Rusty Roof Replacement - 1968 Cougar

2019 Update: We now have brand new replacement roof skins for the 1967-68 Cougar! You can still follow this video for how to do the job, but now you don't have to find a donor. Check out the new panels here: secure.cougarp...
We also now have a patch panel for the rear window channel / trunk filler panel: secure.cougarp...
If you have an old car that came with a vinyl top, chances are that you have some rust issues in the roof. This was the case with Andrew's car - a 1968 Mercury Cougar that his grandparents bought brand new in '68. In this video, Andrew takes matters into his own hands to replace his rusted roof skin with a solid donor roof from another car. He is by no means a restoration expert, just an amateur trying to save some money and save his car.
Need a roof or other body panels for your classic Cougar? West Coast Classic Cougar has it all. Check us out at www.cougarparts... or give us a call at [phone] .
(c) 2011 West Coast Classic Cougar, Inc.
Music in the video is from royalty-free sources, except for the Toccata and Fugue in D (used during the brief B&W horror sequence). Performed by Peter Hurford. An advertisement appears on this video in order to pay royalties to the copyright holder, not for our own gain.

[@Mcfreddo]

You're not an idiot. You're very capable, resourceful and achieving young man.

[@yuvegotmale]

I have done several cars this way. Removeing the doner roof skin takes time. Last time we did it we cut most of the roof reinforcent with a plasmer cutter to access spot welds better...worked out very good. The factory puts lots of spot welds along the drip rail...thats what took the time.

[@wlc1980]

Excellent job! I thought you were gonna cut the whole top off at the posts. That shows my level of body shop knowledge! If it was born Vinyl put it back vinyl, no problem with that, I'm sure it will be garaged and pampered from here on out. Nice to see a young guy into old cars! Excellent video!

[@sparkplug1018]

Unless the structure underneath is rotted too, its better to do it the way he did here. My T-top Camaro on the other hand the structure is beyond gone, so going to be drilling the welds on the quarter panel out and cutting the A pillars. Its a job I am and I'm not looking forward to.

[@jayinla310]

FYI for future projects. There is a weld-through primer you can use on parts at the weld points (metal-to-metal) that will stop rust there. There is also a metal-based filler you could have used instead of the fiberglass. It is stronger than fiberglass, magnetic and just as easy to work with. There is also a rust encapsulating etching undercoat that would last a lot longer than the rust proofing undercoating you used. Of course, ANY undetcoating is better than what they used in 68. They only expected the cars to last 5 years, 10 at the most.

[@tbirdsteve1]

one of the best resto videos I've seen, congrats

[@patrickphippspa584]

Wonderful video! Thank you so much for taking your time and contributing. Love to look at that old cat!

[@nocki5oh]

Great job! Let's see floor pan replacment and quarter panel!

[@carguy7536]

If as you said that vinyl top is a replacement, the trim shop likely ripped the old vinyl top and instead of using special glue remover to get the adhesive off, they likely used a grinder to get the old glue off and then just covered ground down top with the new vinyl top.

[@juanitolopez8686]

Great Job! FYI.. You inspired me to do my own roof!

[@WestCoastClassicCougar]

Juanito Lopez Thanks, that's awesome!

[@abbylx]

+Juanito Lopez I wished i had a car to do this work on it! :(

[@Aviator305]

you can do my 1970 Buick Skylark

[@TyphoonVstrom]

Handy tip- use a big, slow revving disc sander (36 grit) to grind out lead. The coarse disc removes the lead fast, doesn't turn the lead into a fine dust, and keeps the heat down, which helps keep the disc from clogging. A knotted wire wheel on the grinder is great for the final clean up of the lead seam, digs it all out of the fine crevices.

[@markkrul3429]

I'd say an electric grinder is the wrong tool as well...unless you have an adjustable speed feature.

[@TyphoonVstrom]

I'd say it sounds like you've never done bodywork.

[@ledzeppelin27]

that donor xr7 seemed to be in pristine condition kind of a shame

[@pablodeoliveira1972]

Great... you have done a great job...! You are not an idiot just someone without knowledge but if you get the right answer you can achieve all....So God bless you mate...Well Done!!!

[@realmaindrianpace]

Great video, only thing I do differently on these is to use a MAP gas torch to melt the lead out. Quicker and easier for sure.

[@xargon1234]

a old school bottle opener can take the window trim pieces on the side off quickly

[@williamboardman9476]

Rain rail trim.

[@Steve1961P]

This is a great video. I have NO IDEA why people give anyone lip about these video's. I mean come on. This is NOT HOLLYWOOD!!! I think it's a really great vid. Shows what most go through and goes farther than most would.. I would love to have seen all the rest of the work being done as well... Would create many more interests and people trying bigger projects... Very well done... ENCORE!!!!!

