Another 67 cougar, with a big twist.

[grambo]

Hello everyone, story time...

two years ago my little family was out for a bike ride learning the area around our new home, and I noticed a cougar with a tree growing through where the hood should have been, I pointed it out to my wife and said I would love to have that, she told me no, and we rode on.

then a year later my wife was very pregnant, and was trying to get her mind off how being 9 mo pregnant feels by playing on Facebook market place, then she burst out laughing and said “what moron would buy this hunk of crap” I too wanting a laugh looked over shoulder and recognized the same stripped out she’ll of the cougar, with the tree cut out of it, she stopped laughing when 10 seconds later I called, and sight unseen bought it for $150 with a clean title.

My my daughter was born the next day, and two days after, the car was forklifted over to my house. This was a year ago, and a lot has changed since then, but at the time I had plans for a full restoration.167270167271

[grambo]

Soon after I pulled up the carpet and found almost no floor boards, and realized after a bunch of research that finding parts for this car is difficult, and that patch pannels are expensive, so I decided that I should build more of a pro touring car. With custom chassis and suspension, so I started shopping arround for parts, then my buddy called me and informed me he had worked out a deal for a chassis for my car. It turned out to be mat kensith’s 2001 nascar cup car. It was a rolling chassis, but was solid, so I traded one of my ar10’s for it and dragged it home. The body was cut off less than an hour after, and I set to work prepping both cars for the transplant.167272167273167274

[grambo]

After working like a dog everyday for two weeks, and sever threats of divorce, both cars were ready, I called everyone I knew and some of them showed up, we hoisted the body onto she nascar, it kinda fit...167275167276167276

[grambo]

I took 2 weeks off from the car to salvage my marriage, but soon after tot everything to fit. The only issue was the loss of both a-pillar bars, so I bought a tubing bender and started getting other stuff ready, making all the bits to tie the body to the chassis.167277167278

[grambo]

I built the inner fenders, all the bits for the trunk floor, and loads of sheet metal parts to attach the two parts together. After getting the chassis level, I started tiring everything together, starting at the back and moving forward. I found some patch pannels and installed them. At this point every time I did anything I found another rust spot. But made progress where I could.167279167280
I found a guy in Idaho who had some cougar parts cars, and went up there, for $700 I got a hood, trunk, two doors, and both bumpers. It felt funny pulling all these parts from a car that was much nicer than the one they were going on but I got them home and mocked everything up.167281 167282
It was at this point that I watched a “making of” on the hoonacorn in it they were bragging about the 4 feet of tire contact they had, so at that moment I decided I needed 5 feet, and that I wanted an extreme wide body, so I got to work. I spent many hours and about 20 sheets of poster board, but came up with a rear fender that I liked. I took the brake ducts from the front of the nascar and sunk them into the front of the fender. Yeah it looks like a step... but I dig it.167283167284167285

[grambo]

I had to make about 6 prototypes, but finally came up with a front fender that worked with the rear.167286167287 a week later I won a copart auction and was the proud owner of an organ donor. The 2015 mustang gave up it’s engine, trans, radiators and a bunch of other bits. I also sold a lot of parts. Just before this I sold my racing vw bug and I now had the funds to continue.167288167289 it took a while and a lot of figuring but I got the motor and trans mounted up and replaced the slave cylinder I ruined pulling the motor.167290167291167292167293

[grambo]

I got the left rear fender built soon after that, and got both tubs in.167294
I also build a rear fire wall.167295and some other parts from eBay167296167297167298 I also filled my vent holes and did a bunch of other small things.167299167300

[grambo]

So at this point the car has morfed about a dozen times, and though not at all as planned, i love how it is turning out. I have done a lot more and will update it more soon. On to what the car is becoming. It is going to be a road car, and though it is race car-is will not be competitive really. I am building it to make me happy and for no other reason. I am $6300 into it and have made $1200 from selling parts off the mustang my goal it to keep it all in at $7500, but we will see what happens in the future. I still need a control pack to run the motor, and seats, and tires so that is about $4000 more, but I have more of the mustang to sell, so maybe... I will post more soon, still have 3 more months of catch up to do.

[grambo]

I got axle shafts for it from eBay for $60, and reassembled the rear suspension with the new 3.22 locked third member, and the new to me chromoly 31 spline shafts. It is a full floater 9 inch. I reinstalled the truck arms, but squared this time, and using new 500# springs also from eBay I had a complete rear suspension, I sent the mustang prop shaft to a local shop for modification, and bam, $800 for a finished rear axle and suspension.167301167302
I also chose to just remove and flush in the back of the rear fenders, because they were completely rotted out, and because I think it looks more race car ish, also because I think it will make the tire smoke come out cool for when I want to be stupid.167303
With the motor in I started into the radiator mounts, I had cut the little horns that held it in the mustang off so all I had to do was extend them with some rec tube and weld them to the sway bar tube, they were not as solid as I like when I had finished this so I added some 3/8 square tube support gussits.167304
I also picked up a fuel cell for $20 on a local classifieds, and made some straps for it. I plan to cut up the mustangs tank top and cut a hole in the cell then make a gasket and bolt the two together at some point.167305

[Tsaints1115]

Just a wild guess. There's no HOA in your neighborhood, lol.

[grambo]

This week, I received the tail light sequencers I ordered and a cleco kit, which I used to attach my front end together, a month ago I made fender mounts for the front right, but with the engine in I realized they were 3 inches short, so I cut them off and started working on setting the front together. In the middle of this I took a brave pill, and cut my hood, now it is all set in place in the right spots, and held with cleco’s So I can start making the hood hinges and all the fender mounts, ect...167306167307167308167306

And now we are up to speed!
Let me now say, crazy or not, this car wants to built, I have done a few cars now, this one has come together so easy, things that were never going to fit have fit (the altrinator is the perfect example) I have been able to do this whole project on a budget that has not effected my house hold or my young children, this car is a labor of love for me, it is a product of my twisted mind and meager skills. I can say I am emotionally involved. I am going to be honest, I am nervous to post this write up on here, my car is all low buck recycled parts, attached to a car that should have been crushed years ago, it is not a show car and never will be. It is not as nice as the many incredible builds on this site, and doesn't Fit any mold, but i am very proud of her. I hope to drive it by June. Let me say once more thank you for letting me glean ideas from you all along the way. I guess I am posting this to, in a small way return the favor.

[grambo]

Just a wild guess. There's no HOA in your neighborhood, lol.

Nope... but as I feel bad sometimes, I bribe my neighbors with cookies from time to time... I do have great neighbors though.

[Tsaints1115]

"And now we are up to speed!
Let me now say, crazy or not, this car wants to built, I have done a few cars now, this one has come together so easy, things that were never going to fit have fit (the altrinator is the perfect example) I have been able to do this whole project on a budget that has not effected my house hold or my young children, this car is a labor of love for me, it is a product of my twisted mind and meager skills. I can say I am emotionally involved. I am going to be honest, I am nervous to post this write up on here, my car is all low buck recycled parts, attached to a car that should have been crushed years ago, it is not a show car and never will be. It is not as nice as the many incredible builds on this site, and doesn't Fit any mold, but i am very proud of her. I hope to drive it by June. Let me say once more thank you for letting me glean ideas from you all along the way. I guess I am posting this to, in a small way return the favor. "

Who cares if it's a car on a budget? There's lots of cars on here with six figures spent already with people trying to sell them because they got in over their heads. YOUR car will be driven long before theirs will.

I think it's pretty f'in cool.

[jc70chevy]

Love this nasty car.....bad ass keep up the work

[grambo]

Thanks guys, I appreciate your kind words.

[egoman]

I am going to make the statement that we are going to be good friends. Love the build and we are on the same track. I am building a library of posts before I start my thread.

[WILWAXU]

Cool project!

[grambo]

I am going to make the statement that we are going to be good friends. Love the build and we are on the same track. I am building a library of posts before I start my thread.

This sounds ominous... but, cool i'm in...
Hey you wouldn't happen to need a full irs suspension and brembo brakes from a mustang, as long as we are now friends anyway... I could use some money, and would be very reasonable.

[David Sloan]

Cool project!
Thanks for sharing!

[Sbeck09]

If you asked me to dream up a wild, off-the-wall project, it still wouldn't be this. But it's freakin cool and I'm very interested to see how it turns out. Definitely a mix of parts that I could not have guessed would work together at all.

Btw...that IRS is a great swap for guys with old F100s so it might be worth offering it up to them.

[egoman]

This sounds ominous... but, cool i'm in...
Hey you wouldn't happen to need a full irs suspension and brembo brakes from a mustang, as long as we are now friends anyway... I could use some money, and would be very reasonable.

I am actually using a floater to save weight and reduce complexity.

[grambo]

Oh, that’s cool. I have never played with one before, I just had most of one when I got the chassis and saw no reason to look for even more trouble, also I liked how beefy it is. So, yeah... I totally get it. What are you tinkering on?

[mikeyhunts]

I dig it!!!!
Good work sir!

[Styx1967]

Cool build! I like following weird and oddball builds. If you still have the stock computer and harness from the Mustang you might be able to find someone who can turn off the security stuff. According to Ron Francis Wiring's website they can do it for a lot less than what a controls pack would cost.

[grambo]

Cool build! I like following weird and oddball builds. If you still have the stock computer and harness from the Mustang you might be able to find someone who can turn off the security stuff. According to Ron Francis Wiring's website they can do it for a lot less than what a controls pack would cost.


