Looking for a rough estimate on fixing up a 1969 cougar. My father bought the car in the fall of 69 and has been in the family ever since. The car has all the parts but is in rough shape (rust, interior). It has a 351W (4 bbl) with automatic. The engine was running but is tired. My parents are moving off their farm and I am considering starting to rebuild the car. I’m not looking to restore to original (not XR7 or eliminator) but would like to turn it into a driver.
Any idea on cost or value as is??
Thanks,
Mark
Could you post a picture of the door tag?
- Phillip
I think you will find that it’s hard to approximare value without knowing if there is rust in the undercarriage, frame, torque boxes, and floor boards.
It also really helps to see the door tag and know the original engine/transmission/color/trim.
That interior looks like it might clean up okay.
It also helps to know if the parts not on the car are with it and what condition they are in. A 69 Grill can be really expensive to replace it it is all missing for an example. Rust is a big deal, it is really hard to judge the extent of rust from your pictures. If there is not much that is a good thing. If it is extensive then the costs of repair goes up fast. Rebuilding the engine will depend on how much needs to be done. Expect it to need to be over bored and new pistons. heads should have hardened seats installed and most likely need new valves. I had a 351C rebuilt a few years ago, If I recall correctly it was about $5500 for overbore and rebuilding the heads as mentioned above. Your transmission may need to be rebuilt, I hear a lot of shops don’t work on the old FMX transmissions any more due to lack of parts. But I also understand that if all it needs is clutches and seals they are available. Expect that to cost $800 to $1000 or more.
If you can do your own work on rebuilding the front suspension you should be able to do that for $250 to $400 or much more if you should decide to go with a trick set up. You should also plan on a complete Brake job, at the minimum a master cylinder, rear brake cylinders, hard were and linings, depending if the front are drum then the same or is discs you will most likely need to rebuild or replace the calipers, new rotors and pads. If your lucky the power booster(if so equipped) and steel lines may also need to be replaced. So depending on quality of parts and if you can do the work pr have to farm it out can cost any were from $350.00 to $1500.00 or more.
The gas tank and steel lines most likely will need attention. At the best the tank and the lines will need to be cleaned out. But I would expect they will need to be replaced. Expect that to cost some were around $550.00 if you do the work.
If you can do the work and the rust has not made the car dangerous to drive, then I would say get to work and start with making it a safe car to drive. Then start with small body and rust repairs.
As to value as it sites, that to can be a little hard to come up with. But if it were mins and I was trying to sell I would expect to get someplace around $2500 to $3000. But others may think I’m to optimistic others may think I’m way to pessimistic on those numbers.
What ever you decide to do, good luck with it and WOW, what a long time of family ownership!
I will try to get a picture of the VIN & door tag to post.
Thanks,
Mark
Thanks for the comments, I will try to get some additional pictures of the undercarriage. The car has its original engine (351 W 4bbl) and transmission (automatic FMX) in it.
Thanks,
Mark
Thanks for all the info! I have all the missing parts (Grill, bumpers, mirrors, etc…) 20+ years ago I started to tear it down and stored all the extra part with the car. I would like to upgrade the suspension & brakes to make it a nicer drive.
Thanks,
Mark
If it came originally with the 4v carb then it would have an “M” as the 5th digit in the VIN.
That would definitely add some to the value.
- Phillip
Great, thanks for posting.
A factory 351 4v is a nice check in the plus column.
Medium Emerald Metallic paint with a White/Black interior.
Looks like a midwestern Canada DSO and 3.00 axle.
Would be a beautiful Cougar all done!
- Phillip
I’d think about a restoration in stages. Since the powertrain is more desirable maybe just get it back on the road and safe to drive? Clean interior and exterior as much as possible but leave the ‘batina’ that’s developed over the years. It’s been in your family for so long. Maybe those imperfections have stories? After you’ve enjoy the driver you can consider making it more shiney. You could easily spend 3X over retail. But my guess is the value to you is why your here asking for advice.
Good luck!
Thanks John,
The car does have a lot of sentimental value to me and my family. I am guessing the rebuild will be more expensive than just buying one already done but it would be my father’s car. He still has the original bill of sale and owner’s manual. I have 3 girls and hopefully one day I can take them for a ride in it like my dad did with me.
Thanks,
Mark
That alone is worth a lot of money. I like the color combination. But the history is the best part.
Great car to restore. I would keep it mostly original it has great presence as it was originally.
Family history/memories is a big deal. Just make sure going broke isn’t one of those memories. My two boys and I rode the Amtrak up to Minnesota to look at the car I have now. Ended up driving it home a couple days later. Memories and lots of pictures of the trip home. More to come of course. 
I’m just at the start of rebuilding it but I would like to take it back to its original colour and ‘stock looking’ from the outside with some creature comforts built in to enhance the ride. Any ideas/suggestions on suspension & drivetrain upgrades? I would also appreciate any info on where to get after market parts for this vehicle. I know it needs new hood hinges, windshield, driver & passenger door glass tracks (ideally would like to convert to power windows).
Thanks,
Mark
You can get all your parts here:
To come up with a good estimate of what it would cost to fix if you do all the work yourself, make a list of what parts will be needed and then put the prices next to them. Then add up all the prices and double the sum.
If someone else is going to do all the work multiply the sum of parts by 10 and then add the cost of parts.
^ This. Remember, you don’t need to do everything at once!
Cleaning is the cheapest form of restoration, and anyone can do it (hint: recruit those kids - they have tiny fingers for getting into nooks and crannies).
Getting it back on the road is the BEST form of motivation. Driving and enjoying it will keep up interest and make you want to improve various aspects of the car.
I tend to do small / short term / weekend projects during the “driving season”. Cleaning, simple fixes for basic components, replacing / repairing worn out trim, etc. This is the time you want to be using the car, not putting it down for work that will take weeks to finish.
Save the big / long term projects for the “hibernation season”. Bearings, gears, radiator, brakes, carburetor… If they are functioning adequately, but could use some work or improvements, schedule it for the coming fall / winter months.
Now, this kind of assumes that the car is generally road-worthy already. Yours may not be there yet, so it could be that NEXT winter will be your “hibernation season”. You will probably spend the rest of this summer getting the brakes and carb and cooling somewhat sorted out. If you time it right you could be doing some “shake down” driving this fall and be able to do a good evaluation on the condition of the major components, while making that winter “to do” list.
Value? I’d have to agree with the general assessments of $3500-5k or so - high end if it can run off a fuel bottle or move under its own power.
Cost to repair and make road worthy… really depends on current operational condition, but I would budget about $3k for starters.
That should give you enough for parts to repair what you can on your own, and some money to farm out an item that you can’t do yourself.
Body and paint will probably set you back $10k or so for a basic “20 footer” sort of paint job, and basic rust repairs.
Value when completed… $10-15k ish? For a presentable driver, as a guestimate.