I purchased this 1963 Comet near the end of June, 2015.  This two door sedan (post, not hard top) has the S-22 package installed on it.  The previous owner installed it (the VIN is for a 2 door sedan).  I don’t know if he got the dealer to put it in or found a donor that happened to have the same interior (the glove box cover matches and says S-22) but an S-22 was an appearance package so either is possible.  Yes, I know, those 1970s side view mirrors need to go, and they will.  It has an inline six and a C4 (three speed automatic transmission) and a rear end ratio of 3.5.  Originally, the engine was a 170 but according to a note in the owner’s manual, the previous owner (who had deceased recently, which is why it was for sale) had put a new engine into the car in 1984.  The engine is now the 200.  Although no longer the original engine, it is still within the same engine family and is a better engine from the standpoint of performance and performance upgrades.  Yes, you heard that right–performance upgrades.  Most people would toss in a V8, but we’re not most people.  Our inline 200 is within the same family as the 170 but once our modifications are installed, it will be a “hot six.”  Everything we will do will be period correct, which therefore saves money, since we can pull a 2v carb off another car and we’re not buying a new, expensive cylinder head.  Doing much of the work ourselves will also save money.  After all, there is a financial dimension to why I bought a ’63 Comet rather than a late 60s Mercury muscle car.  My hope is Micah and I can work on this together so he can learn about mechanics and someday have a hot rod of his own.  Maybe, just maybe, he’ll come to appreciate his dad’s love for classic Mercuries and learn how hot rodding is not just about speed (although it includes it) but about taking something you love and making it your own and better in some way and then sharing that with the world.