I recently purchased a 69 Converible, Mid Blue Met, white Decor trim.
I am contemplating a restoration later this year and i am debating if i should change the color or not.
My alternate choice is the darker blue used that year.
On shows like Barrett Jackson some nice cars that are not the original colors but sell well $
So my qustion is, wether a non vehicle specific color has a major advers effect on values or disirability ? 
In short, maybe. If your Cougar is an extremely rare car. Like a 428CJ 4 speed drag pack or had a celebrity owner then it may be a less then best choose. But a more every day one then it may not hurt any. Bit, remember it is your car, build it the way you want it.
From my experience I would say that a color change adversely effects the value of a collector car when it comes to resale.
Obviously, it is your car and you should do whatever pleases you. But by-and-large, unless you find a buyer that loves the color you changed it to, you should figure that chances are the color change will hurt value some when and if the time comes for you to sell your Cougar.
- Phillip
I agree with both the responses so far. But I think the most important consideration is to who? It’s your car, so if there’s a different color you prefer then no it doesn’t hurt the value. If you decide to sell the car, some people will see that as a negative but many won’t care. As Neal said the more rare the car, the more buyers will look at a color change as a negative. You decide what you want to do. Did you buy the car to enjoy it or for the resale value? If it’s for you, paint it whatever color you like.
Many 67/68 Shelby owners changed their cars from code I (lime/gold, med. green met, many names) and the cars have still sold well. That’s because many people don’t like the green. However the med. blue or glacier blue or the Mustang Brittany blue is a striking color and I don’t think has many negative feelings about it. But a nicely done Acapulco blue looks great.
I really think it depends on the car and how desirable it is. The more desirable the car the better off you are sticking to the original color or at least a color from that would have been used.
I changed the color on mine since it was a base level car that did not have any significance to it. I also have a vision of how I want the car to look and drive since I did not want a stock cougar. I’m sure I’ll have more money invested in it then it would ever return if I was to sell it but that’s something I’ve come to accept when it comes to vehicles.
Original color should always be considered if you might ever want to sell it & it should also create less issues/cost in the repaint (assuming you would not leave the original color in any visible locations as you change colors). Going too custom may limit potential buyers.
Besides that is a pretty decent looking blue and goes well with a white interior…
Besides that is a pretty decent looking blue and goes well with a white interior…
+1 IMO Medium Blue Metallic is one of the VERY best Ford colors EVER. I’d change a car’s color to MBM in a heartbeat!
I have a 69 XR-7 428 that is has a Ivy Green interior and was light yellow with a black roof. For me the light yellow just does not work with the green so I am going to paint it 71 dark green poly (metallic). I had it on a mustang and honestly with a green interior there are few color options. I agree with the other respondent, it’s your your car do with what you want.
Agree it is one of the best Ford / Lincoln / Mercury colors ever. It would be detrimental to the car’s value to paint it any other color, particularly since it is original.
Timeless color - always has and will look good and be desirable.
- Phillip
It’s your car, do what you like.
BTW if you are changing the color, technically you are not doing a “restoration”.
Are you planning on doing other modifications / deviations from “factory correct”? Will you be hopping up the engine, or will you be going for a factory look under the hood?
If you are building a “not factory correct” car, then changing the paint color is just part of the scheme. If everything else is going to remain factory appearing, then potential buyers may question the change in paint color.
That being said, if you plan to keep the car more than 5 years and drive / show / cruise it regularly, then don’t worry about the resale value. You’ll get your money’s worth out of enjoying the car.
I think i have decided to keep it the original Med Blue Metalic.
I said from the outset this would be a renovation, not a full restoration,
I have the interior mostly stock also but with a surprise feature i will show later when i work out the posting photos again.
Like many of you, changing a cars colours tends to niggle me ?
And i dont think i have the personal motorvation to strip it down to a shell and put it back together.
The $12,000 - $15,000 NZD cost of a complete repaint encourages me to have more modest inclinations 
Agree 100% with you, good decision.
The paint is pretty much buggered, but after a multiple polish/waxes it looks ok if you don’t stand to close and notice some deep scratches that wouldn’t polish out.
I agree that is a good decision.
Saving the original paint if possible is always best (only factory 1 time), but at some point it may not look good enough - even after a proper rubbing compound/waxing process.
Repainting the original color should be much less costly and should help some with the value - especially if other items on the car are still original or at least match the build sheet. This is even more so if it has anything rare.
It’s been a few years, but I did a “partial repaint” of a 70 XR7 in dark ivy green a few years back and it ran in the $3-5K range. I could see 2-3 time that if every piece is did-assembled and the door jams, etc. were all painted…
I was going to mention this option as well. It could be alot cheaper then a complete color change. Do as much work yourself as possible. strip and reassemble everything and just let the body shop do the prep and paint
What is the difference between 1969 Medium Blue Metallic (code P) and the’68 Nordic Blue Metallic (code D) color?
I think its the same colour, also known as Acapulco blue and a few other names.