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Well, after about 15 years of faithful service...I was laid off last Friday. Can't say I'm exactly surprised with all the layoffs and closing of buildings over the 3 years or so but it was a rude awakening. I've been in the process of trying to change careers over the last couple of years so to be honest, I wasn't that tore up about it. They did give me a decent severance package so between that and unemployment I should be good for 6 months or so and already have friends giving me some leads on some freelance work.

On a better note, I've had plenty of time to do other things around the house, or maybe I should say around the garage. After completely neglecting my poor Cougar over the years, I've spent 3 days bringing her back to life. Drained the gas tank, changed the fuel filter and gave her a go. After much effort finally got it started but it wouldn't idle. Knew the
carb was probably gunked up so pulled it off and opened it up...man what a mess. Honestly thought I might have to buy a new carb. Got it all apart last night and spent all day today cleaning it out and with the help of a rebuild kit got it back together. Changed the plugs, oil & filter and put the carb back on and it fired right up and idled with now problem.

As Ascout knows I did have it up for sale but only listed it on one site, there's a part of me that just doesn't want to part with it. Amazing how being unemployed puts your life into perspective.

Some of my best vacations have been "between jobs"...and that's not just a platitude. Never a better time to re-evaluate your chosen path and consider options. Sometimes, the burdens of an established position obstruct our ability to seriously consider our available choices ("oh, it would just be too complicated, etc., etc.")

It's always nicer to come to that point as a matter of choice, but having a severance package will hopefully take some of the "crisis" element out of it and allow you to make rational (rather than rushed) choices.

Hey, you're a "Wilde Sau", that means you've got the grit to carry on (and a little shadetree mechanic'en, always clears the head). Good things are coming for ya', just gotta' recognize it when it happens!

Dang, sorry to hear that Richard and I can only echo what Ascout says. Sometimes I wonder if the effective useful life within an organization is limited to about 15 years anyway. Best of luck in using this time to catch your breath and charge back into the fray. Freelancing sounds pretty interesting I'd have to admit!

Oh and glad you've not sold the Cougar. That was too good of a deal, if you're going to sell it at all it needs to end up on Gas Monkey Garage where it (and you) can get some proper national exposure as is deserved.

- JG300-Stoopy

Dang, sorry to hear that Richard and I can only echo what Ascout says. Sometimes I wonder if the effective useful life within an organization is limited to about 15 years anyway. Best of luck in using this time to catch your breath and charge back into the fray. Freelancing sounds pretty interesting I'd have to admit!

Oh and glad you've not sold the Cougar. That was too good of a deal, if you're going to sell it at all it needs to end up on Gas Monkey Garage where it (and you) can get some proper national exposure as is deserved.

Hey, Chip Foose said last night that they're still taking projects for next season! A wordsmith such as yourself could probably think up some embellishments and other marginally true nice things to say about Richard!

I don't think they've ever done a Cougar, but who's going to be the "insider"?

Even though he's on the other side of the country where I wouldn't hear the screams of anguish, I couldn't bear to let Chip Foose barf up his cookie-cutter "custom" approach on Richard and that fine Grecian Gold machine. Doing that to a fellow Wilde Sau is just wrong.

Far better to try to get the Gas Monkey Garage guys to engage in some pro bono work...they seem to have a strong preference for the FoMoCo brand, and are easily plied with promises of beer. I'll get to writing right away...

Yeah, 3-piece 20" wheels would just look so wrong on that car. I don't know what got into me.

Great minds think alike.

I did honestly contemplate both shows but have to agree with Stoopy. For the most part the Gas Monkeys tend to keep it more stock and when deviating don't go overboard and if I offered Richard 4 cases of beer he might just restore it for kicks.

For now it's official, I'm keeping it. Wrenching on it again and getting her running has given me the "bug" and just to get it street worthy again might cost me about $500 doing the work myself ($100 of which has already been spent). I always seemed to find the money to piss away on less worthy projects.

Seeing this post pretty much sealed the deal.
www.mercurycougar.net/...een-289-4V

I was tracking this one, a 289, 2V car that was near identical to my mom's old car. Clean and plain and very low miles. I suspect it had wreck damage at one time for the $17,000 price that was being asked at this claimed mileage. Was a beaut and just begged for a crate motor.

www.streetsideclassics...ury-Cougar

- JG300-fr8ycat

For now it's official, I'm keeping it. Wrenching on it again and getting her running has given me the "bug" and just to get it street worthy again might cost me about $500 doing the work myself ($100 of which has already been spent). I always seemed to find the money to piss away on less worthy projects.

Seeing this post pretty much sealed the deal.
www.mercurycougar.net/...een-289-4V

Yep that would certainly do it. Yours being a nice clean Californy car, I'd like to think it's not too far away from that pontential.

And ya know... Richard Rawlings had to start outwith one car himself....maybe you're in line to be the Gas Swine Garage!

- JG300-Ascout

I was tracking this one, a 289, 2V car that was near identical to my mom's old car. Clean and plain and very low miles. I suspect it had wreck damage at one time for the $17,000 price that was being asked at this claimed mileage. Was a beaut and just begged for a crate motor.

www.streetsideclassics...ury-Cougar

If that green 67' didn't do it, this one obviously does.

