General => User Rides => Topic started by: 85CougarCobra on September 25, 2019, 10:29:34 AM
Title: New Addition
Post by: 85CougarCobra on September 25, 2019, 10:29:34 AM
Well, the long search is over. I've been on the look out for a Cougar convertible for 2+ years and have finally purchased one. There were several other opportunities along the way that just never panned out for one reason or another ... but "Blanche" (80's Golden Girls inspired) is finally a member of the family. She was an Arizona car for most/all of her "productive" life and was then purchased by a Texas family who collects Cougars (all generations and rare ones at that) in 2001. Since that time, she has only had about 1,000 miles put on her and has spent most of her time stored on a lift collecting dust. She's not much to look at right now, but we'll get her cleaned up and back in action in time. This is a shot of her as delivered in our driveway this past Thursday.
Title: Re: New Addition
Post by: Mikey97D on September 25, 2019, 10:51:16 AM
Congratulations finding the convertible!
Title: Re: New Addition
Post by: 85CougarCobra on September 25, 2019, 11:29:46 AM
Thanks ... it's been a bit of a journey to say the least, but that all makes for good storytelling now.
Title: Re: New Addition
Post by: 85CougarCobra on September 25, 2019, 11:39:15 AM
Spent the past few days on detailing. I've made the first polishing pass to about 60% of the exterior. I think the photos make it look a lot better than it really is, but she's cleaning up pretty nicely all things considered. Gutted the interior for cleaning and need to test/replace some stuff ... rear passenger window doesn't work, rear passenger top cylinder is leaking, weather stripping is probably gonna be an adventure to solve for.
Title: Re: New Addition
Post by: Mikey97D on September 25, 2019, 11:53:57 AM
Wow! What a difference already.
Title: Re: New Addition
Post by: mcb82gt on September 25, 2019, 01:52:40 PM
Looking great! Is it a 5.0 car?
Title: Re: New Addition
Post by: 85CougarCobra on September 25, 2019, 03:08:16 PM
Unfortunately, no. It's kind of hard to check off all the boxes with so few of these out there and available for sale. She's solid having been in Arizona and Texas, runs (although not road worthy), and is pretty complete ... that was the most important thing.
Title: Re: New Addition
Post by: thunderjet302 on September 27, 2019, 12:29:30 PM
Nice.
You keeping the red interior?
Title: Re: New Addition
Post by: 88BlueBird on September 27, 2019, 02:36:22 PM
Looks like she's cleaning up nicely :smile: What company did the convertible conversion on these? Did they strengthen the underbody at all, any added cross braces?
Title: Re: New Addition
Post by: EricCoolCats on September 27, 2019, 04:30:10 PM
What company did the convertible conversion on these? Did they strengthen the underbody at all, any added cross braces?
Car Craft Company from Lima, OH did the conversion (they are not associated with the Car Kraft company from MI that did all the hot-rodding to Fords in the 1960s.) The company got bought out a few times and are now part of S&S/Superior Coach which is still in Lima. Essentially the company did nothing but GM conversions at the time, and the Cougar was its one and only Ford conversion which used the same GM parts they'd been using. The top, top skeleton, top motor, cylinders, latches, etc. were all from a Buick Riviera. Even the weatherstripping had GM part numbers. The small side windows do operate and have GM motors, wiring, and switches. They used some aftermarket/generic relays for the top and for each side window. A modified power seat switch is used to put the top up and down. The rear seat was just chopped and narrowed (center armrest removal); the rear side panels were made from sheetmetal and covered with matching vinyl. There is a full snap-on top boot as well. For its day, not a bad conversion although the cut 2-point lap belts usually scare people LOL.
Underneath there are some pretty hefty subframe connectors welded on. They are not the typical ones seen on Mustangs or our cars, for that matter. These are fully boxed, even on the end caps, and contoured to the floor pan and are made of 10-gauge steel. They didn't mess around. There were no other braces on the car that I've found, though. Sometimes I swear my A-pillars were gusseted on the bottom side, as they never quite fit correctly, but that might be from cowl twist. D'oh!
Title: Re: New Addition
Post by: 85CougarCobra on September 29, 2019, 09:21:50 AM
That's a tough one ... I'm not a big fan of red interior personally, no offense to those who have it, just not my thing per se. Other than a cleaning and needing to replace the covering on the consolette, the seating material is surprising good with no rips or tears. The door armrests show the usual breaks and attempted repair jobs. I've been collecting parts over the years and have the better part of two interiors ... a complete charcoal one for any replacements needed on my '85 and then a partial of the darker smoke/raven interior as well. I may try to do some type of combo where I use the stock red in combination with the raven. I can kind of tone down all the red that way while keeping some of the originality. I don't plan to go too crazy with modifying the car, that's what the '85 is for. Anything I change up on the car will hopefully be plug and plug for the most part.
