1968 Mercury Cougar - $2750

FOR SALE - 1968 Mercury Cougar – Dan Gurney Special

I purchased this vehicle with the intent to restore, but have since bought another Cougar and it’s time for this one to find a new home. The vehicle runs and drives, but will need work to be a reliable driver and a restoration to be a show car.

This car is nearly original, but unfortunately worn out in many areas. I ordered the deluxe Marti report for this vehicle and the report will accompany the vehicle in the sale. This vehicle was one of 11,899 Dan Gurney Specials and one of 1,416 produced with these paint and trim codes. This Cougar has a 302 cubic inch, 2 bbl engine, automatic transmission, power steering, power disc brakes (front), air conditioning, console, deluxe interior, black vinyl top, and remote mirror. The vehicle is Diamond Blue (very light blue) with a Light blue interior. Everything is still there but needs to be repaired or replaced.

The Good:

The radiator was replaced before I purchased the vehicle. A basic tune-up has been performed: changed the oil, oil filter, air filter, PCV valve, spark plugs, & spark plug wires. The C-4 Transmission was rebuilt in 2008. The Master Cylinder has been replaced. The sequential taillights work perfectly. The headlights go up with the switch, but do not go down. The original AM radio still works. The glass is good. The car has been garaged in a heated & cooled garage for the two years I have owned the vehicle.

The Bad:

The vehicle has been a St. Louis car all of it’s life – it was originally purchased at Stivers Lincoln-Mercury in St. Louis – and therefore has some typical rust issues. However, this vehicle is a good restoration project and not a parts car. The lower quarter panels in front and behind both doors need to be replaced and the rear quarter panels behind the rear wheels need to be replaced. The area behind the rear window is rusty and will need work. The doors are in good shape and the door jambs are in good shape. The cowl area is in good shape. The floors are solid, but the trunk floor could use some attention. The front bumper has a twist in it and the front valance could probably be replaced. The front seats need to be recovered, the headliner needs to be replaced, and the dash pad is cracked. The vinyl top is gone.

I have some extra parts that could help with the restoration of the car for a little extra money. I have an extra bumper, a couple of extra hoods, a trunk lid, and tank for the vacuum system.

Please contact Scott at 618-210-9235 or e-mail with any questions. Thanks!

It runs and moves...now time to make it stop.

When I bought my 1968 Mercury Cougar, the car started and the engine ran fine but the car did not move due to a transmission problem. When the transmission was rebuilt last week now the car runs and moves forward and back. However, when we went to take Jack to the transmission shop the brakes hardly worked. So, now it's time to make the car stop.

On Saturday, my dad and I started the work on the brake system. The plan is to completely replace the components on the front and rear brakes; pads, shoes, rotors on the front and drums and shoes on the rear. First, I wanted to diagnose if there were any other issues that needed to be addressed and decided to bleed the brake system.

What we slated as a job that would take about one hour took about two and a half. After trying to find the right size wrench, which took longer than I had ever thought, we settled on a crescent wrench. We started working on the rear brakes since they were the furthest from the master cylinder. We put the car on the lift and raised it up and I got in the driver's seat the pump the brakes and my dad opened the brake bleeder to allow the excess air from the system. This seemed to go smoothly and we got the rear brakes done quickly. The front brakes were a different matter.

Back on the road...Time to Roar!

Jack is back on the road!  After 8 months of owning Jack, my 1968 Mercury Cougar, the first significant work has been done.  When I found the car I knew that it had a transmission problem.  The car would not go forward, but only backward.  I bought the car and my dad and I brought the Cougar home on July 7th, 2007 and there it sat except for an oil change and some cleaning.  I finally had the money ready and it was time to put Jack back on the road.

My dad's friend recommended that I take my problem to Kenny at Guaranteed Transmissions in Granite City, IL.  He likes working on older transmissions and gave me a good price and I made the appointment to bring the car to the shop on Saturday, March 15.  This sounds a lot easier than it was.  Jack was parked in my dad's garage about 30 miles from the shop.  For a car that does not go forward this is not an easy task.  We also found that there were barely any brakes. My dad, his neighbor Jeff, and myself had to load Jack onto a car trailer.  We parked the trailer behind where the car was parked and pushed Jack out of the garage up to the trailer.  Then we hooked a come-a-long to the axle and I started to wench Jack up onto the trailer.  With the car finally loaded and secured with straps. Total time about an hour. My dad and I drove to the shop and delivered the Cougar to the shop and Kenny and I pushed Jack into the garage as my dad drove. 

Kenny called me on Tuesday morning that the vehicle was done.  My dad and I went to the shop on Wednesday afternoon to pick up Jack.  This time it was much easier to load the car onto the trailer because I could drive it right up the ramps rather than pushing or using a wench.  We drove back to my parent's house and unloaded Jack and stowed the trailer.  

Now it was time for a test drive! My dad and I hopped into the venerable Cougar and drove up and down the streets of his subdivision.  I have not licensed the car, nor does it have any insurance.  Besides, as I said earlier, the brakes were mushy and barely stopping the car so we weren't going very far or very fast.  The transmission seemed to shift nicely and went forward with no issues in all three forward gears. I muscled Jack around the streets and cul-de-sacs as the power steering wasn't working too well. My dad and I came back to the garage and put Jack up on the lift to inspect the work that Kenny had done.  Then we checked the power steering fluid and it was almost empty.  We filled up the power steering reservoir with fluid and I took Jack back out for another drive by myself.  This time the Cougar was much easier to maneuver through the turns. Now we just have to see if the fluid continues to leak.  

Thanks go to dad for helping with the trailer and loading and unloading process and not getting upset that his truck got dirty as we drove past the steel mill a couple of times.  Special thanks to Jeff for the use of his trailer and helping with the loading process.  

Now I just need to replace the front brake pads, shoes & rotors and rear brake drums, get some decent tires, put insurance on the vehicle, get the car licensed, buy new shocks and leaf springs, start the body work process, replace the interior...yadda, yadda, yadda. 

1968 Mercury Cougar

1968 Mercury Cougar - a.k.a. "Jack"

I purchased this Mercury Cougar on July 7, 2007 at the Mustang Corral in Edwardsville, IL. This is my first project car since my 1968 Chevrolet Camaro convertible was sold almost 10 years ago. This body style has always been a favorite of mine since our next door neighbor used to have a '67 Cougar that he purchased new. Ironically the car I have now was bought at the same dealership in St. Louis, MO - Stivers Lincoln-Mercury.

The nice thing is the car is nearly original, but unfortunately worn out in many areas. I cannot seem to find any modifications to the car besides tires and miscellaneous parts that needed repair over the years. I believe my car was optioned as a Dan Gurney Special - it has the window sticker and the original Turbine wheel covers, but I have to check out the VIN number to prove it. I do know that this Cougar came with a 302 cubic inch Ford engine, automatic transmission, power steering, power brakes, air conditioning, console, deluxe interior, black vinyl top, and remote mirror.

In the first 5 months I have had the car I have only been able to do a few things to the car. I started a tuneup: changed the oil, oil filter, air filter, pcv valve, spark plugs, & spark plug wires. There is much more work to do! The transmission needs to be rebuilt and the rear end is off kilter and sits higher on one side. The obvious body and paint work, replacing many worn out items, and my plan is to change the interior from blue to black.

Check back for more updates on "Jack"