Just like the title says…Since this is a 70 Cat with the “Scalper” (I like to call it that cause it scalps you when you have your head under the hood)…
Mine has fallen off and has been for quite some time. What’s the easiest way to re-attach this? There are 4 holes on the grill but only 2 studs coming out from the back of the emblem. I saw somewhere something about an “adhesive” but how well would something like that work? AND, my cat doesn’t sit flush with the black area on the grill. I was thinking an adhesive or glue might not work, but I’m here asking some experts for advice.
A photo here would help us to see exactly how the cat fits on the grille piece.
Now about the missing studs. Are you missing the upper or lower ones? If the lower they thread into the grille piece so you might be able to find something to replace them with. If the upper ones then you could have someone who knows what they are doing to reweld new studs in place.
For the cat if you look on the backside of the grille can you see the studs that hold the cat in place? If you can then either the cat is properly fitted or it was a factory error. If you cannot see the studs then someone has already had it apart and most likely did not put it back together properly. If the cat has already been off then it will require either some sort of adhesive to put it back on or you will need to drill and tap the studs to bolt it back on.
The leaping cat has 2 studs on the backside. When I place it on the grill where it’s supposed to go I can see the studs but they don’t come all the way through the holes. They sit flush, so there is nothing to grab a hold of on the backside.
As far as the nose piece coming off to work on it - I’ve already done this once BUT broke off one of the studs that hold it to the hood.
To tell you the truth here - who ever owned this car before us really didn’t do a good job. I am TRYING to keep her going but I’m just breaking even with this. I’ve had to go with cheaper parts to replace items (GPS speedometer, Autozone special horns, etc…) I even had one guy on the other Cougar board say that it “appears” that the drivers door looks like it came from a '69.
I’m really believing that this is a Franken-Cat.
Anyways, the emblem. I tried using Steel Stick around where the studs came through the nose piece but when I went to rubber mallet that back on the car, after the first hit the cat LEAPT off…so that idea didn’t work.
The studs I have on the cat are the right most and the lower left most…So basically both ends. There are none in the middle of it and it doesn’t appear to ever had any. There are no marks or anything making my think there were more that just the 2 studs.
The running cat was originally “Swedged” on to the grill. That process is like riveting it on. The studs then can brake at the same level as the back side of the grill. To reattach it you will need to glue it back on, use a good epoxy.
The grill assembly has 2 threaded pins near the lower corners and 2 cast in pins near the top that often brake. It may hold in place with just the one, but it might be a good idea to use some 3M “Trim Adhesive” tape. Also you should not need to tap this grill assembly with a mallet to get it back in place. I usually place the top studs in place and the bottom pins will slid in to place. Some times I will need to move it around some to get it in.
Good luck getting it to the place you want the car to be.
I had to do just this. It was the corners of the nose piece that needed some tapping, the corners where it started to angle downward.
Like I said though, I’m thinking this is a Franken-Cat…
The top left (as you’re looking at it from the front) is the corner that broke the cast stud off. I did eventually put the top portion in, then worked my way down and needed to tap the center part/corners to get the bottom studs to pop in. It didn’t fit like a glove, more like a little kids glove on an adults hand - it fit but really hard to get it on.
I have a catalog from Auto Krafters for parts for Cougars. It was here that I found the adhesive idea. Any other really good epoxies that can be bought at a auto parts store or like a Lowe’s?
Well if your car truely is a collection of parts then it would be possible that the cat you are trying to reattach to the center grille did not originally come from that location. It could be from a different car, perhaps even a different year Cougar and was used in a different location on the donor car.