Hello! My name is Jonathon. I just made an account this morning. After finishing up an all original 1972 Mustang, I a was looking for my next project. I came across this 1967 Cougar 289 2v 3 speed manual close to my end of town in Louisville, Kentucky. This car has 70k original documented miles and more paperwork and documentation than I could have ever imagined… everything on this car is original, except for the paint, which was resprayed a little over 29 years ago. I ended up purchasing the car… will probably leave it as original as possible, but I would like to get some magnum 500 wheels in 15x8 and a dual exhaust system. Car came straight from Placerville, CA. I am absolutely amazed at how preserved this car is… a gentleman brought it out on a trailer when he moved to Louisville and has put less than 300 miles on it in the last 4 years. Now I have a few questions… if I’m wanting a mildly aggressive stance… what wheel and tire combo would you go for? Like what size tires and wheel dimensions would fit under my wheel wells without any modification? Second, how rare do you think it is to find one in this good of shape? Is there anything intriguing about this car to you all? And lastly… what do you all personally think would make this car sound pretty good? Any recommended mufflers or setups?
Welcome to the forum, I like it just the way it is, great color combo.
Nice car. Welcome to the forum. Original is always best IMO.
That is a beautiful car. Welcome aboard.
As far as Cougars go, yours is pretty basic except it does have a nice color combination and the De’cor interior is nicer then the standard interior. Yes, finding one rust free in nice shape is rare, especially in the rust belt states. A big plus is the interior looks to be in good condition. Nice Cougar interior pieces are hard to find. Lots of different options for exhaust systems. If the current exhaust system is original. Don’t ruin it taking it off and keep it with the Cougar. Look at the original styled steel wheels vs magnums. Does it have front disc brakes? If not that is a must to upgrade.
Also consider joining the CATS Classic Cougar club https://www.catsccc.com/
We have a couple Cougar owners in the club located in Louisville KY
Thats a clean cat!
I am all for upgrades but she is clean enough to do a few small detail/clean up things and just drive it! Anything you change keep the original parts so you can go back if you ever desire. I agree on the wheels and tires, ditch those hub cabs and get some nice styled wheels. dont get too aggressive on the tire size as it will look out of place. Exhaust I would not modify too much unless its a mess under there. I think the stock dual exhaust sounds pretty decent on these, you could convert to that if yours is single.
I envy your interior! Its in great shape! I always like the saddle color combo.
Get a marti report to add to your documents.
https://www.martiauto.com/index.cfm
Welcome! Very clean car you found there… Here is what I put on my 67, as a first time customer I would offer you a set at 30% off.
Mention it on your next order and this item is free!
That is the standard style interior for 1967. It became the decore style for 1968.
Great looking car by the way. As others have said a very nice color combination and it appears to be in very good condition. I hope that the underside looks as good as the top side.
Randy Goodling
CCOA #95
That original and in very good condition (from the pictures) is quite rare - even if a standard model (a 390 GT/4 speed would be rare & XR7’s were always less common). I would keep it original for as long as possible…
Magnum 500’s look good (especially if you get the Cougar center caps) - you may also want to also check out the repro styled wheels (I’ve seen them in Cooker at 15x8 for the rear - WCCC should also have them). I had 14x7 with 245-60-14’s rear and 14x6 with 215-60-14’s front on a 70 with no issue (front was a bit close front/back at a full turn). 67 was probably a little tighter, but that is a starting point. I’m sure someone has a 67 to give you better details of what will work.
Before you try changing the stance much, I would make sure the springs are not just worn. A new set of rear leaf springs may change you mind, as I think these look nice when level on only slightly raised in the rear. I would stay away from air shocks - a good set of KYB or Bilstein shocks are a better choice in my opinion.
A good dual exhaust would help with performance a bit as well as sound. A good shop should have no issues laying it out and not too many people would object to that change. If the manifold is shot - doing headers at the same time would make some sense.
Good luck & have fun with it…
15 X 8 is too wide on the front. I would stagger them. You might want to consider a 17" rim. 15" performance tires are far and few between. I am running 17 x 7 front and 17 x 8 rears. 245 40 17 front, 275 40 17 rear.
Very nice Cougar! It looks like it was well taken care of.
-Keith
Would those tire sizes with on a 67 cougar without any sort or lip rolling or modifications? Don’t want to have to cut or do ANYTHING to alter the suspension or fenders to get it to fit.
The vehicles are VERY similar and I know many who stuff 255s under the rear. It also has t do with rim offset. I put the original Shelby rims away and the Legendary wheels fit very nicely.
The rears would fit Im sure. I have a 245/45R17 in the back with more then enough room. The 275/45R17 is the same height but a little over a inch wider. The fronts would be a little tight but think they could fit. Im running a 235/45R17 on the front of mine so that 245/40R17 is just a tad wider and shorter then what I have. Its close but but it would work we well. My wheels are 4.5 backspace for the front and 4" in the front. The front suspension has 1’ lowering spring + shebly drop, Im doing the shelby drop now actually. The rear has a 4.5 mustangs+ (dont judge! was on the car when I got it) pack. That is supposed to be stock height but I feel its over that but my interior is still out so that can contribute to it sitting higher. I added 1" lowering block but I feel Ill need another 2" to get where I want it to sit. Ill need a new leaf pack for that however.
I do not know where my overall ride height is going to end up so I choose the sizes I did since I knew they would fit without issue. Im planning on going to a wider tire setup when ride height is known and more power is under the hood. I just needed tires on the thing as my rollers where getting very sketchy.
I personally like the modern tire sizes, Lots of options to pick from and you get get some nice performance tires for pretty cheap. I choose the General Gmax RS and got a set of 4 for like $425 bucks. When you stick to 15s you pretty much get BFG radial TAs as thats it. Again is all in the overall vision you have for your car. The 15s and BFGs are a good look for stock height, stock appearing cougars. The 17/18s are good for those venturing from the stock look with lowered suspensions and desire for a wider performance tire. To each their own and your going to wrestle with tire and wheel choices until to pull the trigger and get them on your car! 
Do you care to send me some pictures of your wheel fitment and stance?
Here are a recent pic of current height but keep in mind I’m not happy with it and I’m still working on it. The front will come down more when I lower the upper arms and I’ll being the rear down more to match, likely 1”-1.5” more. The goal is equal ride height both front and rear.
This pic is of 1” lower front springs and 1” lowering block in the rear. Not the best picture but should give you an idea.
off-topic
@dieseld love the paint !