1964 Mercury Comet Caliente 

Ronnie/Frankie Valli

This had to be one of the Classiest and good looking small car interiors and exteriors of this year.

I dropped this in the chat also. The Comet was supposed to be an Edsel product. When Edsel was dropped, the Comet moved to Mercury. You can see the Edsel DNA still in the 63 version. Choices - I’ll take the Comet, and Tempest (especially with he OHC 6). Love these older Comets. Great coverage as always. Thank you ~ Chuck

The comet was my first car in 1974. With a 289 bucket seats and center console I loved my caliente 2 door coup. It came with a c6 transmission and it had shift command as well. They guy I bought it from got it new and did some work. Being a sophomore in high school I am not sure I remember what all he done. Dual exhaust and glass packs with a complete stock look. It sure was fun to drive.

. . . the Caliente was one sweet ride . . . my mom owned a 66 Caliente 289, black with red interior . . . it was my dream ride whenever I was lucky enough to be allowed to drive it . . . a real show stopper! . . .

What a pretty little car! I see that you noticed that the 63 and 64 Comet have the same inner structure, only the outer sheet metal was changed. 65 through 68 Mustang also had this same inner structure, but the 66 Comet and Falcon changed to the Fairlane inner structure and some exterior sheet metal.

The 1964 Mercury Caliente was my first car purchase in 1968 for $700. Really beautiful black with 289 and black overstuffed cloth interior. The car had set in storage and one lifter was stuck. Advised not to have it fixed. I raised the suspension racked it and put wide ovals on the rear. I think unknowingly I was an abused child that caused me to under appreciate the car. Joy riding was a major sport that was truly a waste of the car. I fell in love with the 1972 Pinto Glass Hatch Back. With the stuck lifter the Comet never seemed trustworthy. I drove the brand new custom ordered Pinto 97,000 miles. From Omaha to central Canada to Washington DC to Dallas Texas and the Grand Canyon Arizona. To answer your question I would have preferred the Mustang though I am glad I owned the Comet. Beautiful interior great car.

What a great looking little car I almost bought a 65 way back in 1967 but didn't want 289! Now if it had had 390...!

At Ford, 1964 was the use up the leftover parts year. It was both the last year for the 260 V8 and the 2-Speed Ford-O-Matic(Merc-O-Matic). The Sunbeam Tiger continued to use the 260 V8 because they hadn't used all the ones they had purchased from Ford. The first A.C. Cobras also used the 260 V8 but quickly upgraded to the 289 V8 when it became available. The 260 V8 and 2-speed Ford-O-Matic were usually paired together. 1964 was the year that the C-4 automatic was introduced, to replace the 2-speed Ford-O-Matic. In Ford lingo, the "C" designated the 1960's decade and the "4" indicated the year introduced. Ford would call these Cruise-O-Matics, but Mercury continued to name all it's automatics Merc-O-Matics. The 2-speed automatic may have also been used on the 170 c.i. six, but the 200 c.i. six would have had the C-4 3-speed automatic. The 289 V8, which may have been a mid-year option would have received the C-4 automatic(like the car you are reviewing) . The Mustang is only a skin deep Mustang. The Mustang was built on the Falcon/Comet platform and remained that way until 1971(with some beefing up along the way as horsepower increased). The first Mustang, the 1964 1/2, was like a Falcon dressed up in it's Sunday best suit. From a customer who had a 1964 1/2 Mustang, the easiest way to tell is that they didn't have back-up lights. Another brainburst of wisdom, Fords with six(or 4) cylinders had 4-lug wheels. V8-powered Fords had 5-lug wheels. If you see a Mustang, Falcon or Comet with a V8 and 4-lug wheels, the V8 was added later. You would need to also worry because a car like that still had the smaller brakes meant for a 6 cyl. car.

Really nice car!! Have not seen one before. Thanks for showing.

