Hello, If this is on the wrong part of the forum I apologize, let me know which part it should go into so I can remove and repost. I am still very new to this.
So as the title says, Cougar By The Numbers, would be essential to figuring out if my cougar has all or some matching numbers to the parts Correct?
Is there a alternative to the book or any other books that I would need to pick up in order to check matching?
I already ordered all the books for wiring, body and shop manual.
I haven’t checked yet, as I dont have the book, but how does this affect value in either direction? i.e. all matching, some matching, or none matching?
Last question, though not pertaining to the book itself. Opinions on repainting a car? Person I bought mine from stated it was original paint, and looks like it in my amateur opinion. (pics can be found on Proud New Cougar Owner post) Thinking of going a different color and don’t plan on reselling any time soon either.
A better book would be Kevin Marti’s Mustang and Cougar Tag Book.
That is the book that we used for these videos.
https://youtu.be/BxWh6R6OyUA
https://youtu.be/yjUXqrrBUdc
Another good idea is to get a Marti report. The deluxe report gives you all the options your Cougar left the factory with. and a lot of other helpful facts. The basic report will give you the options, but far less information about dates and how many. For most peoples Cougars the Elite report is just extra money not needed to be spent.
Getting your own copy of the book “Cougar, by the numbers” is n only helpful if you plan to look at a lot of Cougars and want to have some idea how rare each one is. Or if you like to have a lot of books around like I do.
Thank you for the quick replies, I will look into the books that were shown in the videos and check out the Marti report as suggested. I appreciate the help!
While Cougar By The Numbers is a great book it will only be a start to telling you if your car is numbers matching. The information in it is how many cars were built. There are breakdowns by paint color, interior color/style, engine/transmission combos, and options. So the best you will get from it is if your car has the proper paint color and interior.
Another book to look into would be the 1967-1973 Mercury Cougar Parts Identifier book put out by Warner Robert Product. My copy is copyright dated 1995 so you will most likely need to look for a used copy. This book has part and casting numbers for a lot of parts. It covers engine, transmission, rear axle, suspension, power steering, brakes, and radiator parts. The same company also has a book titled 1960-1973 Ford & Mercury Muscle Parts Identifier, again from the late 1990s.
Value only comes into play for 2 reasons, one if the car is for sale and two for insurance. If the car was for sale then the matching, or non matching, numbers will be important to some people. Others will not care. If the car is something rare, say a GTE, then I would want it to be as correct and numbers matching as possible. If the car is a run of the mill small block 2 barrel automatic then I say do with it as you please, make it your own. Sometimes modifications will increase the value of certain cars over a bone stock one.
Randy Goodling
CCOA #95