Title: Re: New Addition
Post by: 85CougarCobra on September 29, 2019, 09:34:11 AM
Looks like she's cleaning up nicely :smile: What company did the convertible conversion on these? Did they strengthen the underbody at all, any added cross braces?
Eric's the true historian on these, but as he mentioned, this particular car is a "Car Craft" conversion. The underbody is strengthened with some pretty beefy subframe connectors ... definitely more substantial than anything you would buy aftermarket. The interior backseat area of the car is quite the hack job when you start digging into it. There is some square channel added but it's more for framing out the assemblies for the rear power windows than it is for bracing.
Title: Re: New Addition
Post by: thunderjet302 on September 29, 2019, 09:24:14 PM
That's a tough one ... I'm not a big fan of red interior personally, no offense to those who have it, just not my thing per se. Other than a cleaning and needing to replace the covering on the consolette, the seating material is surprising good with no rips or tears. The door armrests show the usual breaks and attempted repair jobs. I've been collecting parts over the years and have the better part of two interiors ... a complete charcoal one for any replacements needed on my '85 and then a partial of the darker smoke/raven interior as well. I may try to do some type of combo where I use the stock red in combination with the raven. I can kind of tone down all the red that way while keeping some of the originality. I don't plan to go too crazy with modifying the car, that's what the '85 is for. Anything I change up on the car will hopefully be plug and plug for the most part.
The biggest issue is probably the trim panels around the rear seat. You're going to have to recover those if you want to change the color.
Is the car remaining a 3.8?
Title: Re: New Addition
Post by: Tbird232ci on September 30, 2019, 03:03:17 AM
Congrats on the purchase.
Looks like you aren't messing around with getting it cleaned up.
Want a set of snowflakes for it? I have a set just sitting and collecting dust.
Title: Re: New Addition
Post by: 85CougarCobra on September 30, 2019, 10:52:27 AM
The biggest issue is probably the trim panels around the rear seat. You're going to have to recover those if you want to change the color.
Is the car remaining a 3.8?
Yeah, the back trim panels would be the only thing that I would really need to alter ... everything else can come off, go into storage, and be replaced with other stock parts.
The drive-train will remain stock ... at least until it would give me some mechanical reason otherwise. If down the road it gets to the point where I have to pull the motor or trans ... well .. then I would be hard pressed to put a 3.8 back in. I have no plans to do that though, just want a nice driver to enjoy.
Title: Re: New Addition
Post by: 85CougarCobra on September 30, 2019, 10:56:35 AM
Looks like you aren't messing around with getting it cleaned up.
Want a set of snowflakes for it? I have a set just sitting and collecting dust.
Thank you. Yeah, not messing around ... it will be gone through in detail. Thanks for the offer on the snowflakes. Besides knowing that the hubcaps have to go, I haven't made any wheel decisions just yet.
Title: Re: New Addition
Post by: Tbird232ci on September 30, 2019, 04:27:32 PM
You're welcome to the snowflakes if that's the direction you want to go. If I can fit them in the car, I could bring them to you at Carlisle this year.
Title: Re: New Addition
Post by: 85CougarCobra on October 01, 2019, 10:10:39 AM
You're welcome to the snowflakes if that's the direction you want to go. If I can fit them in the car, I could bring them to you at Carlisle this year.
Sounds good, thanks for the offer. I'll let you know ... wheels are on the list, but it's a long list ... ha!
Title: Re: New Addition
Post by: 85CougarCobra on October 01, 2019, 10:11:59 AM
Well, despite a leaky cylinder, the top miraculously went down!
Title: Re: New Addition
Post by: 88BlueBird on October 01, 2019, 07:41:03 PM
What company did the convertible conversion on these? Did they strengthen the underbody at all, any added cross braces?
Car Craft Company from Lima, OH did the conversion (they are not associated with the Car Kraft company from MI that did all the hot-rodding to Fords in the 1960s.) The company got bought out a few times and are now part of S&S/Superior Coach which is still in Lima. Essentially the company did nothing but GM conversions at the time, and the Cougar was its one and only Ford conversion which used the same GM parts they'd been using. The top, top skeleton, top motor, cylinders, latches, etc. were all from a Buick Riviera. Even the weatherstripping had GM part numbers. The small side windows do operate and have GM motors, wiring, and switches. They used some aftermarket/generic relays for the top and for each side window. A modified power seat switch is used to put the top up and down. The rear seat was just chopped and narrowed (center armrest removal); the rear side panels were made from sheetmetal and covered with matching vinyl. There is a full snap-on top boot as well. For its day, not a bad conversion although the cut 2-point lap belts usually scare people LOL.
