Recent Ebay purchase 67 Cougar

[karfever]

So, I am new to the forum, Hi to all! I recently purchased this Cougar from ebay, http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eB...SA:MOTORS:1123

and think I paid a reasonable price for the car. The seller was great, and the car as represented, a rare thing now! The car is original and drives great, having made a 150 mile trip home in 90 degree heat with no problems. Great gas milage as well.

I am certainly not new to muslce cars having grown up in the heart of the era and owning many muscle cars, inlcuding some rare high dollar cars, but am scaling back as I approach retirement. The Cougar just semed to fit the bill for me now.

So I have a few questions for you 'cougar experts'.

1. The car is whisper quiet. Should I chage the exhaust to duals or leave the single exhaust on it?
2. Wheels, leave as is or?
3. The top is brittle and would look better replaced. White, as original or black?

Thanks to all and glad to meet you!

Steve

[BigMatt]

I have one piece of input on this car. I hate white vinyl tops on anything but white or canary yellow cars. I think you should go black.

[WFOJOE]

The answers to your questions may be found within grashopper (lol). Really, your questions call for a personal touch and what you like will ultimately determine what you do.

Personally, I think the top should be black. White will get sooo dirty sooo fast and soooo often. i also like the greater contrast in color between black and the lighter green.

If you want better performance and a more muscular sound, put duals on it.

The original hubcaps are nice, but I personally prefer the styled steel wheels or a nice aftermarket selection.

In the end, it is your personal preference.

Nice car!

[shipfitter_sjd]

Welcome To MC.Net!

"So I have a few questions for you 'cougar experts'."

1. The car is whisper quiet. Should I chage the exhaust to duals or leave the single exhaust on it?

That is up to you. Do you like it loud? Do you like it quiet? What kind of image are you and the car going to project? Bottom line is that it is your car. Do with it what makes you happy.

2. Wheels, leave as is or?

Again that is up to you. Muscle car or classic beauty? What do you foresee the car being in the future? What is your vision for it?

3. The top is brittle and would look better replaced. White, as original or black?

I would stay with a white top if you are leaving the body of the car the same color. A lighter green car with a black top would look lopsided in my opinion.

You have a very nice looking car. Congratulations!

Steve

[68 MERC]

If it were a dark green car...then I would lean more toward going with a black top. For you...I would just stay white. I would lose the hubcaps and get some original style steel wheels from West Coast Classic Cougar. I would also lose the white walls and get some lettered type tires. I would then also change out the exhuast for some decent mufflers with good sound or a set of glass packs (duals).

If you keep the car inside and also covered, the top should not get that dirty that fast.

That should get you feeling younger when you get behind the wheel....

[Iceman]

nice buy, Looks nice and clean.

[cougarman187]

dude nice choice!!!! mine is also a 67 in that same color scheme also with the 289, but mine has all that smog crap, if i could afford it i would go with some styled wheels from west coast classic cougar but keep the white top! and the dual exhaust would be good too!!!!

[gearhead1218]

Welcome to the madness.
A very clean Cougar you've got. It also looks like you scored big by having a lot of documentation.

[c7xr7]

Welcome! Your car appears to have aged gracefully.

I would leave it as original as I could, if it came with a white top I would stay with that. If I wanted to change to SSW I would simply keep everything, hubcaps for example, that I took off so they may remain with the car in the future.

Does the A/C work? I do not recall ever seeing standard hose clamps on refrigerant lines before - it has to leak.

[my69xr7rocks]

Sharp looking Cat!
I would keep it original as it is rare as it seems to be, or if your not the Concourse type then it is all a matter of personal taste!
Do some photshop tricks with it with the black vs white top and same for the wheels, there are a few members on the board that can help you with that!
Welcome to the madness of owning a Cougar!

Juli

[karfever]

Thanks for all the nice comments. Presently I am just cleaning and correcting some mechnical 'mistakes'. And yes, the aftermarket a/c is cold, even with hose clamps on the low pressure side. Seems strange to me. Even the vintage 70's cruise control works, but is kind of scary.

The documentation with the car is about the best I have seen. From the original dealer papers to the last documented repair in 2007, everything has a reciept and log entry in the originals owners 'diary'. Even more amazing, the car was sold new about 50 miles from my home and has resided in a 150 mile radius it's entire life. I am the third owner. There were even some photos of the car taken in the mid 70's and mid 80's.

I have found no sign of rust or repair work, just a average repaint done 15 years ago. The car runs great and is very comfortable and nice to drive, something I though a unibody car wasnt.

Another question: what would be a good replacement radiator which would provide additional cooling over the stock radiator?

Thanks again

[leonbray]

I'd just upgrade to a new 24" a/c radiator with the correct shroud. If you intend running a/c a bit you might want to add a 12" pusher fan in front of the a/c condensor that cuts in with the compressor.

Our climate in Brisbane is similar to Florida and I don't have any problems with cooling on my cars unless the radiator is clogged from lack of running.

A couple of my cars have the clutch fan removed and a solid spacer installed so the fan runs all the time

[cougar_nut1968]

Congratulations. I admired that car from a distance when it was up. I will attach a picture of my GT-E. It is what your car would look like with styled steel wheels and a black top (minus the GT-E package and year but you get the idea).

My .02 is keep it stock as far as the top and add the wheels. That being said it is your car and I applaud what ever you choose to do as its one more classic cougar on the road that we all like that.

If you change out the radiator make sure you keep the one in the car assuming its the stock radiator. I threw mine (on my small block) out in the early 90s and am regretting it to this day.





Chris

[68 MERC]

"I threw mine (on my small block) out in the early 90s and am regretting it to this day". Chris

Not to high jack the thread but....

Radiator? That's nothing....

Imagine how you would feel if you threw the build sheet away! That's what I did when I was 17 for my 68 XR7...just thought it was some goofy thing left in there when the car was built. Had no clue what a build sheet was back then. I'm over it now...at least the Marti Report can tell me almost everything I want to know....

[BigMatt]

Slime Green with a black top is one of my favorite color combos believe it or not. This baby belongs to one of my frinds here in Dallas.