i would love have this car i have the time the parts and the money to restor it, I have aways wounted a cougar with a sunroof.
Hi there I have a 68 XR7 with 29k on the clock. Bought it form my good friend who’s brother pass away. I’ve known both brothers for over 30years when one passed I asked his brother if he would sell it please give me first crack. Call a year later and told me to come get it. He has a ton of parts that includes parts for a G model car. As of now I have it pieces. Rebuilding it. My 21 year old daughter is awaiting and helping me at times. It’s a long time to fix it but I want to to it right. Would love to win another XR7 to have for myself because my daughter will be getting one of them most likely the one with the sun roof… once finish she will be my side at every car show and cruises here in sunny SW Florida.
This isn’t a sob story, it’s an aggravating story.
I bought my 67 Cougar during my last deployment from eBay, sight unseen and from 7,500 miles away. I knew when I got back I was going to build my dream car. After I got back, I drove down to St Petersburg Florida and towed my rust bucket all the way home to Ft Bragg NC with a giant grin the whole way. I bought new floor pans, tires, a 351C 4V, seat covers… etc. I started pounding out dents and welding in the holes with every spare moment I had. Then it happened, the one thing everyone told me would happen when an Army Seargent marries a Marine Seargent… divorce.
I held on though, I didn’t care about the furniture, the things, the stuff, the whatever’s. I cared about my Cougar. But in the end I had to let it go. I had to sell her because it got messy and I was leaving the Army, ETSing after 8 years and with everything that was happening, I had no place to keep her. I had to watch her go, all the work I started, all the work I had to finish. I never even got to hear her fire up.
Now I live in Austin, I rebuild motorcycles in my spare time, and fix up anything vintage. My garage is littered with projects and tools. It’s how I relax after work. Every time I rebuild a motor I think about that Cleveland, every time I reupholster a seat I think of that ratty headliner, and every time I let myself compromise I think about the stupid decision I made to let her go. The Cougar not the Marine.
I’m writing this not because I think I’ll win, it’d be crazy awesome if I did, but because I need to vent and remind myself not to compromise like that ever again. I know I’ll find my Cougar one day. It’s just a matter of fate and time.
WOW a Calif. car!
Looks like it immediately moved to Northern Ohio for a high salt diet.
Hello my name is Richard Buckner. Dad of three beautiful very intelligent young lady’s. I live in Shannon Ms. “Fords” I loves fords, my dad is a ford guy so naturally my brothers and I grew up loving fords. When I was in high school it’s all I did was study cars. I used to know every motor ford built and there HP with various setups from the factory. There are several Fords that were my dream car, I just never had the money to own one that was completely restored. I would love the opportunity to participate in building this car from the ground up, I believe it would be a great experience, but to get to own it in the end, wow! I have grandkids now, to be able to pass one on to them would even be a greater pleasure and a Cougar GT. that I helped build. My wife always ask me, why do you like old stuff so much? Old cars are the days of real freedom, remanence of youthful America, a proud America. American steel. Other than this, to ride or touch something that someone before me owned that took pride in his or her work, to touch that to be part of that, is pride. I currently own a 68 cougar I have been trying to restore, it has been a snail slow project, let’s use it, I will sacrifice it to build this one. I love the classics, especially fords. Thank you for your consideration and participation Richard E. Buckner
The last post (at least currently, couldn’t figure out how to refer to it exactly) in this thread: https://cccforum.discoursehosting.net/t/my-cougar-story/7591/1 I think was intending to post their want in this thread.
When I was young my parents decided they wanted to buy a muscle car, in the end they were deciding between a 69 Mustang and a 69 Cougar, and they decided to go with the Mustang because it was in better condition at the time. Since then my mother has always talked about how much she wished they had bought the Cougar and how great Cougars were. So being young and impressionable my indoctrination began. I couldn’t get enough of the Cougar, they looked angry, they looked fast, and they were just plain cool to my 4 year old self. I had Cougar Hot Wheels, Cougar posters, I was in love.