Underneath there are some pretty hefty subframe connectors welded on. They are not the typical ones seen on Mustangs or our cars, for that matter. These are fully boxed, even on the end caps, and contoured to the floor pan and are made of 10-gauge steel. They didn't mess around. There were no other braces on the car that I've found, though. Sometimes I swear my A-pillars were gusseted on the bottom side, as they never quite fit correctly, but that might be from cowl twist. D'oh!
Thanks for the information Eric, sounds like Car Craft did a good job with the conversion then and parts are hopefully fairly easy to come by since they are mostly GM sourced
Title: Re: New Addition
Post by: 85CougarCobra on October 23, 2019, 04:15:09 PM
Interior is gutted other than the dash, working on cleaning everything and trying to get into all the nooks and crannies. Actually, things are slowly going back together now ... "upgraded" with a few stock mods - added the XR7 steering wheel and digital clock. Replaced the stock dash speakers.
Title: Re: New Addition
Post by: 85CougarCobra on November 18, 2019, 11:22:52 AM
Some progress ... "rebuilt" the stock cluster, had to replace the shift indicator and most/all of the bulbs, and buffed out the plastic glass. Got all of the dew wipes replaced and the chrome trim reinstalled along with the window channel run weather stripping.
Title: Re: New Addition
Post by: 85CougarCobra on November 18, 2019, 11:42:44 AM
The trunk and driver's side taillight were damaged when I bought the car ... nothing too major ... there was a small vertical crease in the trunk lip, but the taillight was pretty much toast. I had 2-3 sets of used taillights, each one with its unique pluses and minuses. I took them all apart and picked the best pieces to refurb a set for the vert. I sent the trunk to the body shop to be redone and just picked it up this past week. It gave me a good fight, but I think I finally got it all aligned nicely.
Title: Re: New Addition
Post by: 85CougarCobra on November 18, 2019, 03:11:14 PM
Started experimenting with the interior color combo a little. As I mentioned before, I'm not a huge fan of red interior ... or at least not a full on red on red on red. I do want to keep some of the stock-ness of the interior though, so here's what I'm toying with:
-Stock dash - Raven on top, Canyon Red below -Upgrading to the high series door panels - messing with these now, thinking of going Raven as the base and then mixing in Canyon Red pieces (started with the inserts) -Switch out to a Raven carpet -Add a Canyon Red center console -Keep the stock Canyon Red seats
Title: Re: New Addition
Post by: thunderjet302 on November 18, 2019, 11:30:53 PM
I think red lower dash, center console, door inserts, and seats will look good with raven everything else.
Title: Re: New Addition
Post by: 85CougarCobra on November 19, 2019, 08:16:14 AM
Started experimenting with the interior color combo a little. As I mentioned before, I'm not a huge fan of red interior ... or at least not a full on red on red on red. I do want to keep some of the stock-ness of the interior though, so here's what I'm toying with:
-Stock dash - Raven on top, Canyon Red below -Upgrading to the high series door panels - messing with these now, thinking of going Raven as the base and then mixing in Canyon Red pieces (started with the inserts) -Switch out to a Raven carpet -Add a Canyon Red center console -Keep the stock Canyon Red seats
I like the color combo (a lot) but having trouble imagining the seats being one color (either). Are you painting the trim pieces or they original color? Would dying/paint the seats a combination be an option? I believe the raven seats were originally two tone so something similar?
Title: Re: New Addition
Post by: 85CougarCobra on November 20, 2019, 12:56:52 PM
I like the color combo (a lot) but having trouble imagining the seats being one color (either). Are you painting the trim pieces or they original color? Would dying/paint the seats a combination be an option? I believe the raven seats were originally two tone so something similar?
All of the interior pieces that I'm changing out or experimenting with are stock pieces in their original color ... with one exception so far ... I painted the door insert pieces using Canyon Red interior paint from LMR. I'd use stock pieces here if I could find them. I suppose I could dye/paint the seats, but I don't have any desire to do that. My plan is to keep all of the stock items in their original condition in the event I would somehow want to put it back ... however unlikely that is. The factory Raven seats are two tone - Raven and Smoke color combo, but I'm kind of trying for something along the lines of the below using the stock seats (obviously in an older less sporty fashion ... ha!). I did have to find a base model driver's seat out of a center console car though. This will be used to swap the seat bases to avoid having to cut the consolette off of the original base.
