My 1986Mercury Cougar LS July 29, 2007, 04:32:08 PM Hey Guys, I'm new here so I thought I'd post up the pictures of my cougar. I just bought it about 4 months ago and its been sitting in my driveway, I bring it out "legally" around the block 1st a week so it doesn't get that sit rot.. I also have a Mercury Cougar 1986 which is my daily driver, but due to me being low on cash Im gonna have to sell the v6 and start driving the v8 as my daily driver....I love the v8 it has great power for the stock engine lol, if you see a burn out from the driveway off thru the grass and off the curb, then 3 telephone poles down it wasn't me :P. I wanted to drop a 351 W into it and make it a 5 speed. I won't probally do this till 3-5 years tho because I won't have the money till then. But till then I wanna just add the not engine stuff :p.A list of things I want to get for the car...- I wanna get the auto Dim and the Auto Lamp. * Also the flood Lights *- I wanna get the automatic Temperature control ( ATC) system- I wanna see if theres a mint full set of the black or smoke Interior, I would also need the center consule which was used for the man. cars because when I add a stick with the current center consule it can move and hit the shifter when you move the seats up....- Another Option Im gonna be looking for is the Graphic Equalizer- Something IM debating is weather or not to add a sun roof, I think it would be a great addition to go with the vented windows only thing is, how big of a job is it truely :P.Then in 3-5 years I plan to drop the 302 and put in a 351 W and gonna keep it a EFI. Im gonna make a exhaut system where you will be able to switch to a legal way, or when you are racing someone u flip the switch and it will switch it to the straight pipes. The car will have some "legal" Stuff on it, but its gonna be in the future my sunday summer car :-p. Any ideas or comments I can do with this car or what I'm planning to do ? Or if u can find me these parts lol... Quote Selected
My 1986Mercury Cougar LS Reply #1 – July 29, 2007, 05:00:33 PM Nice clean Cat! Welcome to the board. Quote Selected
My 1986Mercury Cougar LS Reply #2 – July 29, 2007, 05:05:03 PM thanks for the welcome.Yea but right now its missing a hub cab, didn't know it had saftly screws to hold the hub cabs on and it broke into two pieces... So I need to buy another one that is as mint as them :D and I forgot to mention it only has 80k miles on it. P.S. Im liking your Darkthunder, I was thinking of repainting mine all black with a white stripe in the middle... Quote Selected
My 1986Mercury Cougar LS Reply #3 – July 29, 2007, 05:27:18 PM welcome! Nice to see you have plans for the car! Sounds like its gonna be nice! Quote Selected
My 1986Mercury Cougar LS Reply #4 – July 29, 2007, 07:49:18 PM Nice cat. I like white on these cars more and mor all the time. Sounds like you have the beginings of a great plan, just be prepared to be flexible on some of it. Welcome to the boards. Got any Cheeto's? Quote Selected
My 1986Mercury Cougar LS Reply #5 – July 29, 2007, 08:15:02 PM Cool car.Vent window as well.Niiiiiice. Quote Selected
My 1986Mercury Cougar LS Reply #6 – July 29, 2007, 08:53:18 PM Quote from: Crusher;164299- I wanna get the auto Dim and the Auto Lamp. * Also the flood Lights *- I wanna get the automatic Temperature control ( ATC) system- I wanna see if theres a mint full set of the black or smoke Interior, I would also need the center consule which was used for the man. cars because when I add a stick with the current center consule it can move and hit the shifter when you move the seats up....- Another Option Im gonna be looking for is the Graphic Equalizer- Something IM debating is weather or not to add a sun roof, I think it would be a great addition to go with the vented windows only thing is, how big of a job is it truely .1. The auto-dim should be an easy add-on except for there's no wiring to the sensor on the rearview mirrors on non-AL cars. So unless you're very good at wiring, or have a complete harness, this won't fly.2. The EATC is a tough switch, but it IS doable. You will need the complete EATC setup including all of the heat ductwork. Labor intensive! (And yes, you will have to pull the dash).3. That is easy, and there's always the dye option, though your interior is so nice you could probably sell and swap. The center console is an easy add too.4. The EQ should plug right in, you *might* need the EQ version radio and rear amp assembly though. It's been about 5 years since I did this swap...5. DO NOT DO IT! Ford factory moonroofs use a completely different stamped roof panel AND under-roof structure. You *will* have to cut your entire roof off to do it right. Cheesy aftermarket pop-ups are just that, CHEESY!My honest opinion? You did GREAT. It's a nice car, with a good set of options (enjoy those vent windows!), that's ready to go. Doing wheels and tires and engine mods are all great, easy, and done before so you have a good knowledge base. Trying to hack the car up is a big fat NO! If you truely want an EATC/AL/moonroof car, then go BUY one. A nice factory one with all the options and colors YOU want already DONE. It makes life a LOT easier AND cheaper. I would enjoy the heck out of that Cougar whilst saving up, and then buying the truley optioned/colored one of my dreams. Quote Selected
My 1986Mercury Cougar LS Reply #8 – July 29, 2007, 09:50:17 PM Welcome to the board and as always, that is a nice cougar.:birdsmily: Quote Selected