Really? That’s awesome! I have the pedal, ecu, and, full harness, how would that work with a normal keyed ignition? I have a 21 circuit that I was planning to use for the chassis... I will look into that, thank you so much for the info! That would be awesome.

[grambo]

Update time! (My first real time update, man I feel cool right now.) so as I finished the history the whole front end was held in with three tack welds, 20 cleco clamps, and a jack stand, today i made and tacked up 8 mounts to hold the fenders in place. 167409167410 I also went shopping and got all the stuff to make my rear spoiler.167411 I found this one in the “for sale” section and as I am cheap, and can do things I am copying it, (sorry buddyp, it’s super nice, I just can’t spend that much and then chop it up with the hope that it will fit a car it was not made for, good luck with the sale though, imitation/flattery deal...)167412 also I am thinking of cutting more holes in my car... so I mocked this up for thinking purposes.167413 so yeah, that was my 3hrs car time for today, may get more Friday or Saturday, we’ll see.

[grambo]

Just a quickie, the axis driveline finished my shaft today! It’s a Frankenstein of new and 2015 mustang. I love how it turned out. Check it out!167421

[JustinL]

This is such a great project. Shows your skill with putting this all together too.

[grambo]

This is such a great project. Shows your skill with putting this all together too.

Thank you.

[Boosted Falcon]

What a great build.

[gsxrken]

Cool project!

[grambo]

I want to start by saying thank you everyone for your kind words, it means the world to me. I was quite apprehensive posting my car on here for a number of reasons, but I do not regret it now, thank you all so much. This car is not a show car or a fancy high dollar build, quite the contrary, it is just same thing I wanted to make, and so I am. Honestly I don’t want it too nice, as I would be afraid to use it hard.

Well yesterday was my “car day” but I spent it on the toilet with food poisoning, and as I was still feeling weak I called in today also. Well I snuck out for a hour, and played with hood hinges. I wanted to buy some, but was having a hard time finding inexpensive ones that would be modifiable on line. I know I could have hit the wrecking yards, but I kept looking at the mustangs trunk hinges... they looked stout enough, and they open at a cool angle, which I liked, but the main thing was they were small when folded, so I pulled them and started modifying.167532 I made poster board templates, and transferred them to some flat bar.167533 Cut and welded, and bam hinges, which I can’t test anytime soon, as I still need to make some hood pin mounts before I can take the front end back apart and finish weld all the new mounts and brackets that will hold the hood,fenders and front end, but here is the results.167534167536167535

Also, as I was laid up, I started playing with color options, once more as I am cheap (and can’t drop $500-$2000 on renderings) I used a rim choosing program to experiment, here are options.167537167538 kinda thinking of a blue/silver two tone. I plan to wrap the car when I get to that point. this post was big for such a small amount of progress, oh well...

[cobragt]

Very cool !

[grambo]

So, my frame rails are also my door sills, it’s a nascar thing apparently. Anyway I had no way to mount the back of my fenders normally, so I got more unorthodox. I made little plates and used rivets to attach them to the bottom of my fender, then installed riv-nuts into the frame rail and bolted through the plate, looks a bit different, but I doubt anyone will notice once the car is on the ground.167606
I have just been sneaking out when I can, as this is a busy week, but Saturday afternoon is car day, so much more will happen then.

[grambo]

Today I should have finished my hood hinges, or built mounts for the hood pins, or made up the hood and trunk prop rod mounts, or made the brackets for the drive shaft carrier bearing. I did not do any of those things, instead I built 3/4 of my rear wing. Yeah I know it is not at all a critical piece, but I am justifying it to myself by saying the car is about making me happy, and doing this way not important piece made me happy. Still gotta install all the threaded arms, (and I am going to but them behind as I have more room than I thought) and I cannot mount it for real until the car is painted, but, well, I am happy...167624167625167626

[jaybee]

This is a really fun car, I love it!

[jc70chevy]

Loving the spoiler it looks good on there what is the material thickness etc

[grambo]

Loving the spoiler it looks good on there what is the material thickness etc

It is 3/16 x 6 aluminum flat bar. I have 6 threaded turnbuckle support arms things that will hold it at the right angle when I finish it.167641167640

[jc70chevy]

Where did u accuire the turn buckle fastners

[grambo]

Where did u accuire the turn buckle fastners

I pulled mine from the nascar body when I was removing the rear wing. But you can get them here:
https://www.speedwaymotors.com/Longacre-52-23756-Aluminum-Support-Rods-Black-6-Inch-Each,282409.html
They come in a bunch of different sizes, but the 6 inch ones are just about the only size you will need.

Looks like amazon has them too: https://www.amazon.com/Longacre-Lightweight-Aluminum-Spoiler-Support/dp/B001NNE43C

[grambo]

Found more time today. I got both trunk hinges and the trunk prop-rod done, it now can open and then shut again, seems like a small thing but it is nice, I also got the hood pins tacked in place. And attached the drivers side hood hinge. I am ready to disassemble the front end and finish weld everything. 167682167683167684167685167686167687167688

[F23]

Grambo, that spoiler is beautiful! You really nailed the proportions. I've got a 69 that may get a similar style spoiler when the time comes. Keep up the good work!

[grambo]

Thank you!

[grambo]

Today was radiators, and intake day. I modified the upper rad mounts, and cut the bulk head, then added a flange to make up for all the metal I cut out. I had to do a bit of cutting to get the intake and filter to fit but it is in. I also spoke to Ron Francis wiring, and they can mod my ecu for $400, so that will be mailing out on Friday (super busy until then...) and I sold the rear suspension to a co-worker to install in his k10 truck, so everyone is happy. I am not sure the hood hinges are going to work, and I am having a hard time testing it... so some more to figure out, but the front is coming together. 167730167731167732167733

[grambo]

My ecu went off to Ron Francis wiring for a flash, they are taking the maps (crazy security program) the emitions, cat o2 sensors, re-doing the fan on temp, and making it work on a normal ignition. I am excited to see it work. I also got the riv-nuts (or nut-zerts, depending on where you live) in the front to hold the upper rad supports, and I made and installed the drive shaft carrier bearing mounting brackets. I also ordered a new, smaller overflow tank, and a bunch of other odds and ends, that should come later this week. And lastly I plumbed up the rear axle cooler, and vent. Still sneaking down for an hour here, and an hour there... one day I will get a full day on it, that will be cool.167911167912167913167914

[Yelcamino]

Very cool project! :headbang:

[grambo]

With the pcm ,ecu at the shop, I figured I should start figuring out some wires to hook to it. I started by untaping 9 miles of tape, and loose zip tying everything then started cutting one wire at a time and pulling it through. If it looks like I know what I am doing, honestly I don’t but I have always learned by doing, so I am just going slow. Wish me luck.167998 the tape pile (super un satisfying) 167999 the bits I don’t need.168000

[grambo]

I have come to the realization I am not as good as I think I am when it comes to electrical. I do quite a bit of controls logic an plc wiring for work, but this ford harnice is over my head. I spend 8 hours yesterday on the pics I posted, and it is too much. I am going back to the original plan of buying a control pack. Judge me if you must.

[David Sloan]

I have come to the realization I am not as good as I think I am when it comes to electrical. I do quite a bit of controls logic an plc wiring for work, but this ford harnice is over my head. I spend 8 hours yesterday on the pics I posted, and it is too much. I am going back to the original plan of buying a control pack. Judge me if you must.

LOL
I try not to judge cause i'm a little ducked up myself!
And i also learn by doing, how else we going to find our limitations :)
Cool project!

[F23]

The engineer's #1 rule to working with electronics: "They operate as long as the magic smoke is trapped inside of them, but when the smoke escapes the device ceases to operate, and won't work again until you collect all of the magic smoke and put it back in."

[grambo]

The engineer's #1 rule to working with electronics: "They operate as long as the magic smoke is trapped inside of them, but when the smoke escapes the device ceases to operate, and won't work again until you collect all of the magic smoke and put it back in."




:rotfl::rotfl:Man I needed that today. Thanks for the laugh. That magic black smoke sure is hard to put back!

[grambo]

The brown truck of happiness came today, and brought with it a pile of goodies. I now have a cool shift knob, a blinker switch, and while I was at it I got all the master cylinders hooked up to the peddles and mounted the gas peddle up. Now I need seats so I can adjust everything to my seating position. I also just ordered my adjustable upper a-arms with the hope that it will inspire me to tackle the front suspension.168082168083168084

[grambo]

I got my upper a-arms today, and then attacked my front suspension with a vengeance. For those who may not know, nascars are made to only turn left, and mine was made to turn left and not have enough adjustment to change that. It took several hours and some yelling, but it is back together and for the first time ever the left side is squared up and lever. I had to add an inch to the lower arm, the new upper is an inch shorter and I had to move the upper ball joint hole 5/8 inch. But the wheel sits square! Now the steering is way off As almost pointing at each other, but that too is fixable.
Here is a before picture
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[grambo]

Another milestone reached! I now have finished both front and rear suspension(it still needs a serious alignment, but that can now be done) today I repaired a broken sway bar end link, and assembled the sway bar system. I also installed the matched front springs I got from eBay, and set the ride height (also needs to be finalized when the car is set on the ground) I also tightened everything suspension wise. And lastly I got the steering angle corrected I am surprised I had enough adjustment, but had tons to spare.168398168399168400168401168402
Ok going back to the body fabrication, and the spoiler. Then comes the interior fabrication (maybe Saturday) thanks for reading.

[andrewb70]

One hell of a project! Looking forward to progress.

Andrew

[Adam_T]

Great project! The big money cars are cool but I really appreciate low dollar builds like this. Keep up the good work!

