Holy Cow - most cars I deal with have an engine number, a body number and a chassis number. You guys go whole hog stamping everything LOL
Well, for a Boss 302 these things matter more than if it were a 351 car. Correct Boss carb and distributor can set you back $1-2k each, maybe more.
I ran the current state of the car and the current price past a Cougar expert and he confirmed that the price now will allow for a budget to bring the car up to Boss specs - or priced just to make a very enjoyable driver car.
First I want to say from what I have seen your current price is a fair price regardless of any new info on Mike_B_SVT list of items to check.
This is just my opinion,
When it come to rare vehicles like this seller knowledge is King/Queen. when a seller says “I don’t know” or “car is sold as is”. This might infer to buyers “what am I not asking that will bite me later”. And you may lose a potential buyer from such a comment.
lets say those parts are still there and correct date codes ect. This would help with sale.
If they are not correct any potential buyer would appreciate your up front honesty.
I have found out over the years, the members here are always willing to help when some one needs help to identify any part or date codes.
Good luck with your sale.
Thank you I appreciate your letter. To set you at ease I buy and sell for collectors all over the world. A prewar car collector is friends with this elderly gentleman and asked me to take on his collection. As some of the guys on this forum can tell you dealing with this particular seller has been a rocky road. This is my second attempt to help him sell this car and now we are making progress.
I truly know the importance of numbers. I generally deal with cars that people are keen to fake and when I say keen to fake I mean rebuilding an exacting Zagato body and pre war Alfa chassis and trying to renumber it as a car that may have been out of the limelight for years. 75% of my job is research. As a matter of fact the owner of this car is elderly and insisted that the car had the correct replacement block but I did not take his word for it and good thing because in the end we found that not to be the case. It is a fairy tale to think these cars came through in some cases a century and that they would all still retain their original components.
What I am saying is at this point we are pricing the car based on what we know and believe to be fair for the chance that all numbers do not match. If an inspection by an interested buyer turns up something other than what we believe we will adjust the price accordingly. Although we have already based the car on a worst case scenario.
This is what the seller was told by a potential buyer that came out to look at the car: You know any Boss 302 is special. It has a special rotating assembly including crankshaft, pistons, connecting rods, but also it has a very special 4 bolt main block with extra webbing and a special oil baffling system. The block in your Cougar casting # D10E-6015-AA with a cast date of January 29, 1972 is an ordinary 1972 2 bolt 302 block. It has pedestrian pistons / rods / crankshaft. It is not a Boss service replacement . All Boss blocks have a Z in the casting. The heads / intake / exhaust are correct on your car.
So there is some good news there but I strongly believe that there should be no secrets whether you are buying a $30,000.00 car or a $300,000.00 car.
Kelly
Just as “one of the guys,” I want to thank you for your diligence and honesty. Too bad that “factory authorized shop” back in the day didn’t have your integrity.
I agree the price is fair as it stands, and wouldn’t let anyone beat you down much farther.
So was the owner unaware until recently that the replacement was not a legitimate Boss 302? That would make me a little cranky too.
The owner was crushed and embarrassed when I told him the news. This is a VERY Motivated seller. He wants to sell a few cars before he heads to Florida - the NY winters are brutal and he knows the cars sitting in the garage one more winter is not good.
Kelly, this car has been for sale since at least 2012. There have been many various unanswered question over the years, and mention of it not having a Boss block for almost as long (and I’m sure some folks have known even longer), so it is nice that the seller and owner finally understand what they have. That being said, there are still things that prospective buyers (who are not always local) will want to know when they are considering if a car is worth the asking price or not. I only posted my list as some of the things I would still want to know if I were a prospective buyer.
We definitely do appreciate you taking the time to update us on the status, and resolving the questions about the block!
*I don’t mean to imply that you should adjust your price further, I’m just stating these are questions that you might expect from educated buyers.
If someone inspects the car and brings issues to our attention we will of course work on price. He really wants to sell.
I’m spreading the word 
Thanks. Hurry LOL
I’m posting it and pushing it on my end. Wish the owner had decided to get reasonable five months ago. Winters in Livonia NY are brutal.
Cargirl, does this owner have other cars he is selling? If so can you share the make and model? Thank you
There are 40 cars in all. I will go to Livonia in the spring and spend some time with the owner to get the cars organized. In the meantime this is directly from him this morning. I will post it exactly as he sent it:
All being {56 Tbird convertible, 60 Tbird, 63 Comet, 57 Chevy, 58 Retractable, 70 Cougar, & 53 Lincoln Capri ” ALL CARS RUN AND DRIVE LIKE “Champs”.
On another note I am in the process of taking on another 30 or 40 cars in CT in the next week or two. Some of this collector’s cars:
1987 El Camino, 1987 Chevy Monte Carlo and a Corvette ZR1
Body and Interior look to be very positive attributes for this Eliminator. When this Cougar was initially advertised for sale on ebay (1st reserve listing years ago), I made contact with the seller, which may or may not have been the owner?.. don’t recall at this point. Seller wanted offers, but was not enthusiastic about having the Cougar physically seen… by me, or a third party. Information transparency is key when a buyer and seller are trying to meet. So, if the owner is now motivated… the more info that you’re able to offer about his Eliminator might help towards promoting its sale before the coming Livonia, NY Winter. Maybe try another ebay listing with added photos and very detailed information… ya never know? Best of luck with the sale.
Owner and his friend took the car to Hershey this summer. Exactly what are you asking for? The car was viewed by Phil Parcells a few years ago. Here are some of his notes to me when we last spoke:
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The car was born with a Boss 302 VIN “9F91G” so it is a Boss 302 Cougar Eliminator, no matter what’s been done to it over the years.
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I was not aware the engine had been replaced in this car, but regardless, it is still a Boss Eliminator. IF the replacement is a Boss302 engine from another Cougar, or a Mustang, or a service block, then that’s good for value and for desirability. If it is a homemade engine built from normal passenger car 302 parts dressed up to look like a Boss, that’s a hard hit to desirability & value. The B302 engines and parts are unique, hard to find, and expensive.
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Yes, it’s listed in the Eliminator registry. Here is the link to the registry web site, and the registrar is Dave Wyrwas who is very knowledgeable. He owns 2 or 3 B302 Cougars. https://eliminator.mercurycougarregistry.com/
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what makes a Boss a Boss - It’s all about the engine. The G in the VIN is an absolute necessity. That’s really it. The G-code B302 was used in 69 and 70 Cougars and Mustangs. They are hi revving engines, and a very high percentage of them have been damaged or blown up by guys racing and disconnecting the factory rev limiter. It’s there for a reason! So many of the cars have replacement engines. Like I said earlier, that isn’t a huge hit on the car’s value. Numbers matching drivetrain is unusual and commands higher value.
Phil did not know the engine was replaced when he looked at the car. If someone is serious about the car please come and inspect it or have someone that knows these cars locally inspect it. No one should ever buy a car without an inspection.
Agreed. So, this Eliminator being minus a Boss 302 rotating assy could narrow the Buyers… even @ $38K. But, it only takes one. So, ebay might be worth another look.
That actually might make sense. I have never posted anything on ebay but I will look into it. Thanks.
I don’t want to hijack here, but I’d be interested in hearing about the Comet.