Not a me too car.

Ok for my first post I will introduce myself and my project car. I am a soldier in the U.S.Army. I am also a classic car freak. I use to be in to the mainstream cars big time. Then I found my project that changed that.
My project car is a 1976 Mercury Cougar XR-7 with numbers matching 400m and C6 trans. The one pictured in my avatar. I bought it a few years ago for $600.00 out of the need for a car so my wife would have a car when I wasn't around. By the time I got home. A total drive of about 6 miles. Yes I drove it home. I was in love.

Now I know that the cougar is an overlooked car and this body style is even overlooked by even the most hard core cougar fans. But I see potential in the big cat. After all it is a torino under the sheet metal

My plans are to make the cat original-ish looking on the out side but under the skin a major restomod. I have already started but it has been hard to do any thing on a regular driver that can't be complete in a few hours to 1 day. But that should change soon when I come home from Iraq. Since I plan to get a regular driver

My questions are what are some places that I can get parts that will not cost me an arm and a leg? I am set on the engine since it shares a lot of its parts with the 351c. And also what are some of your suggestions?

I know that this car probably will never grace the covers of car mags but I would like to see it make it into the readers rides one day. Other than that I just love driving it.  
perfection is only perfect untill some one does it better

How bad restrictive is all the Smog Equipment on that car? You don't see many of those around, so parts may be a little hard to come by as many of them have probably been sent to the crusher. From what I can tell the body looks to be in pretty good condition.  

Origanly the smog equipment was pretty bad. The smog pump was not connected at all when I bought the car and the catalitic converters where removed when I had new exaust installed. I do have a really good supplier for body parts that pretty much just deals with 67-79 Cougars. The body is really solid on the car even though it is from South Carolina. It was origanly sold there and stayed in the state untill I go stationed at Fort Hood. Thankfully the 400 shares a lot of parts with the 351c. I can pretty much get what I want for the drive train with it having the C6 trans and the ever popular ford 9" rear. Interior is what is going to be the hard part most will probably be custom made but thats fine with me. And yes many of these have been sent to the crusher there where more made than the any year before but there are less left around than even the XR-7 models from any year before it.  
perfection is only perfect untill some one does it better

I would like to know about it, because i'm crazy about cars and car dealings. Could you please tell me more about it.
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Emma

Used Cars  

What would you like to know I will fill you in the best that I can  
perfection is only perfect untill some one does it better

Focus on the suspension, brakes, etc first. Contact Global West etc for ideas. Rebuild the C6, boil out the radiator w/ a 50/50 mix of vinegar and water.  

this way, you won't dump money into that tall-deck Cleveland--that's what the 400cid is--and end up overpowering the rest of the car, and garaging it until you bring everything else up to snuff.

Sure hope you get to build this car...like you said, you won't see another like it at any show, so you don't have to dump $$ into candy paint jobs, etc to get attention. Truck/off roaders rebuild the 400M, so look there.  edlebrock has an intake, I do believe 351C intakes won't fit b/c the taller deck means the heads are spread further apart.  The Engine Master series have looked into this engine, and you'll still have to fix the oiling situation.

 That block, however, uses a big block trans bolt pattern, if you are considering swapping to an overdrive trans.

Let the car be what it is, not a shelby Cobra killer.  Work with its curb weight, make it a luxurious cruise.  

BTW, take a look at those 18 inch Mustang Mach I Magnum 500 clone rims...might look nice on a car that big.