But then my parents got divorced and I ended up with my father (my mother began to suffer from substance abuse problems after the death of my sister). My father was not as mechanically inclined as my mother was, and so I no longer had all of the exposure to classic cars, and the fixation began to fade. However my fixation with speed never did.
My Uncle bought a speed bought and let me pilot it when I was 11…I maxed it out in the middle of Elephant Butte lake, he was not impressed. Then when I was 15 I went to a summer camp and learned to fly Cesnas and gliders. I managed to hit 175 MPH in the glider before my instructor decided we were going too fast and made me pull up on the stick. My next speeding issue came about when I was 17 and my mother bought a 2009 SS Impala….which I used to drag race Mustangs and Camaros when I stayed with her over the summer.
Then last year a Cougar passed me on the highway and it brought back my childhood fixation. I was like a boy in “love” with his first crush, I went through pictures of them day and night. This continued till I got in trouble with my wife for my obsession with a car I didn’t even own. So I set out to find one of my very own. However the market for decent condition cougars in southern New Mexico isn’t great. I found pictures of one that was gorgeous…from the side they posted pictures of. Then when I went to see if in person I found out that the passenger side was completely destroyed when the car was T-boned. My wife told me I wasn’t allowed to spend 10K on a car that would have been a write off by any insurance company, so I kept looking. Then I found another one within reasonable distance, so I went to check it out, and the cancer had eaten most of the car and frame, to the point that someone beyond my skill set would be needed for any repairs.
During the last year of searching my wife’s little brother caught the bug. He now loves cars and speed and cougars!!! Winning this car would be a great way for me to bond with him over the restoration, and to finally start the project that was the fixation of my childhood.
Colten (my wife’s brother) and I have discussed at length the things we would when we finally found a suitable car. We want to upgrade the suspension in the way you laid out in one of your videos, put in nice bucket seats, possibly stroke the 302 to 347, put a manual valve body in the trans, throw in an angry cam, nitrous cheater plate, gear vendor OD unit for sustained highway travel, and just generally have a beautiful nice car.
I have a bit of experience in resorations that will help me on this project. I help my best friend restore a 72 Bronco, a 74 Bronco, and a 69 Camaro. One of the Broncos was a complete frame off restoration. We had to weld in the floor pans, cut and repair the frame, rewire the truck from front to back (it had an electrical fire shortly before he bought it which melted almost everything), we rebuilt his 302, and the Trans that was behind it. Then we upgraded the steering and brakes. It was a great project that helped me learn a lot about classic vehicles and the passion that goes into them.
I also feel that this would be a good way to help keep Colten out of trouble as he is about to turn 15. You can’t get into too much trouble when all your time is spent working on a car.
So yeah that’s why I would like to win this cougar.
Thanks for the opportunity to restore this rare Cougar.
My name is Bruce Norval and I live in in Chippewa Falls, Wi.
I have had a 1967 Cougar since I was 16 years old, I’m now 56, so I know Cougars. My current daily driver is a 1996 white Cougar XR-7 and before that a red 1996 Cougar XR-7. I could go on but this is about a home for this 1968 XR7-G. Over the years I have bought other peoples old Cougars and took all the good parts off to be stored in my garage attic. Here’s the reason I decided to submit this essay, you see all my life I have promised my wife a 1968 Cougar with a 302. That’s her specifications for a Cougar of her own. Mary doesn’t want a hot rod like my 1967 Cougar XR-7, 390, 4V, 4 speed, 4:10 … She wants a Cougar to cruise around town in and this car seems perfect for her. I know a great deal about Cougars and have been a member of CCOA almost from the beginning. I have bought many of my replacement parts from WCCC and a few others who shall remain nameless. We both have good jobs with money to complete this restoration and a good home with a two car garage, the 1967 occupies one half but needs a “sister car” to keep him company on those long cold winter nights here in Wisconsin. I hope we will be given serious consideration as the clock is ticking for me to keep my promise to the women I love, Mary, not the '67, but I love her almost as much. Thanks and keep on dreaming.