Same Color even. That Gold is perty when fresh and if and when I get mine painted I'm doing away with the vinyl top.

Since the old odometers turned over after 99999 I sometimes question the 15k or 20k original miles some claim but anything is possible. They definitely didn't drive the miles we do today.

- JG300-fr8ycat

- JG300-Ascout

I was tracking this one, a 289, 2V car that was near identical to my mom's old car. Clean and plain and very low miles. I suspect it had wreck damage at one time for the $17,000 price that was being asked at this claimed mileage. Was a beaut and just begged for a crate motor.

www.streetsideclassics...ury-Cougar

If that green 67' didn't do it, this one obviously does.

Same Color even. That Gold is perty when fresh and if and when I get mine painted I'm doing away with the vinyl top.

By all means. The lines of a Cougar do not wear a vinyl top very well and it detracts from the whole car, especially one with a good paint job in an interesting color. I had a dark green vinyl top on my '71 Camaro SS, but it worked better with the roof line and it added some needed contrast to an otherwise white car*, and was more of a wrap to the trunk line and was trimmed in chrome. Seen late '60's Mustangs with vinyl tops?....Yucch...Pooey!

*After '75, the Camaro/Firebird lines had a much larger rear window and smaller B pillar in anticipation of federal regulations. The vinyl top probably wouldn't have worked very well after that change.

So I've been good at starting the Cougar daily and letting it run. Currently the brake system is shot so haven't actually taken it out on the road. Lately it's been a struggle to get it started. Once it fires up it runs great, just doesn't seem to want to start. Checked the choke, timing and all was good.

Yesterday I pulled it out of the garage to work on the truck and when I went to put it back in the garage I couldn't get it started no matter what I did so I pulled the fuel line off at the carb and it was completely dry. Pulled the fuel line off before the fuel pump and there was just a little dirty looking gas that come out. Since I drained the tank and put fresh gas in it my worst fears are starting to hit me since I hadn't gotten around to checking the tank. Drained the gas from the tank again and it looked clean.
Pulled the sending unit out and almost fainted



The inside of the tank pretty much looks the same. So I now have a new tank, fuel pump, fuel line and some other parts for the tank to nozzle connection and once installed will have a completely new fuel system. Was planning on going that route eventually but now don't have a choice. Once that is done I can go back to the brakes.

Old and bad gas is not your friend. Good move to just replace those components that can't be safely cleaned. Probably been quite a bit of water there for quite some time.

Speaking of water...periodically starting a car and letting it run for a few minutes without driving is one of the worst things you can do. Water is a natural byproduct of hydrocarbon combustion and unless the engine is getting to actual operating temp and held there as you'd get in about 15 miles of driving, you're just dumping water into the combustion chamber and oil system (think oily sludge being encouraged in the crankcase). It has to be driven to boil off the water accumulating in the oil and chambers. Better to not start the car while it can't be driven, and I don't just mean surreptitiously around the block, either. Until you can really drive it, don't start it other than as a system check (and do that as little as possible). Does more harm than good.

It seems that you've purged the entire fuel system by now. If that's the case, I'd not add gas until you've got it where you can drive it (brakes fixed). Just before you actually get to that point, add as few gallons of gas as possible, and dump in maybe a cup of Methanol, if you can find good lab grade stuff, then run all of that out (MeOH binds water, but can be hard on flex components of fuel system, so run or drain that combination completely out). If you can drain the entire fuel line with the tank out, I'd skip the MeOH step and replace any flexible components in the line while it's dry. Probably just a couple of feet of neoprene line anyway. Do you have air? Tank out is a good time to blow the fuel line out (from top to bottom).

The starting and running was done for approx 20 minutes always extended past reaching operating temp. Would also get it up to about 2500rpm and leave for a couple minutes. Know it's better to drive it, but if you can't drive it figure it's better to do as I've been doing instead of letting it sit and not run it at all.

I've given myself a $1k limit (with my current limited income). Luckily I had the motor and trans rebuilt before it's extended resting period so those aren't an issue and the carb I recentley rebuilt. To get it back on the road it's the fuel system and brakes which most of the parts are ordered and will hopefully arrive next week. Still need to get the power brake booster and master cylinder which appears to be the most expensive part of the project. Also need to replace the rear seals and while I have the rear axle shafts out to do that I might as well replace the bearings. As for the front disc brakes, I know at some point I had the rotors, calipers and hoses changed. Wont know their condition until I get the rest of the system together and flushed out.

Currently I'm about $490 in with the current parts on order.

Fuel tank sending unit
Fuel tank
Fuel tank filler neck gasket
Fuel filler neck to tank hose
Brake pedal bushings
Brake proportioning valve & distribution block rebuild kit
Brake drums x 2
Brake drum cylinders x 2
Brake shoes
Fuel pump
brake shoe hardware kit

Besides these parts I need a power brake booster, master cylinder, oil pan gasket, transmission pan gasket & filter, rear seals & bearings. Think I might just come in on budget.