[FlyntXR7]

Was talking to my mechanic today and I was telling him the pickup in the Cougar is just not there. I get it, she's a cruiser and I like it but... he was talking about a new cam and I am just looking for someone that has done something similar and can offer advice. I do not want a race car or screamer, just a little pickup.
Thanks very much,
Derek

 

[C7W289]

There are lots of ways to add some excitement, with varying degrees of cost and trouble. If you happen to need new exhaust already, you could add long-tube headers. They hang a little low, make some repairs harder, but I remember that they made a noticeable change to my cougar way back in the 70's when I did that and got dual exhaust. A pain in the rump to install as a teenager. Another thing that I did that was noticeable was to install a new set of gears in the rear end. The "chunk" comes out pretty easily and it's always returnable if you keep the old one and want it back. I went from a 2. something to a 3.0 and it was a nice improvement without making the engine scream on the highway.
I rebuilt another 289 and put a mild cam "low end torque" and better pistons (from Sears, no less!) and the total change was better than the stock engine.
You could also check to see if something is amiss with your engine- maybe the vacuum advance is stuck, or the carb is not working too well. I pot a Holley 2-barrel on a 2 barrel carbed 67 galaxy and it was surprising how well it did. It was a california car, so the carb may have been tainted from that.
All in all, the cougars were respectable in their day, but not much of a match to even the cheesiest car made now. But they are still cool, so we have that going for us. Let us know if you try something.

 

[FlyntXR7]

Thanks! Yeah, just need a little something. A shade tree mechanic told me to change the gear out but I tend to listen to my mechanic that happens to be a big Ford guy. Not saying another gear would be wrong but not really what I am after. Already have the Holley in place and that helped a little so just building on that.

 

[C7W289]

I was surprised that they sell on ebay brand new rear end center sections with posi (trak-lock). I guess that there was enough demand to produce them. Expensive though. Real ford ones go for over $1000, glad that I got mine in the 70's for fifty bucks or something like that. You can try headers, just go slowly over the speed bumps. Some have fit problems with a clutch if you have a manual.

 

[woodsnake]

all the above sounds good- make sure your basic engine tune up is correct, timing, etc....With out buying a new cam kit, which may require new torque converter AND new gears. Also, make sure your 4V throttle kick down is connected and working. Off the top of my head, I think 68 still had the cable under the car from the trans to the throttle bracket. Make sure that is intact. What carb do you have on it now?

 

[FlyntXR7]

Update... Mechanic and I agreed. New cleaned up heads, new cam and little other stuff. Bio's whatever.. It's a, freaking Cougar.... Mustang's Mother, back to the drawings of the Cougar. All about history and why I am here. Just need a little, no drag racer and just respect.

Siimple, drove Ford and ITL tractors since 6, buddy picked me up in his brand new, 68 XR7 when I was 1082 when I was '14 and rest is history. We do it right and do it good.

Thanks to everyone helping me out on this great Journey!

 

[C7W289]

There are mild cams out there that have a smooth idle but are a little warmer than stock and enhance low end torque. Those have always been good for me. They won't need any torque converter change or anything else. One thing you may want to try for even more excitement is to go to one of those roller cam setups. The roller cams allow quicker ramp profiles and also have less friction as a bonus. I've never done one of those kits, but I do like the factory roller block that I have in my daily driver.
Oh, yeah, watch out for bad lifters, I hear that there are a lot of poorly made ones on the market even if name brand.

 

[dkaustin98]