[grambo]

Thanks guys.

[grambo]

I am thinking today will be a two post sort of day as I have much to share. Let’s stare with the good news. The drought is over! I sold a bunch of parts and finally have some money. I was able to sell the mustangs cf trunk lid for 750, the rear suspension for 400, two sun visors for 100, and the mustangs brakes for 400, to celebrate I went shopping and got seats (which was awesome as corbeau USA is only 40 miles away, I was treated to a seat fitting, and saved a bunch on shipping) I also got my oil cooler, and block fittings and a bunch of wiring stuff. I need to do some math but I even think I may have anough left over for the tires I want. Check it out!168461168462168463168464168465 168466

[grambo]

On to today, I was hoping to get the spoiler finished and then do the wide body on the drivers front fender, (the last one, it is all cut out just need to bend and attach it.) but when I started playing with the trunk I noticed a couple small bubbles in the paint so I hit it with the wire wheel...168469168470168471
that was a gut punch I did not need. I have no way to replicate the rolled over panel edge, but that did not seem to matter as I had no panel to roll the edge around left. So after some head scratching I bought a piece of 2x1/8 flat-bar cut it to shape, flanged the bottom panel cutout the outer ski and started welding.
168472168473
I also needed a way to attach the spoiler support arms, so I welded a small bolt to a fender washer, drilled a hole and recessed ti into the hole. Then I screwed on the arms and countersunk bolted them to the wing. I think it turned pretty good.
168475168474168476168477168478
So, yeah... 10 hours, a grumpy wife, and a finished rear wing is all I have to show for my labor. Kinda depressing.

168479

[grambo]

Anyone know why those pictures are upside down? Or how to fix them?

[FormTA]

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2019/10/48935654671_bd7116d4eb_z-1.jpg

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2019/10/48935653956_12421670b8_z-1.jpg

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2019/10/48935829692_3a569aac09_z-1.jpg

Not sure. I had to rotate them all. Any chance you flipped your phone when you took the pictures?

[andrewb70]

What's your wife grumpy about? You're keeping busy and staying out of trouble...

Andrew

[mikeyhunts]

The spoiler is cool!
Good work!

[grambo]

Not sure. I had to rotate them all. Any chance you flipped your phone when you took the pictures?

I am using an Ipad, and it switches everything no-mater how I hold it, they flipped when I uploaded them, I am not the best when it comes to technology... but hey, thanks! see how much better it looks right-side-up.

[grambo]

What's your wife grumpy about? You're keeping busy and staying out of trouble...

Andrew

I have three small kids, so every hour I spend on the car is time she is stuck caring for them solo, It's a balancing act for me, but spending a full day on a Saturday on the car, and she gets a bit testy.

[grambo]

The spoiler is cool!
Good work!

thanks!
I am biased, but I too love how it turned out.

[grambo]

So, I was contacted by hotrod online wanting to do an article on the car, which I found shocking as the car is a step above scrap metal at this point, but after loosing the argument I figured that was a good excuse to get the car off the stands and see how it looks outside. I put the car together and set it on the ground, I then found out I set the ride height way too low and couldn't remove my jack, so I raised it up a bunch, man i love jack screws! anyway i found the nice camera and took some shots. I thought I should share here too.168549168550168551168552168553168554168548

now time for some honesty, I am sick to my stomach. this is the first time the car has been on the ground with the engine and trans in, and the steering is almost imposable to turn. I have no idea what is wrong and it is stressing me out.

[snopro]

Was the car running and the power steering hooked up?

This steering box ratios are hard to steer with that much contact patch unless you are rolling pretty good. Should be alright when the cars running though.

I am building a truck on a race car chassis and a 64 Rambler

Keep up the good work

[grambo]

So it turns out I have a power steering box... I thought the looped pipe was like a bypass shock thing... Also I may be a colossal moron. Now that it has weight on the front and isn’t just sitting on the edge of the front tires it is super hard to turn but at least I know what to do now. Bad news is the mustang had an electric power steering pump attached to the rack and pinion, so it won’t work and my motor is not setup to turn a belt driven one. Good news is I think I can use a Volvo or mr2 electric one and it would turn on when the wheel is turned and off when not used, which is cool and means the steering would work even if the engine is off. I was going to buy tires next but I may need to get the fuel system and power systems first. We will see what the budget will support.

[Sbeck09]

I'm not sure how the cost compares, but with the popularity of the coyote into vintage cars and trucks now, most of the serpentine companies make belt drive systems with a standard hydraulic pump. That could make your life much easier.

[andrewb70]

Don't some companies offer a Coyote accessory drive with PS?

Andrew

[grambo]

I have been looking into the belt drive ones, but they seem to only mount on the sides, and I have no room there, also they are much more expensive.

[grambo]

Check it out! The article on my car is up. https://www.hotrodhotline.com/bjorns-67-mercury-cougar#.XbTUlejYrnE ( to be honest if you have read through the thread there is nothing new) still fun to have some one write about me in a positive light.

[David Sloan]

Very cool!
Keep plugging away your getting closer!

[mikeyhunts]

That’s awesome.
Love the build!
Wish I had the balls to tackle something like that!

[grambo]

Thanks guys!

[grambo]

Got another day to myself, and even had a friend come over and lend a hand, it started with making the bracket to lover the coolent overflow tank, as it is super visible with the hood open I made it look cool.
168784168785

Then I made an oil cooler mount with 1/4 inch round bar, it should work good, but I will need to make a rock shield for the back of it at some point.(the short one approved.)
168786168790
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My buddy installed the coyote block oil adapter and attached the lines, I can’t finish it until the remote oil filter assembly arrives from jegs, but it feels good to have it way closer.
168791

Then I got the front left fender cut and started tacking up the flair.

168789168792168793

I Also bought some hole saws, and used them to make more airflow go toward the intake.
168795

And lastly I got the drivers side door hung and made up some bumper mounts, which I can’t use until the fender is hung correctly.

168794
All in all another good day. Still have a long ways to go, but moving in the correct direction.

[grambo]

I am still struggling to get the pics to Upload right side up. I was super careful to hold the I-pad the same every time, but some are still flipped. Anyone know what else I can do to fix this (aside from not using the I-pad, I like using it.)

[grambo]

Oil system is done! The oil filter remote kit arrived today, so I made up a mounting bracket, welded to the frame, got it installed then got all the oil lines cut to length and installed. it even fits right, which given all the measuring I did is kinda nice. I Also welded on the fender some more and got it all tacked up and ready, lots more welding to do...169000169001169002169003

[blade]

Do you think those front brakes are going to be enough to stop the car? :)

cool build!

[grambo]

Do you think those front brakes are going to be enough to stop the car? :)

cool build!

I hope so...:drive2::drive2:

[grambo]

My back bumper fits great, but when I went to hang the front one today I just did not like how it looked, it was too wide.So I chopped an inch out of the middle and went and hung it up again. Then the two ends were pointing a little bit towards the middle and it looked even stupider. so I took a brave pill and started cutting a notch here a v-cut there, hammer, hammer, weld, grind, ect... anyway now it fits, but I ran out of time to hang it tonight. So yeah I cut up an irreplaceable bumper, yeah my balls are feeling huge tonight.169234 169235169236

[Peanut1959]

You've got my attention! Looking forward to seeing the result.

[langleylad]

mmmmmmm burning carpet , that must smell nice ! lol

[grambo]

mmmmmmm burning carpet , that must smell nice ! lol
Yeah it’s dying slowly, but I sure is nice to kneel on. If I was smarter i would just keep the work bench clean enough to use and not work on the floor as much. Oh well.

[chiva]

All I can say is DUDE! Wow. I’m just blown away with your skills to fabricate all this and meld it together, but to even envision this project in the first place is insane genius. Best build I’ve seen!

[DCx]

Love the build! hope you find a solution to the steering.

[grambo]

All I can say is DUDE! Wow. I’m just blown away with your skills to fabricate all this and meld it together, but to even envision this project in the first place is insane genius. Best build I’ve seen!


thank you so much, that means the world to me, though I feel I should admit: I feel like none of my plans worked out. I really wanted to just restore the car and mildly lower the suspension. I have not picked any of the parts, the opportunity to buy them at prices I could afford just sorta happened. Totally flying by the seat of my pants here, but I am having fun.

[grambo]

Love the build! hope you find a solution to the steering.