1964 Dash Comet in both cases. One of the few cars that offers full gages standard at that time.

Hey Jay, the 1964 comet that they made 50 of were the "Light Weights", 427cid with half thickness sheet metal, I think half thickness glass, aluminum bumpers & were the fastest production cars for a long time with a 1/4 mile time at 11.2 if I remember correctly, with slicks of course & it also had 70/30 shocks which made the front lift up & the rear squat down then they would go back to level slowly plus no front sway bar, basically all the tricks for a day at the track. Ford's version was the Thunderbolts which is where I got the information from so naturally Mercury had theirs. Toodles! LoL 😅

My folks bought a Caliente 2 door hardtop in blue with a white interior and bucket seats. It was a pretty hot little car ! The power on the freeway was great. They kept that car until 1972 when they traded it in on a new Pontiac LeMans 2 dr hardtop. Another totally fast car !

Thank you for sharing all the information. Best wishes 😊👋🐿

My Aunt purchased a new '64 Mercury Comet 2-dr hardtop! Her 16 year old daughter had a lot of influence when it came time to trade in their '59 Rambler. The car had the 289 with a 4-barrel carburetor. From the beginning, my Aunt said the car didn't run right - it didn't have any get-up and go! I drove it - she was right! I took it to the local Mercury Dealer and requested to talk tot the owner. I explained the situation to the owner, and we took the car for a test drive: post note: I will never forget what he said after the test drive! "This is worse than putting your foot in a bucket of $h..t". After the test drive he ask me to let him correct the problem - he did, and the car performed flawlessly.

Just now showing up in my recommended. I'm on my 2nd Comet, the first was a rusty lawn ornament. My current is a caliente convertible, 289, C4, red on red with black top. With headers, x-pipe exhaust, a holley 600, and intake manifold, it'll move much better than the factory engine (plus, has a muscle car feel with the cragar ss's)

Mercury Comet , i guess l love them , i had , 61 , 63 , 2 1965 . 67 , 68 , and a 1974 comet GT . Where i live , my buddy has a 64 convertible Caliente that i see 12:25 every week in summer , my other buddy has a rare 1966 merc comet Capri . 4 doors hard top 289 auto in nice condition , too bad we live so far away . You would want to do videos on them two cars . How ever , well done one this one Jay , well done thank’s so much , you made my day ❤

I’ll take the Pontiac. I always found these to be interesting and you really didn’t see many around… in the day that was. Being so light, It’s probably a blast to drive especially with the V8. Plus it’s roomier. Thanks for sharing. 👍

I like these, a few years ago a man on west side of New Boston TX had one he was working on in his drive way, used to see it all the time and stopped and talked with him once , that year is a good year for Mercury, love the bigger Marauder of that year and previous year

My friend bought a '64Cyclone in 1966. It was a 225 hp 4 barrel. Not a 271 hp Hyperformance. 271s have a thicker crank vibration balancer as do Boss 302 later on

Cool 64 great vid!!!!!! 👍👍

@11:01 - i REALLY like that over the hood impression.

Pontiac tempest you could order a 429 Super Duty with 3x2 carbs with it 😉 GTO was a dealership package installed by the factory... Before GTO the performance package was available but you installed the motor at home 👍for insurance and federal laws was against such a car ..... Shade Tree Hot Rods are great fun 😜👍. Great Episode 😉👏👏 Happy Motoring ✌️

Had a friend who had a 64 comet ragtop with a 260. Neat car but a 289 would have been a bit nicer. I had a 64 Valiant (rust bucket) I got it for doing a summer's yard work from a neighbor who was moving.

That front grille had a very Lincoln Continental look to it.

I had a Comet Caliente that year in turquoise with a black top..ragtop, of course!

Great looking car. One of your best videos!

Comet Caliente in both categories. That little trim piece on either side of the headlights looks like a hard boiled egg slicer. I know you don’t play requests, but cars like this Merc deserve a little Van Morrison’s Bang 545.

