Dash Removal & Restoration - '68 Cougar XR-7

[@Alan-lv9rw]

My uncle bought a new 1968 XR-7 and sold it in 1977, the year before I got my driver’s license. It’s still the most beautiful car I’ve ever seen.

[@Jayhawk218]

So delighted that you do this kind of work. Companies like yours fill a great need.

[@theovallas]

You guys produce the most detailed videos of classic car restoration out there. I don't own a Cougar...I have a '72 F100, but watching your videos helps me see how Ford constructed their cars in the 60's/70's, and that helps a lot! So, thank you and keep them coming!!

[@WestCoastClassicCougar]

Thanks for saying so, we appreciate the glowing feedback!

[@michaelmeeter2589]

need a cougar console rebuild video.. mines in pieces, and needs put back together.. it's like a jigsaw puzzle .. lol

[@marcmenton8063]

I don’t think the how to videos are dry rather I think they’re extremely informative and give me some comfort knowing step by step I may be able to tackle a job don’t change a thing

[@johnmortimer7862]

Watching you work on these cars is kind of like watching Bob Ross painting happy trees.

[@donrush5690]

I had to look that up and you were right! Thanks for the compliment.

[@DaveCoTrains]

Looking into purchasing a '69 cougar for my first restoration project and it's really great to watch these videos and have you reference your part numbers and what you do sell new or used right in the videos. Really fun to watch to, wasn't falling asleep once. Keep up the great work!

[@ryanasprey6243]

Sold my mustang last year but still enjoy these videos. Reminds me of how brittle the components were when I disassembled the dash.

[@garymaclellan2168]

Great videos, I'm watching them all and I don't even own a Cougar, I drive an 74 Corvette.Again super awesome videos.

[@mattmurdock2909]

Wow. Really wish I could have watched this a year ago. Great video.

[@snl1962]

As always...AWESOME...DIY video! Now that my work is done and I had to figure a lot out on my own...but I especially like the dash pad removal, it's a lot more complicated than '67 - 68 Mustang! Keep 'em coming, Don!

[@kyledepillo2536]

Amazing video! Keep up the great work! Lets keep these great cars on the road!

[@WalterDavis-i9y]

Great video. Information as well as production wise.. Great video. Information as well as production wise..

[@stevenbissonnette7893]

You need a do more videos ! I have a 1970 yellow with black vinyl xr7 fmx auto 351c 4v brown interior. Needs everything. Shoulda been scrapped. I love it too much! I just got a Marty report and its basic never be worth millions lol. You needs make more of these tutorials cause its gonna be the only way I will ever make mine xr7 atleast driver quality. Please do some videos on 1970 xr7 dashes, interior, wiring and exterior trim. You are the world renowned Mercury cougar expert! Love all you vids about 67-68 and 69-70. Keep up the good work. Thanks.

[@brianaust8897]

This is a great video! Very inspiring and I’m jazzed for Javier’s car!

[@troyadamson8618]

I had a 68 XR7 in high school. Beautiful car. One thing that used to anger me was people playing with the toggle switches. Wish I still had it. My mother sold it when I went to Germany the first time. Told her I wanted to restore it. Didn't even get the chance.

[@marcodiaz2257]

Do u have a Standard 68 cougar Dashpad removal Video instead of the XR7 dashpad Removal? Let me know please where I can find the Video Thanks

[@rustcityrestorations5884]

@DonRush, Thank you very much for these very good videos!

[@72Stiles]

I have a '67 T-bird and find these videos very informative and helpful as well, considering parts and resources are scare for 5th gen birds.

[@tjwilly]

Great video. Information as well as production wise.

[@4qtllcphil]

my 67 xr7 thanks you for this one. will do when i do the heater core!

[@cemeteryhill]

Thanks so much this video is going to help me a ton!! Keep up the awesome how to video's for 1968 XR-7 please.

[@peter455sd]

My father had a brand new one back in the day,XR-7,I remember very well,for a inexpensive car it was gorgeous,how things changed for the worst........

[@garywood9525]

We had a new 68 Torino while i bought a 68 used Mustang in 1977 . That foam unit on the steering was prone to warp from age because the Torino had it by 1971 that mustang had it. It was right at the taper to meet to meet the column and it cold have used a metal frame to hold its shape. I noticed that back in the early 60's it was still normal sell a car after 3 years to get the new version since a $2500.00 price for a base model could get you around $1000.00 for a nice chunk to apply to the $3000.00 for the new car. This meant that the Big 3 didn't really have to make it built the inside to last 10 years by one owner unless garage kept as a second car. The switch to plastics and foam filled arm rests assure you of chrome erosion and matte finish from age while the foam would rot to a quasi-powder and crunch as you squeeze it on top of the vinyl cracking and losing it's colour. Nobody thought of buying extra parts for the future because you would sell that 65 galaxie of 68 cougar in 3 years on average. Today in my area the average new car is owned for 6 years while well over 90% are so new that it is now Pointless to have the Drive Clean Emission program with close to 97% of the cars being post 2004 .