Thanks! I think I have the solution figured out and parts shipped out yesterday. Here is what I bought, after a ton of reading. Crazy thing is it’s a ford part, look how brand loyal I am... mercury body, Ford Taurus bodied nascar, for mustang engine/ trans, and ford steering. I love an ironic accident






eBay Motors (http://www.ebay.com/sch/eBay-Motors-/6000/i.html) >
Parts & Accessories (http://www.ebay.com/sch/Parts-Accessories-/6028/i.html) >
Car & Truck Parts (http://www.ebay.com/sch/Car-Truck-Parts-/6030/i.html) >
Suspension & Steering (http://www.ebay.com/sch/Suspension-Steering-/33579/i.html) >
Power Steering Pumps & Parts (http://www.ebay.com/sch/Power-Steering-Pumps-Parts-/33588/i.html)






























Item: 293238726444 (tel:293238726444)





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Have one to sell?Sell it yourself (http://cgi5.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?SellLikeItem&_trksid=p4340.l2567&rt=nc&item=293238726444)






2004-2013 Volvo C70 C30 S40 Power Steering Pump Assembly with Reservoir OEM



inspirationsales (http://myworld.ebay.com/inspirationsales/) ( 348 (http://feedback.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewFeedback&rt=nc&iid=293238726444&userid=inspirationsales&ssPageName=VIP:feedback&ftab=FeedbackAsSeller)https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2019/11/iconTealStar_25x25-1.gif)






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Used





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Sale date:
Nov 15, 2019








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Price:
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[grambo]

Well, I am still dicking around with the bumper, it is getting closer to fitting but more to do, I am praying I will get it right. I also made up a couple brackets for my headlights, (yes I know they are super illegal, Utah is very forgiving when it comes to vintage vehicles.) After playing with it a few hrs. I needed a win so I finished up the cooling system. I am bypassing the heater core for now, I plan to do hvac, probebally a vintage air mini, but the funds are not there yet and I need a bunch of stuff to get her rUnning. As the snow is coming (tomorrow if the weatherman is to be believed) I scraped together some cash and bought a garage heater. 60,000 btu works this place up quick!169447169448169449169450

[grambo]

So I am bouncing around a bit, but today was trunk floor day. I cut out the old and very damaged fuel cell mount and built and installed floor braces. Then I started playing with the exhaust. I have some “bad” ideas on how I am planning to run it but to start figuring it out I took the magnaflow mufflers from the wrecked mustang, notched and straightened the tips, and welded them together. I am planning to center mount them with the tips flush with the rear cross member. It is gonna suck to get it all to clear the rear suspension but I will figure it out169481169482169483169484

[grambo]

So, I work for fedex, and this time of year is stupid busy, so I am working 6-7 days a week, and this may be my only day off this month, so I took advantage of it by getting all the power steering stuff figured out. It starter with the wrong pump, but I had a left over reservoir I changed my mind on so I wasn’t too worried. I had a local shop make me a high pressure line and sell me a bunch of other tubing for the return and to hook up the tank. I am running out of space up front, but I managed to squeeze it onto the passenger frame rail just behind the radiator, and under the overflow tank. I made up 4 mounts and came up with a vibration damper that I think will work. All the hoses worked out great. Hopefully the tank is ok with oil... we will see.170015170016170017170018170019 170020

[Tsaints1115]

FedEx? Small world. 34 years with UPS here.

[grambo]

FedEx? Small world. 34 years with UPS here.
Sounds like you know my pain, but hey, someone’s gotta play Santa clause. it’s a rough time of year, but it’s only a month. Stay safe out there.

[grambo]

Things have finally started to calm at work and at home, so I seized the moment (3 hours of moments actually) and finished reshaping the front bumper still some clean up and body work to do, and I need to finish the mounts, but at least it fits the shape properly. I also got some more poster board and began the designing of the dash and center console. I wanted to put the nitrous tank between the seats, but I would bash my elbow on it when shifting, so I put it in the back. Not too much to show this time, but the drought has ended and work has re-commenced.170845170846170847170848

[egoman]

There is a guy on you-tube called Mike Patey. He does some very cool aircraft stuff and really simplifies carbon fiber work. Like you his builds entertain me. Because you have been a little slow on posting I will tell you the same thing I told him. I need to see your content, so "Dance Monkey Dance" LOL. Good to see you back at it!

[grambo]

Thanks for the compliment. Glad you like it, but life is a balancing act. I have an incredible wife and three great kids (who are little) and a demanding job (especially in December) I do the best I can. I would love to spend more time in the garage, It just doesn’t always work.

[grambo]

Merry Christmas everyone! Look what I found under my tree this morning! The last piece of exterior body work, the part of the grill I have searched long and hard for and was unable to find for a reasonable price if at all, my neighbor had one! Still can’t figure that one out, but either way it was incredible of him to part with it and even more so as a Christmas gift. Is Life is good or what! Hope you all had a great christmas as well.170875170876 seriously next time I build a car I am starting with something that I can buy off the shelf parts for, cougars are hard to get parts for.

[Tsaints1115]

Merry Christmas everyone! Look what I found under my tree this morning! The last piece of exterior body work, the part of the grill I have searched long and hard for and was unable to find for a reasonable price if at all, my neighbor had one!....... seriously next time I build a car I am starting with something that I can buy off the shelf parts for, cougars are hard to get parts for.

Yea but then you'd have just another "off the shelf" car like everyone else has. There's a reason people notice what's different .

[grambo]

Another great day in the garage. Sorry for the time gap, I have been spending every spare moment skiing (I live 20 mins from 7 different resorts and 45 mins from 3 more, I love Utah in the winter!) so today I am one throwing caution to the wind (also how I ski) and chopping and welding on bits I cannot replace. my car is a 67 in 69 mercury had the center grill bit (beak?) as a part of the hood, I love how they look with the hood up and so I attached the grill bit I got for Christmas to the hood, after I welded in a filler plate and made some cool flanged gussets to hold it all together. It may not look like much but that was 3 hours of work, I dig it. 171709171710171711171712

[Tsaints1115]

It was the 70 that had the grille center as part of the hood. The 69 has a cast center as part of the grille and the hood is fairly level from side to side.

[andrewb70]

Great progress!

[grambo]

It was the 70 that had the grille center as part of the hood. The 69 has a cast center as part of the grille and the hood is fairly level from side to side.


right you are... apologies for the misinformation.

[Tsaints1115]

All us ‘69 owners were horribly offended. Lol

[jaybee]

All us ‘69 owners were horribly offended. Lol

I wish I had never sold my '69. It wasn't in good shape but it was mine and I loved that car.

[grambo]

More hood hinge fun, the mustang trunk hinges did not work, the hood would foul the bulk head, and the were flimsy, so I got a set off a 2010 Dodge Ram and spent a few hours modifying them.before: 171963
After:171964

I also got a cup holder out of a Lexus and made a mounting bracket to hold it into the center console that I need to finish.171965171966

Kinda a slow day, but still fun

[grambo]

Welcome to A-pillar day. If you look back at the day I fit the body onto the chassis you will see I lost my A-pillar bars as they would not fit into the cougar body, so I chopped them out. Anyway today I started re-making them, I bent the bars a while back but today started the process of fitting them. I am not great at tube work, I mean I know how but am not tooled up for it and it is something I don’t get a lot of practice with anymore, but it is turning out. Nothing is even tacked yet but it is all fitting up pretty good. I also made up some bars that will re-support the dash bar and all the front end tubing. I am still unsure about door bars, I don’t Like climbing over them, but I think they would look cool, and they definatly mke things stronger and safer... I will decide later. Anyway, here are some pics.172542172543172544

[grambo]

More tube work happened today, everything is now fit up and tacked, but I ran out of argon right after I finished tacking so I was forced to stop, but at least it looks like progress.172775172776172777

[71_Challenger]

This build is ****ing amazing. I could only dream of having that much imagination and making it work in real life.

Where did you get the one thick piece of aluminum for the spoiler? I have one on my challenger and kind of has that same design but i had to use 3 separate pieces and i want one whole piece. I got my stuff at home depot to but i can't find one thick long (need 65 inches) of aluminum all in one piece.

[TonyHuntimer]

Killer project! I would dig having you as a neighbor. ;)

[grambo]

This build is ****ing amazing. I could only dream of having that much imagination and making it work in real life.

Where did you get the one thick piece of aluminum for the spoiler? I have one on my challenger and kind of has that same design but i had to use 3 separate pieces and i want one whole piece. I got my stuff at home depot to but i can't find one thick long (need 65 inches) of aluminum all in one piece.

thanks!, I bought my aluminum flat bar at a store called "metal supermarket". they have a bunch of locations all around the world. they are expensive, but will only sell you as much or as little as you want which is nice. I also love to buy all the rems the sell as they are more reasonable and you can haggle with them. my piece was 3/16" x 6inch and I bought a cut to length piece. I want to say it was $45. they do shipping too. hope this helps.

[grambo]

Killer project! I would dig having you as a neighbor. ;)

That would be awesome. my neighbors are all patent but none of them are into cars at all. Utah's economy is really good, we have epic skiing, good gun laws , and low taxes. come on over... (ok you will loose your nice climate and, and the beach, not to mention trees and all that... still might be worth it.)

[grambo]

Not much to see, but I have now finished welding the cage, and am back to mocking up stuff like the dash... I also figured out how to make my front bumper mounts, so I started in on that, guess you will have to wait and see if they turn out. I have been playing with other stuff, and some vacation has taken me away but I am back now so more is coming...173436173437173438173439 hope that last one is not deemed inappropriate, but it was a fun project, I built it from a 80% and made the case... kinda proud of it.

[grambo]

Bumper mounts are almost done, I just need to clean them up some. I also worked on the hood hinges today, they are ready to get welded on now! And I was playing on a local classified site and found a bunch of brake ducting and fittings for $20. Really cool guy too, he runs a Honda in scca and was way awesome, the box had a receipt for $160 in the bottom, man car guys rule! In other news A past acquaintance contacted me and asked if he could bring his scout troop by to check out my car, they are coming on Tuesday, so I am trying to get it presentable. Maybe I will put the seats back in it... the car is like 50% done and it’s already getting attention. 173546173547173548

[langleylad]

You say that you're 50% done but believe me the last 10% will take forever. Finish welding eats up a lot of time !. You've got more to do than you realize.

[grambo]

You say that you're 50% done but believe me the last 10% will take forever. Finish welding eats up a lot of time !. You've got more to do than you realize.


oh I believe you. This sounds like one of those lessons that can only be Fully had through experience. That day is coming for me.

