On April 18, 2009, I purchased a 1967
Mercury Cougar. I found the vehicle on
Craigslist and I bought the vehicle from a local man who had only had the Cat for about 15 months. He had bought the Cougar from a gentleman that was in the Air Force and stationed at Scott Air Force Base who had brought the car to Illinois from Georgia.
This body style has always been a favorite of mine since I was a kid in the late 1970's and 1980's. Our next door neighbor, Fred McClary, had a 1967 Cougar that he purchased new. His Cougar was burgandy metallic with a black interior and console. He used to take it out from time to time an wash and wax the vehicle so it would be in the driveway for hours. I loved the color combination and the way the interior shined after he applied Armor All to the seats! He kept the car pretty original over the years, but I do remember the car having at least one engine replacement due to a fire and possibly a fender bender here and there.
I had been looking in earnest for another 1967 or 1968 Mercury Cougar that was in better shape than the 1968 Cougar that I had purchased in July 2007 at
Mustang Corral. In February 2009, my grandfather, George Ford, passed away and I received some inheritance from his estate. My wife and I decided that this would be a great time to use some of the money on the 1968 Cougar I already owned or look for another vehicle. Finally, I decided that even with the money I was now going to be able to spend on the 1968 Cougar I already owned I still might not have what I really wanted: a reliable late 1960's muscle car with some modern amenities that I could drive to car shows or to work on a nice day.
With the purchase of the vehicle I received the original warranty cards, original owners manual, vehicle registration cards from Georgia dating back to the late 1960's, miscellaneous paperwork on items that had been added over the years, and the October 1966 issue of
Popular Mechanics magazine that shows a red 1967 Cougar on the cover! I also received what I've been told is the original 289 V8 engine, the original hubcaps, another set of hubcaps from another vehicle, and a box of miscellaneous parts including the original radio, outside trim pieces, bumper guards, headlight actuators, and even an extra hood. Even the spare tire seems to be original! After research on the original paperwork, I believe that I am the fifth owner of the vehicle.
Popular Mechanics - October 1966
After I got the vehicle home and continued to look it over and check out the paperwork, I ordered a report from
Marti Auto Works for the vehicle. Kevin Marti produces reports based on data that he bought from a woman who used to work for Ford Motor Company and saved many documents over the years. You can provide the VIN number and Door Data tag to Marti Auto Works and they will provide a report on the rarity of your classic
Ford,
Lincoln, or
Mercury vehicle. For a historian this is like adding primary source to your bibliography. The Marti report will confirm all of the suspicions that I currently have about the vehicle. First, I suspect that since I received a 289 V-8 block with the purchase of the vehicle that this Cougar did originally have the 289 V-8 as the only other engine offered in 1967 was the 390 cubic inch big block. Second, the vehicle currently has an automatic transmission and as many Cougars were outfitted this way and I see no evidence of a clutch pedal I can only assume that the vehicle came with the slush box from the factory. Third, the vehicle does not have power steering or air condtioning and I would bet these were not an original options as not many would delete power steering after the fact and the dash does not have the extra vents in the middle for the air conditioner. Fourth, the vehicle does have power brakes and many Cougars were optioned with those back then due to the fact that Mercury was selling the Cougar as an upscale "Pony Car" these could be an original option. Fifth, the VIN number shows that the vehicle was built in Dearborn, MI which I don't doubt. Sixth, according to original owners manual that came with the vehicle, this Cougar was purchased at Colonial Lincoln-Mercury in Atlanta, GA on April 7, 1967 and the DSO code on the door tag also corresponds to the Atlanta district. Seventh, when the door tag code is decoded it shows that vehicle was originally painted Cardinal Red with Red Standard interior and the car is still retains that color palette. Eighth, since I also received an original stock Ford AM radio and one of my favorite and longest running FM Rock 'N Roll radio stations in St. Louis, KSHE-95, went on the air in November 1967 that this was an original option instead of AM/FM radio or radio delete. Finally, since I received a set of original Mercury hubcaps with the purchase of the vehicle I have little doubt that these were originally covering the rolling stock instead of styled steel wheels.
Also, I posted information about the vehicle on the
Classic Cougars yahoo group to see if the car had been listed in their database as still active. The vehicle was already in their database and I found out that the vehicle had been listed for sale on
eBay in October 2006 in Fayetteville, GA.
Since the vehicle is very likely originally from the Atlanta area the body is in really good shape. When I bought the vehicle the odometer showed 52,053 and that could be original, but I bet the mileage is actually over 152,000. There are obvious signs of a repaint as there is over spray in the wheel wells and under the car. The original interior is still intact, but the front two seats have been recovered.
The engine has been replaced (according to the paperwork) w/ a late 1970's 302 cubic inch engine. The hood was cut to add a 1969/70 Cougar style scoop and a Mustang or Eliminator style spoiler was added to the deck lid. A previous owner also added traction bars and the heater has been removed. The only reason that I can conjure for the heater removal is to remove the extra weight for drag racing, but I'm not sure. The original AM radio was replaced w/ an aftermarket AM/FM CD unit with two Pioneer speakers in the package tray. An aftermarket tachometer was added on the steering column. Besides these changes the vehicle still retains a very original feel.
At first I plan to just improve upon the vehicle as it is currently configured. I plan to polish and wax the paint on the entire vehicle. I also plan to use some cleaner to make the wheels shine a little brighter. I also plan to fix some of the essential items that don't work correctly (running lights, turn signals, exterior mirror, etc.). I have already made a list of things that I want to change on the car in the future, but I will discuss those in another post at a later date.
