Hello,
I am new to the forum and finally getting time and a little money to get a hobby car to tinker with and cruise. I have always liked the Cougars, and Cyclones with 390’s in them although I have never owned an older car let alone Mercury.
Looking for advice on what I might need to keep an eye out for with 68 I have a line on. It’s a base model with a 390, or at least that’s what the seller says. Not clear yet if it’s 2 or 4 barrel. Told the floors need replaced but from the pics the rockers seem solid. Have not seen the car in person.
Any constructive advice is appreciated. Verifying the car is not a chop shop special is a big concern i have. It will need some work, and I’m not afraid to get dirty. I just can’t really afford to sink money into full on restoration. I don’t need a show car, but would like to have a driver that’s a nice 10 footer at least when I’m done.
Here are some pics of what I am considering checking out.
From the pics, the car is sitting low in the back. Is the motor in the car, because it doesn’t look like it from the pics. If the motor is in it and it’s sitting like that, I would check the rear springs and make sure they aren’t sitting in the trunk due to rust. Vinyl top, I would look very carefully for bubbles, especially around the back window and where the bottom trim is. Rear quarters and floors are always a concern as well as torque boxes.
The car looks good it the pics, nice chrome and what looks to be good paint.
If it is a factory 390 car, it should have an emblem on the sides between the front wheels and the door.
A 390 2v would have a 6.5 Litre emblem and have an X in the fifth spot of the VIN.
An S in the fifth spot means a 390 4v with the emblem being either the 6.5 Litre or GT.
If you could take a photo of the data tag on the inside edge of the driver’s side door and post that here we could give you more info.
It also looks like it has '69 hubcaps.
As Ken said, rust, rust, rust is always a concern with vintage Mercury Cougars. Then originality (how much it has been messed with) and how it was originally optioned from the factory.
I would also invest in a Marti report on the car. If you have the VIN #, you should be able to get the base report, It will tell you what the car originally was and options.
Another important pre-purchase check is to pour water down the cowl vent at the base of the windshield. If any of the water finds its way into the front floor, the car has cowl rust. That is a big job to fix in most cases unless it’s confined to the “hats” at either end of the cowl. Here is picture of what a rusted cowl looks like.
And after it’s repaired:
Note that, with a good cowl, there’s a tall lip to prevent water from getting inside the car. If it comes in, as in the first picture, it means that lip is partially or completely rusted away.
Really appreciate the details given so far the time taken. I knew on a forum like this I would get good information, especially the back window areas. I too suspect that the engine is not in it from the way it’s sitting. It’s 100 miles away and I’m not going there without more information. It might be more than i want to hassle with.
Agreed. I drove 311 miles one way(5 hours)to check out the one I got last year but I had full intentions of purchasing it based off the seller’s photos, emails and eventually phone conversations. 100 miles with good pictures and decent description would be an easy decision for me to take the time to check it out. But, like Al said, price dictates a lot.
I totally agree here. My wife and I drug an empty car trailer 4 hours to Miami to look at a newer Mustang for her at a dealer. We came back with an empty car trailer. Car had damage that was not on a CarFax.