Hmmm.... I like parts of both. Such a change from "late 50's" type styling to "muscle car" styling in just one year.

Since I have a 63 Tempest I'd have to say 63 Pontiac Tempest for the "would you rather" feature. Pontiac styling was way ahead of anybody else in the early through mid sixties.

Like the 64 dashboard better. I recall my uncle's '64 289 V8-equipped Comet wagon couldn't keep up with my mom's '56 Chevy 6-cylinder on a trip to Denver on Interstate 80S back in 1965. 😃 Nice looking engine bay! WYR: 1. 64 Stang 2. 64 Tempest.

Hi Jay!: The Caliente is not just HOT it's COOL, too! You can see the 1963 Lincoln Continental influence in the grille and headlights. As a previous comment the Comet was supposed to be the compact Edsel offering. If you google Edsel Comet, you might turn up a few of the development photos that show what the Edsel Comet might have looked like. Pretty Interesting!! WYR#1 Gotta be the 'Stang. Always wanted a 64 1/2 'Stang. #2 NO CONTEST! Caliente Baby!

I had a 63 s22 conv . Always liked the mercs . Would have loved to have a S 55 full size .

I love all the '60s Comets and this is a beautiful one!! I'd probably still take the Mustang, with the Comet being the pic in the second scenario! 😎

Re: the would you rather.. I’ll have the Dodge because I haven’t seen one of those in years.. BUT, 11:40 Ford Torino fastback 🤤😍 ohhh baby….

My favorite Comet body style.

great car the perfect size car.

My uncle had a parklane. But i wanted to say i like the engine wednesdays!

It's crazy that was my first car and I found it sitting in the San Fernando Valley in a apartment stall traded it for a Hodaka 100 dirt bike motorcycle 1978

It would be far more interesting if, with all engine options, you gave all the same info as you did with the first engine option you featured. In general great vids...keep it up!

64 Dodge Polara because I used to own one. it was the second car that I ever bought. 64 Comet. Always loved the styling of the Comet that year. Especially the convertible with those razor sharp straight lines down the body just a really clean looking vehicle. I remember when these came out looking at the grill and being very impressed that it had that Lincoln Continental grill style a very classy looking grill for a car like that. When you look at that engine compartment it's hard to believe that they ever were able to stuff a 427 in there. I don't think the 427 equipped comments were ever sold to the general public but I could be wrong on that. All of the ones I saw in the wild were at the local drag strip where they ran alongside the equivalent Fairlane model which I believe Ford called the thunderbolt. I've only seen two cyclones in the wild over the years and both had the 289 high performance engine with a functional ram air hood. Still a pretty fast car. I consider myself extremely lucky to be a baby boomer. I got the great experience of growing up longing for and dreaming about all the different cars that came out of this automotive era. Thanks for posting this one I really enjoyed it.

The 3-on-tree transmission was non-synchro 1st gear. With the 170 ci 6 cyl it was a pain to get going. That particular Comet is beautifully restored.

Comet for me, Mustang for wife. That would look good in the driveway. 🙂

Came very close to adopting a 64 Caliente sedan - price was right and I really loved the turqoise exterior AND interior. Feel in love with the interior, so 'rich' for a compact at that time. But it was a '6' - and so I passed :( Worked with someone who inherited a 64 an immaculate 202 2dr sedan - 3 on the tree; it felt so bizarre since I've always driven stick on the floor. Oddly enough also turquoise but totally devoid of options. That Comet later got hit (my friend's fault) and the insurance company was ticked as heck that they insisted it be fixed - 'heirloom car' - don't know how they managed to convince some claims adjuster not to total it (I suspect a phantom neck injury as there was a brace involved), but eventually it was brough back to its mint condition. The 64 was much more modern - you could say Comet had grown up. Both Mercury and Comet this year were styled to reference the Continental, although that wouldn't become a slogan until 1965 "now in the Lincoln continental tradition". But this shell couldn't last, it had to grow more for 66 - - they couldn't put a big block (for street use) in the smaller engine bay. WYR: categories are all over the place this time, but OK, I'll take the Polara and the Comet under the assumption that you said Tempest and I can't a LeMans or a GTO.....

