FREE Ford Cougar Track Project Build Thread

[TheLurker]

As some of you may know, I was recently given a Ford Cougar by Junglie. It was in immaculate condidion both inside and out with FSH and 101K miles. The only slight dowmside is there's a problem with the clutch. The original thread is here:

http://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&a...

I would like to say a massive thanks to Junglie (who is a top bloke) and the rest of the PH members who have offered help. It realy is much appreciated, and has made somthing I've wanted to do for years (even though I'm only 21) a reality.

Anyway, after a few teathing problems, the car is now in a barn at my grandmothers house, awaiting work. The plan is to turn it into a track car, but keep it road legal so I can have some fun at the weekends ect. My plan is to build it in such a way that it can easily be turned back to the standard car as I like the idea of using it when I finish Uni.

I discussed the idea of turning it into a trackday car with the previous owner who said I could do whatever I wanted with it, with three conditions;

1) To keep him informed of progress
2) If I turn it into a track car, invite him along.
3) NO chav mods to be made

All sounded fair, and I agreed,although I am a little disapointed at no.3, as I now have some pink neons going spare

Having never done a project as big as this, it may take a little while to complete, especialy with Uni work aswell. I will try to keep the thread updated regularly but cant promise to make it as interesting as other build threads. I guess it'll be a steap learning curve, but thats part of the fun and there are lots of knowledgeable people on here who can hopefully point me in the right direction at times of need!

Thanks again to everyone who has helped, and especialy Mr. Junglie for the excelent car!

[TheLurker]

Went over yesterday to have a better look at the car and get some pics in daylight. Unfortunatly I went too late and it was dark by the time I got there. I've still got some pics though, although they are pretty poor even by my standard. It is tight in the barn as there is annother car and a dingy, so it is difficult to get a good picture of the whole car, but this is what I have managed. It looks far better in the flesh.





Bonus points for what the white car is (not mine BTW)

The bodywork has a few minor scratches in the clearcoat, but for a 100K mile car it is in increadible condition. The alloys are also in very good nick, with a small amount of corrosion starting to bubble through but only noticable if you are realy looking closly. With a clean they would look brand new. Sorry, no pics, but you can take my word.

The car had been standing for a couple of months before I got it, and there was a lot of condensation inside. I had a look round and found that the boot floor carpet was damp. Upon looking into the spare wheel well there was about 1/2 inch of water sitting there. I took the carpet, tools and wheel out so I could dry it. My guess is it has been leaking for a little while as it has started to rust;



Its not too bad, but is starting to bubble and blister the paint. I'm going to sand it down, treat it and repaint it so it doesnt get any worse. I cant see any obvious leak, but havent looked very hard yet (its in the dry).

There was also a wet patch behind the passenger seat by the B piller. This was quite wet and after using an entire kitchen roll it was still soaking. Its at the bottom right of the pic;



Hopefully it hasnt started rusting the floor. When I have time I'll take the carpet out and check. Also, with the amount of sound proofing it will be difficult to get it to dry out in place. I think this might be there might be a problem with a seal on the rear window allowing water to run behind the B piller and pool in the floor well;





I dont want moisture in the car as I'm afraid it will go moldy and its not good for electrics. I also want to try and dry the carpet out somehow. I have placed a moisture absorber in the car so that should keep the humidity down.

The headlights also had a lot of condensation when it came, although its not as bad now;



When I have the time I will take them off and dry them out so they dont start to corrode.

I also need to put the battery on charge, as it was dead when the previous owner went to start it the morning I got it. He kindly charged it up for me, but I dont want it to go flat again as it damages the battery. Although I might have a spare one kicking around somewhere that will fit.

From what I have read the clutch is not a nice job on these cars, and probably not a good car for a beginer to have a go at. Luckily I'm in no rush so can take my time to research first.

Also, a big thanks to DickyC who is sending a haynes manual for the cougar.

