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It's time to find the next owner of our '70 Eliminator! Over the last couple months, we received about 30 submissions to the contest. After much deliberation, we at West Coast Classic Cougar have chosen these 10 finalists based on the overall merit, potential, and genuine deserving that we saw in each candidate. To those who didn't make the cut, please don't be discouraged. We really enjoyed all your responses, and were touched at how much these cars mean in your lives. Many of the entries were a lot more "human" than we expected. Others were just plain entertaining. Thanks to everyone who participated!
Cue the fancy poster:
MEET THE CONTENDERS
Each essay is labeled with a letter and the name (or username) of the entrant. When you've made your choice, please select their letter / name in the poll at the top of this thread. Your vote will decide who takes home this Eliminator! Voting will be closed on February 14, 2012.
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SwamperJr
(entries continued in next post)
Cue the fancy poster:

MEET THE CONTENDERS
Each essay is labeled with a letter and the name (or username) of the entrant. When you've made your choice, please select their letter / name in the poll at the top of this thread. Your vote will decide who takes home this Eliminator! Voting will be closed on February 14, 2012.
---A---
SwamperJr
Honestly this is a pretty hard story to tell, and I feel conflicted about showing this to everyone. Deep down, I know many people have stories like this... and it's good to know that even something as simple a car can teach us so much about ourselves and the world around us. Just thank God for what we do have today, MC.net members I would post more pictures of us working on it, but I am in Taiwan right now, so access to any pics from home is impossible. That being said, a few of you here on MC.net know my story, and my father, "Swamper"... so I think that should be proof enough????
We had been searching for this car; for three I had been checking the internet, classifieds and swap meets even, when a gem finally seemed to appear to me in the Spokesman Review.
1969 Mercury Cougar Eliminator
Project car, not running.
351W, 4sp, build sheets
3,500 OBO
My father and I had been searching for a Mercury Cougar Eliminator. We didn’t want a hot rodded Mustang, or super charged Nova… only an Eliminator would do. This was 2001, my junior year in high school. At this point, my story may sound like many others, but I assure you it isn’t.
The car was a complete basket case; anything that could be unbolted, unscrewed or lifted out, was. That didn’t really matter to me though, and honestly it didn’t matter to my dad either. It had been a dream car of my fathers since the first Eliminator rolled off the assembly line, and he passed on his love for the car to me at an early age. After 2 years of hard work, Eliminator was “done”. The memories I made with him during that time are unforgettable, growing closer than I ever could have thought. My dad had always been deeply involved in my life, but only as a coach for my soccer and wrestling teams. We never truly bonded until this car came along. Whether while waiting on parts or while sanding down the bucket seat springs, we were finally getting to know each other as father and son should.
Fast forward to 2005, when my dad got sick with cancer. The tough man that I grew up knowing was no longer invincible, and the father that told me he loved me for the first time when accepted that wasn’t invincible, became weak and malnourished. To watch my father slowly pass-away was the hardest thing I have ever known, especially after growing closer over few years prior to this.
In his last months, I couldn’t handle seeing him in the state he was in without completely breaking down emotionally. To avoid the constant emotional pain, I opted to not only start college while also working two part time jobs, but also pick up Chinese at the same time. I knew studying Chinese at university would give me a mental escape from what seemed like emotional torture at the time. November 26th 2006 came, and then passed, taking my father, James Robert Emerson, with it. He was known as “Swamper” to the Cougar community, “Coach Jim” to his athletes, and “Dad” to me. While working on the 1969 Mercury Cougar Eliminator, he somehow taught me what love is. Who knows, my dad may still have told me that he loved me if we never worked on that car together… but I know at the very least, the time we spent under that car taught me what love truly is; I would have never known the true meaning of those words if it wasn’t for that car.
Now my mother is a widow, with house payments to make. The last thing I wanted to do was to sell the Eliminator that my dad had initially intended to leave me, but I knew my mom wouldn’t be able to make ends meet if I didn’t. I put the car up for sale, and after months and months it finally sold. If that car hadn’t been sold, my mom would have had to sell the house my father built for them, or wait till she was 70 to retire. I couldn’t see either of those things happen; no matter how upset I was with the situation.