[@snoopu2601]

Thanks for your video very helpful, well Werth the effort keeping your grandparents car still on the the road my sister still has my grandmother VW she bought off the lot in 1966 and hers husband had it restored back to new better than new

[@robertkinney1480]

The drip rail trim comes off super easy and 0 damage with and old stile two sided can opener not joking used it on my 64 impala and highly recommend I had to tweak my can opener slightly but you can get them at value village and other places such for very little hope this helps someone there is a video on here to which thankfully I watched that taught me this

[@PhilXR7Cat]

Great informative video. Will need to replace my vinyl roof, so hopefully I don't have the rust issues on the roof. Would have really like to have seen the bottom and side rear roof channels up close, for I'm sure I'm going to be dealing with that!

[@TheHamadanners]

very nice video. i have a 73 swamp stang is what ive been calling her(shes a mustang although i named her kitten) Shes been sitting belly deep in water for forever it seems. alot of work i want to rush through i tell myself slow down. its just so exciting

[@clevelandmaker7044]

wait.....wait.....wait.... what if you dont have all the connections you have you know people. ...I don't

[@yves3560]

You work exactly like I do and I happen to know how things should be done, so sincere congrats : you´re not " the average idiot" imo !! ;)

[@peterd7603]

lots of work but well worth it

[@Riccoassennl]

Nice work!

[@85fordman]

Great job! Why would you want to put another vinyl roof on the car? Chances are you will have the same problem in the future, as when vinyl gets brittle from the sun it absorbs moisture and rots the roof from the trapped moisture. Why not just put black (or whatever color you want) paint in place of the vinyl? That way you have the color contrasting you want, without worrying about trapped moisture....just a thought.

[@pontiacgrandprix733]

As soon as I would have seen what was under that roof, I would've called Grand ma, if she's still here, or said a prayer and apology for selling her car

[@terrycarter8929]

I would have used All-Metal from USC for the lead seam. It will flex a bit and not crack like other fillers. It cures as hard as metal. Sort of like JB weld.

[@antoniomartinez6958]

Good job and video

[@johnnyohness]

I have a 1990 Lincoln Town Car I love very much. It has that special roof on it that is they tell me a fiberglass shell then the vinyl top goes over that.. It is the same shell they use for the limousine with the very small window in the back. Though the vinyl top is still amazingly good I am starting to show rust in the rear pillar area just behind the right passenger rear door where the top ends and the body starts. Do you have a clue how to remove the fiberglass shell on these cars. (cont)

[@donrelly11]

Where can I find that weld drill bit that makes those perfect holes?? Currently doing my cougar roof replacement

[@donpepejvb75]

Great video ! Thanks

[@dfk70]

Did you have to fabricate the patch panel for the rear window or was is it from a donor?

[@WestCoastClassicCougar]

At the time, we used a donor car. However, there's now a new patch panel available: www2.cougarpartscatalog.com/678rearwindowpatch.html It doesn't go up the pillars, however, so in Andrew's case he would have still needed additional patch work.

[@r.g.5.0.h.o.51]

I always used a mini torch to melt the lead

[@georgemorant2505]

Just bought an xr-7, does not have interior, how much would it cost me to hunt down the gauges and dash pieces for a '67

[@Robiam85]

They make proper tools for trim removal.

[@Bigdave123]

wow you gave me an idea

[@santaclaushawkeyenj3878]

Good stuff!

[@gpaulwelch7127]

What did the body shop charge to weld an paint your car

[@SteadyGrindinEntBR]

Dude I Have The Same Problem EXACTLY!!! But My Roof Is More Rusty....So Is The Only Option To Find Another IDENTICAL car and Take The Roof??? How Much Would It Have Cost If U Paid Someone Else To Do It???

[@yves3560]

A lot.

[@tractorhead971]

Hope you didn’t put a vinyl roof back on for the rust horror show to start over?

[@MeRc1967z]

Nice video... How much does a roof cost I failed to see it on your website.. Thanks

[@DavidChadwell]

I think you would be better off "replacing" the vinyl roof with a matte black paint. Same look, without the rust trap.

[@steves4639]

so typical of west coast salt-free cars...generally clean rockers and quarters, but rotten floors and trunk, and roof if vinyl covered....lots of warm rain. although over the last 15 years or so, we're getting salted too now...dammit

[@richardchase4019]

Really ?....so if a propane torch will warp the panel......I got a question what did they use to get the lead in there ? Ice ?.....LMFAO.......You can melt out the lead...done it a 100 times.

[@WestCoastClassicCougar]

Yeah, we're not a body shop here, clearly. Others have also reported having success using heat to get it out. It's probably fine as long as you don't stay in one spot too long.

[@Jgeneraledger23]

10:28!

[@donrutter6765]

I always liked those cars, and I'm a Chevy guy. You should have chopped the top while you are at it. Lol. No.

[@johnnelson8956]

I've always hated vinyl tops.

[@JoeCnNd]

Should have just bought the donor and used it.

