Hello, everybody.I have a nineteen sixty seven mercury cougar xr seven. It’s in very rough condition supposedly only has 77000 miles.I would not doubt if it’s actually one hundred seventy seven or two hundred seventy seven thousand. I rebuilt the carburetor first time I’ve ever rebuilt one, and I’m not sure I got the linkages on correctly for the throttle. It appears the I guess idle or throttle screw, just hinges back-and-forth without anywhere to actually rest or be effective.. Does anyone have a photo of a properly set up throttle linkage and could share that of a auto light forty three hundred four barrel. Thanks I appreciate the help.
Is your Cougar an automatic or manual?
Here is a pic of my 67 with a 289 and automatic transmission. If yours is an automatic, you are missing the dashpot and the carburetor dashpot mounting bracket that the linkage rests against. WCCC shows that they have the bracket in stock and a used dashpot as well.
Good Luck with your Cougar
Coach Jack
Thanks Jack!
Originally the car was a manual. Sadly someone auto swapped it. Still has the clutch pedal lol
I can see I am missing that diaphragm thingy on the front. Thanks again
There’s something wrong as a C8 carb should not be on a ‘67 Cougar.
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Good sir, I have no doubt in your assertion.
Here is a post by GregWilkerson Autolite 4300 Dashpot - #2 by catlover that shows the picture below describing the differences between the 67 and 68 4300 dashpots and their respective mounting brackets.
Also for completeness, here is a picture of an Autolite 4300 setup for a Manual transmission as instead of a dashpot, it has a solenoid. Note some A/C cars also utilized the solenoid to increase the idle speed of the engine when the A/C compressor is engaged.
Coach Jack
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My father bought a 1969 Cougar that was a return to the dealership in 1970, and it was problematic for starting, running and generally unreliable for my mother, and my eldest brother who drove it when he was old enough. I got the car in 1980, and having read manuals and Hot Rod magazines for years before, decided that the stock 4300 4v carb might be the problem. I went to Harry’s Hot Rod Shop in Grand Prairie, Texas, and bought a generic Holley 600 CFM vacuum secondary carb, did some basic tuning, and never again had to do anything but pump the pedal twice, turn the key and drive. That car got me through High School, college, to Ft. Knox, KY for Armor Officer Basic School, and then to Ft. Hood, TX for my first duty station and never once left me stranded on the side of the road. Your 4300 may be great…but swap in a 4100, a Holley, a Summit Racing copy, or an Edelbrock, and you may save yourself a ton of headaches.
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True the Ford designed 4300 was not known for being reliable.
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For those inclined to rebuild their 4300s, Post #8 in this thread is where I describe how to disassemble, set the float and modify the auxiliary valve. I still have the 4300 on my Cougar and haven’t had any issues since.
She's alive and mimics a fountain. - #8 by coachJack
Coach Jack
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I appreciate all the responses in this. If yiu saw what I had to do to unstuck the secondary butterfly flaps and rod, you would have advised to throw it in the trash. I spent 3 hours working to unseize the rod, vise grip pull the flaps out, clean it up, drill corrosion out of rod bore holes, hammer the flaps back straight, and file them flat.
The previous PO deformed both sides of the secondary rod linkages by using vise grips but it didn’t budge. The previous po also hammered the flaps with a screw driver to try to get movement. Yea… it was a bear.
I would love to slap a holley on it, but if I can get this to work, fine. I have no idea the health of the engine, there is a gallop in it turning over so I don’t want to spend until I know where I’m at.
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