I graduated from university back in March, and am now teaching science in Taiwan of all places. There is a good chance I would have never gone to college if it wasn’t for my dad getting sick, and certainly wouldn’t be in Taiwan if I hadn’t learned Chinese as an escape. My dad studied science in college, and maybe I chose this route to make up for not being 100% there the last couple months of his life. I have started paying off my student loans and saving up to try and buy another Eliminator when I return state side next year. I’m not looking for a showroom condition car, not even something that looks like it needs a little work. My dream Eliminator is one that I can build in my shop using all the same tools and extra parts from that car my dad and I built, and that is why I think this car is for me. I could use a little help from the body-man, but not to the extent that most would be looking for.
---B---
Mike_B_SVT
Mike_B_SVT
I'm the right person to bring this car back to life because...
…when I mentioned the WCCC Eliminator Giveaway to my wife the other night she gave me one of those looks as if she were weighing my sanity. I let it go, thinking that it was a bad idea to attempt to influence the outcome of her decision. Then she says to me “I don’t think they are going to give you a car just because you’ve always wanted one.” Good point.
So over the last few weeks I’ve been thinking about why I’ve always wanted one. What is it about a car like that that I really want?
Back in the late ‘80’s, when I was just starting to get into Mustangs, I was reading a car magazine article that featured a 1970 Cougar Eliminator. Holy cow… that thing looked awesome. Bold colors, black scoop, black stripes, and spoilers – aggressive to behold! That was a car that meant business. The combination of incredible looks, the fact that you didn’t see many Cougars around, and that they were more affordable than a Mustang made for an irresistible combination. I was hooked.
I made some photocopies of the pictures of that Eliminator in the magazine. This was before everyone had a color printer, so I had to color them myself. I made a yellow one and a blue one using colored pencils and I tucked those pictures into the clear outside cover of my Navy qual card folder (I had just reported to my first Sub). I’d look at those pictures and imagine what it would be like to slide into those tall-backed black buckets, to grab that Hurst T-handle shifter, to turn the key and listen to that old V-8 come to life.
Many years later, when the wife and I moved into our current home I took those pictures out of the cover of that folder and hung them on the wall in our garage – where they still hang, like a promise to myself. “Someday… someday…”
Truthfully, I’m not the best person for this project. However, I feel that I’m the right person to bring this car back to life. Here is why: this isn’t only a car that I’m hoping to win. I’m hoping to win the Garage Memories that go along with it. THAT is the real prize!
When I read various car magazines, or posts and comments here on MC.net, it is clear that many of the car owners have awesome memories of their car and their experiences working on them with friends and family. Winning this car means that I will win my own set of those garage memories. Not just for myself, but for my wife and daughter. My daughter is only nine, but she is definitely old enough to learn her way around a wrench and a car, and she jumps at any chance to hang out with Daddy. While my wife is more interested in riding in a car than working on one, I can always count on her to give me a hand when needed. Even if they just come out to watch dad bust a knuckle (or two) or bring their poor thirsty husband an ice cold Coca~Cola, the entire family will be building garage memories.
Now, probably every fellah here on MC.net has a good amount of muscle car experience under their belt. Maybe they’ve been rebuilding engines or welding patch panels since they were old enough to turn a wrench. Not me.
While my father, uncle, and grandfather were all “car guys” and they used to run a body shop / garage / used car lot back in the day, by the time I came along they were closing up the shop and moving on to new non-automotive endeavors. So I was in high school when I had my first opportunity to tap their knowledge and get my hands dirty. Dad and I replaced the head gasket in his crusty old ’76 Chevy Luv pickup. A few years later that truck became my first car and that summer Dad and my Uncle offered to help me repaint it. Dad guided me through the body work / paint prep and my Uncle sprayed it in my dad’s workshop. Grampa made sure we all did everything the right way.
