My daughter loves the classics and I love cars in general, so I was considering picking up a project for us to restore together. Now I’m fairly mechanically inclined when it comes to cars and have friends who weld, do custom interiors, etc. Our goal would not be to create a show car. This would be driven regularly and enjoyed.
That being said I want to make sure I’m not biting off more than I can chew.
I found a '67 Cougar with the base 289. However, it has been converted to EFI (EZ EFI system), has hardened pushrods and a 'competition" cam. It has new fuel lines, new fuel tank, high flow headers and full 2.5" exhaust. Electrical all works as it should except for the clock. Owner says it runs and drives great and he daily drives it in the summer. The body will need some work (small dents, etc) and it’ll need some fresh paint at some point. Trunk lid needs some work. Interior needs a lot of love. Here in an imgur link with all of the pics from the ad. Any thoughts on it with that limited info? I’m not worried about parts originality, matching numbers, or having it be in showroom condition.
Don’t do it… That is a money pit that has been buggered with way too much. Keep your eye out here and a solid project for under $8k will in time pop up. Sharing here before you dive in was a smart move. Welcome to the group, these videos might help you in the hunt.
Not to step on Don’s toes… but I learned the hard way NEVER to buy somebody’s half finished project. You’ll end up redoing 95% of it to either do it right or to change it to the way you’d rather have it.
In my case, and it wasn’t a Cougar, the previous owner paid someone to do work that was never done or it was done poorly or even worse UNSAFE!
ALWAYS buy the best possible piece you can afford to start with, even if this means that you save up a little longer.
Yes! The videos are very specific. Watch a couple and you will see why this car falls under the “Three strikes” category. My guess is the price is under $4000 which in the end winds up being the most expensive project there it. It smells rusty to me…
Establish contacts, spend some time waiting, but be ready to spring when the right $10,000 or so Cougar comes along. Even $20,000 ones will have $4000 of stuff to set right in the first two years. My suggestion is to find what Don and I call “old man’s cars,” which have not been messed with in the expensive departments like the interior. Faded paint on a NICE Oregon car is not as big an issue as a mostly-missing interior. You’d be shocked at how expensive dumb things like door panel or console components can be!
Not sure where you are, but be prepared to buy from a region with good cars. Remember, despite the hype about “black plate” cars, 52 years ago L.A. had smog that had to be experienced to believe; it even affected chrome and stainless trim. Look for a sleeper from some finicky owner who babied the car.
You guys are awesome! Thanks again. Yeah, the interior concerned me a bit. The seller has the door panels and such, they’re just not on. I’ll keep looking!
If it could be had cheap it might not be a bad deal. By cheap I’m thinking 2500ish if all the trim Interior is there. These guys are right though and this one is probably best to pass on. You never know what you get with an unfinished project. This car appears to have some body work done with the floor panels and the truck lid looks rough, that’s just looking at quick photos, you can bet there is more hiding.
No matter how you shake it cougars can be a little pricy to put back together even if you start with a solid car. There is always a trade off. My car was an Arizona car so no rust and solid sheet metal but my interior was cooked. I salvaged door panels, quarter trim and dash face parts etc but almost everything else needs replaced. I got my car pretty cheap but was disassembled down to the rolling chassis and powertrain. I lucked out with it having a running engine and newish suspension, and some other stuff. I also had to redo a few things not done correctly by the previous owner such as an unfinished disk brake swap but overall was a solid car. I guess what I’m saying is don’t write off an unfinished car but certainly take a really close look before pulling the trigger.
Decide what your budget is and keep this thread updated on stuff you find and the guys here can steer you in the right direction. You may also find others reaching out with cars they find too.
Solid advice here. I have only had my Cougar for 1.5 years now. First old car for me ever. I searched for about 1 year to find the right car for me. I even used a Pre Purchase Inspection (PPI) service that was familiar with old Ford’s.
Watch Don’s videos and lurk around on the Cougar specific internet groups. Ideal to buy a car that has all it’s pieces. As Cougar parts are rare you don’t want to end up with a parts car that was cannibalized. (Unless it’s free😁)
