[maxgig]

All I wanted to do was take 2 days max and put in some nice new carpet like Don put in his phone order guys Cougar in the video from the catalog site. Well, I removed the carpet and found that the old underlayment had got wet some time ago and held water on my floorboards.

That water made 2 dime sized holes that I just had to get fixed and since I already had the carpet and seats out I figured I might as well put in some modern inertia type shoulder belts for the wife (I said).

But wait, my car doesn't have bolts welded in the roofline so I have to get some welded in. But before I can do that I have to pull out the headliner so it won't get burnt by flying fiery metal. Now the seats are dropping foam and the rear bench is dryrotted so why not get them all reupholstered? This is exactly how the last two weeks with the Cougar have gone.

It's sitting on car ramps now until I can find someone who can weld in the bolts needed for the new belts I bought. I thought I had things under control until I laid hands on this car. Did I mention I also have to put in new sound deadening material as well? Hope this helps someone because I feel a little better after getting this off my chest. Thanks for listening.

 

[Cougrrcj]

You gotta love the "while-I'm-at its" that happen... One of the many reasons my car(s) have been sitting for 25+ years!

I had pulled the engine out of AlphaCat for a performance rebuild. "While-I'm-at-it", I might as well replace the rusty inner fenders and core support. Then there's the floors... Oh, and with this much more power, subframe connectors sound like a good idea (while-I'm-doing-the-floors, you see)... New rear springs, rebuild the front suspension... New fuel lines... new gas lines... Detroit Locker... Maybe I should go with ladder-bars and coilovers... new wheels and street tires (along with drag tires/wheels)...

Need I go on????

 

[Harvey]

Just glad I am not the only one! Could have and maybe should have just driven the car when I got it but no, lets do a little restoration. Ok we can start with striping the car down, then media blasting, then painting with all the detail. Now it is taking each and every part. Polishing painting or re-coating, re-sealing, rebuilding and then remembering where it all goes! Seems for me and not just this project but I speculate on how long something will take then triple it! Same with the money. But I love doing the best I can at everything I do. I enjoy the process as much as the finished project and sometimes more!

 

[Greyhound66]

Mine started out the same way a few months ago. I got a 69 xr7 with some rust in usual places. Being in new Mexico I figured looking under the carpet in back was sufficient. I discovered much more rust up front later on when I pulled the green carpet.. Mines got way more than dime size holes, and I have lots of welding time, and also money in interior parts. I am however looking forward to driving the new improved Coug! Good luck on the project, and I suppose I should post some pics.

 

[sweetair]

This is really funny. That should be the next thread. While I'm at it!

I was simply doing the clutch and flywheel and noticed the trans case was broken so while I'm at it might as well get a rebuilt 4 speed and new shifter and linkages as well.

Gotta love it. Good luck.

 

[leonbray]

They always seam to end up this way. Just needed to have the seats retrimmed ...........

http://www.classiccougargarage.net/showthread.php?tid=137

 

[Bad69cat]

If we started a "While I'm At It" thread - it would NEVER end! LOL It's like a little kid - starts off so innocent......

 

[ceedoubleyou]

I've just ordered the vinyl seat covers from WCCC and then I'll have someone else fit them, so I don't get to see what is under the seats. I'm not looking forward to when I give it a coat of paint without going back to bare metal. I was just hoping to have all the door dings taken out and the lil' surface rust taken out, as it's never really had a decent repaint in its 44 years, just panel repairs when needed, so each panel is now a different shade of Lime Frost, with original paint starting to oxidise.

 

[tbm3fan]

Never lift a cover unless you are prepared for a surprise. My simple cam change went from that to pulling the heads because of buildup on the valves. Couldn't get the valves out myself and took it to the machine shop. The guy asked if I was prepared for what he might find. He found 16 loose guides with some broken at the top. Separating exhaust valves. Sloppy work on exhaust valve seats in 1975. Stem wear on several of them from wobble. Rock hard umbrella seals on exhaust and teflon seals on the intakes. Cost to repair $900 and he thought there was a better solution. That was new aftermarket heads with everything. So now I am into the top end for $2,000 at the moment. One thing I learned... don't buy a Comp Cams timing set.

 

[bowl]

LOL Yep. That's the way it works.