[@jacobrusso9522]

Great video! Thank you

[@jedi_mario]

Love the video series.

[@pandamonium2112]

Approximately at 6:15 Is that the correct placement for the courtesy floor light? Mine is tucked farther up and to the right almost above the vent door.

[@nicholasmarra6200]

Im trying to remove the dash on a 71 Cougar there is limited information on this car especially interior. There are no manuals and most of the mustang videos don't work for this year. Perhaps you can put together a video on that year especially for dashboard removal and tail light removal that would be a big help. Thank you.

[@rickycarroll1990]

Thanks Don

[@JamesJohnson-vk9en]

Will this work for a 67 Cougar? Ive removed all screw and I've gotten to the part where Im gett resistance on pulling out the Speedometer. Im nervous to pull harc on it but I cant get my hand behind it to undo the clips.

[@JC-gw3yo]

Great detail...thanks..

[@WilsonAutoworks]

Fall asleep?? This is like porn!! Thank you

[@vanda219]

Thanks again for taking your time to show us. I will be doing mine soon, mine isn't bad at all but my dash lights only work on the lowest dim setting. Probably needs a dimmer switch or does it work to spray electrical cleaner on it?

[@donrush5690]

dan sprouse Correct... Probably just as easy to buy a new headlight switch, those reo-stat switches only last about 20 years.

[@starg8man]

Hey guys if I could pick your brain briefly. I have a 68 Ford cougar xr7. With a ford 302. Was running strong two days ago before we started a radiator swap. The original radiator was just a 68, old and dented to he'll. We dropped in a new tricore aluminum. And got everything hooked up correct. At the same time we installed a 2 inch spacer under our edlbrock carb. We also installed an electric fan conversion with 3000cfm and removed the clutch fan. When we cranked as we filled with coolant we noticed the car stalled and had to be gassed to keep from stalling. Suspected Timing issues due to the bigger intake manifold (because of the spacer) and the lack of clutch fan. Tried to adjust the carb with very little avail and noticed a tapping almost like lifter noise on the left side of the engine. We called it a night as it was getting dark anyhow. We know we have a MINOR VACUME leak but the car was still smoking her tires and clean engine noise before the upgrades. Any thoughts or ideas?

[@starg8man]

+KanozWoW I found a vacume line that got left off during the reinstall of the carb. Always the little things that kill us all! lol! Replaced the starter, fuel pump, and cam since then too! :)

[@frankLaidlaw69]

It's a 68. Thanks for the help

[@dbabineaux2010]

What would be the correct black to repaint the gauge bezel after a re-chrome, the metal strips that hold the dash pad, and the trim rings around the gauges? Is that the SEM trim black?

[@WestCoastClassicCougar]

That would be a good choice! Pretty much any quality satin black paint would do the trick.

[@cyrilbellavance2184]

Great video. I am going for a retro mod and don't care about the chrome. Could you do the work and paint the bezel instead of chrome?

[@donrush5690]

Cyril Bellavance Yes... If you are on our email list you will get notification as soon as we have all details worked out.

[@midsouthexpress]

I have looked everywhere for a new dashpad for a 68 Cougar. Everywhere I look it says not available or out of stock. Do you guys carry these and if so how much do they cost. Mine is terrible.

[@WestCoastClassicCougar]

We do have those in stock, you can see all of the available colors on our website: secure.cougarpartscatalog.com/store/Search.aspx?CatID=15885&SearchTerms=dash%20pad&Type=AND

[@brooksgarage]

Is there a way you guys can do a video on a 1969 cougar dashboard taking out

[@donrush5690]

We did! Check out our 1969 heater core replacement video.

[@MrFuroius1972]

On standard Cougars, what can you do about the numbers and lettering on the lenses?

[@donrush5690]

Really nothing but we do have excellent used in stock that have not been damaged by UV rays, we have a rather mild climate here in the NW. Search words "gauge lens" on our website.

[@TheSmithsShow]

Can you guys do an install video on your front end kit rebuild that you sell?

[@WestCoastClassicCougar]

Thatguy__nick Like this one? kzbin.info/www/bejne/i5jbfWeuo7mHkJY

[@TheSmithsShow]

West Coast Classic Cougar thanks. Didn't know you had one. Appreciate it!