This may be against the rules I don’t know? I would like to submit this for one of my best friends in the world John McGlenon. See John and I grew up in a small Kentucky town playing in a junkyard Absolute Car nuts. Fate took us into very different directions. He went on to drag race work on Ford’s and try and build his dream car I became disabled from late onset MD and my ride is now a power wheelchair. During the last 40 years I’ve gone through a lot and John has been a constant get out of trouble free card. When I got gimped up if I needed a starter repaired in the rain and cold he was there freezing his butt off working for free. When I had to move under duress he was always there. Basically John has been a constant friend and more like a brother. In 40 plus years I’ve never been able to give him anything in return he wouldn’t take it. Here’s where the cougar becomes very special and a very rare occurrence. In all of our years a first-generation cougar has been the one car that never became available within our budgets or the condition which warranted restoration. John bleeds Ford blue. I share a love of Ford products going back to when I was a very small kid. Of cars I’ve owned 69 Torino GT 67 Mustang Coupe 72 Torino 77 Maverick Pinto Capri and everyone was a delight to work on Drive and own. John has multiple Fox body Mustangs but it right now no Classic Ford. His time right now is divided between work running a animal rescue with his significant other trying to get additional space for the critters attempting to drag race taking care of my needs 30 miles away and the needs of half the state of Kentucky sometimes it seems when things break. He is kind of guy he’s always there has too little time for himself but keeps going like the Energizer Bunny. I know this probably won’t actually get him the car and I may get flame for posting it because it probably sounds sappy. But I have to because if there’s a one-in-a-million shot giving back something to my best friend that he is really truly wanted enough to probably sell a kidney that would be Priceless to me. This is a Grail car for John. Having Windsor power plant means he has the motor transmission and all sorted parts. He also has the help of the local Obi-Wan Kenobi of Classic Ford the talents of our friends all capable especially in body work and paint. This project would be a great payback for all of us to give this guy something better than cash. I certainly hope this gets seen. As I said my chances are very slim but if you don’t try you definitely don’t win. My time on Earth is short. There’s not a lot of really cool things to happen anymore that’s just a fact. I think about taking one ride in this car finished with my friend at the wheel that’s just freaking cool. Someone thank you for having this contest because if nothing else I got to post this and my friend may get recognized or see it himself and know that his efforts sacrifice and sweat we really appreciate it. Every single one of us he has bailed out all these decades. All of us together could do this car Justice. I take that back we could make this car as I’ve heard kids say epic and it would rock. We’re all in our 50s and it would be cool to rock. And it would be very cool to put this car in the hands of someone who will truly appreciate and give it the attention it really deserves. I am biased but there’s not another human being on the planet that would love this car more I don’t care what anyone says. I would be a close second. Thank you
As the winner of the 1967 GT Giveaway Essay Contest (the last time WCCC gave away a car), Don Rush suggested I chime in on the current contest. But first, an update on my progress. After totally disassembling the car and cataloging every assembly, part, nut and bolt, I sent the body off to be blasted and, not unusually, the car was in much worse shape than I had hoped. The next six months were spent sourcing the needed replacement parts that included hood, fender, aprons, toe boards, floor pans, quarters, battery tray and trunk floor and then getting everything welded up. After the body work was done, it was off to a highly recommended paint shop – where it stayed for two years. While I only recently received most of the car back, I am still waiting on several parts which unexplainably are not yet painted. The quality of work from the paint shop is top notch but their timing and service has been quite frustrating. In fact, today I have ordered a stone shield from WCCC because mine was misplaced somewhere in the paint shop - and this is not the first part I have had to replace because my original was lost. While the car was in paint shop, I spent my time restoring and acquiring as many parts as I could – including pretty much stripping another 1967 (it was destined for the scrapyard) that I found for sale about 250 miles away. Since I received my car back from the paint shop, I have installed new front and rear suspensions, front brakes (trying to decide on keeping drums on the back or upgrading to disc), most of the steering components are in (still struggling with getting the manual steering conversion to thread on to my center link) interior parts are restored or acquired new, trunk area is finished, side windows are in, a good bit of exterior trim and emblems are installed, all of the various wiring harnesses have either been refurbished or purchased new and the motor rebuild and sourcing of the missing drive train components has started. I have attached a few pictures of the progress and while there is still much to do, I think most of the hard work has been done and I believe the end is in sight.