Title: Re: New Addition
Post by: 85CougarCobra on January 13, 2020, 09:16:20 AM
Finally back at it after things kind of slowed through the holidays. Cleaned up some of the vert specific wiring - replaced basic crimp connectors with some nice heat shrink units with the built in solder. Reinstalled the factory insulation/carpet padding. Cleaned and painted the center console, you can see the fading and discoloration in the photo.
Title: Re: New Addition
Post by: 85CougarCobra on January 13, 2020, 09:29:43 AM
Got the new carpet trimmed up and test fit. Still need to do some tpuppies on the sides but it's in place now along with the center console.
Title: Re: New Addition
Post by: 85CougarCobra on January 13, 2020, 09:41:16 AM
Refreshed the passenger side seat - hit it with some SEM vinyl cleaner and then treated it with some protectant, came out nice ... the interior was in pretty good shape all things considered, just needs some cleaning and TLC. I have a little work to do on the base of the driver's side seat since I am changing it over due to the consolette.
Gutted the passenger side rear window area ... here's a seldom seen shot on one of these cars. Replacing the window weatherstripping (brittle/missing), window motor (both rear side windows need some maintenance), and the lift cylinders for the top (leaking). Plenty to keep me busy for awhile ...ha!
Title: Re: New Addition
Post by: EricCoolCats on January 13, 2020, 10:30:12 AM
Nice progress Matt! The carpeting/console combo looks fantastic.
Just FYI, I'm not positive but the rear power window motors might be clocked. I replaced one of mine a few years ago (and it turns out that it wasn't necessary, there was a power/wiring issue instead) and it hasn't been exactly right since. I have some adjustments to make right now (in/out), hopefully it doesn't require removing that motor again.
BTW, the new motor was brand new, not a reman, from O'Reillys and I believe it was listed under a 1984-ish Pontiac Bonneville 4-door. It's a little quieter, doesn't sound like C-3PO's body movements anymore*. I kinda miss that sound...but the other side is still the original mid-1980s motor so I've got that. :toothless:
* Seriously, an old Cadillac window motor was the basis for the sounds of C-3PO's movements in the original Star Wars movie (A New Hope). Subsequent movies had different sounds for him, but The Last Jedi brought back the GM window motor sounds.
Title: Re: New Addition
Post by: 85CougarCobra on January 13, 2020, 11:48:05 AM
Nice progress Matt! The carpeting/console combo looks fantastic.
Just FYI, I'm not positive but the rear power window motors might be clocked. I replaced one of mine a few years ago (and it turns out that it wasn't necessary, there was a power/wiring issue instead) and it hasn't been exactly right since. I have some adjustments to make right now (in/out), hopefully it doesn't require removing that motor again.
BTW, the new motor was brand new, not a reman, from O'Reillys and I believe it was listed under a 1984-ish Pontiac Bonneville 4-door. It's a little quieter, doesn't sound like C-3PO's body movements anymore*. I kinda miss that sound...but the other side is still the original mid-1980s motor so I've got that. :toothless:
* Seriously, an old Cadillac window motor was the basis for the sounds of C-3PO's movements in the original Star Wars movie (A New Hope). Subsequent movies had different sounds for him, but The Last Jedi brought back the GM window motor sounds.
Thanks! As I mentioned before, I'm not a huge fan of red on red on red interior, so hopefully this will tone it down some. Looks awfully dark right now with no seats ... probably not the best idea to go dark on a convertible interior either, but I think it should all tie together nicely in the end ... guess we'll see!
The rear windows both operated, but not smoothly by any means. I pulled everything apart to inspect and grease things up. The plastic roller bearing that rides in the track is practically square, I'm sure that's not exactly helping matters ... I'll have to address that. I just bought replacement motors since I had it apart ... figured I'd rebuild it all while I was there. I bought new AC Delco units similar to these: https://www.amazon.com/ACDelco-12497971-Original-Equipment-Regulator/dp/B000C9F4VY/ref=sr_1_3?keywords=ac+delco+window+motor&qid=1578933430&sr=8-3. I haven't reinstalled anything yet, so we'll see if they are clocked or not. I also need to play with the limit switches ... I assume the bottom one is supposed to cut the power to the motor once the window hits a certain spot?
Love the Star Wars trivia ... hard to be a child of the 80's and not!
Title: Re: New Addition
Post by: EricCoolCats on January 13, 2020, 12:04:16 PM
Ah okay, think that's the motor I got also. It's definitely smooth operating and quieter.
A square roller? Wow...guess I better check mine now too LOL.
I also need to play with the limit switches ... I assume the bottom one is supposed to cut the power to the motor once the window hits a certain spot?
Yes, exactly. Was yours not doing that?
Yeah, the grease in the window track was so dried up and the roller was deformed. Some of the grease was basically bonded to the roller and I had to break it off.