[TheLurker]

rsstman said:

good luck with it and it has the potential to be a great project.

looks in good nick, but immaculate inside and out? well i can see it got rust in the boot and dirty wet carpets and you say corroded alloys, its great for free but i just hate how the word immaculate is banded about

definition of immaculate is absolutely flawless.

i just hate it when you go to see a car advertised as 100% immaculate and then you get there and think why have i even wasted my time when this is far from immaculate hence not what im looking for.

good condition, great condition, fantastic condition, super condition etc, the list goes on. just anything but bloody immaculate condition. rant over, hope you have lots of fun with it.

Fair point about the boot rust. However the corrosion on the alloys realy is minute. There are no marks (that I have seen) on the seats/carpets/dash/door cards. Once dry you wouldn't know that the carpet was wet.

I do, however, take your point, although it is in very good condition considering age/milage.

[TheLurker]

JayPee said:

This could be a good fun track car I would imagine, If it's very similar to a Mondeo underneath then it should handle well, especially if you strip out all the kit and insulation something like this probably has. I imagine many uprated parts will be available from the Ford Parts bin like brakes etc. Maybe be worth looking for a better clutch if it is going on track, save you the hassle of changing it again in the future! And good luck, it's great having a free car with a V6 so make the most of it

I'm intending to completley strip the interiour except for dash and front seats. From having a quick prod at the carpet I'd have said there was a couple of inches of carpet and insulation/sound proofing. Just the boot carpet weighed a ton. Even the recovery guy commented about how heavy it was. Hopefully I can strip about 300KG from the car without too much dificulty.

And yes, it is great having a V6. Sounds a bit better than my VW 1.9TDi

[TheLurker]

rsstman said:

dfen5 said:

Might be a daft question but as it's not exactly the typical track weapon - it's never going to be a Westfield or a 900kg 205, why bother stripping it all out? Drive it to the track in comfort, have some fun, drive it back again. Not like you'll be trying to set fastest lap or anything? Spend the time giving it a service, sorting the brakes/fluids/clutch and so on.

i get your point about driving to and from a track in comfort, but stripping the weight out is a massive free mod which makes it go faster, handle better, brake better and all the while being less punishing on brakes and tyres.

i would say it is the best mod you can make and all free, just time consuming.

I've got time to do it - so why not? As said above, it can make a massive difference in terms of BHP/ton and will also affect handling ans stopping.

I will give it a full service and upgrade pads/disks/brake fluid as well. I also want to get a second set of wheels to get some better tyres on. I have the time and I want it to be a fun project. It can always be put back to standard later on. It will be road legal so will be driven to and from a track and used for some weekend fun aswell.

[TheLurker]

BarnatosGhost said:

rsstman said:

dfen5 said:

Might be a daft question but as it's not exactly the typical track weapon - it's never going to be a Westfield or a 900kg 205, why bother stripping it all out? Drive it to the track in comfort, have some fun, drive it back again. Not like you'll be trying to set fastest lap or anything? Spend the time giving it a service, sorting the brakes/fluids/clutch and so on.

i get your point about driving to and from a track in comfort, but stripping the weight out is a massive free mod which makes it go faster, handle better, brake better and all the while being less punishing on brakes and tyres.

i would say it is the best mod you can make and all free, just time consuming.

80% of the weight you lose will be from over the rear wheels. I doubt it will improve the handling. Having done the same thing to a 325i it now feels like a hammer with all the weight at one end.

I am a little afraid of that happening, but the only way to tell is to do it I suppose. I could always mount the battery in the boot ect. to try and help weight distribution.

[TheLurker]

rsstman said:

TheLurker said:

BarnatosGhost said:

rsstman said:

dfen5 said:

Might be a daft question but as it's not exactly the typical track weapon - it's never going to be a Westfield or a 900kg 205, why bother stripping it all out? Drive it to the track in comfort, have some fun, drive it back again. Not like you'll be trying to set fastest lap or anything? Spend the time giving it a service, sorting the brakes/fluids/clutch and so on.

i get your point about driving to and from a track in comfort, but stripping the weight out is a massive free mod which makes it go faster, handle better, brake better and all the while being less punishing on brakes and tyres.

i would say it is the best mod you can make and all free, just time consuming.

