Classic/Antique Car Repair: Upgrading a 1965 Mercury Comet for street racing, mercury comet, ford 289

Question
I gave my son my 1965 Mercury Comet Caliente which has a 289, headers, flowmaster exhaust and C/4 auto transmission, elderblock 229 intake and elderblock carburator a mild cam and bored 30 over.  It runs great.  He wants to build it up for street and strip racing. Can you give us some ideas on what would be a nice setup for this car?  Car condition 1-10, I would give it an 8.  It is a good solid car.  We appreciate any help that you can give us.  Our son is 19 and in the Marines.  He is a very responsible young man.

Answer
You are in luck.. There is a vast amount of knowledge about the Ford 289. It is a great engine to work with.
I would wholeheartedly suggest you buy a few books on how to build and race a Ford 289. The small investment of about $25.00 per book will undoubtedly pay for itself many times over.I would also tell your son to join a few ford racing web forums. The one thing I would NOT do,is to try and figure it out by trial and error. Remember,people have been racing this engine for 40 years. Here is a link to one book that I have read.
http://shopping.msn.com/prices/shp/?itemId=1546250
please let me know if I can be of more help.

Good luck and my God keep your son safe. Gus