On the limit switch, I'll have to manually check its operation. I don't think it is adjusted or aligned correctly as it wasn't being engaged at all ... looks like there had been attempts at adjustments to the rear windows over the years ... shims, washers, you can tell that the mounting brackets have been in different spots ... I'm sure there's plenty of time in my future trying to get these things aligned.
Title: Re: New Addition
Post by: EricCoolCats on January 14, 2020, 11:28:09 AM
Sounds typical of the era, I noticed some of that myself but had always been able to get everything aligned well enough. Surprisingly, the switches have always behaved perfectly in my car...up until this moment when I mentioned them. Ah well, it was a good run... :nonchalance:
If you need some reference pix just let me know.
Title: Re: New Addition
Post by: 85CougarCobra on January 14, 2020, 01:37:59 PM
Sounds typical of the era, I noticed some of that myself but had always been able to get everything aligned well enough. Surprisingly, the switches have always behaved perfectly in my car...up until this moment when I mentioned them. Ah well, it was a good run... :nonchalance:
If you need some reference pix just let me know.
Thanks. Yeah, anything you can pass along would be a great help I'm sure. I left the driver side alone so I have something to reference while I work on the passenger side. I have all the brackets and mounting plate/cover getting powder coated, hoping to start putting that side back together this weekend.
Title: Re: New Addition
Post by: 85CougarCobra on January 19, 2020, 07:47:40 AM
Took a little bit of a detour this weekend ... the hood release cable mount was broken, so decided to replace it before finishing up the carpet. Pulled the fender and replaced the cable assembly. Found a nice nest of cotton ... not surprised with the car having sat for close to 20 years.
Title: Re: New Addition
Post by: 85CougarCobra on January 19, 2020, 07:52:19 AM
"Finished" installing the carpet. Trimmed everything up, installed the kick panels and sill plates, got all the holes cut/placed for the front and rear seat mounting locations.
Title: Re: New Addition
Post by: 85CougarCobra on March 10, 2020, 11:28:51 AM
For those who ever wondered what a Cougar convertible looks like with the whole top assembly removed ...
Cleaning the insides of the rear wheel wells, treating with some protective coating, and then she'll be going back together ... hopefully ...
Title: Re: New Addition
Post by: 85CougarCobra on June 22, 2020, 08:40:46 AM
Finally what "feels" like a little bit of tangible progress ...
-Got most of both doors wrapped up ... still need to add the the map pockets on -Got the seat tracks on the passenger seat cleaned up and loosely installed the seat -Have the rear wheel wheels all cleaned up and ready to start tackling the re-assembly of the quarter windows
I'm pretty happy with how the color combo has worked out thus far.
Title: Re: New Addition
Post by: mcb82gt on June 22, 2020, 09:20:13 AM
Its looking good
Title: Re: New Addition
Post by: 85CougarCobra on June 24, 2020, 08:58:17 AM
Now to the "fun" stuff ... these rear window assemblies are going to be a series of trial and error with lots of adjustments to get them "right". Gotta try to line them up with the weatherstripping, gotta make sure they don't go too far up (or down), make sure they meet up and follow the arc of the front window, adjust limit switches ... and when they don't - take them back out, make adjustments, and try again ... good times!
Anyway, got the tracks cleaned up and loosely installed. This weekend will probably be a time suck on trying to get these suckers all dialed in. First photo is the assembly as it was removed from the car. Also worked on installing Dynamat in the rear seat area. The lift cylinders for the top both leaked all over and the fluid ended up getting partially soaked up by the factory lining which caused it to start deteriorating.
Title: Re: New Addition
Post by: 85CougarCobra on March 26, 2021, 10:18:48 AM
Been a slow go, but making some progress. Found some lovely corrosion in/around/under the battery tray area ... the car sat for the better part of the last 20 years so I assume whatever battery was in there probably leached acid at some point. Got to work on cleaning it up. Wire wheeled it down to bare metal, treated it, etched it, and coated it with POR15.
Title: Re: New Addition
Post by: 85CougarCobra on March 26, 2021, 10:24:14 AM
Primed ... painted ... cleared ... carried it around to the core support since that was looking a little worse for wear as well.
Title: Re: New Addition
Post by: 85CougarCobra on March 26, 2021, 10:31:16 AM
Cleaned up the wiring and other bits, replaced the battery tray (old/original was broken and brittle), powder coated a bunch of small pieces black, added the Turbo/XR7 face bar, fog lights, and clear corners.
Title: Re: New Addition
Post by: Beau on March 26, 2021, 10:58:21 AM
Kudos to you for saving it!
