[Sprocket]

Hello to the Cougar Community! I am in the process of taking over a 1968 XR-7.

It's a one owner car as my Mother in law bought it brand new in El Paso, TX in 1968. Still has the dealer's plaque on the trunk lid. Car moved from there to central Louisiana and ultimately to South Florida. It as daily driven until Dec 1996, when it was parked in the garage at their house. They moved back to TX a few months later and the car has sat in the garage since then and hasn't been run.

Everyone likes pics so here are some pics of it in it's cocoon:

It's a 302, XR-7, 2bbl, with factory AC and had a vynil roof (removed but painted black). Nothing too special, but 105K and one owner.
As you can see the garage got wet a few years ago and mold set in, but it's been dried out in there for 3 or 4 years now, needs a good scrubbing. Seats are in fair shape.
The house is about to be remodeled and then rented so I'm in the process of making space in my 2 car garage at my house for it.

I'm pretty active with cars as I have a 1963 Austin Healey 3000 my Dad owned since new (lives in half of my garage now).

And a fleet of GM B-body station wagons

Well actually the twp up by the garage are sold, but I bought another one, so currently at 4 (some people think I have a problem, but I'm in total denial)

Don't boo me too hard as I've owned two other Fords and a Lincoln before, lol.

Anyway, I look forward to getting her on the road in the next few months and stopping the rust cancer on her.

 

[Whitepink59]

Hi Sprocket,

Welcome to the site. Don't worry about crossing the floor - there are plenty of fence sitters like me on the site!

Love the Autin Healy, and the. Family connection to both cars is priceless. My Caddy was my fathers car, so the car is invaluable to me.

Sam

 

[67.5xr7]

Damn that Florida salt air! One owner '68 xr7, very cool. Do I see that it still has the belt on the A/C compressor,......altogether... unmolested......SCORE! Extra nice Healey 3000,....locally last fall, there was a 3000 rally,....must have been at least 50 to be seen at the Marriott. Question; Do Austin-Healey 3000's melt in the rain? Cause during a mild rain storm,....every carport/awning within a square mile of the hotel had two or three 3000's under them weathering the rain! Oh and about the Chevy wagon thing,.. are you thinking of starting your own Mortuary?!:lol2: WELCOME

 

[Sprocket]

Thanks for the welcome guys. No, Healeys don't melt in the rain, although I try not to drive mine in it, mostly cuz it needs a new top and I get fairly wet. That and there is so much heat coming from the engine it get steamy quick in there ha ha ha. Top down only for me. I put the top up to keep the sun off the seats (black) so my rear doesn't get roasted when I get back in it.

Yes, the car is very unmolested, all belts in place. I believe the air still worked when parked in 96. The paint is original except when her Mom pulled the bad vinyl off she painted that area black with a brush:eek7:.

You can see the hood rust and pretty much it's same under all the chrome trim. Base of the C-piller on pass side has a 1in by 4-5inch long rust hole next to the rear window and I believe the base of the rear window on the drivers side as well.

Good news is the panels are straight (never in an accident) and I'm good with fiberglass.
I have to have the car relocated to my house SOON, so once it's out of it's crypt, I'll have alot more pics.

It's by far the biggest project I've taken on to date, and excited about it, as I've always wanted a 60s muscle car....

As for the funeral home comment, hearses were built on these chassis but are usually stretched a bit (about a foot), although a casket DOES fit in one. I'm very active on a wagon forum and one of the members was asked by the widow of the local rod builder to take her late hubby to the cemetary in his wagon (it was nicely modded and quite fitting). He was honored and spent a full day (till 4AM) detailing his car for the duty.
I've also seen them (wood paneling and all) being used at funeral homes in Costa Rica.
I like 'em cuz I can put my 9ft surfboard in the back and lock it up. That and they get 25+ MPG on the highway. Beat that with an SUV

Somewhere I have a cellphone pic of a Cougar wagon, 78 I believe. One year car, think they called it a Villager.

I go to Daytona for the Spring show every year. in 2011 I stayed at a hotel in Ormand Beach and you'll appreciate the view from my window

Seemed I fell into a Cougar Den, lol. The folks were real nice (we had about 5 wagons staying at the hotel) and my wife I spoke to a few of them about the early Cougars as we had a vested interest

 

[CatsRock]

Welcome to the madness Sprocket :beer: Nice looking AH and good luck with the restorationof the cat, nice to see another Fl cat joining the fold. I like to call my garage the house divided as the suburban parks on one side and the vert on the other:smoke:

 

[Sprocket]

Thanks for the welcome guys.
I went to visit the car after work tonight, took my air compressor with me and put air in the tires. I was surprised that all four were still sealed on the bead and readily took air. pumped them up to about 28-29 and will be back over there tomorrow to see if the hold air. Hope so, so I can roll it out and onto a trailer in the next couple days.