While a lot of the Cougar gang here on MC.net have done the sort of work that this car needs, I haven’t. That doesn’t mean that I can’t or won’t, it just means I’ll have a nice steep learning curve – just the way I like it. I’ve always been a “fixer”. When people ask me what I do for work I always tell them “I fix broke stuff”. Well, for the last 2 years my job has transitioned to a lot of desk work. Quite frankly, I miss fixing broke stuff. I love figuring out why something stopped working, and then making it work again.
For a long time I’ve had a budget set aside for a project car but it has just never penciled out right. Find one in good shape and they want too much for it. Find a crusty one and it will take too much to make it “right”. With help from WCCC on the body work this project actually fits the budget. And while I don’t anticipate tackling the bulk of the body work or paint duties (most of which will be beyond me), I think that this car will still provide me with plenty of other opportunities to get my hands dirty working in the garage under a big old Coke sign. Also, living relatively close to WCCC and their body man means that I have the opportunity to visit regularly and maybe pick up some tips and tricks first hand, from the experts.
I don’t pretend that it will be easy, or fast, and I won’t pretend that I know half of what most of the MC.net gang knows. I plan to ask a lot of questions, do a lot of research and reading, and probably a bit of bleeding too.
What would I do to a “poop-box” Eliminator? I would want to restore the car to be an original-appearing driver. I would take up the offer for body work and afterwards return it to its original competition green color, complete with all the proper ’70 Eliminator items and graphics. I would put a correct interior back into the car. For the drive-train…I haven’t really decided yet. I want to find out more history on the car. How did it end up like it is? Can the original drive train be found and acquired?
Either way, I’m thinking that to put a 351C back into it would only be “proper”, but a hot and stroked version isn’t out of the question. I would definitely have to deviate on the transmission and go with a 4 (or maybe five) -speed, with a Hurst T-handle shifter of course. I would also upgrade the car with power brakes to go along with the power steering it was originally optioned with.
And then I would drive it. And I’d teach my daughter to drive it. Then we’d both teach my wife how to drive a stick.
So what does this crusty old beat up Eliminator represent to me? It represents a chance to fulfill an almost lifelong dream of owning one; a chance to bond further with my family over hard work while making lasting memories; a chance to return an automotive legend to the road. These are things that most people only get to dream of.
Whether or not you choose me to become the new caretaker for this Eliminator, someone here will have that priviledge. And soon they’ll be making (or adding to) their own garage memories. Those are the real prize.
~ Mike B.
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Ashe Johnson (Ashes)
Ashe Johnson (Ashes)
Hello! My name is Ashe Johnson. I’m a college senior in Georgia. I would love to be considered for this contest!
My dad’s first car was a 1970 Cougar. He still has it. Through my lifetime, it has been restored from the ground up. When I was a kid I used to help him work on it; I have many fond memories of sitting in the garage on the weekends and either helping out or just watching dad work. The concrete and grease “car garage” smell is so comforting to me. We were members of the Georgia Cougar Club most of my life, until it disbanded. I’ve always wanted to have my own Cougar!
I learned to drive on a stick shift. I’ve admired muscle cars my whole life; the roar of the engine, the wind in my hair with the windows rolled down on a beautiful day, a cleared mind and the rush of being in control as you switch from gear to gear… there’s just nothing else like it.
Dad found out about this contest and encouraged me to enter. We’ve always talked about building a Cougar together, and it would be so amazing to be able to make that dream a reality. If I win the Frankenliminator, we would hire your body guy to do the floor pans and quarter panels. Dad will be funding the restoration, and beyond the body work done by your guy we would work on it together the rest of the way. It would be a great father/daughter project and give me a lot more experience working under the hood. I’d like to put a 5-speed in it, do the interior in black, and paint the exterior competition blue (with the black hood stripe). Once we finish it, it would be my daily driver. I would love to take it to car shows!
I do not have a car collection or a to-do list of projects.
This would not be just a car to me.
This would be THE car.
I would give this car the love and attention it deserves, and I would keep this car for the rest of my life.
I would absolutely LOVE to win this Eliminator!!
(entries continued in next post)