1978 Mercury Cougar XR7 351w

Summary:

King of the highway

Faults:

Usual electrical connection corrosion. Rust electrolises on doors.

General Comments:

Great highway car; King of the road.

Rides great. I put a towing cam and four barrel carb on and intake manifold. It runs strong, but I'm having problems with the carburator.

It has electric seats, factory tachometer and A/C. Also all old cars need new rear springs; I put them in and it doesn't sag now.

I want to try and put headers on next.

I also want to get the AOD automatic overdrive transmission put in.

It seems like the seat does not go back as far as it should; they didn't make the car with a lot of legroom for being a mid to large size car.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Don't Know

Review Date: 23rd January, 2022

24th Jan 2022, 02:45

Nice review. Glad to see somebody keeping one of these on the road. You really don't see many of these as the body style only lasted for three years.

In reply to 24th Jan 2022, 02:45

27th Jan 2022, 15:37

"on the road"-rarely. Just 12K miles in 18 years of ownership. The space inefficiency of these old cars is quite apparent when compared to a late model vehicle. That mile long hood might make you feel like king of the road, but interior room (as reviewer acknowledges) is seriously lacking considering overall size.

In reply to 27th Jan 2022, 15:37

27th Jan 2022, 19:24

With that mileage the car is obviously driven as a classic.

In reply to 27th Jan 2022, 15:37

27th Jan 2022, 23:23

Buy a 69-72 first Gen as a great collectible. Especially the rare Eliminator.

In reply to 27th Jan 2022, 23:23

28th Jan 2022, 18:14

I’d get a 66 or 67 instead back when they were first made. Higher premium for the very first models.

In reply to 27th Jan 2022, 23:23

28th Jan 2022, 20:01

And they are insurance beaters too.

In reply to 27th Jan 2022, 23:23

28th Jan 2022, 22:24

67-70 correction

In reply to 28th Jan 2022, 18:14

29th Jan 2022, 18:06

There was no 66 Cougar. 67 was the first model year.

30th Jan 2022, 03:41

The 351 Windsor is the best way to enjoy these cars :) Reliable and decently powerful.

You have addressed the carburetor and camshaft issues in terms of performance. Time to get busy with (at least) a dual exhaust.

If you go AOD, it could get interesting in that I don't think it would be beneficial with the stock 2.75:1 rear end ratio. You would want to go with at least a 3:50:1 rear end ratio. The engine would likely not want to engage 4th with the rather tall 2.75 tall final drive ratio.

In reply to 29th Jan 2022, 18:06

31st Jan 2022, 11:09

67 offered a 4 speed. The Cougar was an insurance beater, more trim and luxury on the XR7. My girlfriend had one in college. With more options they were heavier than most Mustangs. I did a burnout in the 302; it was a pretty nimble car too...

1978 Mercury Cougar XR-7 302 V8

Summary:

I really like the body style

Faults:

Started leaking and burning excessive oil at 120,000 miles. Engine stopped, factory timing chain slipped at 147,000 miles - which bent the valves. Driver's side seat started to tear.

General Comments:

Even though there were some serious engine problems, I know that the car had lots of potential. The body was in almost perfect shape with just a couple door dings. The shiny "lipstick red" paint still looked good. It also had the fancy Mercury chrome spoke hub caps. I kept the stock look which includes white wall tires.

For the above reason, I decided to rebuild the engine. I have a friend that owns a machine shop that helped me with the project. I decided that since I had his help, I would hot rod it up a little. But talking about going mild to wild. At first I just wanted a little more power then stock, but then the ending project turned out to be very aggressive.

Among the MANY modifications I performed, here is a list of the FEW major ones. I installed a 351W cam which changes the firing order, traded in the stock 302 heads (with bent valves) for 351W heads that contain Chevy 2.02"/1.60" valves and 5 angle valve job, bored out block to.040" overbore, installed Keith Black 9.5:1 pistons with Teflon coating on skirts, Headman Headers, added dual exhaust with 2.5" diameter pipe, 2 Thrush California Turbo mufflers, Edelbrock intake and 4-bbl 600 cfm (cubic feet per minute) carburetor with auto choke, high output mechanical fuel pump, replaced Ford 9 inch rear third member 2.75:1 gears with Richmond 3.55:1, rebuild C4 transmission, and added B&M Shift kit.

We estimate the power output to now be around 380-420 HP.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 27th November, 2007

18th Feb 2012, 10:27

I don't think that engine has anywhere near that much horsepower.

In reply to 18th Feb 2012, 10:27

2nd Mar 2014, 10:14

I can assure you it is nowhere near that. That build, well sorted, is worth just under 300 HP. Please be realistic!

10th May 2015, 22:06

Help, I have a 1978 Cougar with a 351. I'm looking for headers that will fit.