80% of the weight you lose will be from over the rear wheels. I doubt it will improve the handling. Having done the same thing to a 325i it now feels like a hammer with all the weight at one end.

I am a little afraid of that happening, but the only way to tell is to do it I suppose. I could always mount the battery in the boot ect. to try and help weight distribution.

im sure doing it on a fwd car will have a much less drastic effect than taking the weight away from the driven wheels. it could even make the rear end a bit more playful and reduce the cars tendency to understeer so much.

Thats what I was thinking. I just dont want it to go too far the other way though (overstear). I have done a similar thing to a feild car before, and when the back end went (without being prompted) it was very difficult to catch, which is fine in a feild/farm yard but not so good on a track with other cars. But as said before, i'm going to try it and see how it feels. I dont think it will be too bad and I can always put stickier tyres on the back. There will still be a large amount of weight over the back from fuel tank ect.

Edited by TheLurker on Sunday 3rd January 18:27

[TheLurker]

RobCrezz said:

TheLurker said:

rsstman said:

TheLurker said:

BarnatosGhost said:

rsstman said:

dfen5 said:

Might be a daft question but as it's not exactly the typical track weapon - it's never going to be a Westfield or a 900kg 205, why bother stripping it all out? Drive it to the track in comfort, have some fun, drive it back again. Not like you'll be trying to set fastest lap or anything? Spend the time giving it a service, sorting the brakes/fluids/clutch and so on.

i get your point about driving to and from a track in comfort, but stripping the weight out is a massive free mod which makes it go faster, handle better, brake better and all the while being less punishing on brakes and tyres.

i would say it is the best mod you can make and all free, just time consuming.

80% of the weight you lose will be from over the rear wheels. I doubt it will improve the handling. Having done the same thing to a 325i it now feels like a hammer with all the weight at one end.

I am a little afraid of that happening, but the only way to tell is to do it I suppose. I could always mount the battery in the boot ect. to try and help weight distribution.

im sure doing it on a fwd car will have a much less drastic effect than taking the weight away from the driven wheels. it could even make the rear end a bit more playful and reduce the cars tendency to understeer so much.

Thats what I was thinking. I just dont want it to go too far the other way though (overstear). I have done a similar thing to a feild car before, and when the back end went (without being prompted) it was very difficult to catch, which is fine in a feild/farm yard but not so good on a track with other cars. But as said before, i'm going to try it and see how it feels. I dont think it will be too bad and I can always put stickier tyres on the back. There will still be a large amount of weight over the back from fuel tank ect.

Edited by TheLurker on Sunday 3rd January 18:27

When the weight is gone from the rear im sure there is lots you can do to adjust how the car behaves - adjustable ARBs, adjustable suspension etc.

I think its worth removing some weight - and you may be about to remove some from the front too (air con?)

I dont intend to touch the suspension at the moment, but have plans to in the future. I hope to remove the aircon if its not too difficult, but at least the compressor which must be a few Kg. Things like the head unit will come out and front speakers which will all help I suppose.

[TheLurker]

RobCrezz said:

TheLurker said:

RobCrezz said:

TheLurker said:

rsstman said:

TheLurker said:

BarnatosGhost said:

rsstman said:

dfen5 said:

Might be a daft question but as it's not exactly the typical track weapon - it's never going to be a Westfield or a 900kg 205, why bother stripping it all out? Drive it to the track in comfort, have some fun, drive it back again. Not like you'll be trying to set fastest lap or anything? Spend the time giving it a service, sorting the brakes/fluids/clutch and so on.

i get your point about driving to and from a track in comfort, but stripping the weight out is a massive free mod which makes it go faster, handle better, brake better and all the while being less punishing on brakes and tyres.

i would say it is the best mod you can make and all free, just time consuming.

80% of the weight you lose will be from over the rear wheels. I doubt it will improve the handling. Having done the same thing to a 325i it now feels like a hammer with all the weight at one end.

I am a little afraid of that happening, but the only way to tell is to do it I suppose. I could always mount the battery in the boot ect. to try and help weight distribution.

im sure doing it on a fwd car will have a much less drastic effect than taking the weight away from the driven wheels. it could even make the rear end a bit more playful and reduce the cars tendency to understeer so much.