Back in the day we used to refer to an RV cam to get more oomph out of a small block. One thing to check is the ignition. Check the wiring carefully. PerTronixs is a good upgrade to do to your distributor. Make sure to check all the wiring for the distributor and coil under the hood. Check all your grounds for the battery and the starter. I found that I had a corroded wire that once replaced made huge improvements. The wire was corroded inside the where the wire and the connector joined and plugged onto the coil. You could not see the corrosion just looking at the wire. I made a change in the fuel pump from stock to a high flow. However, I have three 2bbl carburetors on my 289. I have a Buddy Bar Intake that was for small block Cobras. At shows, you won't believe the jaw drops after they start counting the carburetors. You do not have to get headers. There was a set of stock cast exhaust manifolds that provided better flow than the stock manifolds on the small block Cougars. Someone on here may remember the steel stamp part numbers for those. I do not know what you have for an exhaust system, but 2 - 2.5 inch dual exhaust pipes, with an H pipe or X pipe, with high flow "turbo" muffler(s) will allow the engine to breath better. I didn't want loud. I did want deep and I did want folks to look up when I cruised by. I seem to remember that for every 1 horsepower increase will cost you $75.00. So, there are some simple things you can do to make sure that everything you already have is in tip top shape. Change out the plug wires for better wires. Old Cougars are notorious for having vacuum leaks as there are a lot of vacuum hoses, canisters and connections in the front end. A vacuum leak will cause your engine to not run properly. Old vacuum hoses can collapse. Buy some vacuum hose and start replacing the vacuum hoses one by one. Only pull one hose, cut a new length to match, plug in the new hose. Then do another. Inspect each vacuum plastic connector for cracks.

 

[Royce Peterson]

302 CI is really not much. I think you will need a stroker kit and a new cam to have more power that you will enjoy.

 

[C7W289]

I like that he used the word "need" in describing the stroker kit. Although it is a little pricey, as they say there is no replacement for displacement.

 

[FlyntXR7]

We did put in the Pertronixs when putting in the Holley. The previous owner put in a new starter and radiator but I think that was about it. He bought it from his brother and just wanted to move it as his was chroming out a Fairlane under the hood. (Could eat off that thing when you popped the hood!)

Yeah, did not want a new gear because she cruises fine at 90mph on a 15-minute daily ride of i-73 to work, and afraid it would mess with that. Do not currently drive it daily as it is a 35 min ride to work and with non-e gas +1 gal of jet fuel I would rather spend that gas money on getting her to my liking under the hood ...whatever that turns out to be.

No plan for new headers at this point, with the new cam it will be just lifters and whatever else comes along with that project. Wish I knew even as much as a shade tree mechanic but I am just a computer guy and leave the Cougar to my mechanic but I do try to learn when time allows.

Bought the Cougar in 2020 and most of the money has gone into ascetics and now I am moving under the hood. The way she sits now, only noticed this winter when cold, if I pull out of the garage as soon as it starts she struggles like she is missing but I know not. After driving for say, 10 minutes all is well. Usually I start it up, let it idle for 8-10 minutes and the sputter does not exist. Even after driving for 30 minutes and I come to a stoplight, if I press the gas it's just like every other car with no gumption.

Thanks again to everyone for the help!
Derek

 

[C7W289]

Mine has a holley and it does not seem to have an issue when cold, it runs reasonably pretty quickly. I say that in theory, mine ran like that a long time ago, after rescue it is still in ICU. There is probably a small thing or two that is not right with yours, hopefully your top-end rebuild will catch them. I'm not sure how the Pertronix handles the vacuum curve, I've always wondered about them.

 

[cougar1]

You said 'new cleaned up heads'? Are you replacing the stock heads? If you're only changing the cam and everything else is stock, keep the cam on the 'small' side. Just a bit over stock. Bigger is not always better with camshafts. Go a bit too big and you will kill your bottom end.

 

[FlyntXR7]

No, the heads going to be cleaned up to make sure they seal back properly. At least that is the way I understand it.

 

[Royce Peterson]

There is no free lunch. You will learn this lesson if you change only the camshaft. You can trade driveability and torque for horsepower. Or not.

 

[FlyntXR7]

That is why I am here. Again, I am an 55 yr old IT guy that knows zip about cars. Looking for ideas and advice so I can take to the mechanic that knows me and my Cougar and hash it out. I have installed the Holley but that was it, moving instead to aesthetics under the roof as schedules just worked that way. Now I am ready for the under the hood work. Open to suggestions.
Again, thanks!

Derek

 

[dkaustin98]

I am an IT guy with some years on you. I am not sure how far you want to go. There is a build called a Street Boss 302. Do not confuse it for a Ford Boss 302. Badically a Windsor block and Cleveland heads. I did one of these builds in a 65' Ford F-100. It was fast and a lot of fun. Do some research on the Internet. You can start here.