Oh, the choices! As much as I like this car, my first choice would have to be the '64 and a half Mustang, with the Comet a close second. The second choice would be the Comet, with the Tempest a close second. I like the styling of the '64 Comet better than the '63, yet I like the '63 Falcon better than the '64. Go figure... On a side note, when I used to live in New Jersey, every August I would attend the New Hope, PA car show. Out of curiosity I found out it is going to be August 12-13 this year. I thought you might like to know, although it's probably a couple of hours from where you are.

I live in Edson Alberta Canada :( long ways from you , how ever i’m subscribed and watch all your videos ❤

I've got the same light under the hood the one off a Chevrolet it has a windup coil.. I will take the Pontiac because it has a frame...lol.

That car is flawless, especially in that color. I never did understand those doodads on the front fenders, which were pointless and awkward in my opinion. If they'd have made them the parking light/turn signal there at least would have been a reason for them. Interesting tidbit about the painted grill detail in the headlight area. Good eye!

I never noticed the front end and rear end treatment mimics the Lincolns.

I'm so glad I tuned in. I love Mercury and I have only seen a comet in movies. What a cool name,comet, it says it all I would like one over a mustang especially a convertible. The second senario is tough. That tempest looks like a mean machine. But I could easily go the comet ☄️ Thanks Jay top show again PS how quick are they at picking the song. They're genius

1964 Valiant. And I'm a ford guy!

A really nice little Comet, Jay! I'll take the Mustang (have a '65) for the first choice and the Comet for the second.

I learned to drive in a 202 in the 70's.

I will take the dodge and the Pontiac. My brother had a 63 Comet with the V8. Bought it for like $200 back in 1975. It was a sleeper. We surprised a lot of so called faster cars.

Thanks jay and for the record I’ll take a comet and a tempest and drive them proudly, by the way I had a 64 comet 404 and a 66 caliente the basement comet was a 202 and in 63 they had a sporty model called the s22, I think that became the cyclone in 64

The Caliente was the hottest version of the ☄️.

I remember a cousin of mine had a 390 4 speed Cyclone not sure what year it was it was a good performer... He replaced it with a 1968 427 435hp. six pack 4speed Corvette..

No question for me. I’d take the Caliente for both choices. The Tempest my have been faster, the Mustang I’m not sure of but the comet with the 289 was one fast car. A girl I knew in high school dad bought her a brand new one. A white convertible with a red interior. I loved the car at first sight. Convertible or hard top it looks like it’s going 90 mph when it’s stand still. I have a 60s mucked car now and would seriously consider selling or trading it for an all original 64 or 65 Caliente in cherry conditioned, convertible or hard top.

Welcome to the slab-sided era!

First scenario, the Mustang and Comet Caliente are tied. I would like to have both. Second scenario is easier, the Mercury. In 1963 1/2 Ford came out with the Falcon Futura Sprint. It basically was a sports Futura in which the 260 V8, a Tachometer, 4 speed transmission with floor mounted gear shift were included as standard options. It is my understanding in 64 the the Mercury counterpart was the Comet Caliente Cyclone. It was the muscle car version of the Comet Caliente. Cyclone continued as a Comet until 1968 when it became the sports version of the newly introduced Montego line, and Comet became the low end of the line. Simmeraly the Ford Fairlane line became the Torino line with Fairlane at the low end and The Torino GT, the sports version counterpart to the the Cyclone. It was mostly trim package and performance package that defined the Sprint and Cyclone that was made up of a larger V8 and transmissions set up for muscle car performance, that was not available on rest of the Falcon/ Comet and later the Fairlane and Torino/ Montego lines.