Thats what I was thinking. I just dont want it to go too far the other way though (overstear). I have done a similar thing to a feild car before, and when the back end went (without being prompted) it was very difficult to catch, which is fine in a feild/farm yard but not so good on a track with other cars. But as said before, i'm going to try it and see how it feels. I dont think it will be too bad and I can always put stickier tyres on the back. There will still be a large amount of weight over the back from fuel tank ect.

Edited by TheLurker on Sunday 3rd January 18:27

When the weight is gone from the rear im sure there is lots you can do to adjust how the car behaves - adjustable ARBs, adjustable suspension etc.

I think its worth removing some weight - and you may be about to remove some from the front too (air con?)

I dont intend to touch the suspension at the moment, but have plans to in the future. I hope to remove the aircon if its not too difficult, but at least the compressor which must be a few Kg. Things like the head unit will come out and front speakers which will all help I suppose.

As for cheap mods, I wonder weather any bits from the Mondeo ST200 would fit(springs?), they are a similar platform arent they?

As far as I am aware, the chassie is the same with a different body shell. So yes, I hope to be able to get some cheap parts to add on. Just because I dont intend to touch the suspension doesnt mean I wont . I just dont have any plans to at the moment. However I will have a look and see what parts I can find

[TheLurker]

pits said:

Is the white car not an old bimma or volvo, judging by the scuttle panel vents and mirror,

Sorry, no. I'll give you a clue. Its my grandmothers car, 's' reg, and small(ish).

[TheLurker]

Massive thanks to DickyC who has sent me a manual for the car. I was expecting an old batterd book with oil and greese stains, but it was brand new and in its wrapper! It turns out that he bought it specialy for me, not sure what to say to that, other than thank you for your outstanding generosity

First PH gives me a free car, then a free manual to work on it. Great place PH

[TheLurker]

Little update. I've had exams at uni recently, and have somehow managed to resist the urge to work on the car! Now finding myself with some spare time before I go back I have made a small start, nothing major as I still have a load of work to do, but a start none the less.

Remember the rust in the wheel well?



I decided that it would be a good place to start, so I ground all the rust out;



and then treated it with a rust convertor to ensure it wouldnt return, and give the primer better adeshion to the bare metal. Once cured it got a coat of filler primer to protect it untill I work out what to do with it next;



I also stripped all the lining out of the boot so it wouldnt get overspray on it and to check there wern't any other problems that I hadn't seen. It will all stay out for track use, but I labeld it all so I can easily put it back in if needed.

[TheLurker]

I also managed to pick up a second set of wheels cheaply, so I have somthing to play with. I dont have any decent pictures of the car so I used google images and had a quick scribble with a biro to see how it could look with some vinyl on it. This is what my considerable aristic ability produced;



Tate modern?

Luckily 4hero was able to do some photoshop wizardry and came up with this;



Which I think looks quite good

Anyone got any comments or ideas on how to make it better? (P.S. there will be a massive PH sticket on the boot )

Also painted the towing eye one evening when I was bored;



Hope to do some more substantial work this week if time permits. Hope this isnt too boring for you all, but thought I would try and keep this thread updated as I do each little bit.

[TheLurker]

Spitfire2 said:

TheLurker said:

I dont intend to touch the suspension at the moment, but have plans to in the future. I hope to remove the aircon if its not too difficult, but at least the compressor which must be a few Kg. Things like the head unit will come out and front speakers which will all help I suppose.

You can buy a drive belt which can be fitted in place of the standard one if you remove the A/C compressor. I found this out a few years back when my Cougar's A/C clutch started playing up and making some "interesting" noises.

The A/C compressor is expensive to replace so might not be a bad idea to chuck it on Ebay if you do remove it.

Likewise if you are removing any interior bits you might find takers on Ebay as trim is apparently not easy to come by.

