So I’m about 3 months in to my second Cougar ownership experience and boy am I loving life. Above you can see the car I mentioned in my introductory posts that I got when I turned 16. A standard '70 hardtop with 351C 2V, FMX, PS, PB, and AC. You can just see the black/white hounds-tooth interior a bit in the photo.
This car was purchased from Dick Price Lincoln Mercury in Wichita KS. My dad isn’t sure if it was new or just a year or two old when we got it. He was driving a '68 Cougar previously. This was Kansas so by the time I got it in '78 it had a bit of rust behind the wheels and had about 80K miles on it. The driver’s seat had a tear but it was otherwise in great shape. i found an original yard of the hounds-tooth cloth and had the seat repaired.
I had a local shop fix the rust and re-paint it on the cheap but it looked ok. I then proceeded to smash the nose in a fender bender and as you can see above, the hood never quite lined up right after that. I remember screaming at the tow truck operator for not putting blocks under the front and bending the lower panel too. Idiot.
Once it was repaired I got the hair brained idea that I wanted to re-build the motor. A motor that was working perfectly fine mind you. That led to 6 months of down time as I learned how to do things and saved money for things I needed help with. Finally in '81 I traded it on a '66 GTO conv. I think I got $1,200 for the Cougar. Sigh.
Ah well, the black conv is everything I hoped for and more. Couldn’t be happier…though I do wish hounds-tooth had been an option for convertibles. I really like the look of that interior.
Interestingly, there was a quite rusty car that looked exactly like your BW HT car not far from where I live. The only one I ever saw like that. Think they were asking too much for it and not sure what ever became of it (I don’t pass by there pretty much ever anymore).
Both nice cars! You’re doing exactly what I did except my first was a 67 and now I’ve got a great 68.
Only major difference were the prices I paid for them in 1975 and 2011! LOL
That is a very sharp cat. Switching to Houndstooth might take some hunting for the black interior panels to go with it. Tough call. Maybe just enjoy it as is
Apology’s in advance for a slight hijack! So what’s the consensus on the BW Houndstooth Cougar’s? Are they such a rarity that it would be worth “going to the wall” for one (as in one needing an ECI treatment)? Just wondering given that I ran across one locally some years back. Not looking for another Isabel mind you (and that is pretty much what I saw it to be), but wondering how rare these might be.
Great story! I bet you are just looking for excuses to drive it, hope that does not fade. I say redo in Houndstooth as what is on there now was never available on anything but a std htp. Your car would have come with comfort weave originally.
I’ll likely go back to original if I replace the seat covers. Not sure why the PO went this way but it could be that these are all he could find when this car was restored back in the early '00s
I just have to make sure my wife never finds my account summary on your site Don
do I detect a new contender for “RotM” in December? Hmm… need more pics to be sure >.>