[grambo]

Today lots of visible things happened! I finished the hood hinges and burned them in. Then I finished the adjustable bumper mounts, and burned them in too. Then I hung the bumper, and attached the headlight brackets and lights. Yes, I do know they are not actually dot approved headlights, and as such not legal, but I don’t really care. It looks more and more like a car as time goes on.
173554173558173560173561173562173563 that las one is just playing around with my plan for the grill. I think it is gonna look cool. What a great day!

[neongreen]

That circular cutout mesh is pretty cool. I eye it every time I go to the metal store...

[grambo]

Well I have been sent home for 14 days, so I am getting a lot done. Today I bought some more steel, and cut out my center concrete and dash board. I also got the grill cut and All the other air intakes grills cut out. I got the bracket that will hold an I-pad for all the gauges I am going digital. Then I started designing the air dam.173825173826173827173828173829

[Tsaints1115]

It looks like you're putting a slight peak in the the grille screen?

[grambo]

It looks like you're putting a slight peak in the the grille screen?

good eye. I did put a slight bend down the center of the grill, still trying to decide if I want to make it more pronounced.

[Tsaints1115]

Maybe a pinch? That subtle shape makes a huge difference.

[Falcon64]

Yep......an extra pinch is my vote.

While ur at it.....make a simple plywood press tool for the hood mesh to joggle them up 3/16" .
Hold the ply underneath the hood slots and Sharpie a cut line an eighth inch inside the slot, cut out the INSIDE piece and bin it......cut another filler piece that goes INSIDE the slot in the first plywood but is a quarter inch smaller again all round.
Place the bigger outer piece on the ground under a lift arm or similar, put the mesh located central on top, then put the smallest insert piece centered on everything and drop the lift a calculated amount. ....about 3/16.
BingoBango.....proper vent inserts.
You're welcome:headbang:
Jim

[grambo]

Yep......an extra pinch is my vote.

While ur at it.....make a simple plywood press tool for the hood mesh to joggle them up 3/16" .
Hold the ply underneath the hood slots and Sharpie a cut line an eighth inch inside the slot, cut out the INSIDE piece and bin it......cut another filler piece that goes INSIDE the slot in the first plywood but is a quarter inch smaller again all round.
Place the bigger outer piece on the ground under a lift arm or similar, put the mesh located central on top, then put the smallest insert piece centered on everything and drop the lift a calculated amount. ....about 3/16.
BingoBango.....proper vent inserts.
You're welcome:headbang:
Jim



I was panning to just mount them underneath, but that sounds like a good idea, and might look better slightly raised(or flushed to the sheet metal body work) I will look at that when I have the front valence figured out. Thanks.

i also must say I will defiantly crown the grill a bit more, it is calling to me.

[grambo]

I have made three front valence templates now and have not loved any of them. The first one (see last times pics) looked the best so far, but even it was not quite right. So I Decided another approach was needed, I jumped past it and made a splitter for the car, thinking with it In place it would be easier to make the valence fit to it. I started with a 1/2 inch plywood (Birch) and used a plumb bob to make a template on paper taped to the floor then transferred it to wood and through trial and error (mostly error) got it to fit around everything in the front end. It took 6 hours and I once more have a grumpy wife, so I think I am gonna spend the day with her today. Gotta keep momma happy... anyway here are some pics.173873173870173871173872
I wanted to tie in the fender flairs and also kinda visually match up the air ducts in the rear fenders, so I made it a bit wide. I plan to wrap it in carbon fiber at some point, but the shape is working out well. Now I just gotta level it out and the I can work on a new valence design. I have a oil cooler on the drivers side that will need a vent hole and I plan to run the brake duct intake on the passenger side, hopefully I can make the holes match. And I do like the first valence’s center opening, but it needs a flange for depth/streignth. So, yeah still flying by the seat of my pants, but maybe something cool will happen.

[grambo]

Ok front valence prototype #6 might be the one. It’s crazy how long this is taking me, but I gotta be happy with it. Anywhere here is the template in place. Thoughts?173911173912173913

[andrewb70]

This thing is going to be nuts!

[thumper877]

I like it. Really looks nice the way u rounded it into the flares

[Fierbird67]

Digging the mesh screen! It has to be nice to start seeing your car's face.

And it's amazing how much the fiddly aesthetic stuff can drive you crazy. I don't know if this is helpful, but I threw together a quick photochop of the front valence with some lines borrowed from the main grill.
173926

Keep up the great work!

[grambo]

That does look good, but I really want to use the cf brake duct (it is sitting I front of the car I that pic) on the passenger side, and it would not look right if it didn’t match side to side ( also there is an oil cooler on the drivers side that needs air.) so the outside two need to stay rectangular, but I do like the middle with the slanted edges. Ok I think I feel Aa version #7 coming on. I will toy with it for sure. thanks for the ideas!

[Fierbird67]

Right on. For sure it for sure would be awkward to block off part of a duct for aesthetics.

Looking forward to see what you come up with in v7!

[grambo]

Ok attempt #7 was the best yet (thanks again for the ideas fierbird67), so after finishing up the template I transferred it to 20ga, and got to cutting. I then made grill stand offs (so I would have somewhere to attach the ducting on the side two grill openings, and I made the middle one match for coolness.) it took 8 hours but it is coming along very well, I still have a bit more fitting up to do and some clean up (grinder work) but the main valence work is there and it is coming together very well. Here are some pics.174018174013 if you look close in that last pic you will see some things sitting on the splitter, I did not like how the area between the grill openings looked, it was too boring. So I thought back to when I took apart a cougar for all the sheet metal I needed a year ago, I I kinda remember there being some supports holding the factory valence to the bumper bracket, so to pay homage to the factory car, I made those arm things. Here is the plan:174014 ok, ok, that was all a load of bs, I just thought it would look cool, so I did it... here are some duct shots.174015174016 and finally the fender tie in bits.174017 still love every Minuit I get to spend building on the old cat, but I need to go mop the floor in the interest of marital harmony.

[Fierbird67]

Looking good! Nice touch with the bumper guards, that should be interesting to see finished.

[grambo]

And now for your viewing pleasure I give you... the loosely assembled front end...174119174120

[Sbeck09]

Nice! I like how that turned out so far. Once it's all done in a uniform color it will look like you bought a kit.

Wanna come do mine next? haha

[Fierbird67]

That turned out great! Keep it up!

[grambo]

Thanks guys.

[grambo]

Snuck in a few hrs yesterday, I tend to bounce around if you haven’t noticed, the way I see it building a car needs to be enjoyable, and as I have plenty left to do I just pick whatever sounds fun to work on. I should have finished the front end, but this sounded more fun. So this time I worked on sealing up the passenger compartment, especially the behind the seats where the body meets the chassis and floor. I need to prime them so clecos are holding everything until I buy more primer, but I like how they turned out. Also I got a new window regulator for the drivers door, as the one it has is toast. I am not sure haw I am going to install it, all the how to videos start with the window in the exact place it must be for disassembly, mine is seized up in the wrong spot, so that will be interesting when I decide it sounds like fun that is...174358174356174359174360

[grambo]

Still plugging away, and doing research when not working. It turns out (despite what I had been told several times) that I can convert the factory mustang pump to a return system so before I disposed of the old tank I cut the mounting ring and flange out. I had to bend the two rods as the mustang holds the pump at an angle. Today I played with the fuel cell, I started by relocating the fuel filler and fuel vent to make room for the pump to go into the center then cut holes (with a soldering iron so it would not fill the tank with debris) and made everything fit. An added bonus of using the factory pump is that it has a built in sender and float all of which are the perfect depth so I ordered a fuel gauge. I also spent a day re-working the passenger side ball joint angle as it was binding at ride height, so I cut and welded it some. And in other car news I took my center console and dashboard metal to a local shop and had them bend everything up on their fancy press break, some assembly still required, but it is so nice to see it in steel. 174731174732174733174734174735174736

[scrubby2009]

Excellent vision. Can't say how many RacingJunk-derived projects I've started in my head... thanks for actually doing one and sharing the process.

[grambo]

Interior sheet metal is still progressing. Got the dash to fit, made some little end caps for it, made up some filler panels that will make attaching the center console stronger, made a foot rest (no pic yet, let me finish it or it won’t make sense) got the stuff in the rear primed, and painter and installed (paint on inside to prevent rust) and I cracked open the wallet and ordered a bunch of fun stuff that is in the mail. Still having fun.
174898174899174900

Ok now i need some advice. I want to do a simple and rugged kind of interior. I have black seats and the door cards I ordered are black, but I would prefer a lighter color for the rest of the interior. I Think I want a white truck bed liner, but am struggling to find something that will work. I have tried the rustolium liner in the past and it sucked, I like the reviews on hurculiner (roll on), but they only make grey and black. Lizard skin (spray only) comes in white but I am not sure it will hold up to direct abuse (no carpet/or coverings) also I don’t think my air compressor can spray it, 174901but it is the right color and cheaper. Are there any other robust textured white products that I haven’t heard of? I see some of you like lizard skin, if I rent/borrow a better compressor would it do what I want it to? Any other thoughts would be greatly appreciated. Thank you in advance.

