I am restoring a 1969 Mercury Cougar. Not restoring actually, but repairing and putting back on the road. It is basically a survivor with the original interior and possibly the original engine – although the motor has been seriously tweaked by a previous owner.
It is fire engine red and there is much to like about this vehicle. First off, its a convertible and I have to say that the top spends most of its time down and folded up. It is an automatic – not my first choice – but better in traffic. It has the original sequential turn signals that Ford/Mercury flirted with in the day. They work although are a bit dim. The wiring in this car is awful and I am sure that I will need to replace it before I am done.
I was originally going to simply get it running reliably and then sell it, but I have decided to keep the “Cat” for the time being as I am really enjoying it.
Lynn Heenan, my brother in law, has a ’69 Camaro and we have a lot of fun teasing each other about our cars and the traditional Ford vs. Chevy competition. Lynn has restored his to factory original as best he could. I, on the other hand, am more of a resto-mod type of guy. That means I like it to look original but take advantage of modern technology and conveniences. Just another variance in approach.