As Don mentions in his Giveaway videos, a restoration project of the nature of my ’67 GT or this ’68 G, takes a lot of time and patience (or thick skin), financial resources and skill. It seems I consistently miss whatever target timeline I set for myself – and likely so will you. Many of these misses will not always be within your control. Your paint or body shop may delay you, the part you need to finish a particular area may not be locatable, you may fall out of your attic while installing a ceiling fan to cool off your shop (it is hot in North Texas during August) and have to be taken by ambulance to the hospital, and remember – you still have family and work responsibilities. There will be times when your frustration level is so high (see my center link comment above) that it is best just to set it down and walk away for a bit. There will be people that are disappointed because you did not get your project completed in whatever timeline they thought they could have finished it in. But do not worry. None of these things are important. What is important is to enjoy the work you are doing and that you keep moving forward and save a Cougar.
Like my time budgets, I also seem to consistently bust my financial budgets. The cost of my paint and body work alone was almost four times what I originally estimated it would be (although the original estimate may have been foolish on my part)! My GT is certainly nowhere as rare as a G – so the cost to locate some of the rare G parts may exceed what I have spent to locate my parts. But the good news is your restoration budget does not have to be spent all at once. I set a monthly budget for myself and, for the most part, have stuck to it (although this also slows down the process). Once a month I send an order off to WCCC and I hope by the end of my project I will have earned enough Cougar Bucks to make a serious dent in the cash cost of a set of Styled Steel Wheels! Don suggests acquiring a parts car – and I whole-heartedly agree. A parts car will no doubt help you with sourcing some of your missing parts and you will be able to sell some of your duplicate parts (as I did) to partially offset your overall cost.
Many years ago I owned another ’67 GT as well as a ’71 XR7 Convertible and prior to the ’67 Giveaway Contest I had recently completed a restoration of my ’69 XR7 Convertible. So I had a reasonable knowledge of Cougars and what it takes to restore one. But there is so much I did not know. Shop and assembly manuals are a necessity, but there are also so many other sources and people out there to help you – and that want to help you. Members of this forum are an excellent source. For me, it started when Deadstang GAVE me a 390 motor to go with the car that WCCC gave me. No matter what your question or issue is, it has probably been asked here in the forum before. Folks that, with the exception of one, I have never met before like Coach Jack, Rocketman, Royce, BossElim69, 1967 S Code, 1969XR7Vert, Deadstang, xr7g428 (and of course his outstanding Legendary Cougar Magazine), BAust and so many others. They have all helped me out – and they do not even know it. They helped me when they answered other members’ questions that were exactly what I needed to know (or would eventually need to know). All of us appreciate their contributions to the hobby. Of course, the support WCCC gives to all of us is amazing. WCCC’s catalog alone is an excellent reference tool but their helpful videos are absolutely essential. If that was not enough, Don and his staff have always gone the extra mile to help me with whatever pesky issue (mostly electrical) I was dealing with at the time.
The winner of this contest will have a cool story to tell. I mean, how many people can say – “Yep – I won that car - by writing an essay”? I have enjoyed every minute of my journey (well – most every minute) and for me, it has truly been a labor of love. While I can hardly wait until I am driving my completed ’67 GT, I will truly miss going out to the shop and turning old corroded parts into jewels! So if you have the time, patience, resources and skill set – this project is for you. I look forward to seeing your entries and best of luck to all.
https://classiccougarcommunity.com/forum/download/file.php?mode=view&id=6441
https://classiccougarcommunity.com/forum/download/file.php?mode=view&id=6440
https://classiccougarcommunity.com/forum/download/file.php?mode=view&id=6439
Bert your Cougar is looking great. Thanks for adding to this giveaway thread. It gives real insight on what it takes to restore a Classic Cougar. I’m sure this giveaway XR7G will be no different when it comes to the restoration hurdles. We truly have something special going on with the Classic Cougar Community. All the members play an important role in making it second to none in the Classic car hobby.