Title: Re: New Addition
Post by: 85CougarCobra on March 26, 2021, 01:37:26 PM
I'm over on the driver's side now dealing with a similar issue. Master cylinder / brake booster leak basically ate up all the paint back in that corner. Got it all cleaned up and treated, hoping to make some headway on the painting in the next few days. Luckily, having been an Arizona and Texas car, that's about the extent of the corrosion.
Title: Re: New Addition
Post by: Aerocoupe on March 26, 2021, 03:55:10 PM
Looking really nice man! You are inspiring me to get the TC inner bumper, Marchal driving lights, and TC bumper cover. Had the inner bumper and Marchal brackets powder coated like yours and just need to finish restoring the driving lights.
Have you given any consideration to what bulbs you are going to run in the driving lights? I have looked for an LED replacement but the only ones I have seen have a terrible beam pattern to the point is it scattered and it actually puts out less usable light due to this.
Guy on Youtube did a comparison and talks about beam pattern. Too bad they don't pattern very well as they produce less heat and thusly consume less power.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HiJzBJOQF3w
Title: Re: New Addition
Post by: 85CougarCobra on March 29, 2021, 10:00:24 AM
Looking really nice man! You are inspiring me to get the TC inner bumper, Marchal driving lights, and TC bumper cover. Had the inner bumper and Marchal brackets powder coated like yours and just need to finish restoring the driving lights.
Have you given any consideration to what bulbs you are going to run in the driving lights? I have looked for an LED replacement but the only ones I have seen have a terrible beam pattern to the point is it scattered and it actually puts out less usable light due to this.
Guy on Youtube did a comparison and talks about beam pattern. Too bad they don't pattern very well as they produce less heat and thusly consume less power.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HiJzBJOQF3w
Thanks. Right now, the bulbs in the convertible are all stock. I converted the interior to LED in my '85 about two years ago ... still need to do the exterior. You're correct though, there aren't many LED options out there to replace the Marchal H2 bulb with. The one from the Youtube video is the only one I have seen thus far as well. What's interesting is, it looks like they just took another LED bulb and put it into an H2 base ... this leads me to believe that you could probably experiment with some other bulbs to basically "build" your own. I plan on keeping the Marchals on both cars so I might experiment with the ones on the '85 at some point.
Title: Re: New Addition
Post by: 85CougarCobra on March 29, 2021, 10:35:51 AM
The wet sanding took a lot of time, but I can't complain for a DIY rattle can job. It looks way better than it did for sure. Moved out back and installed the "modified" third brake light. I wasn't overly fond of the stock add-on Ford unit ... it's a little too bulbous hanging out on top of the trunk back there. Replaced it with a unit from a Porsche 944 of all things.
Title: Re: New Addition
Post by: mcb82gt on March 29, 2021, 11:15:58 AM
Looks very nice!
Title: Re: New Addition
Post by: 85CougarCobra on March 29, 2021, 11:31:15 AM
Thanks. Got the primer done on the drivers side this weekend, hoping to get the color down over the course of the week.
Title: Re: New Addition
Post by: 85CougarCobra on March 29, 2021, 07:25:16 PM
I took the bumpers off to have the moldings painted body color. There were some exposed primer areas back around the taillights ... the car had a repaint on it at some point and whoever did it got a little sloppy. Decided to clean that up as well. Better shot of the "modified" third brake light.
Title: Re: New Addition
Post by: 85CougarCobra on March 30, 2021, 03:18:30 PM
Well, got the white down ... gonna wait a few days to do the clear. Sorry, I'm sure the pictures between the gray primer and the white paint don't look a whole lot different ... ha!
Title: Re: New Addition
Post by: 85CougarCobra on April 06, 2021, 01:10:09 PM
A little more progress this past weekend. I had the rear metal bumper and absorbers powder coated several weeks ago. Got that all reinstalled along with the repainted rear bumper (making the trim body color). I'm replacing the "Cougar" reflector on the driver's side tail light and then that will go back on. I should have from the trunk back done at that point.
Title: Re: New Addition
Post by: 85CougarCobra on August 31, 2021, 03:06:33 PM
Well ... the saga continues ... got most of the cosmetic stuff buttoned up on the back of the car. Taillights all good to go, removed the trim and had it painted body color. Only have a few pieces back on the car but turned out nice.
Title: Re: New Addition
Post by: 85CougarCobra on August 31, 2021, 03:12:03 PM
Removed a lot of additional stuff in the engine bay. It was basically down to the engine ... no A/C, no accessories, sensors, etc ...
Just (hopefully) started the rebuild phase. Installed a new Cobra booster and master cylinder, completely new front brake hard lines, and bent up new mc to prop valve lines.
