1978 Mercury Cougar XR7 351w from North America
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
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.
27th Jan 2022, 19:24
With that mileage the car is obviously driven as a classic.
27th Jan 2022, 23:23
Buy a 69-72 first Gen as a great collectible. Especially the rare Eliminator.
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.
28th Jan 2022, 20:01
And they are insurance beaters too.
28th Jan 2022, 22:24
67-70 correction
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.
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...
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.