[Indyfab]

[QUOTE=grambo;1327591]Interior sheet metal is still progressing. Got the dash to fit, made some little end caps for it, made up some filler panels that will make attaching the center console stronger, made a foot rest (no pic yet, let me finish it or it won’t make sense) got the stuff in the rear primed, and painter and installed (paint on inside to prevent rust) and I cracked open the wallet and ordered a bunch of fun stuff that is in the mail. Still having fun.
174898174899174900

Ok now i need some advice. I want to do a simple and rugged kind of interior. I have black seats and the door cards I ordered are black, but I would prefer a lighter color for the rest of the interior. I Think I want a white truck bed liner, but am struggling to find something that will work. I have tried the rustolium liner in the past and it sucked, I like the reviews on hurculiner (roll on), but they only make grey and black. Lizard skin (spray only) comes in white but I am not sure it will hold up to direct abuse (no carpet/or coverings) also I don’t think my air compressor can spray it, 174901but it is the right color and cheaper. Are there any other robust textured white products that I haven’t heard of? I see some of you like lizard skin, if I rent/borrow a better compressor would it do what I want it to? Any other thoughts would be greatly appreciated. Thank you in advance.[/QUOTE


Look into Durabak

[grambo]

Durabak is a bit more expensive, but if it works... have you had personal experience with it? I am concerned about durability, and longevity. I don’t want something that works for a few weeks then starts rubbing off.
Thanks for the feedback.

[grambo]

Still working on interior pannels today it was the “c pillar”. It takes some time to make all these parts, but I find cutting, debuting and flagging rather relaxing. Also have I mentioned I love cleco clamps, cause I do. Still looking for advice on bedliners, or other coatings...175026175027 I ran out of rivets, so I will need to get more to finish.

[Sbeck09]

I went with Lizard Skin on mine. While it certainly isn't the cheapest option and it is also kinda messy to use, I'm super happy with the results. I don't think I'll ever use another heat/sound management product that doesn't spray on. It was sooooo much easier that way. Just cover anything in a 5ft radius that you don't want overspray on.

[grambo]

I went with Lizard Skin on mine. While it certainly isn't the cheapest option and it is also kinda messy to use, I'm super happy with the results. I don't think I'll ever use another heat/sound management product that doesn't spray on. It was sooooo much easier that way. Just cover anything in a 5ft radius that you don't want overspray on.

Thank you so much for the feedback.
lizzard skin is not as expensive as some of the others i was looking at. main question, is is soft and rubbery or more abrasive? I don't want sand paper when my arm is resting on it.

[grambo]

I am still on the interior as of late. I have made and installed about 20 patch panels for all the holes I did not need, which is boring, so I did not photo document it. Today I started in on the hvac. As mentioned I am on a budget with this car, so in an effort to save money I’m modifying the whole hvac system from the mustang. When I say the “whole system” I don’t actually mean it however... I am ditching the cabin air filter, the external air intake, most (more like all but the fan) electronics, and a bunch of other fat. I plan to control everything with cables, and such. For now I needed to cut the fat. From this: 175397
To this:
175398
Here are the bits I don’t need:
175402
Then I needed to cut a bulkhead hole:
175399
While I was at it I started fitting the windshield wiper assembly, and I zip tied everything into place.
175400
It all still fits under the dash, so this may just work.175401
I plan to use the my extra brake duct as hvac duct and make a large plate that takes air from the discharge to the duct. I also need to cut and extend the driver side of the wiper assembly about an inch and a quarter. A also need to trim the center console back and clearance the trans tunnel a bit. Still a bunch to figure out, but with some luck I may not die in the crazy Utah summers.

[Tsaints1115]

Might have been easier to just use a box fan and a 12V inverter.:razz:

[grambo]

Might have been easier to just use a box fan and a 12V inverter.:razz:

You must not know the abject misery that is Utah summers. honestly even if I get this ac system to work I may add a cool suit on top of it. It's like living on the sun. I so love the winters, but summer sucks. Honestly I would move tomorrow if the wife would let me.

[Tsaints1115]

But it's a dry heat.

[Redhatff1273]

wow lot of work gonna be a bad ass!!!

[grambo]

But it's a dry heat.


so is the oven, and you don’t see me climbing in there...

[Tsaints1115]

Lol. I'd probably take it over the 90/90 heat/humidity here in IL.

But thankfully that is over as I've bid farewell to UPS after 34 years. No more brown monkey suit for me.

[grambo]

Lol. I'd probably take it over the 90/90 heat/humidity here in IL.

But thankfully that is over as I've bid farewell to UPS after 34 years. No more brown monkey suit for me.



congrats in the retirement! That’s awesome. I have a long time, but am already looking forward to that day.

[grambo]

I figured out how to install the window regulator last Saturday. It was not as hard as I thought it would be. Today was dedicated to sealing up the cabin some more. I built and installed the outside door sills, and then finished the rear inner wheel wells. I have been meaning to tackle these bits for some time, so it is nice to have them checked off the list. Still waiting on some parts, for the first time I am having some disappointing problems with jegs. Also my middle boy found the mustang gauge cluster, I was pretty sure I didn’t need it, I guess my mind has been made up.175700175701175702175703175704175705oh and I got a new iPad, so maybe the picture will stop inverting, either way, the camera is nicer.

[grambo]

Jegs came through! I have parts again!175905175906

[Tsaints1115]

Wife wasn't home to see all the car parts on the carpet? :ssst:

[grambo]

Wife wasn't home to see all the car parts on the carpet? :ssst:

Sadly she is laid up with a pretty serious case of strep, so yeah I trashed her formal living room, I cleaned up after, kinda...

[neongreen]

You must not know the abject misery that is Utah summers.

I know it well (the green turbo ranger had no AC) and I miss it. If I could keep my job and move back to Utah, I'd give Michigan the middle finger in a heartbeat. I've had enough of this boring as hell flat frozen wasteland.

[Fierbird67]

Oh man, happy Quarantine Christmas to you!

Is that pretty much it to wrap the HVAC install?

[grambo]

Is that pretty much it to wrap the HVAC install?[/QUOTE]


actually that is everything I need to control and wire it the engine. Ecu, intake, wiring, switches, obt2 port, o2 sensors, mass air flow, battery leads, under hood fuse block, etc. I also got some an fittings for the fuel system. For the hvac I ordered a old slider control off eBay that I hope to adapt.

[Fierbird67]

Oh, now that is pretty dang exciting!

[grambo]

So, life just got crazy for us. I was offered a high up management position with in fedex. They are going to double my salary, but I am being relocated to northern Illinois. So good news, the car is being moved with us, the budgetary restrictions can be relaxed a lot, and we can buy a house with a three car garage, or maybe a shop, so I can keep working on it. Bad news I need to be there in three weeks, my wife is having a hard time, and doesn’t want to leave her friends, and for at least six months it is super unlikely I will have any time to do anything but learn to do my new job and work on selling, buying, renting, moving, and all the other insanity that comes from a sudden 1500 mile relocation. So the cougar may be put on the back burner for a bit, which sickens me, but it is what needs to happen. Things are about to start moving very quickly, and failure is not an option. My family will always come first, and this amazing opportunity is going to positively impact us for years to come, after a lot of work, learning, and some pain. Also if it all goes horribly wrong, it’s only a one year commitment, and I can transfer just about anywhere after two. In car related news, I Have some mounts holding the hvac unit in place now, and I just got my u-Paul raptor liner (in white). I for now am going to get a couple cases of primer and cover up the exposed metal work, then get her on some caster dollys (as the steering isn’t done yet) then pack it full of parts and prep it for a long trip. Really though, I enjoy building things, it relaxes me, and with my new job I will no longer be doing fabrication and engineering work for my career, so there is a good chance my time line is wrong, I may need the old cougar more now than ever.

[Tsaints1115]

Management?!!!!! NOOOOOOOOOOOO!

Just kidding. Good for you. Where at in IL?

[grambo]

Management?!!!!! NOOOOOOOOOOOO!

Just kidding. Good for you. Where at in IL?


The job is in grayslake IL. its a lot smaller building than I am used to, and with some luck should not be too crazy.

[Schwartz Performance]

Soon to welcome you to northern IL! We are in Woodstock, a bit west of ya. Not far from the fedex hub in Cary.

-Dale

[grambo]

Really, that is cool. How is the car culture in il?

[Schwartz Performance]

Really, that is cool. How is the car culture in il?

Pretty good. Chicagoland is full of stuff. Lots of exotics and such, but all good company.

[drivefaster80]

Hey great build, are minds think alike super widebody, adjustable upper a-arms, splined swaybar, nascar chassis etc all on a budget thats what i would like to build, unfortunately i dont have the space.

where did you get adjustable upper a-arms and what brand is it thanks,

Also when u finish would you sell it to me?

[grambo]

Hey great build, are minds think alike super widebody, adjustable upper a-arms, splined swaybar, nascar chassis etc all on a budget thats what i would like to build, unfortunately i dont have the space.

where did you get adjustable upper a-arms and what brand is it thanks,

Also when u finish would you sell it to me?



glad to hear I am not the only insane hotrodder out there. The a-arms are speedway motor brand and seem stout so I would recommend them. As for selling, I’d like to say never, but I have a well renowned lead foot so let’s see how much trouble I get in with it first.

[grambo]

Ok, I am moving this week, So this will be the last update until my car is moved, and we are settled in our new home. In preparation for that I have primed everything exposed and got it back on the ground. Then I put the front wheels on dollies. Last Friday it went to a shop and got an alignment and a trick exhaust system. It it 3” with flowmaster 40 mufflers, to keep it tight (and free up some ground clearance) most of it is mounted with in a half inch of the floor. We used flex fittings between the “hard mounted” (still has rubber damper things) rear section And the headers so the motor can move with out things fowling the floor. And with the alignment we are a lot closer. This is the first part I have paid someone else to do, and to be honest I am glad I did, they did a great job!176642176643176644176645

[grambo]

Ok, I need some advice on shipping. I have had cars shipped to me in the past, but they were already wrecked, like the donor mustang. I need to move the cougar from Utah to Wisconsin, and all the shipping companies I have talked to (6 or 7 now) seem disreputable/ untrustworthy. Do any of you know of a shipper that I can trust with my car? It's not even a money issue it is a trust that it will be treated with kindness and not harmed. please help me!

