1967 Mercury Cougar XR7 - Excellent Condition - Older Restoration

Description

You are bidding on my 1967 Mercury Cougar XR7 that I have owned for 30 years. I bought this car in 1987 in poor condition and proceeded to begin a 10 year restoration. The car was stripped down to bare bones and everything was replaced, repaired or restored. At that time there was still rust-free sheet metal available in junk yards and I searched the East Coast for the best pieces. Every panel on the car except the roof and the cowl were replaced with rust free panels. The rear quarters were new and installed (welded solid) by a professional body man. There is no filler or bondo in this car. Any dents were tapped out until very close, and any small rusty places were ground out and patched with new metal. The only body work was done to repair welds and was fixed with fiberglass, and then a small skim-coat of body filler to prepare for paint. The car was painted white when I bought it (see last picture), but I painted it the original Lime Frost color. The previous owner could not find a 67 fender, so they put 68 fenders on it. I found two good 67 fenders and replaced the 68's. The entire car was sealed with red rust-preventative sealer, then two coats of grey primer, sanded smooth, then two more coats of grey primer, then three coats of Imron paint and two coats of clear. All floor pans were replaced with 18 gauge floor pans, and the entire engine compartment was sanded back to metal, repaired, primed and repainted. The trunk floor was cut out and rebuilt with new metal, and all weatherstrips were replaced with new. The gas tank and radiator were replaced with new ones.The interior was restored with new carpet, a good dash pad, a good used dash, a new headliner, a good console and the correct XR7 clock. I had the leather driver's seat reupholstered by a professional shop, but did not reupholster the passenger seat which does show wear and some cracking in the leather. All emblems, and trim were sought out at swap meets and on-line dealers to find the best available at the time. I have not installed the rear quarter emblems, but I have one NOS one and a very good used one that need to be installed. The car has Cougar styled steel wheels on good Tiger Paw tires. I know the wheels are 1968's, but I never painted them argent (correct for 1967) as I thought the black panels looked better with the top.The engine was pulled and completely rebuilt. It was cooked, bored .30 over, and all parts were replaced. It has a performance Cam, an Offenhauser mid-rise Intake, Holley 600 cfm Carburetor, and Hooker Headers. I found Powered-by-Ford valve covers, added a Chrome Air Cleaner (will include the original Blue one) and a Chrome Export Brace. The engine runs strong, but maybe a little too much Top-End with the Cam I chose. It has factory A/C, (but needs repair), Power-Steering, and a solid C-4 Transmission and Drive-Train.The sequential turn-signals work, as do the hideaway headlights, but I have the vacuum canister out as I restored it and have not reinstalled it yet.THE GOOD: The car has been garage kept for the 31 years I've owned it except for 1 year when I lost my garage, and had to park it in the driveway (covered). I have driven this car very little as I have a ton of hobbies, and frankly - my girlfriend doesn't like riding in it, and I guess I've driven it @ 2000 miles since the restoration was completed in 1997. She's not a show car, (but could be with a little work), but she looks great and I get tons of compliments and stares when I do take her out. The body lines are straight, the paint looks new, and she drives and handles great.THE BAD (there is no ugly): Someone dropped a ladder on the hood and left a small dent that also flaked off the paint (see PICs). My Brother clipped the front fender extension while parking it and tore the metal a little (see PICs). I have another fender extension, but haven't replaced it yet. The paint is cracking on the fiberglass hood scoop (I know it's not correct - it's a 68 GTE hood scoop - I just liked it), so it will need repainting at some point. It needs a brake master cylinder (which I have), a heater core (which I have) and some parts are still not installed, i.e. - the trim on the back of the dash pad, the quarter emblems, and a few other small pieces - all of which I have. The cowl does leak, but I have not done the Top-Hat repair yet. The Radio/8-Track is correct, but it needs speakers, so I've never tested it. The rear bumper has a little surface rust in the corners, as the crappy Chinese re-chromes didn't last even though it got wet very rarely. Some jealous Bas...ard keyed the driver's side quarter panel...rubbed his key in one small spot about the size of a quarter. There is a very little surface rust showing under the doors, where I guess I got the paint a little thin - very little - I just want to point out anything that's not perfect. The car has been sitting for a year, so I haven't started her up since last summer. I'll drain the gas and put a new battery in her this week and get her running.I have spare tail-lights, the original Hub-Caps, the original Air-Cleaner and lot's of other emblems, hardware, and miscellaneous parts that I'll include in the sale.I love this car (see my eBay name), and hate letting her go. I bought a big boat last summer and spend most of my time working on her, so I realize that I'm just paying to have this Cougar stored, and it's time for someone else to enjoy her - as I have.I'll price her fair considering her condition and the rarity of these cars, and assume it will be a local pick-up, but any shipping will be at the expense of the winning bidder. $1000 deposit due at auction end - remainder by Cashiers Check or Cash. Good Luck!