Figure I'd switch to a fresh thread showing updates on our 1970 driver project. I bought the car for my girlfriend of 6 years, and lucky for her she has me as a full time mechanic that gets to drive it whenever I got it from an ad on craigslist (I said ebay on my original thread...no idea what I was thinking) and I picked it up for 3100.00, and drove it home. My goals are to just fix it up to become a nice "clean" driver. Budget is slim as im in the middle of a street/strip 1969 Torino build. I say budget as it:
- Wont be getting body or paint soon, but will polish whats on it
- Money will be put in to make it mechanically safe and sound. No skimping out on cheepy stuff there
- Comfort. Nice ride, clean interior (keeping all factory colors, as far as seats and dash)
- Cold new AC. I plan on swapping the york for a sanden compressor
This car will be driven. And if we wanted to take it cross country, I want it to be able to!
The Torino has always been my main project but after seeing this I had to pick it up! Unfortuneately though I just love the car, and have been spending all my time with it lately.
Most has already seen the thead I started on advice on buying the car. http://www.mercurycougar.net/forums/showthread.php?60721-My-1970-Cougar-Driver-Project But I figre I'd start a thread showing the work Im putting in to it. I dont feel like reapeating everything from that thread so the cars condition is described in that thread
The door plate is rubbed off, and I wanted to know the factory color names so I ordered a marty report. Base model cougar with decor group interior. Dark Ivy Green exterior / medium ivy green interior. 351 Cleveland, FMX...Looks to have been in the DFW area for its whole life.
After getting it home I spend countless hours just checking everything and really looking it over. What suprised me was how original everything was. Nobody hacked at the wiring under the dash and everything was in place in the engine compartment.
Two things popped up on my list.
1. Off idle stumble, could could actually stall out. Check the carb...Spend a good week trying to fix it. Checked vacuume leaks, none found, checked timing, advanced, cleaned the carb at least 3 times and went to the extreme of swapping out carbs with a friends. Finally found the issue, the casting on the venturies has tiny little holes on the back side that we're plugged up. A little work with a guitar string made a world of difference. The stumble is vitrually gone but still slightly there...A new carb will likely be on order soon.
2. AC vents dont blow out the front vents. I took off the dash and one of the vacuume canisters that controls the door to the front vents had broken off the plastic box. I was able to drill and tap the canisters bracket to put in a screw with a larger washer. FIXED.
3. The brake lights we're "hand wired" the sequentials worked but brakes from factory wiring did not. I spend more countless hours chasing that down. I pulled the steering wheel to get to the turn signal switch and ended up cleaning and resoldering the connections. This fixed the brake light! but now the sequentials dont work lol. That turn signal switch has to work 100% for the sequential box to do its job. A new turn signal switch will be on order soon.
A member found out I was looking for some spare parts and shipped some out to me! (great community of coog owners!). The driver side tail lamp was hit at one point, it broke one of the vertical bars and broke the plastic, this let water get in and sit causing the back side of the driver taillight to rust. So I got a nice replacement. My fuel door reflector was also busted and he had that along with the lower missing trim I didnt have.
Having a bench grinder / buffing wheel has been a life saver! I was able to polish up the chrome and alumium background as well as paint semi-gloss black on the mercury lettering. This is how it turned out.
The bumper is by far in the worst shape as far as chrome on the car. Should be a good core, but it is high on our list of replacements.
- Wont be getting body or paint soon, but will polish whats on it
- Money will be put in to make it mechanically safe and sound. No skimping out on cheepy stuff there
- Comfort. Nice ride, clean interior (keeping all factory colors, as far as seats and dash)
- Cold new AC. I plan on swapping the york for a sanden compressor
This car will be driven. And if we wanted to take it cross country, I want it to be able to!
The Torino has always been my main project but after seeing this I had to pick it up! Unfortuneately though I just love the car, and have been spending all my time with it lately.
Most has already seen the thead I started on advice on buying the car. http://www.mercurycougar.net/forums/showthread.php?60721-My-1970-Cougar-Driver-Project But I figre I'd start a thread showing the work Im putting in to it. I dont feel like reapeating everything from that thread so the cars condition is described in that thread
The door plate is rubbed off, and I wanted to know the factory color names so I ordered a marty report. Base model cougar with decor group interior. Dark Ivy Green exterior / medium ivy green interior. 351 Cleveland, FMX...Looks to have been in the DFW area for its whole life.
After getting it home I spend countless hours just checking everything and really looking it over. What suprised me was how original everything was. Nobody hacked at the wiring under the dash and everything was in place in the engine compartment.
Two things popped up on my list.
1. Off idle stumble, could could actually stall out. Check the carb...Spend a good week trying to fix it. Checked vacuume leaks, none found, checked timing, advanced, cleaned the carb at least 3 times and went to the extreme of swapping out carbs with a friends. Finally found the issue, the casting on the venturies has tiny little holes on the back side that we're plugged up. A little work with a guitar string made a world of difference. The stumble is vitrually gone but still slightly there...A new carb will likely be on order soon.
2. AC vents dont blow out the front vents. I took off the dash and one of the vacuume canisters that controls the door to the front vents had broken off the plastic box. I was able to drill and tap the canisters bracket to put in a screw with a larger washer. FIXED.
3. The brake lights we're "hand wired" the sequentials worked but brakes from factory wiring did not. I spend more countless hours chasing that down. I pulled the steering wheel to get to the turn signal switch and ended up cleaning and resoldering the connections. This fixed the brake light! but now the sequentials dont work lol. That turn signal switch has to work 100% for the sequential box to do its job. A new turn signal switch will be on order soon.
A member found out I was looking for some spare parts and shipped some out to me! (great community of coog owners!). The driver side tail lamp was hit at one point, it broke one of the vertical bars and broke the plastic, this let water get in and sit causing the back side of the driver taillight to rust. So I got a nice replacement. My fuel door reflector was also busted and he had that along with the lower missing trim I didnt have.
Having a bench grinder / buffing wheel has been a life saver! I was able to polish up the chrome and alumium background as well as paint semi-gloss black on the mercury lettering. This is how it turned out.
The bumper is by far in the worst shape as far as chrome on the car. Should be a good core, but it is high on our list of replacements.