[@carsandtopgear]

Do you still offer this service? I wasn’t able to find it on your website.

[@WestCoastClassicCougar]

Unfortunately, we had to drop the service. We tried several companies, but with everyone we tried, we were lucky to get 1 out of 5 that were worth installing.

[@carsandtopgear]

@@WestCoastClassicCougar Thanks for the response!

[@nerysalguero3956]

i have finished rebuilding my engine in my 68 cougar for the past year. ive had ignition issues from the get go. I havent heard the engine since the engine was finished. I think i may have yanked those two tach wires apart and if thats why my car wouldnt start. imma be upset and relieved

[@michaelmeeter2589]

yes those tach wires need connected to each other to run without the tach hooked up.. pink wire and black and orange stripe i believe.

[@frankLaidlaw69]

Hello I was wondering if you guys sell the turning Signal box that makes the rights sequence mine stopped and can't get it to work it still clicks and works but it does not sequence

[@WestCoastClassicCougar]

frank laidlaw We do sell a solid state version that will be a lot more reliable. They are different depending on what year your car is. Early 67: www2.cougarpartscatalog.com/c7wy-13a366-as.html Late 67: www2.cougarpartscatalog.com/c7wy-13a366-bs.html 68: www2.cougarpartscatalog.com/67w13a366.html 69-73: www2.cougarpartscatalog.com/69seq.html

[@tomlae4711]

Is this process similar for a '70 Cougar?

[@WestCoastClassicCougar]

The 69-70 dash is a different animal... the good news is, we do have a video that shows how to remove it. It's technically a heater core replacement video, so we don't go into detail about the gauges and stuff, but we did briefly cover the main dash disassembly. Check it out here: kzbin.info/www/bejne/iabFp4Bta5etZsk

[@tomlae4711]

West Coast Classic Cougar Ah, OK. I did see that one previously. It was great as all your DIY videos are.

[@Casey7621]

How much did he spend on it all together just for what he did in this video

[@WestCoastClassicCougar]

In all, it was less than $1000. The biggest cost was the re-chromed plastic dash panels at ~$400. He saved some money by using a used dash pad rather than new, but it's getting very hard to find straight used dash pads like the one shown in this video. Everything else was relatively inexpensive, and some elbow grease can go a long way.

[@Casey7621]

Thanks I'll be sending mine in soon for I can get that look

[@harveyboy4461]

Your channel needs more info on 69- 70 Cougars.

[@notsoritchie6229]

Could you put a 69 front and rear bumper, front grill and headlights, and rear headlights on a 68 cougar

[@mc66683]

If I wanted to do an actual wood dashboard how much of a pain would it be, if even possible.

[@WestCoastClassicCougar]

It's been done before, just depends on how good your woodworking skills are! You'd probably have to do away with the rings around the gauges since the real wood will be thicker. And the toggle switches might be a problem. Come to think of it, the real wood dashes we've seen have mostly been on Standard models, the XR-7 may be trickier. Would be cool though!

[@mindiseverything5036]

i want a black not woodgrain theme tho im working on a 68 also

[@WestCoastClassicCougar]

Give us a call and talk to Darrell, he can probably hook you up with a black vinyl overlay kit. 503-463-1130

[@mindiseverything5036]

thanks

[@chadhickey9942]

I know this is an old old video, but I'd hate to see what Don says about my 68.... he keeps talking about Javier's car as "needing alot of work" and "rusty"... lol..... I think Javier's car is perfect compared to what I'm rebuilding lol

[@boardgamedesignsmanufacturing]

██████████████████████████████ Great video, West Coast Classic Cougar is always so helpful. I just did this, too bad the video wasn't a few weeks ago (pulled out the whole dash). Speed nuts are a bitch. I had the one behind the gauge cluster! That was a pain in the butt. While I was there I upgraded the toggle switches to red LED. Only only problem was couldn't get the 4 prong switch to light when in the on position but all else are 3 prong. It is a nice upgrade for my 67 XR7 (btw they only work when the doors are closed!) www.ebay.com/itm/DC12V-20A-Red-LED-Light-Car-Boat-Toggle-Switch-Control-ON-OFF-Black-Silver-Body-/281217704957?hash=item4179e1a3fd Also on the back of the passenger side panel, those rivets were separating from the plastic (one already was, so I reinforced then all with JB Weld)

[@Dan_Cal]

The meter said, "BOYOYOYOING".

[@gregsines5769]

I love this channel but, how come none of your employees have any money? Lol

[@goofycarlos9206]

😂