I started the assembly of the drivers side suspension last night. Earlier this week I reconditioned/cleaned the coil spring, upper control arm then I added some fresh coats of paint. After that I began bolting on the new spring perch, rubber spring insulator and upper ball joint.
Steven
I spent the day working on getting the old power steering control valve off the car. Between it and the power steering cylinder my day was a challenge. I finally got everything removed after beating the joints loose with a ball joint fork tool. Even with that tool and my big ball peen hammer life was tough. The parts just didn’t want to free their decades long grip on the Cougar. Thank God I did not need the control valve for a core. One slip/miss with the hammer broke a piece off near one of the hose ports. Progress has been slow but I’m still moving forward so thats a good thing.
Here are some pictures of the control valve and power steering cylinder. The new parts are laying in wait for their installation.
Here is some pictures of the drivers side disc brake and spindle assembly ready to go back on the car.
Steven
BFH is your best friend, sometimes. If for no other reason than to make you feel better…apply liberally.
My method is a blunt end air chisel bit (and air chisel) which I use to rap on the loosened nut of the stud being removed. Replace nut if needed once the stud comes free.
If I have to use the BFH on a stud I turn the nut upside down so the castleated part is down and then thread it on the stud til the top of the stud is even with the top of the nut. I put a cheap throw away socket on the nut, and then hit that with the BFH. It seems to work better and preserves both the nut and the stud.
The control valve on mine was just as stubborn. I used a length of 3/4 round stock as a long punch so I could get a better swing at it from the top of the engine compartment. I also stuck a chunk of 2x4 under the steering arm (or whatever that’s called) so that all of the force went to the stud. Make sure you clamp the metal parts the new lines to the control valve when you put everything back together or you’ll have a mess.
Thanks for the advise guys. I’ve made note BFH, air chisel, throw away socket, 2x4/solid round stock followed with plenty of persistence.
While I wait for the delivery of the power steering hose kit I figured I’d work on the badly bent headlight buckets. I take parts like these to work with me and work on them in my “down time”.
Here is what I started with.
After removing the steel back frame I used a industrial heat gun to warm the pot metal. After I had it very hot I began slowly moving the bent portion of the grille back into place. My welding gloves were a must have for this process.
The alignment is slowly coming into place and I’m getting clearance for the headlight door to open with rubbing the frame/grille.
This was the end result. I’m pleased with the way this process work. I was scared to use a torch as the pot metal could be easily destroyed.
There will be a lot of detailing and and finishing before the headlights are restored. I plan to upgraded the headlight assemblies with some other mods and details.
Steven
Nice work…
I took apart the Cougar corral emblem on the front headlight door yesterday at lunch. It was very tired looking and needed to be addressed along with the grille restoration.
My idea along with input from my brother Dennis was to incorporate different styling cues from other Cougars. The Cougar corral idea had been discussed after I sent Dennis a picture of our Black Cherry XR7G in the background of a picture of Cougar #1. In the picture you can see the distinctive black background without the Cougar lettering on Cougar #1.
Jim Pinkerton tells the story about Cougar #1 in this video and discusses the reason behind the styling change for the corral on production Cougars.
Watch the video here:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cc-QzB6LCoc
Well here is my tribute to Cougar #1’s styling cue as I recreated my own textured aluminum background.
I had to reposition the walking Cougar to make up the difference with the absence of the C-O-U-G-A-R lettering.
Another small part of this project has been completed. Next up: fabricating the brackets and components for the electric headlight conversion.
Steven
I like that! Nice touch, Steven.
Nice touch on the emblem. What exactly is “textured aluminum” ? Never heard of that but I imagine it would look pretty cool on a dashboard.
Thanks Bill.
Thanks Jody. The textured aluminum I used is a PVC coated material used in construction. A very common use is when vynil siding is done in construction. The texture looks kind of like wood grain. The brand I used was Amerimax. I think it would be a good material for dash applications.
Steven
Right hand grille assembly and buckets have been given the GT-E black out treatment. It took a lot of cleaning and prep/sanding work. I used SEM self etching primer and then treated the entire assembly with multiple coats of SEM Trim black.
I’m going to do the horizontal grille bars. I’m working on an idea that will make them a little closer to the XR7-S grille bar which is slightly different than the GT-E grille bars. I like the narrower bright work on the XR7-S bars but my idea will make them one piece rather that an upper and lower bar as seen in this XR7-S photo.
I still have to strip, prep and paint the steel headlight bucket back frame. Before I paint that area and reassemble it and I will trial fit the electric motors.
Steven
That’s going to look awesome.
Hmm…one piece grill bars…gonna use some model train tracks for them to be one piece???
Now thats thinking outside of the box…
My idea is one piece but the bars will be solid. The upper and lower anodized bar that will be slightly narrower. It will be a subtle difference. The bars will be adjustable so they can be aligned for the straight clean look over time.
Today I worked on the steel headlight/grille bucket. After cleaning with a grinder, wire wheel and sanding in the hard to reach areas I added primer and a coat of SEM Trim Black. I then turned my attention to making brackets for the electric motor conversion. Using some card stock I have the basic layout of the brackets.
The next step will be to mock the brackets up in scrap sheet metal to make sure I have all of the clearance I need. Once I’m satisfied with the mock up I’ll fabricate the steel brackets.
Steven
LOL, thought you’d like that idea…snip the unwanted rails out that don’t line up with the covers…LMAO…
:hmm:…that might just work, actually…
I’ve continued work on the headlight door and electric motor conversion. I’ve made the brackets and I’ve done some testing and everything seems to be working well.
http://vid1086.photobucket.com/albums/j459/1967cougar390/Top%20Cat/IMG_39911_zpswtxor8qw.mp4
It probably would be easier to use the electric headlight conversion kit for most people because they are plug and play. I made my own system because I had the parts on hand and plenty of time 
.
Steven
Catheadlights also sells a kit where you supply the motors so you really do have a lot of options out there. Nothing like building your own stuff if you have the time and capabilities though.
I agree Bill Catheadlights has a lot of options and I’d recommend them for most people. They have taken away the figuring and fabrication to leave the user with just installation.
Here are some photos of the grille bars I made. They are just sitting on the grille assembly in these photos as I still have to install the studs for mounting.
Steven