[dhutton]

I had good luck using this transport company:

Rebel Yell Transport 972-264-3977

Don

[grambo]

thank you.

[Tsaints1115]

I have past experience with Reliable. No issues.

[halosorio]

Ok, I need some advice on shipping. I have had cars shipped to me in the past, but they were already wrecked, like the donor mustang. I need to move the cougar from Utah to Wisconsin, and all the shipping companies I have talked to (6 or 7 now) seem disreputable/ untrustworthy. Do any of you know of a shipper that I can trust with my car? It's not even a money issue it is a trust that it will be treated with kindness and not harmed. please help me!

A few years back we used Nationwide United Auto Transport for enclosed auto transport. I'm sure they offer open car shipping as well. They have 5 stars on Google, Yelp, Transport Reviews, etc. I would definitely recommend them

[grambo]

It’s moving day! The car parts are here (so is the rest of my stuff...) and the cougar arrives tomorrow. We bought a slightly bigger house for the same price I sold my Utah house for but now have a 3 car deeper garage, which is nice. It has been a crazy month with lots of adventures but I am maybe 2 weeks from getting back to work on the car. 178021178021

[Tsaints1115]

Welcome to Illinois. You're just in time for the heat and humidity season.

[grambo]

You aren’t kidding. It is hot.

[Tsaints1115]

Yes, but it's a humid, sticky, sweaty balls heat. :twothumbs

[grambo]

The cougar is in Wisconsin. Reliable transport dropped it off an hour ago. It is nice to have it in the garage, I can’t wait to start working on it again. 178044178045178049

[454bug]

Congrats on the new job opportunity. I’ve had to move twice in the last 8 years with my job. I went from a 50’x60’ shop to 2 RV Storage units to a 4-car garage. Seems like I keep downsizing and giving away stuff! Now, I’m having to rebuy tools that I gave away just a few years ago!

It’s nice that you have more room in your new garage! That neighborhood doesn’t look like they would allow working in the driveway! Great project and workmanship. It looks like it will be a blast on the track.

I look forward to future updates! :cheers:

[grambo]

Ok, I admit it I am a bit embarrassed to show my face (or more accurately my lack of progress) on here lately. I keep saying "as soon as (insert many pathetic excuses here) happens I will have more time to work on the cougar" it just isn't happening yet. The new job is taking less and less of my time, I am down to only 50 hrs/week now. but everything keeps getting in the way, and now that I am out of the habit of working on it it is hard to start again. yesterday I bought all the bits and bobs to wire up two more 115v receptacles, and a 220v for the welder in the garage. Hand on heart I will work on that today, because I can't do much with out the compressor and welder. I also desperately need a work bench. anyway, as for actual car progress I received and installed the door panels I ordered 8 months ago... they are very nice but I don't think I would recommend the company MP products inc. due to the absurd amount of time that took. but either way panels fit well, and I like them a lot.180916 I hope the next post will come with better progress.

[Tsaints1115]

"Only 50 hours'. Lol

You know Peak is three weeks away, right?

[grambo]

"Only 50 hours'. Lol

You know Peak is three weeks away, right?


I am very aware, but the funny thing is once peak hits for me and my team everything slows down. My busy season is now with peak prep and after with damage assessment and repair. The maintenance side is very different from the operations side.

(btw I got the garage wired!)

[grambo]

I’m back!

Life is calming down nicely, and I am starting to play with the old cougar once more. Today I spent three hours setting up the work shop, putting u- new shelves, and sorting tools. I can now work efficiently. Then I got back to work on the interior parts. I welded up a switch panel, turned an old nascar air scoop into my gauge cluster, and broke out the new to me shopvac my wife got me (still working on thinking that one through... a man buying his wife a vacuumed for Christmas is taboo, but if a wife gives one to the husband is that ok socially? Is it hint that I need to clean more? Still a bit confused, but grateful, I think...) here are some pics of the progress.18372918373018373118373218373318373418373 5183736183737

[andrewb70]

If you get Holley EFI, one of their 12" dashes would look awesome

[grambo]

I think the plan is to use an iPad, in a similar fashion. I had planned to put it in the center of the dash, but I am reconsidering. I think it would look better in front of the wheel now that I got that bezel made.

[gsxrken]

That kid with the hammer is going to be shaving before you’re done! As an earlier poster said, “Dance, monkey, dance!” We need more content if we’re going to survive vicariously over this Covid winter.

Just kidding, of course. I’m not surprised you got promoted. Your problem solving abilities and ability to improvise and keep moving forward are evident just by the way you’ve negotiated this build. I have hired (and have had to fire) many people in my own corporate journey and at this point I don’t care where you went to school or worked before: the ability to adapt and overcome is what I look for.

I have no advise for your build other than to never quit on it. Most people tap out on projects of this magnitude whether it’s money, time, or enthusiasm. I had 4 kids and my car languished for almost 15 years... but I smile every time I drive it now.

[grambo]

You’re not telling me anything I don’t already know, the lack of progress was emotionality painful to me for the last few months. Honestly I would have been driving it now if I had not chosen to upended life by relocating. The car is my only regret in moving. I love my new career path, it has been a great move and has opened so many doors for my future. But now that I have my assistant manager picking up slack and taking some of the work load off I am working a 40-45 hour week, and things are balancing out nicely. Expect more regular progress updates. I am trying to get the interior done now, I only have one more piece to build, and then some mounts to hold the center console and a few other bits in place, then once the temp rises a bit I can spray the inside.

Thanks for the kind words, I will keep going, it is a labor of love, but as much as I love working on a project I love even more the feeling of finishing one.

[blade]

Any progress? It's been an interesting build and I would like to see more.

[grambo]

Nothing visible. I have attached the trunk floor and I have almost finished the last bit of the floor, that seals the cabin, I also just received 5 tubes of seam sealer, but my spare time has been tied up finishing my basement. I finished framing and Eletrical and just started the drywall, I have only been working on it for a month, so maybe two more and it will be done and I can play with the cougar again. 187318187317187316187319

[grambo]

First off I am not Dead... Second I finished the basement (which took way longer, and cost way more than expected.), third my lovely wife and I welcomed another child to our family, (this makes four kids, two boys and two girls) and (with some assistance from a physician) We are done having children, and fourth I am working on the cougar again. I have arranged my schedule to work on it every Wednesday after work, and get about 4 hours each time. I have no pics (yet), but many plans. I spent last Wednesday making seat mounts, but I did not like the angle so I will be modifying them next week. The trunk is ready for seam seal, and liner, and I have set a goal to get the interior ready to be sprayed out before the snow flies. It feels so good to be back to work on the old girl, and I will be sure to add pictures next time I play, so you can all better hold me accountable for reaching that goal. I will admit, it took a lot longer for things to stabilize after the move than I anticipated, but stabilize they have.

[813Demon340]

Very cool project, I love what you did to the Cougar. Life happens to all of us, don't sweat that the car isn't quite finished. I look forward to seeing your progress when you get time.

[grambo]

Some minor progress is happening. I finished the grill and all 5 mounts that hold it. there are 2 bolt through mounts on the bottom by the bumper on the frame rail, and three on the top. I thought about putting some pretty bead rolled sheet metal over it all to cover it and beatify the engine bay, but then i remembered it is not a show car and all I want people to see it the tail lights not the engine bay, so I didn't. anyway, here are some actual pictures for your enjoyment.

192447192448192449

[grambo]

Another Wednesday, another update. Yesterday I tackled the second to last hole between the floor pan/firewall, and the body, and I rebuild the drivers side fender mounts (cause the first ones sucked) I made them out of 1/4" bar stock, because it worked well when I made the oil cooler mount the same way. They are a lot stronger now. I also finished welding the modifications on the drivers fender. 193025193026193027193028
Sometimes I forget how wide these tires are. I still need to buy some road legal ones...

[grambo]

Hey all, been a bit. I’ve made some progress so I came back. Here are some pics. 201112201111201114201113

[67rstbkt]

Amazing build, looking forward to seeing more!

[andrewb70]

What's the white paint? Is it some kind of coating?

Andrew

[grambo]

What's the white paint? Is it some kind of coating?

Andrew

raptor liner in white, first coat went on well, hope to get a second coat on soon.

[grambo]

Starting the wiring next.

202014202015202016202017202018


New problem is I can’t get the drivers door to open, so that sucks.

[grambo]

Hey everyone, it’s been a bit but I have a few updates. The past few years I have been tinkering in the background. but the immensely complicated Eletrical systems for this car have been kicking my butt for a long while. That all changed these last two weeks. I have a friend who does Eletrical systems engineering for a tractor company who found some spare time and we made a bunch of progress. Then I had some life long friends(one who builds desert race trucks for a living and another who builds computers) fly in for a long weekend just to help on the car and my very skilled neighbor jumped in to help. So here is a big update. First off I had a ton of things that were 50ish percent done that we completed. It now has: brakes, a complete emissions delete, heat shielding , seatbelts, a headliner, hood vents, an attached front valence, all fluids, working power steering (yes the Volvo pump runs and turns the tires easily), headlights tail lights, brake lights 3/4 turn signals, a complete fuel system, installed oil catch can, and many other finished things. The biggest news is it runs awesome! We even drove it a mile and spun the tires a bit. This motor is awesomely powerful and smooth. I am so impressed.