Steven
Great input from a winner. I think your story is likely to help a lot of us in this hobby as it shows the reality of a restoration vs. what we all wish for when taking on a project. For me, with a few exceptions, I have just gotten to where I double my estimated time and leave myself a 20% contingency on everything I do. That way I sort of fool myself into believing I came in under time and under budget.
What a great opportunity!!! I will be short about why I should win. A little about myself, I have more passion about muscle cars then I do talent in restoration. This is how and why I am self taught. I believe that I am like Rocky Balboa but of building muscle cars. Meaning I have some talent but my heart is what always pushes me to win the build. I saw this and I thought HARD PASS…The more I thought about the more I have fallen in love with this project. I will be up front on what I would love to do to this cougar. First she needs a name. Her name is UR MOM. Clever right because it’s a cougar. Now that she has life blood pumping into her I have two ways I will go with the resto. Both of which will piss off most on this feed 
First I will love to run this car as a modern day rat rod. I will keep the body the same but build the guts. Keeping in mind the tim e sensitive of the era of the car big meats out back and gold in all the right places, building it tell UR MOM will pull the front tires. Option 2: ls swap bahahaha NO not really but once again keeping the exterior as raw as possible but turning this into an autocross king.Modern day 5.0 fuel injection. Wide tires all four corners. If this has not got me kicked off the forum then I look forward to seeing UR MOM 
I do believe you would see this car to the finish line and we would all benefit from the meticulous documentation of the process! Thanks for chiming in!
I have always been impressed with folks that out of shear determination and pride tackle the items that are usually farmed out themselves.
The skills and determination you learned side by side with your father will carry you far in life, very cool you are ready to do it again! Always impressed that folks would spend their valuable vacation time to travel to another country to hang out for a couple of days at their favorite auto parts store!
I love hearing stories of how folks got “bitten”.
Thanks for joining this forum! Regardless of which Cougar you choose (or chooses you) you are in the best space possible to fulfill that promise…
A couple of decades ago I sold a GTE to Royce Peterson. He knew he would not tackle the project for some time and we both agreed how fun it would be to temporarily put a 6 cylinder drive train in it and take it too a few shows. Enjoying the car in any form as one acquires the $, parts and skills to do it right is not a bad idea. As long as you are not blowing holes in the car and throwing away rare parts anything one does can be reversed. Thanks for throwing your hat in the ring!
Could not have said it better myself… Thank you for the honest recap of your journey, you will inspire many and we hope to see the car at an upcoming open house!
Hello my name is Riley Robertson, I am very interested in Cougars. I work at Instrument Services Inc. It is a family owned business that restores clocks and gauges for all antique cars. We have a car collection as a family between my mom, dad, grandpa and grandma and this rare XR7-G would be amazing to be able to own myself and restore it. We have a large warehouse perfect for a full on nut and bolt restoration. As being in the car community we have great relations with many resources to get and track down everything we would need. If I was able to restore it I would want to restore it like it came off the factory floor. I have great experiences when it comes to restoring cars and have learned from my grandpa and dad. I have been a car nut since the day I was born. My dream is to open up another business and restore complete cars. It would be an amazing piece to be able to show at car shows and would be such an honor to restore it.
Welcome! Sounds like you have a dearth of skills surrounding you and I assume you could also draw upon your customers for resources as well. One suggestion to not only you but everyone submitting, add a picture or two of yourself, restoration area, cars in collection. There will be many other entries and adding some pictures helps you stand out. Thank you for sharing!
The two words that always make me wince are EASY RESTORATION. When I hear that I also expect to see a live unicorn in the trunk that poops hundred dollar bills.
At least with this car you won’t start out believing that it will be easy…
Also think the word restoration is over used. When I think of restoration I think complete nut and bolt, headlight to taillight, rocker to roof as good or better then when it rolled off the assembly line. Of course there are many levels in between but not all qualify as restoration IMO. Something such as this giveaway car deserves a full nut and bolt restoration based on its rarity and hopefully the winner is willing to take on that kind of project.
Easy Restoration =
