Hi everyone!
I do not now own a Cougar-- (wish I did).
But-- for about the last 20 years (ever since the internet became viable), I have searched for a picture of my Cougar Eliminator 429CJ with a shaker hood. It was competition (school bus) yellow with black stripes.
here’s my story:
I was promoted to Foreman at the Ford Wixom Assembly plant (T-Bird, Lincoln and Lincoln Mark III) at age 20. Once I turned 21, I used my Ford employee discount to buy my first new car-- the one above. I went into Stu Evans Lincoln Mercury at the corner of Grand River and Telegraph in Detroit and told them I wanted an Eliminator with the biggest engine I could get. I struggled between deciding on an AM with an 8 track or an AM FM radio. I went for the 8 track. I ordered it with a 4 speed and did not specify the rear end ratio.
I signed the papers and put my money down.
As soon as I got home I realized-- this thing will cost me a ton in insurance-- and suck gas like a aircraft carrier.
In my head, I thought that an automatic would cost less for insurance than a 4 speed (finding out later rates were based on pounds per HP-- and even later finding out the factory (or was it the insurance companies ??) rating was 425HP–OUCH!!)
Keep in mind-- my salary was $950.00 a month. A good salary but still, with a child and a wife, and a house-- it was going to be tight.
I had no idea what engine it would come with-- but, I called and told the salesman I wanted an automatic instead of a 4 speed, and, the highest rear end ratio (lowest numerically) I could get.
they had told me my order should arrive within 2-3 weeks. I couldn’t wait.
2 weeks came and went. Then 3. I called and called-- “no, not here yet, any day now-- any day!”
4 weeks passed!
I was furious! I even accused them of trying to steal my $100.00 deposit!!
At 5 weeks, I called and demanded my deposit back. They told me it was due within a week-- that it was built and on it’s way. They said they were very sorry, but it was too late to cancel my order and would not refund my deposit.
I had actually gone to a Ford dealer, picked out an orange (with plaid seats–yuck) Mustang 302 Boss and intended to use that $100.00 as a down payment.
I fumed for days.
Then, one day, I got home and my wife said the dealer called-- our car was in.
We raced to the dealer-- there it was!
I was blown away.
We loaded our little girl in the back seat, left our smashed up VW bug at the dealer and took off.
We didn’t get far.
We headed out Grand River and took the ramp to I 96 – about 10 miles total, it started billowing white smoke out he back.
I never accelerated hard-- or even got up to 65 MPH (the speed limit at the time).
We pulled off and into a gas station. The transmission had let go and the smoke was trans fluid on the exhaust.
I called the dealer from the pay phone.
They accused me of racing it-- said the problem wasn’t covered. I had it towed in (ah-- the good old days-- warranty or not-- you paid for the tow).
And my buddy came and got us.
Stu Evans flat out refused to look at it as a warranty issue. I was 21. I raced it-- end of conversation!
Next day-- I show up in my old VW at work. In our pre shift meeting, everyone wants to know when I’m getting my new car. I told them the story. Pete, my Dept Supervisor told the plant manager, who made a call to someone who made a call to someone who made a call to someone.
Before the end of the shift, My general Foreman brought me a piece of paper with a name and phone number. He told me to have the dealer call that number.
I did
They were told to replace that transmission-- right away.Free-- under warranty.
Turns out, the front seal let go. (if I remember right).
My dad had always made a big deal about breaking in a new car. So, I drove it gently for about the first thousand miles-- very-- very hard to do.
It had a 429 engine. It was an automatic and the rear end ratio was 2.75~1
It had a 6000 RPM red line. The speedometer went to 120 (which always tee’d me off-- a 6 cylinder Mustangs speedometer went to 140 (?? or 160??).
I was moved to the afternoon shift-- after work, I cruised Telegraph and Woodward (wonder why she divorced me??)
I would run up against 396SS Chevelles, 426 Hemi Cudas,
And get my ass whipped.
It would either bog out of the hole, or blister those little F70 14 Tiger Paw bias ply tires til they almost caught fire.
Pete (my dept super) overhead me complaining how I got beat by a SS396 Chevelle and told me-- you take that down to the Executive garage tomorrow.
I did.
By end of shift, it had a “J” profile cam, a dual point distributor and a bigger (I always thought it was a 950CFM Holley-- but people have said that was too big) carb
Now-- it would hit 120 at 4600 RPM. It would pin the needle at 5200 RPM and I could no longer tell if I was even on the road. There was no sensation of control.
I never took it to the redline because-- I was afraid I would break the needle off against the pin at the bottom of the speedometer.
And, against the SS 396’s, the heni Cuda’s and others, it was still impossible to get a good launch-- but now, it simply lit up the tires and got me sideways more than once.
Run me from a roll?? HA HA-- I wup yo azz!!
I was averaging 4MPG-- premium!! 42 cents a gallon!!!
