[674spd390GT]

Hello,
I'm new to the forum. I've been working on a concours restoration for my '67 Cougar Standard GT option. I'm unsure whether the existing trunk/deck lid is the original. Either way, the trunk lid needs replacement and I'm unsure whether I need an early trunk lid (different understructure) or the late trunk lid. My build date is 12/5/66 I will be buying one soon, so please let me know as early possible.
Thanks!

 

[.:BLitZ:.]

I don't know what the date cutoff was, but for inquiring minds, here is the difference:

1967 Early:


1967 Late - 1970

 

[68XR-7Cat]

I believe that Phil Parcells knows the dates for the different trunk lids. You can contact him at [email protected]. In the meantime, perhaps someone here will also know.

 

[68XR-7Cat]

I don't know what the date cutoff was, but for inquiring minds, here is the difference:

1967 Early:


1967 Late - 1968

Blitz, the labels are reversed. The bottom picture is the early lid. The Lime Frost lid is the late one. I have a late one with a build date of June 1967, but one of our club members has an early-build car that has the blue trunk lid on it. I just can't remember when her car was built but Phil and I had a conversation about the two lids when the two cars were parked side by side at the last Cougar Nationals in New Jersey.

 

[Don Rush]

No Andrew got it right... The W design is early, look at most 67 deck lids and you will see the V design and of course all 68-70 had the V design on the under structure. The REALLY early 67 deck lids used rubber bumpers in the corners and the later ones use plugs as shown in both pictures here.

 

[674spd390GT]

I'm delighted by the responses--thanks to everyone thus far. My existing decklid has a the V design which Don describes as being the late version and a stamped code 11 23C3. As I mentioned, there is a possibility that the decklid was replaced by the previous owner and may not be the correct lid. Is the decklid code tied the build date? For example is there a different decklid code for each build month, etc?

 

[Mistress]

Just to compare, my car has a build date of 17 Jan 67 and has the V design. Interesting, I didn't know there was a difference.

 

[Don Rush]

Here is what Jim and Phil chimed in with...

Don,
It looks like it's sometime mid to end of Nov, 1966. I would opt for the early deck lid, we have examples of the early lid at 522xxx and 530xxx. But he is very near the cusp of the changeover. Phil

Don – As Phil has indicated, I know of no documentation that specifies when the change was made. Since the assembly manual actually shows a diagram of the early structure on the cover, and given the rate of production of the new cougar, in order to meet demand, my guess is that you can’t go wrong with the early version.
Jim

 

[CougarCJ]

Thinking outside of the box, it appears to me that the second version design had the trunk light wiring in mind.

There is still another trunk design for the mid-late 1968 Cougar, it has a large cutout box for easier access for installing the lock and latch mechanisms.