hold up. (I guess they need a fast car to get away in) The insurance company paid him for the car and he thought that would be the last time he would see the car.

Three or four months went by than out of the blue his insurance company called and said the police had found the Comet and would he be interested in buying it back? Since the car had lots of good memories tied to it he said sure.

When he got the car home he found they had cut all the wires to the ignition switch and had done some other not so nice things to it. So he put the car away hoping to restore it in the near future.

Life and family seem to change all good intentions. So the car stayed at his mother's house for 23 years waiting for the future to come.

He asked me what I thought would be a fair price too ask for the Comet? I told him it could be worth $1 or $10000 without seeing the car I couldn't say.

We made a date for me to see the car. So the following Saturday morning I hooked my car trailer to my Ford pickup (wife new than that a new toy would be following me home) and off I went with hopes that the car was either a piece of !!!! or a real nice car that I couldn't afford.

Upon pulling up to his mother's house I could see the front end of a black Comet Cyclone looking out from a old blue trap. He removed the trap to reveal the all original red bucket seat interior including the factory dash mounted Cyclone Tach. He told me the 289 four barrel motor had blown up some time back in college and that his dad had put a 1968 302 in it's place.

The car was still in pretty good shape for not seeing daylight for 23 years. So I made him an offer and like my wife had predicted the 64 Comet Cyclone came home with me.

Once home I started cleaning the body too see if the original black paint would shine. Ford did put some good paint on their cars back than. Other than some war marks the old paint looks good.

Since I had what I thought was a good 289 motor setting in my shop, from a 64 Comet, out came the 302. It turned out that 289 motor I thought was good had a crack in the block.

Good ole Craigslist came to the rescue with a 64 Comet 4 door with a rebuilt engine that had the parts I needed to make this Cyclone a driver.

So with help from my friend Doug the car is long on its way too become a classic muscle car again.

Too make a long story short the car has been brought back too life and will spend many of summers going to car shows along with my other 8 cars. (all Ford of course)