We dragged this big-block 68 Cougar out of a barn just a few short miles from our shop, got it running, cleaned it up, gave it some TLC, and this is the result! For sale now on eBay (click to go to auction)
Also, this car is the star of our latest video. We used it as another example of what to look for when buying a classic Cougar. Don gives it a detailed going-over from top to bottom, and even pokes some extra holes in it. Check out the video here!
With no belt I take it the AC doesn’t work.
Not a bad car and it seems like she would hold up for a while so you can enjoy it before tearing into it.
Nice job on the video but I think you are not giving the car its due. If you were looking at a standard 289 2V car, you pointed out the right things to be concerned about. With a very rare car like this it would be a tragedy if some one didn’t buy it because you found a little bit of rust on it. You did provide a feel for the value of some of the hard to find parts and that is good, but on a car like this if the buyer tried to whittle the price over the rust, most sellers would just ask: where are you going to find a better 390 XR7 with this set of options? In the case of this car I think you would have done well to explain that fenders, trunk lids hoods and doors are common and cheap. Floor pans are cheap. The value here is the very desirable drive line, colors and options. You can do body work on this car and come out okay, you can’t do that on a small block standard. IF this had a perfect body and the drive line was missing that would hurt the value a lot more than relatively easy to fix rust spots here and there. Very good point you made about barn finds breaking down a lot!
I like it. It is well optioned and a great color combo. Well done video so I think that will attract buyers to it. Good luck with the sale.
Steven
BTW why is the clock missing and the shift bezel off the console?
The pictures were taken a little prematurely, in the video the interior is buttoned up. Look close at the pics and you might find about 6 other missing parts…
What I tried to emphasize is don’t walk away but do not be fooled by pictures and first impressions. If I listed this car without the video and just showed glamour shots I think we could easily net an extra $2k. We spent $1000 making this video so we could get $2k less, real smart Don… Maybe we will make up the difference in mirror bezel removal tools.
No worries, I figured as much. About the A/C?
If I bought it I’d have a few things done before taking posession in order to get it a bit more road worthy…
…because I would drive it home.
Perhaps a stupid question. Are the black seatbelts correct for that interior?
Yes, black is what I most often see on this year with this interior and they were usually not deluxe buckles on an xr7. In 1967 and 1970-73 if you got the xr7 package you automatically got deluxe belts.
My G with the same interior has the burgundy matching deluxe seat belts. Nice video Don. I think you covered it well and it shows how the best way to buy a car is looking at it in person. I might have missed it as I got distracted a couple of times while watching the video. I didn’t see you hit on checking the cowl for rust and leaks especially on a barn find as it has a big vacancy sign for mice to make a home there. That’s one of the biggest hidden rust repair expenses if you don’t catch it. About $3,500 for a shop to fix it or, a bunch of labor hours to do it yourself.
In episode II of the Cougar Buying Guide series I show how to check for rot on a non AC car, on a AC car all one can really do is run a garden hose down the grille (which we did when we washed it). It is impossible to show all aspects and every scenario on every model of Cougar so we are going to do a dozen of these videos so folks can watch the two or three that apply to the model they are looking at.
My 68 standard was red on red from the factory and came with black non deluxe seatbelts and a black dash pad. When I restored it I changed both to red. Love the car Don!!! good luck on the sale.
My 68 Standard with Decor interior had the color matching belts as well.