Hey Jay, I'm just wondering, but have you filmed a 1940 Bantam Jeep yet? If so, is that episode coming? I hope you have a nice day. =)

1:11 The most basic model of Comet for 64-65 was the 202. Not 'two twenty two'. For 1964, the standard engine in the Comet line was the 170 inline-six, 101 hp, four main bearings. Station wagons got a 4-main bearing 200 inline-six (120) hp standard. This engine was optional in all other 202, 404, and Caliente models. Cyclone's standard engine for 1964 was the 260 V8, 164 hp. This engine was optional in all other models. A 289 'Super Cyclone V8' was offered as well. 200 (2V) and 225 hp (4V) . Optional in all models. The 289 HiPo (271 hp) was technically an option as well, but it was sort of a 'secret option' for lack of a better term, and from what I understand, it wasn't available at all until mid-year . Meaning you more-or-less had to 'know someone' to get it. And I'm pretty sure you could only get it in the Cyclone. The 427 cars you mentioned were NOT available for direct sale to the public. They were for sanctioned A/FX (factory experimental) drag racing only, and were pretty much hand built by Holman Moody. They were essentially the same idea as Ford's 'Thunderbolt' Fairlanes. The early Falcon/Comet chassis, when it was designed, was NEVER envisioned to handle a V8 at all, much less a burly FE. The first FEs offered as factory options were in 1966, when the Comet was moved to the midsize 'Fairlane' platform. For 1965 the 260 V8 was dropped entirely. V8s were 289-2V (200 hp, standard in Cyclone, optional in others), 289-4V (optional in all models), and the 289 High Performance (yes, as an actual, available factory option this time). The 170 was dropped from the list, the 200 was revised for 7 main bearings, and made standard in all models except Cyclone. There is a world of difference between the six-banger and V8 cars. Front suspension, transmission, steering, brakes, rear axle, and radiator are all different.

I like the over the hood view, can you get her and all your videos?

Comet and Falcon were the same car, and the Mustang was built using the basic underpinnings of both. Just a more attractive body.

I love them all but going with Dodge----Plymouth

Oh, man. This car has so many jokes available...

The "Grille" between the headlights is painted on? I thought it was just a mesh on the top. Cool. I don't get this info with the plastic model kit.

A wonder you didn't compare this 1964 Comet to the 1965 model, which I would have preferred. One of the changes for '65 was stacked headlights, a change which Tempest also made for the same year. I believe the Comet was temporarily discontinued for 1968 to make room for the newly introduced Montego, which was slightly bigger. The Comet name was brought back for 1971 on car sharing its sheet metal with Maverick. My cars of choice would be the 1964 Polara followed by the Comet.

Like both but 63 gets the vote

Actually, I like both 1963 and 64.

👍👍👍👍👍

302? don't think the wheels are stock also

on question 1, the dodge

Comet, and Comet.

The Comet Caliente was the best 0f the small compact cars in your group. I'd take it over the mustang because it is a convertible. The Polara is a full-sized car which you could have gotten a 413 V8. Not a comparable car at all.

This 1964 Comet steering wheel has no center ring. What did the Owner say about that ? Was it swapped out for the 63 steering wheel w/o a center ring ?

1963

choosing the Comet both cass 999

Theese were nice cars but i looked at them when used 1500$ i chose a 66t bird conv instead

64 tempest

Polara and Tempest

Hint? Caliente = Hot, but these cars were often described back in the as the losers car for losers. Just goes to show ya.

My best friend’s parents had the 64 Caliente…..an absolute piece of crap. Tin sounding, cheap interior…..Not upscale in any way. It was a Comet (read Ford Falcon) and nothing more.

What is the tire pressure supposed to be?

WYR? 1: Mustang WYR? 2: Tempest.

5 STARS 😀😀

WYR: 1. Polara 2. Comet

Group is easy, but I don't recognize the song.

I’m not good with technology but i will somehow e-mail you where and … phone ## and all , and would have a home for you to crash at , i will get my kid to educate me more , and maybe i will get on the Face book world lol