1967 Mercury Cougar

Vehicle Overview

I have owned this 1967 Mercury Cougar XR7 since 1983 when I purchased it while stationed at Edwards AFB CA, my first duty location of my USAF career. The car has been with me and the family ever since. My father became caretaker of the car while I was stationed at RAF Fairford for 4 years and he drove the car on a daily basis to work, keeping it in working condition and I thank my father for taking such good care of the car while I served my country. My USAF career sent me all over the country and another overseas trip to Germany finally landed the car in my late father-in-law's care. He stored the car in Payson AZ for the better part of 2 decades while I was serving my country. Since I retired from the USAF it was my dream to one day put this car back to new like condition and after 3 years it is now ready for the open road. Still undergoing final testing, but it is looking promising. This car has the original paint, however, do not be deceived, under this skin is lurking all new components. The car has been completely rebuilt to include the 289-4V engine sporting a new Holley carb. This is the original 289 the car was born with. When the engine was removed and dismantled we found it was already .030 over and I did not want to go .060 over. The solution was to have the engine sleeved to the original 4.000" bore, add a mild cam and hypereutectic pistons for an increase in performance. The C4 Transmission was completely rebuilt along with the rear axle. Every system on the car has been either replaced with a new part or the original parts have undergone a rebuild. The entire cowl wiring harness was replaced with a new one that took many weeks to construct. In addition, the front and rear suspension is all new along with performance KYB shocks. The wheels were replaced with 15" x 7" VN501 American Racing wheels wearing classic BFG 225-60/R15 tires. The 2.25 inch dual exhaust system is custom made with MagnaFlow 11255 mufflers providing that classic V8 rumble. A new Stainless Steel (SS) gas tank was installed along with SS fuel lines. All standard steel lines were replaced with SS lines including brake and transmission lines. The interior carpet and insulation was replaced along with the seat covers in the original black vinyl/leather specifically for the XR7 model. The interior and roof were sprayed with LizardSkin to provide heat and noise insulation since this car's home is Arizona. The black vinyl roof was replaced using a premium vinyl top replacement with a moisture resistant backing from West Coast Classic Cougars (Part # 12-3000). Being an Arizona car is was important to refresh the factory A/C system, replacing the compressor and lines along with ensuring all other components were up to the Arizona heat. The factory tilt wheel was rebuilt by the West Coast Classic Cougar folks and now performs as good as it did when it left the showroom floor. You name it, this car has had it rebuilt, serviced, or replaced. I have added several posts to cover various items that were completed on the car over the past couple of years. Every part of the car ends up with a story attached to it. How difficult it may have been to get a replacement part or to have a part rebuilt. Finding skilled craftsman to rebuild the tilt steering column, steering box and brake power booster was a challenge. The tilt-wheel is a factory option and required expert repair at West Coast Classic Cougars, they also rebuilt the Midland Power Brake Booster. Since the car was dismantled to bare bones this was the time to make any improvements. The front shock towers were a soft spot and I added reinforcement plates to strengthen this area. The Export Brace (Part# 11439) was also another upgrade to strengthen the front end of the car.

Vehicle Story

Future Plans

I just want to drive it. Enjoy all the hard work over the past 3 years getting to this point. Once I get out to AZ I will have the time to drive the car once again and enjoy the open road. I want to take leisurely drives into the AZ mountains and explore the area. The grey primer paint will be removed to reveal the original paint. I could simply have it repainted in the factory color, but that can be done at anytime. The paint that is on the car is original and has weathered over time and I think it looks great. Took over 50 years to develop it. Immediate plans are to run the classic carburetor for a while, but my long term wish would be to add the Holley Sniper EFI Self-Tuning Master Kit in Black along with the Weiand Stealth Intake manifold. This will improve performance and gas mileage.