Going to look at the XR7-G

Cougar Community Classic Cougar Community Discussion
1

OK guys, I am going to look at the XR7-G on Friday and I am trying to get my ducks in a row as far as checking casting codes, tags, VIN locations and the like.

I have booked a lift in town there so I will be able to get it up in the air. I have also ordered the Marti books “By The Numbers”, “68 Illustrated Facts and Specification Manual”, and “The Mustang and Cougar Tag Book”. Finally, I have been spending hours watching and re-watching Don and Scott’s videos on originality and numbers.

I am trying to put together a punch-list of sorts to make this inspection go smoothly. I am also trying to make sure I know exactly where to go to find the VIN and date code on the block on the 390. I just want to make sure I am not looking for the VIN for and hour and feeling rushed on other aspects of the car.

I have owned a few cougars in the past, but this is the first car of any real significance that I have tried to buy, so I am trying to do everything right.

Any help or tips would be greatly appreciated.

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On a 390, look for the casting date in the block right between the oil filter and the oil pan. Should look something like 8 B 6 which is the date in my block and represents 1968, February 6th. You may need to clean this area off with a tooth brush, some cleaner and a paper towel in order to make it legible.

Also check and see if the buck tag is present and for your car.

You could check and see if one of the heads is stamped with a partial VIN but they can be hard to see (very faint on my car) and you would need a small mirror on a stick.

Check for all the XR7-G specific parts and note their condition. Nice reproductions available for some of the parts (emblems, exhaust tips, click pins) but not so for many others (console, correct early fog lights, etc.)

  • Phillip
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Thanks Phillip.

That is the exact info I was looking for. I was looking for what should be the exact location of the date stamp on the block. I will be taking various brushes, some degreaser, a few small picks, a flashlight and an inspection mirror - and, of course reference material. I was just hoping the date code wasn’t behind the starter or something.

I assume the date code should be a few weeks before the assembly date.

What would be the location of the VIN on the head?

I will check all the G parts. From the pictures it seems to be pretty complete as far as the G specific parts, but I will check condition.

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The VIN on the head can be seen using a digital camera or smart phone camera held beol the brake booster, facing forward. Take a flash photo, then look at it on the phone or computer.

Not every car was stamped with a VIN, so it is likely a 50/50 chance it is (or was ever) there. You have to remove a valve cover to see the date code on the heads. For a March built 390 it would likely be 2 weeks - 60 days prior to the build date of the car.


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“I assume the date code should be a few weeks before the assembly date.”

I just pulled apart the 390 in my G and my original head with the VIN stamped in it has a date of 8 B 7 (February 7, 1968).

According to my Marti my G was produced on May 6, 1968. But I know that Shelby Mustangs have two production dates, the day they were produced at Ford and the day they were finished at A.O. Smith so I wonder if that is true of Gs.

Also, for what it’s worth, when I bought my G the seller (hey Bill!) wasn’t sure about the originality of the engine block as it was real gunked up down there and impossible to read. However, he knew that one of the heads was original, because it was stamped with the VIN.

When I got the G I scrubbed and scrubbed and found the block was a November 1971 block, so definitely not original.

As I said, I just pulled the engine apart and I have the '71 block, one original VIN stamped head, a May 1969 head and a non-original but from the same period Holley carb. I also found I had the original fan/clutch (unique for big block Fords and can be pricey), intake, exhaust, etc.

So it makes you wonder, what the heck happened to the original block and the other original head plus the carb? Did something blow up and destroy those things? Did it happen in 1971 (the date on the replacement block) - when the car was only 3 years old?

Luckily and keep this in mind when you inspect this G, 390s are more plentiful and cheaper than 427s or 428CJ and as luck would have it I already had a Feb. 6th 1968 390 block out of a Comet Cyclone sitting in the corner of my garage.

Blew me away that my original head on the G I just (fairly) recently bought and the block I purchased 12 years before were cast a day apart!

  • Phillip
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This is some good information. I thought every block got the Vin stamp. Good idea about the phone that would be way easier than reading a mirror backwards.
Steven

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Not every block , but every engine assembly, was mandated by Federal Law to have a VIN stamp on it starting January 1st 1968. Earlier cars might have the stamping but those are the ones that are iffy.
My experience, and others may vary, is that the back side of the head on the drivers side of the car is the most common location, but I have seen the block stamped just below the head in the in the same area. The stamping was done by hand and it will be faint and crocked and probably be partially filled with paint. IF the engine has been apart they heads can be swapped from side to side so sometimes you fined the stamping on the front of the passenger side head. Remember this is a partial VIN not the complete version. The key part is the sequence number starting with a 5XXXXX.

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The VIN on the engine is what I wanted to make sure I could find. This information helps immensely.

Having a non-numbers matching engine assembly is not a deal breaker, but it would lower the value to me.

By the way, the current owner bought the car in 1983-84 and it had 13,000 miles on the odometer. It currently reads about 18,000. The odometer has to have gone over 100,000 right? I thought Hertz put more miles than that on the cars before they sold them. Was there any rule about how many miles should be on a car before it was sold from Hertz?

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I would expect to see wear on the pedal edges that look like 100K plus, unless they have been replaced.

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I am getting the Marti books tomorrow. He already had a Marti Report, so that is done.

I will start putting together a punch-list of items I need to check out. It should be pretty short since most of the stuff will just be condition based.

There is rust under the vinyl top at the rear window, so I will be evaluating that. I need to contact a local shop to see how much it will cost to have a new top installed with a sunroof.

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Here is the vin# off of my G on the back of the cyl head for reference.
Serial#lefthead.JPG

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Check out this G just pulled from the original family owners back yard in Phoenix. It will be for sale soon with only 70k miles. Cooked interior, they parked it way back when outdoors because it had a bad Master cylinder.

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Oh no… I hate what the Phoenix sun does to cars.

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That is a great color combination… Hopefully it will be a rust free-ish car.

Don, thanks for your videos on youtube. They are really helping me get my ducks in a row on this inspection Friday.

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Glad they helped you! Yes, the G coming on the market is very clean, original and complete. My guess is it will bring $25-$29K when it comes on the market.

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I’m anxious to see the parchment interior! Fingers crossed that the leather isn’t absolutely useless …

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The interior is complete but, to use your term, useless. The dash pad is pointed skyward and everything else is as you would expect from a car stored for a long period of time outdoors in Arizona.

This will be an absolutely stunning car when restored. All the right options and a rarely seen color combination, particularly on a “G”.

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Wow! Can’t wait to see pictures!!

  • Phillip
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It will be fantastic to see photos. Sounds like a great color combination.

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Was this a Hertz rent a racer?