J-code, rare black plate survivor

Description

Hello Folks, and Good Day!
Up for consideration as a summer project or possible candidate for a full-scale restoration is this 1968 Mercury Cougar XR-7. Same owner 23 years. The car originally came with the XR-7 package, power disc brakes, tilt-away, A/C(not working), bumperettes, and more. It is one of only 133 with the Caribbean Blue paint & deluxe black leather seats. This is a vinyl top-delete vehicle. The front end has been 'Shelbyized' for a lowered, stream-line look, and to improve handling around corners. The alignment is true & correct, and the car drives straight w/o any issues. New brakes, carb overhaul, all fluids changed including rear end, new AAA battery, alternator(rebuilt original), and new start solenoid. The engine is a 302 4V w/ Holley 4160(600 cfm) and mild after market cam, and makes the car very fast on the highway. There is a minor off-idle stumble, but does not affect performance or drive-ability, and the secondaries open up like they should(wow!). Okay, now for the body...
There is rust around the rear window, upper left windshield pillar(pic), and the typical patches on the lower fronts of both doors & rear quarters. The back window will have to be removed in order to fix this correctly. The floor pans are excellent, and in my opinion do not need to be replaced. The driver side has a few pin holes(pic), but overall not too bad. The red tint you see there is Eastwood's red oxide primer. The only fender that was ever really hit was the left rear, but is cosmetic, and no structural damage occurred(pic). I worked on it a bit, but will need to be massaged with a hammer & dolly. All gauges work including the tach & ammeter. Sequential turn signals work, and the headlight covers pop up but do not go back down. The side windows do not go down without brute force, so the cranks will need replacing/ lubricating. I have a new right side, but not the left. Does not leak or burn oil. There is an occasional drip that comes out of the down shift lever rod, and so the down shift cable was disconnected and plugged off. The car is currently registered w/ a clean title, 4 good tires, and can be used as a daily driver...
She is very dependable, I made several round trips to San Jose and back over the years without a single breakdown...
There are numerous extra parts that go with this vehicle including hood(original paint), bumpers, pair of taillights, drip rail chrome pcs, the original (4) hub caps, extra set of fender extensions, 2 sets of front & rear window trim, passenger side glass & window crank, original black and yellow license plates. The previous owner removed the original plates for some unknown reason, but I saved them in case the new owner would like to put them back on. The tilt-away steering parts are not extras, they are the originals to the car & just need to be installed. All components are present in order to make it work. I even have an extra set of original vacuum tubing...
I currently have over $5K in repair and parts receipts...
However, even after all I have done in improvements, it will need a total restoration. Includes Marti Report(pic). Please feel free to ask questions, as I am sure that I have missed something! The only thing I am uncertain about is whether or not the engine is original. The machined 'pad' behind the intake manifold is blank. It may have to be removed in order to see it(???). Maybe you collectors can help me out here. All the date codes appear to match up to within a couple of weeks of production...
I(scott) am available to answer questions regarding details and/or shipping arrangements on my mobile phone (408)329-8409. I would love to see this car stay in California and have the original black plates retained, but I realize that I will not have control over this matter when she sells...
This is a no reserve auction with a small down payment due within 3 days...