1967-68 Cougar Grille Restoration Tips / Emblem Replacement

This is a video about how you can beautify the grille on your 1967 or 1968 Mercury Cougar. We start off by showing how to easily replace the emblem assembly on the RH headlight door, then show how to replace the black background decal on the center medallion. We also show how you can adjust your grille to get it straight, and end by showing how to remove the chrome bars so you can send them in to be rechromed, and different painting options for the grille assembly.
The icon pictures that show up throughout the video can be clicked, which will take you to the relevant item on our website.
Visit us at: www2.cougarpart...
On facebook: / westcoastclassiccougar

[@edwardjohnson1709]

Excellent video. I actually left the tin foil background on and glued the background over the top. Still looks fine

[@rogerlizama1326]

Hi! I search for the white plasma bulbs at your site but only the 1156 are listed, there are 1157 but in red and yellow. Do you have white available? Thanks!

[@WestCoastClassicCougar]

+Roger Lizama For 1967-68 and 71-73 they are 1076 bulbs. The white plasma replacement is here: www2.cougarpartscatalog.com/store/p/15336-Plasma-LED-WHITE-Two-Pack-Replacement-1076-Bulbs-Back-Up-Lights-Repro-1969-1970-Mercury-Cougar.html

[@blahblahblah6965]

anyone else worried about the light frame not being put back on......lol

[@ricardotrevino7583]

I am loving these videos, I am currently on the hunt for my first Cougar. I am so excited to get one and these videos have already helped with a lot of information! Thank you!

[@Dj2ACR]

Can you do one like this but for 69? i have a 69 cougar that i am restoring for my first car and i want to get the emblem looking new as i spray painted the grill section a flat matte black and left the center and kitty emblems original

[@donrush5690]

+Gabriel Hernandez Same procedure for 69, brak the corral off. grind the studs for the cat off in back, remove cat, peel faded decal, install new, epoxy cay back on (or buy new) and epoxy corral back on. Items 26457 and 10081

[@Dj2ACR]

+Don Rush thank you very much don

[@garywood9525]

Just an note about the final staged to return the restored/New parts. My experience with Motor cycle parts made it the norm to wash my hands with dish washing liquid to strip any skin oils and pollutant off as to not have them transfer onto the parts that oxidise normally over time . The other method is to have a very soft cloth or high-end paper towel to hold the chrome piece as I put it in place. Mr.Rosh If you wonder why I do it , just take any screw driver and pinch the shaft between the thumb and 2 first fingers with your normal mode hand ( unwashed) as in this video . Then use the other hand on the grip handle and pull on it to see how low the friction point is to remove it from the fingers. Next , clean the screw driver and your hands with grease removing Dish washing soap ( quality brand) to do the test one more time and feel the new Pull-Force needed break the friction point . Maybe even do this with someone at the Shop so THEY can feel the difference for pulling it from your thumb and 2 finger grip. The skin Oils and basic air-born pollutants on things the you touch will be transferred onto other things you touch on the cars , even trim pieces . While a quick wipe fools the eye for that gleam of new chrome , the surface it pretty porous at the micro level and your innocent finger print may show up 15 years down the road as a dark spot that can't be cleaned . I also noticed this on high-end B-B-Q units where the stainless steel backing plates behind the control Knobs would go dark where the finger tips rubbed on it. Sure they were stainless steel to not rust , but they do show their age from pollutants . I only say this because Cougars parts seems to be hard to get for NOS items and even Workers at the factories in the 1960's promo Shorts by Ford that makes the trim items will wear soft cotton type gloves to package them or move on the quality control . Lincoln back in the late 1970's started to ship their cars with a thin black plastic coating on the grill to protect it from nicks and also toxins or oils during shipping . Later they reduced weight by going to Chromed plastic grill unit that also kept Insurance repairs down but it still had very thin film on it that pealed off prior to delivery . If someone plans to wash the car later on with degreasing soap for the chrome that would do the job , but a restore car or original one with new badges might be a garage kept car for the odd drive and go a year with just a wipe down by a rag. Corrosion doesn't sleep .

[@donrush5690]

+Gary wood Good tip Gary!

[@thefirebirdflock3440]

Personally if it were up to me I would keep it, maybe black-out the lettering on the badge. I kinda like the chrome on white look the faded background provided.

[@wrzkace1]

Thank you

[@snl1962]

Wish I would have seen the "Kitty" replacement last year! Took me a lot more than 8 minutes! Keep 'em coming, Don!

[@garywood9525]

+Steve Haga I heard that the first version of Kitty at the auto shows was rejected when Jaguar petitioned it as a Copy Right issue for the cat . Ford was told to put Cougar under the kitty and on the trunk badge .

[@donrush5690]

+Gary wood Yes! Watch our video with Jim Pinkerton, owner of Cougar #1, he has the prototype of the "Jag" emblem!

[@68camaro18]

Great tutorial! Very informative

[@harveyboy4461]

Liking your videos.

[@willivonfromhold4524]

Question... How do I get my bulbs from my tailight out... Are they a twist or a pull, I can not remember...

[@WestCoastClassicCougar]

Twist, this listing shows the socket: secure.cougarpartscatalog.com/67sock.html

[@robertvargas9331]

Are the phillips screws for the grille bars on your website???

[@WestCoastClassicCougar]

We do not currently have a reproduction listed for those. If you have the originals you could try a hardware store or NAPA to see if they can help you match one up. Another possibility is taking an original to a Fastenal location and see if they could help you match up the closest to originals: www.fastenal.com/locations/all