My Coug used to occasionally (i.e. annually) start driving like crap and it was down to the little box of tricks on the front of the engine (under the black cover) which opens up the 2nd set of valves/injectors when it passes about 3400rpm (if I remember right). Opening that up and lightly lubricating the gears (graphite spray or something) tended to have a wonderful effect on the responsiveness of the car when flooring it.

Thanks for the advice on the little black box. Thinking about it I've read that somewhere else aswell. Euro car parts do the serpentine belt for a few quid, so that will be a simple change, and yes, Ebay might be a good way of recouping some of the outlay!

I want to weigh the car standard and when its stripped so I can compare the weight, just out of interest.

Having done a lot of reaserch into the clutch change, I think I might have to admit defeat and get it done by my local independent. It seems like a big job, especialy for someone who has never done a clutch change before. I know the people at the garage well and have negotiated a deal, and works out only a few quid more expensive to have him do it than me to do it myself (lots of specilast tools required). Luckily my dads car needs a new clutch, so can practise on that instead

Thanks for all your comments

[TheLurker]

I did think about doing that, but I wanted a comparison of the weight on each axle. Unfortunatley I am impatient, so will probably end up doing as you say

[TheLurker]

Not heard about that before, but just had a quick google. Sounds like it could be good fun!

[TheLurker]

DickyC said:

TheLurker said:

Massive thanks to DickyC who has sent me a manual for the car. I was expecting an old batterd book with oil and greese stains, but it was brand new and in its wrapper! It turns out that he bought it specialy for me, not sure what to say to that, other than thank you for your outstanding generosity

First PH gives me a free car, then a free manual to work on it. Great place PH

You're most welcome, Lurk. Sorry I didn't pick this thread up earlier I've only just tripped over it and if you mentioned it in your PM I missed it.

In the original thread it sounded as though your restoration of the car was going to be an inspirational PH cause and already it seems as if that's the case. I've had a lot of help with cars over the years and this was an opportunity to return the compliment.

Try and keep up the momentum. Some of my car epics faltered at big problems where I've just closed the garage door and not been able to go back for months. That's not the way to get the job done. If you find yourself flagging come back here for an enthusiasm injection. There's plenty of it out here, particularly if it's us with the enthusiasm and you getting your hands dirty.

Well, thanks again!

Unfortunatley I have a bit too much enthusiasm for the project. I have to try and ballence it out with Uni work, of which I have rather too much at the moment! The only minor problem is the car is about 40mins away, which does make it a bit difficult to pop out to do 5mins of tinkering on, but then I am very lucky to be able to have somewhere to store it, especialy under cover.

I will keep you all up to date!

[TheLurker]

The interiour will be fully stripped out, bar the dash and two front seats. I will keep all the bits so it can go back together again if that is what I decide to do, luckily I have the space to store all the bits.

The reason I have not started fully on the car and have done little jobs like painting the towing eye ect is because I have had exams since I have got the car, and decided that my time would be best spent on those than the car. Painting the eye took a few mins at home, and was somthing to do when I could take revision no more! My last exam is on friday, but I might take tomorow to go and do some work on it, depending on how I feel. I have also had work to do on my other car, which I need to get around the place

I appreciate that some of you think I may loose motivation on the project, but I can assure you it wont happen. It is somthing I will enjoy working on in my spare time at my own pace, and unfortunatley Uni must come first. I am sure the car will still be there when the exams are over

I plan to have the clutch changed at the end of Feb / begining of March, which gives me time to get some money together.

[TheLurker]

porka944s said:

why does everyone rave about stripping out cars, its a romantic notion, making you think you're a racing driver! Stripping cars out is crap, they are too noisey, uncomfortable, cold, look st, rattly and no one wants to be with you in it. No one will ever have that car again and it'll be destined for the scrapper. For the one track day a year you'll do its not worth it. And for the towing eye? get the car drivable so you can ditch it in the gravel to need one.

There should be a fair saving of weight by striping out the interiour, and as it is already a heavy car it will all help. I will keep all the old bits so can be put back together again. It doesnt worry me if it is noisy and rattly - its not an everyday car.

Oh, and I like the idea of it

[TheLurker]

Xenocide said:

interior

Took me three attempts at that aswell.