My 1986Mercury Cougar LS Reply #9 – July 29, 2007, 10:04:44 PM Sunroofs are the bomb...definitely recommend one. Find a quality installer, use the best quality sunroof you can afford, and enjoy. There seem to have been no proven factory 1986 power moonroof cars so those were ALL aftermarket-installed. And the majority don't leak, nor lend to structural integrity issues. Your name's on the title...don't let anyone tell you what you should or shouldn't do.I once wanted to swap out a blue interior for a grey one. I definitely would have regretted it. Regatta Blue is an incredible color, and with the shape that yours is in (and with relatively rare high-series door panels), it would be a shame to change it out. Might want to keep driving it and give that a little more time to sink in. Just an opinion. Quote Selected
My 1986Mercury Cougar LS Reply #10 – July 29, 2007, 10:23:38 PM Very nice cat. I'm with Eric - do to your car what you want to do. It's what makes your car "yours".I will say, however, that if you go with the sunroof make sure it is installed by a quality installer. The Turbo Coupe I parted out had a cheapy aftermarket sunroof installed that I was considering swapping into my '88 T-Bird, until I dropped the headliner in the parts car and saw that the installer had simply sawzalled through one of the roof support structures without doing anything at all to add strength with that structure cut (and honestly I don't know how one would). I don't know how much it compromised safety, but I wouldn't want to find out the hard way, so I've still got the sunroof sitting in my parts shed with no intention of installing it.Actually, now that I think of it, I might install it into the F-150, since the truck doesn't have any structural members in the roof panel that would be in the way of the sunroof.As for the electrical stuff you want to add - running wires is not rocket science. If you can get all the parts and you can install something like a car stereo you can run wires to install almost anything. Just be sure to get yourself an EVTM (factory electrical manual) for your car. It is an absolute necessity (not just for doing electrical modifications, but for repairing electrical problems too), and they're routinely available on eBay. Also, be sure to get the electrical connectors that go to the components you want to install. As long as you have the connectors and an EVTM you can make your own harnesses. Quote Selected
My 1986Mercury Cougar LS Reply #11 – July 29, 2007, 11:38:59 PM Quote from: Thunder Chicken;164412saw that the installer had simply sawzalled through one of the roof support structures without doing anything at all to add strength with that structure cut (and honestly I don't know how one would). I don't know how much it compromised safety, but I wouldn't want to find out the hard wayThat's EXACTLY why I don't advocate ANY aftermarket sunroof's in these cars. That stupid structure beam is smack dab in the middle and the factory moonroof cars all had a MUCH different roof structure. Fox chassis are notoriously "flexible" in the first place, I sure don't want to start hacking away at them... Quote Selected
My 1986Mercury Cougar LS Reply #12 – July 30, 2007, 12:25:53 AM Quote1. The auto-dim should be an easy add-on except for there's no wiring to the sensor on the rearview mirrors on non-AL cars. So unless you're very good at wiring, or have a complete harness, this won't fly.2. The EATC is a tough switch, but it IS doable. You will need the complete EATC setup including all of the heat ductwork. Labor intensive! (And yes, you will have to pull the dash).3. That is easy, and there's always the dye option, though your interior is so nice you could probably sell and swap. The center console is an easy add too.4. The EQ should plug right in, you *might* need the EQ version radio and rear amp assembly though. It's been about 5 years since I did this swap...5. DO NOT DO IT! Ford factory moonroofs use a completely different stamped roof panel AND under-roof structure. You *will* have to cut your entire roof off to do it right. Cheesy aftermarket pop-ups are just that, CHEESY!My honest opinion? You did GREAT. It's a nice car, with a good set of options (enjoy those vent windows!), that's ready to go. Doing wheels and tires and engine mods are all great, easy, and done before so you have a good knowledge base. Trying to hack the car up is a big fat NO! If you truely want an EATC/AL/moonroof car, then go BUY one. A nice factory one with all the options and colors YOU want already DONE. It makes life a LOT easier AND cheaper. I would enjoy the heck out of that Cougar whilst saving up, and then buying the truley optioned/colored one of my dreams.Yea Im not gonna put in the aftermarket Sun roof because its really not worth killing the body of its original state. And I was told that the Automatic AC was junk so Im not gonna do that.. but I wanna add the flood lights and try to get the light panel completed...Thanks for the welcomes, comments, and information :D Quote Selected
My 1986Mercury Cougar LS Reply #13 – July 30, 2007, 02:32:09 AM Welcome to the site im pretty new here too very nice car man that is one clean pretty cat.. Quote Selected
My 1986Mercury Cougar LS Reply #14 – July 30, 2007, 09:46:23 AM Welcome and I love you cat! The Sun/Moon roof wouldn't be to bad but I would say to find a factory car with it and cut the whole top off. Then drill out the factory welds on your car and the donor piece. Not near as hard as is sounds. Then it is a close to factory as it can get. Quote Selected
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