After talking with my wife a bit, I realize the car has had one repaint after her Mom smacked a pole at a bank. I also noticed the front bumper and front fender on the drivers side don't line up in the vertical pane (pointy parts not vertically aligned).

No spare wheel in trunk but an unmounted Firestone that looks like it's from the 60s...
Underside looks cleaner than the top. Worst rust is on the pass side just behind the door both on the rocker and up under the back window. typical vinyl roof rot type of stuff.

All four original XR7 hubcaps came off and only one has a lil curbrash, although all the black paint is gone from them...thinking of a set of late model bullit rims for it as I see those on the cheap locally from new mustang take offs, but I'm getting ahead of myself ha ha ha.

 

[Local Hero]

I don't care who you are..... Wagons are cool!

Besides, I own two Fords, three GMs and...... gasp... a Toyota.

Welcome! and good luck with the new project.

 

[Sprocket]

Thanks for the welcome Mark! I've always loved wagons and especially since I ride a big 9'6" surfboard now, I can stow 'em inside and not worry about them walking off the roof of my car.....

I had never heard of this special cat, until I saw one locally at the supermarket

His was brownish metallic with woodgrain and he had been looking for one for 5 years before he found it. It was super clean and I loved it!

Went by the car today (got half my garage cleaned out in preperation) and the tires are holding air still, hooray! Still got alot of stuff to move around in my garage here, to make the space, but sometime this weekend it'll be here!

 

[bluestang67]

Welcome I too am a New Member with a car issue as my wife says .

 

[Sprocket]

Here are a few pics of it being moved yesterday. First time outside in 16 years!

Underside looks pretty solid

In it's new den

 

[Sprocket]

Got her home a few days ago:

Underside is cleaner than the top!

First time she's been outside in 16 years!

back in the garage for now. Wow, I fit two in there!

 

[Ron67]

Welcome to the site..Glad to see it made it home the floors look pretty good from what I can see. Most peeps on here dont care about your flavor of cars my self own pontiacs and a ford oh and the cougar. Wagons are cool 5 are crazy next time the wife nags me about cars Im showing her this post hell should have a topic in the forum (party poopers) all the wifes could join and tell their war stories to each other would save me from hearing it. Good luck with the build you are in the right place

just seen why all the wagons each board has its own nice

 

[Sprocket]

Thanks Ron, um the wagon thing is a problem. They keep finding me. My DD is the tenth one I have bought in 5 years (first in July 2007).
Before Cash for Clunkers, there were alot more of them for VERY cheap (managed to buy one running for $300!!).
Got one, it was rusty, looked for a parts donar as it was 1 of 310 with a police pkg and LT1 engine. Found a rust free one that was nicer, then kept looking for a parts car, and got another one......I'm currently at four and holding. Three are daily drivers, the other one my mod project.

If you are bored and want the full story on the first seven read this: http://gmlongroof.4umer.com/t250-my-story-or-how-i-got-addicted

Update on the Cougar:

Haven't had time to do much yet, but the interior is cleaning up nicely, and the chrome seems to be in very good shape as I peel back the layers of grime on the car.
Budget is tight so not able to spend any cash. Holiday weekend, hoping to get her up in the air and R&R the fluids and see if there is still any varnish in the gas tank (16 YO gas? probably long ago evaporated).

 

[1969XR7Vert]

"Now is the time on Sprockets when we dance..."

 

[69XR7BigCat]

welcome to the madness, there are a great bunch of people on this site. I would never have got my 69 XR7 in the shape its in without the shared information on this site. Dont forget to introduce yourself to Don Rush on here, he has all the parts you may need.

 

[bluestang67]

Very nice car and very clean , you will find plenty of info here .

 

[spiderjason]

Welcome to the forum!!! Looks like a great car to get back on the road and a 1 owner at that!!! You can't beat that!!!

 

[Bad69cat]

Looks pretty solid for sure - and it has AC! You gotta love that....welcome

 

[Sprocket]

Thanks for the warm welcome, this seems to be a pretty good bunch of people sharing info on here, the way it should be!

I had a few hours yesterday and got looking into the fuel situation. Turns out, I'll be needing a new tank at the very least. Half of the top of the tank is gone.
It was covered in the trunk with something that the fumes melted and when I started pulling everything out, saw this:

that's not a hole but the remains of gas that was in there (reflection of trunk lid).

I had hoped that any fuel in the tank would prevent corrosion, but it looks like air and moisture got in there sometime in the last 16 years it's been sitting
Aside from the bolts on the top of the tank and fuel line, are there any other fasteners that need to be removed to get the tank out? Now that it's all opened, my garage smells like varnish. I removed about 2-3 gallons of liquid and a bucket of sludge, but I want to pull the dead tank out so I can start working on the rest of the nearby rust on the body to arrest it's advance.

 

[badcatt]

Wow! That IS the worst looking gas tank I have ever seen.