I had bought my wife a little '67 Fiat 850 Spyder convertible. I started driving it to work.
All that to say this.
I have heard there were only two 429 Eliminators made-- at a special shop where they also built the 429 Mustang.
I have heard there were 500 made.to a web site
I have never found a Mustang – or a Cougar with the “Shaker Hood” like mine. It was attached to the engine and stuck up thru a hole in the hood. But it wasn’t the little flat one like I have seen on some Mustangs. This was taller, oval shaped, and had three vacuum operated butterflies. It was flat black and had “Cobra Jet” in chrome script on both sides.
Has anyone got any info on it?
Last I saw it, the rear quarters were all rusted out-- I knew it was mine because of the dent in the rear bumper where I backed into a pole and the Teleways drive in restaurant. It was a mess.
Any help to my “mystery” would be greatly appreciated!
This is the only picture I have left of it
Well, guess not. Gotta load it to a web site first-- like Flikr-- will do later
The two (actually three) 429 Cougars were Boss 429 Cougars. One was a prototype that was used by the magazines and then presumably scrapped. The other two were purpose built race cars and both are know to survive although they suffered greatly from a racing career. The 429 was not available in any Cougar in 1970. The biggest available engine was the 428 Cobra Jet. The good news is that Kevin Marti of Marti Autoworks is licensed by Ford to provide information from the Ford database for these cars. If you can provide the VIN he can produce a report shoing exactly how the car was equipped when it was built. If you don’t have the VIN he can look up the Eliminators ordered by Stu Evans LM in that time frame. Also, if you have the VIN there is a data base that tracks the Cougars that are still known to exist. Or once you get the VIN from Mari they can check with that.
Dealers did all kinds of modifications back in the day so there is no telling what the dealer may have done to your car.
Over time our memories tend to jumble things together so don’t worry if it turns out that you have mis-remembered some aspect of a car from almost 50 years ago.
I would love to see some pictures of that shaker hood scoop - did you take any when it was brand new and if so, please post them 
- Phillip
Wozerd, good luck with your quest to find your car. I am a native Detroiter and have been in the machine tool business for 42 years. In and out of car plants my entire life. I have to say that it is very sad that Wixom assembly was shut down. In fact we went to the Red Wing game last Saturday and there is nothing left of that entire plant. Very sad.
I had a about four pictures-- one was of the hood scoop. Onewas the front to show where I had stuck a label maker punch of of the words “THE RAPPER” from that song back then. (I was soo cool!!)
I’ll upload the only picture I can find-- I might find the others in a box full of pictures I have-- somewhere-- I think.
xr7g428
You may be right. But really, I know my engine looked nothing like my buddies 428 CJ Mustang. And he had a fixed hood scoop, not mounted to the engine.
Even if mine was a 428. why can’t I find any pictures of one with a shaker hood-- let alone one like mine?
I have no clue what the vin was-- and I think I bought it in early summer 1970.
So, I will try to find the info from your source guy.
Couldn’t have been too many Eliminators sold soo-- He may just have some luck!
No Cougar came from the factory with a shaker hood/scoop.
Are you sure you had a Cougar and not a Mustang, anything is possible, but there was no place on the order form to even check to get a shaker hood scoop, and the engine would have been installed at Kar Kraft and had a KK#
Fascinating.
Sounds like a Torino Cobra engine and shaker.
Cool story. Looking forward to the pics.
Hi WOZERD - Welcome to the Forum. Great story - It’ll be fun to see if you/we can get to the bottom of it. Never say never!
No Cougar came from the factory with a shaker hood/scoop.
Now I am even more determined. Because-- if i don’t know anything-- that’s the one thing I know for sure. 
I would love to see some pictures of that shaker hood scoop - did you take any when it was brand new and if so, please post
Here is the only picture I can easily find. It’s the small one you used to get when you had the 110 film processed. You got a normal size and an extra smaller one
I know I have the others-- packed away somewhere. After 68 years you accumulate a lot of junk!
](Cougar | wozerd | Flickr)Cougar by wozerd, on Flickr[/img]
[quoteAre you sure you had a Cougar and not a Mustang][/quote]
Yup–see the picture-- that’s a Cougar!!!
I will concede-- looking at this picture-- My hood scoop was flatter than my memory recalls it, But it WAS a shaker!! And it did say Cobra Jet
Its a really good picture and a very nice Cat! Can’t wait to see any more pictures that you come up with. Thanks for sharing.
Very cool pic, thanks for posting
- Phillip
Ok, you got my attention 
Welcome aboard, Wozerd - that is a nice looking Eliminator! When was that picture taken?
Interesting, my Cougar has the same centercaps on it from when I bought it ~ the black mercury man caps.
Wow, looks at those nice original Goodyears. Very cool. Always love to see vintage pictures 
Mike-- gotta be in 1970 because I had a new roof, new awnings and vinyl siding put on that house in the late fall of that year.