Title: Re: New Addition
Post by: 85CougarCobra on August 31, 2021, 03:52:33 PM
Ditched the old ratty hood liner that was falling apart as well. This is a glue on style one ... hopefully it holds up and doesn't sag. The cat head logo is just a sticker that was added after install.
Title: Re: New Addition
Post by: 85CougarCobra on January 10, 2022, 12:18:23 PM
Finally started making some headway on the reassembly, got some good time on the car over the holidays. Front suspension is going back on the car. Upgraded to Mustang GT front sway bar and spindles (11" front brakes going on the car), had those items powder coated black. Putting in new SN95 V6 springs, SN95 struts, and replaced the lower control arms with new FRPP units.
Title: Re: New Addition
Post by: 85CougarCobra on January 10, 2022, 12:41:53 PM
The car sat for 20+ years (inside on a lift) before I bought it. To get the car running, the previous owners replaced the fuel tank and pump before I went to look at it. After I got it home and started digging into things, I noticed that they either replaced the fuel tank with the wrong size tank or straps ... the straps appeared to be the stock units, but they were not fully seated/installed where they bolt up. Upon further inspection, the wiring and lines were also being pinched between the trunk floor and the tank. So, I took all of that back out and ordered another new tank. I replaced the wiring harness where it had been pinched and had the new tank and original straps powder coated black. While the tank was out, I also noticed that the stock filler tube was extremely corroded on the inside. Luckily I had a nice spare in my parts stash. I cleaned that one up and replaced it.
Title: Re: New Addition
Post by: 85CougarCobra on January 11, 2022, 11:10:29 AM
Pulled the leaky trans. Car has 120+K on it ... just gonna bite the bullet and get it rebuilt. Figure just replacing seals isn't worth the effort of having to take it in and back out again. Probably going to convert to a floor shifter while I'm at it.
Title: Re: New Addition
Post by: 85CougarCobra on January 18, 2022, 10:39:10 AM
Good progress this weekend, got all of the stuff inside the fenders taken care of and the front end pretty much squared away. It's always time consuming getting body panels to space out evenly. Still need to "fine tune" a few spots but got the fenders, hood, bumper, and header panel all reinstalled.
Title: Re: New Addition
Post by: Chuck W on January 18, 2022, 07:39:46 PM
The car looks great!
Title: Re: New Addition
Post by: 85CougarCobra on January 20, 2022, 02:22:21 PM
Quote
The car looks great!
Thank you!
Kept the nice original grille and put it away for now, had a spare that had been roughed up over the years ... painted that body color with blacked out mesh. Got that installed and the front end is pretty much locked in now. Put a nice junkyard headlight harness in ... the original was breaking down around the starter relay and alternator areas. Got that all cleaned, new loom, and tested.
Title: Re: New Addition
Post by: Aerocoupe on March 20, 2022, 11:44:08 AM
Any more progress on the car?
Title: Re: New Addition
Post by: 85CougarCobra on March 22, 2022, 10:35:20 AM
Yes, thanks for asking! I've had a pretty good couple of weeks as far as progress goes.
I got the new TC/Mustang 11" front brakes mocked up ... not fully "installed" just yet, still need to run the soft lines and fluid. StopTech rotors and Hawk pads.
Since the transmission was out, I decided to convert to a floor shift. Cut the hole, mocked it up, removed all of the column shift linkage, replaced the steering shaft seal in the firewall (to avoid having an extra hole there), reinstalled the steering column, and converted to an buttstuffog gauge cluster.
Title: Re: New Addition
Post by: 85CougarCobra on March 22, 2022, 10:46:32 AM
Here's a shot of the interior somewhat back together. I'm still working on the mess that is the back seat with all of the convertible specific stuff. I won't bother putting the driver's seat and center console in until I have that much more squared away ... it just gets in the way.
Title: Re: New Addition
Post by: Aerocoupe on March 22, 2022, 01:48:18 PM
Man that is a lot of work but definitely getting done right. That car is going to be squared away when you are done. Excellent work sir.
Title: Re: New Addition
Post by: 85CougarCobra on March 22, 2022, 03:35:13 PM
Man that is a lot of work but definitely getting done right. That car is going to be squared away when you are done. Excellent work sir.
Thanks. It's been a test of my patience at times ... lol ...
Last week I replaced the oil pan gasket and rear main seal ... no better time then while the transmission is out of the way. I also replaced the separator plate and flex plate (got an NOS one no less). I don't know what happened previously, but the old separator plate was pretty gouged up and looked like it had been in contact with/rubbing the flex plate. Didn't feel right to put it back together that way ... especially with the flex plate being balanced.