21766121766921766821766721766621766521766421766321 7662217670

As for what’s next: I need tires, and they are out of the budget for the moment. The clutch is not moving the throw out bearing quite enough, (not yet sure if it’s a blessing issue or master cylinder size issue) the The drivers front braided stainless brake line ruptured, there is a bad noise on deceleration. Still need to finish the blinkers, and install glass, And obviously it needs some serious body work, and I need to clean up the mess of wires , and mount the last fuse panel.
. But even with the rest of the list some incredible progress has been made.

[grambo]

https://youtu.be/V2uNueN-Fz0?si=qmVDLuD-Guw2Rfzs


https://youtu.be/0mgLk8e2jeA?si=age2g0RN8qblQjGK

Here are my two poorly filmed first start up clips.

[grambo]

I have a renewed commitment to getting this car going. I have been working away, and learning from my mistakes. First, I can’t get the clutch to fully disengage, I spent about an hour being bounced from person to person at Wilwood and found a clutch expert. So my master 3/4” cylinder is the correct diameter but cannot move quite enough fluid to fully move the clutch so I have a 7/8 master cylinder being shipped to me. I have a set of 295 50 r15 tires in the mail. These are not as wide as I wanted but they are close and far more affordable. I am fighting with my blinker switch. Best we can figure it was not made to work with the two prong blinker relay in my fuse panel. Got more testing to do. The dash is coming together,217756 I made a bunch of mounts for it and have it 90% done. I have a cheap Chinese digital gps/obd2 gauge pod in the mail as well, so as soon as the brown truck of happiness gets here some good things will happen. I have changed my mind on exterior color a million times, I don’t like modern car “boring” colors. Part of me wants to make it green because the whole car is recycled from crashed, neglected, and abandoned cars. I also like orange, may be a while on any of this but my arrest friend has been playing and it was too cool not to share. 217757

[grambo]

I almost forgot. We live outside Kenosha Wisconsin. There is a huge car show at the end of August downtown and now that my car actually runs, I have made a personal goal to get the cougar there. I doubt I will have time or funds to do exterior finish in time, so it may be looking as rough as ever, but the 15 mile trip seems possible and I am pushing hard to make it happen. So if any of you are nearby come say hi if you see the car. Here is the link: https://www.visitkenosha.com/events/annual-events/kenosha-classic-cruise-in/ 217758 I also I received a new brake line, it has been installed and bled, so I have brakes again. I also added another gusset to the brake peddle assembly, as it was moving more than I wanted, but I forgot to take pics. Here is a shot of my dash brackets. 217759

[grambo]

Little wins= little updates.

Hood pins are installed.217760

Under hood wiring cleaned up. 217761

Center console fully installed. 217762

More to come.

[grambo]

The cougar is now registered! Has plates and everything, the dmv had trouble with the vin being 11 digits but after several consultations buy other dmv people it worked out. Along the way I learned some cool things about the shell of a car I am working on. It was a no option 289 2barrel auto car originally without vinyl top, and no power stating, no ac, and no power brakes. But the factory color was Nordic blue. Here it what it looked:
217804

Still have no idea what color to paint it or wrap it now, but that is a pretty cool color. Modern cars are so boring. Shapeless bland colored blobs…
Anyway still moving. Lots of parts are still coming, but I ran the car to (most of) temp today and the alternator and thermostat are working well. So I am building confidence. My awesome neighbor (who is an electrical genius) Found a damaged wire that was popping a fuse, but the also bits of the wiring harness are getting so close.

The tires arrived!
217805

I installed more pins to meet the trunk shut.
217806
217808

I have been working on wrapping up all the little things that were not quite finished, like a cover for the factory fuel door hole, forward mounts for the front fenders, and plugging the 3rd rear axle threaded port (it still has a vent, but also had 4 other threaded ports for the oil cooling system I deleted). Along the way (now that I know what I am looking at) I found a few spots of the factory paint. 217807
I only know a few other things but I know it was taken off the road and stripped for parts in 1994, before that someone spent a bunch of time and bondo hiding a lot of rust spots, I assume someone got scammed along the way, but that’s just speculation. Other than that it’s almost the 60,000th of 150,000 cars that first year.
So yeah, it’s been fun digging up the old cougars past,

[grambo]

All Eletrical is DONE!
Tires are mounted and on the car.
218022
I got a cheap eBay digital dash, it’s installed and working.
218023
Door cards are fully installed.
218024
The old fuel door hole is covered.
218025
The new clutch master cylinder came and is installed and bled. The car can now shift gears(I have not driven it but when running I can get it into gear and out where I could not before.) I have moved it forward and back 2 feet and it works not. I had to change up from a .7 to a .875 master cylinder. It’s a bit heavier but feels great, the .7 was pretty light. Over all very happy.
218027218026
I also spray painted the hood black as it was multi colored primer and it embarrassed me, I forgot to take a pic though.

I also found and repaired the cooling fan wiring. There was a damaged wire causing a short.

It is almost insured. I have an application in with Grundy, so hopefully I can be legal in the next few days.

So next is installing the front and rear windshields I have never roped in a window before, and at the moment it feels a bit daunting, so any advice is welcome. I have been watching YouTube , but everyone seems to do it differently.

Things are going well.

[grambo]

The cougar is drivable!
All the odds and ends are buttoned up, windows are in.
218140218141
Interior is all installed and working.
218142218143
And it’s driving great!
218148218147218146218145218144218149

There was also an issue where the two cooling fans in start up would blow fuse and shut off the ecu, so that now on a relay (like I should have done in the first place).

So aside from chasing a squeak in the front left corner (only under power strangely, as in it goes away when the clutch is depressed) and maybe a few touch ups and tweaks this is officially phase one complete! Phase 2 may be a while, I want to enjoy driving it ,learning its personality, and building confidence in it ,but at some point the exterior needs some attention. I kinda like the whole “under construction” vibe for now but it’s gonna be body worked and finished at some point. The car still has some of the worst gaps ever, but for now I don’t care “#because race car” (technically street legal race car). I do think �� need some sort of electric brake booster though, the brakes are stiff.

The big car show is coming up and I am now registered and insured. So assuming I can make it through the whole 7 miles with out breaking down that will be my next update. I am getting nervous to show the cougar to the world, but maybe it will not be openly mocked. Thank you for not judging too harshly here.

[grambo]

I just passed 100 miles with only one breakdown ( blown fuse easy fix). I made it to the kenosha cruise in yesterday and the “cougar” was well received, way better that I expected.
218316
There were thousands of people there walking between loads of shiny clean show cars, and my junk box. My favorite part was letting kids play inside my car. With so many “look but don’t touch” cars being different was kinda cool. I have said this a few times but I never meant for this to be a show car so I am leaning into that.
218317218318
The thing that surprises me more at about this car is how fast it really is. I raced (stop light to stop light)a yellow Malibu driving into the show and kept just ahead of him. I was a bit surprised he could keep up, and I was thinking “maybe I’m not that fast…” at the show I found the car and spoke to the driver, it had a 600hp 397cid (with dyno print outs) so yeah the cougar scoots, and I am enjoying it.
So yeah, show was good, driving it is better, and confidence is building. I may try to drive to work this week (3x farther than I have driven it so far…)
218319

Next step is windshield wipers, and new rims, after that maybe bodywork, though many people at the show tried to talk me into leaving the exterior alone. Having watched a guy spend 20 mins closing the hood on his hot rod show car just right so the paint didn’t get scratched it’s a somewhat appealing prospect. So many options.

[grambo]

Still wracking up miles and chasing down strange noises. The cougar is running well and does some easy burn outs. I have now burned through three Tanks of fuel (22 gallon tanks) and somehow have yet to me pulled over. I have also enjoyed using at as a car, I have taken my oldest boy to school several times and gone to several parks and such. I took it to a cruise in at a local diner this week with my youngest, and her booster seat fits great into the corbeau seats.
218421218422218423218424218425
Still working on next step, planning for paint or wrap, and I just got my new windshield wiper motor and parts so soon it will be more legal.

[grambo]

Well, another curve ball came our way. We are moving to Indy for a promotion. good things its a promotion and comes with a relocation, bad things its not far enough to qualify to ship the cougar on company dime, so once we get our place down there sorted out, I get to test my build on a 300 mile road trip... the idea is both nerve wracking and awesome. Anyway still out of play money at the moment, so no new rims or paint ect... but playing with ideas for the exterior. 219485219486219487219488

[Vimes]

Congratulations on the promotion.

If you're looking for votes, put me down for the two tone gray on pic 1. That's pretty sharp looking. The flame job would be two, green would be three. So far as number 4 goes, your car, your decision.

[NCSU68]

Welcome to Indy a great place to live and fun car town. Check out cars and caffeine when you get here. Plenty of car shows. Safe travels.

[jaybee]

I'd go with two tone gray and the red highlights. Looks wicked.

[grambo]

Welcome to Indy a great place to live and fun car town. Check out cars and caffeine when you get here. Plenty of car shows. Safe travels.

I will be there just in time. If you see my car somewhere come say hi.

[grambo]

219515

Here are some more before pics a friend (who helped me a ton) just found.

[grambo]

The cougar is now in Indy. As info I have been all over and believe me when I tell you Indianapolis has the worst roads I have ever seen. It is atrocious! Pot holes on patches, everywhere I go it’s like rock crawling just to drive down the road. The cougar does not have a lot of suspension travel. Gonna have to figure something out. Here is my current plan:220354 thoughts?

[Rooster67]

I'm definitely in for that build thread after just reading through this whole one!