Title: Re: New Addition
Post by: 85CougarCobra on March 22, 2022, 03:46:11 PM
Had the valve covers and a few other bits powder coated to help freshen things up. Got the transmission back in this past Saturday and the front wheels touched the ground for the first time in 14-15 months.
Title: Re: New Addition
Post by: ISTLCRUZ on March 26, 2022, 10:34:23 AM
Car looks great. It will definitely be a nice cruiser. What wheels are you gonna go with? 10 holes would give it that’ factory look . I think white ( or black)mesh wheels would complement the car really well but they are such a pain to keep clean.
Title: Re: New Addition
Post by: Aerocoupe on March 29, 2022, 10:27:12 AM
Lots of progress! Very clean and great attention to detail.
Title: Re: New Addition
Post by: Mikey97D on March 30, 2022, 11:15:26 AM
Ditched the old ratty hood liner that was falling apart as well. This is a glue on style one ... hopefully it holds up and doesn't sag. The cat head logo is just a sticker that was added after install.
Looks good! I didn't know there was a glue on option. Did you have to cut to fit or did you buy a certain one that is close?
Title: Re: New Addition
Post by: 85CougarCobra on March 31, 2022, 11:39:41 AM
Car looks great. It will definitely be a nice cruiser. What wheels are you gonna go with? 10 holes would give it that’ factory look . I think white ( or black)mesh wheels would complement the car really well but they are such a pain to keep clean.
Thanks! Haven't made any firm decisions on the wheels yet. The car had the original spoke hub caps on it and I originally replaced those with some beat up factory 10 holes. I have a set of pony wheels on it now. They'll probably stay until everything else is addressed and she's back on the road.
Title: Re: New Addition
Post by: 85CougarCobra on March 31, 2022, 11:53:09 AM
Ditched the old ratty hood liner that was falling apart as well. This is a glue on style one ... hopefully it holds up and doesn't sag. The cat head logo is just a sticker that was added after install.
Looks good! I didn't know there was a glue on option. Did you have to cut to fit or did you buy a certain one that is close?
The hoodliner I used was from a company called Duque Hoodliners: https://www.hoodliners.net/product/1987-1988-thunderbird-cougar-v6-v8-/47?cp=true&sa=false&sbp=false&q=false&category_id=18
The material is some type of airline firewall material ... more of a thick, pliable foam than the factory insulation. It still mounts using all of the factory spots and retaining clips but they recommend using a specific heat rated 3M spray adhesive to keep it attached to the hood. If you don't, it will sag in the areas where there are no clips. It's kinda cool though ... once glued down it looks like it is molded to the underside of the hood.
Title: Re: New Addition
Post by: 85CougarCobra on March 31, 2022, 12:00:22 PM
Here's a few of the upgrades/mods that I've added as well. Replaced the stock exhaust manifolds with SN95 3.8L factory shorty headers, fox Cobra brake booster and master cylinder, Maximum Motorsport caster/camber plates, 3 row aluminum radiator with new edge Cougar (Contour) electric fan, MN12 3G alternator, and PA Performance mini starter.
Title: Re: New Addition
Post by: 85CougarCobra on March 31, 2022, 12:14:07 PM
I got the driveshaft reinstalled and buttoned up a few more things underneath ... she's got a ways to go yet, but we got all four on the floor for the first time in a long time. :headbang:
Title: Re: New Addition
Post by: Aerocoupe on April 01, 2022, 11:43:46 AM
Just a suggestion but you may want to wrap the starter wires in header tape. I was having starting issues with my Coupe and the wires were routed a good ways from the BBK shorties. I ended up pulling the wiring harness I built out and it was hard from the heat embrittlement. Built a new harness and wrapped it in header tape from OReillys and used the stainless steel ties and its been good ever since. Did this on the clutch cable on both cars as well due to melting the one on the T-Bird with the 1-7/8" headers on the 351W.
Car is looking amazing by the way.
Title: Re: New Addition
Post by: 85CougarCobra on April 01, 2022, 01:27:52 PM
Just a suggestion but you may want to wrap the starter wires in header tape. I was having starting issues with my Coupe and the wires were routed a good ways from the BBK shorties. I ended up pulling the wiring harness I built out and it was hard from the heat embrittlement. Built a new harness and wrapped it in header tape from OReillys and used the stainless steel ties and its been good ever since. Did this on the clutch cable on both cars as well due to melting the one on the T-Bird with the 1-7/8" headers on the 351W.
Car is looking amazing by the way.
Thanks, good to know! I haven't finished the wiring yet, just loosely run. I put the wires in loom and have it routed using the factory engine bracket ... but yeah, it's close to the exhaust and I can see how that would be a problem. Gotta figure if heat sink is an issue for the original style starters ... it's gonna be an issue for the wiring.