[@WestCoastClassicCougar]

It wasn't :)

[@neotins39]

Hi, i´m from Brazil, and i´m making a galaxie´s brother here, mine is a Ford Landau 1976 with V8 302 engine, I will turn it a four door in two doors convertible, I really need to know the door size that i can cut rear door and weld in front door to make it longer just like your car , if you could measure for me i´ll be very very happy. You can see my progress in Facebook name "Aline Martins''. Please i´don´t know were else i can get this information. PS: here in Brazil there is no two doors galaxie, all made here are four doors. Thank you

[@ndrwcarter4]

unless you have a huge amount of money it will be super expensive and will probably not be worth much when your done, llook hard, thereare some good classics in brazil, that will be a lot less trouble

[@briankinnard654]

Roof was WASTED. Never seen one that bad before.

[@jaggass]

Surely vinyl would protect a roof from rusting.

[@fredjones1238]

AFTER ALL THE WORK WHY THE HELL PUT VINYL BACK ON IT SO THE RUST WILL START AGAIN NO MATTER HOW YOU TRY MOISTURE WILL GET UNDER IT

[@rodneybrand389]

Fred Jones vinyl does not belong on exterior body !!! bad idea ..I agree with you fred Jones..

[@rodneybrand389]

Fred Jones Fred... another thing when the body went through the paint Dept if it called for a vinyl top the painters wouldn't apply alot of paint therefor the roof was doomed !!! I saw this first hand..I worked at Ford in Atlanta ...33 years..

[@jaggass]

I prefer vinyl records.

[@teresa67factoid95]

+Michael Langley vinyl records suck too

[@fredjones1238]

@@jaggass 45 'S OR LP'S

[@richardhoge225]

Don’t put another vinyl top on op!! Full circle 😂😂

[@frazzledgrey]

You did all that work, and then you are going to Start the Problem all over again by putting another Vinyl POS Top back on ! That's PURE STUPID!!!!

[@danielboone72]

+Derek Hodges Yes, I don't like vinyl tops. Just paint the roof the same color as rest of the car, or paint the top black. Less headaches!!!

[@rogerramjet5092]

+Derek Hodges : Unless he wants to keep it as his grandparents owned it. I would tend to agree. It makes as much sense as 100point concourse rest will go to the trouble to reproduce over spray, Which is a mistake the factory made not a design element, Yet if it's not there you will lose points I have an other wise perfectly sane friend who's DD(daily driver is a 36hp 60 VW bug which is literally dangerous to drive among modern cars. Under idea conditions it will do 63mph topped out. Takes almost 18sec 0-63mph. Yet he wont change a thing because that the way it came back in 19hundered And 60. A 60hp 1600 dualport will bolt in place and is actually cheaper cause none outside of formula V builds 1300 any more. It just crazy he is a rolling roadblock and someday a roadrager is going to punt him off the road

[@FastfoodTruck]

Respect to your friend, I'd slowly ride behind him with pleasure :)

[@mariadagaud9460]

Derek Hodges i

[@repairitdontreplaceit]

dude get a dust mask on save your lungs man

[@adityagaige7214]

Come on really, you make it sound like anyone can do it, you had numerous people and resources available that regular people dont have.

[@tortron]

Aditya Gaige a drill and spot weld bit, angle grinder with cutting, grinding disk and cup brush. Mig welder, and a parts car. What's not attainable here?

[@garywood9525]

Well, your beard is thicker, your hair is longer , and being a normal car guy that changed his shirt 3 times .......... Mike's 2 days must have been on Saturn not Earth. Is Grandma still alive?

[@WestCoastClassicCougar]

It took a lot longer than 2 days... And no, Andrew's grandma isn't with us anymore, so the car is kind of a family heirloom.

[@mattnev8625]

bahahahah that acting

[@gregh7457]

what you thinking jethro, this be hollywood or sumthin?

[@SurviventheOnslaught]

sell the car while the top looks good and a dreamer gives to much for it and buy a clean car

[@mustafamestour4783]

Stupid truck hhhh

[@jdsmith556]

But you didn’t do the work, you pulled some windows, and a patch of vinal, then cut a few spot welds, and farmed the rest out to a body shop. Kinda makes me believe your the kinda guy to purchase a engine from jegs, have your buddy install it and tell everyone you restored the car yourself

[@dirtyduck1947]

it's a ford what do you expect! just like mustangs rust buckets

[@rickwiley8485]

Mercury, dipshit.

[@jaggass]

Mustangs were nicknamed Rustangs.

[@SurviventheOnslaught]

same car as a mustang in those years

[@closingtime]

How different were the roof panels? I had been told the Cougar and Mustang chassis were one and the same. Just different doors, fenders and 1/4s.

[@SurviventheOnslaught]

shit, I think the roof is the same, quarters are a little different, cougars had the cool sequential taillights, same seats , gauges, steering wheel..........its essentially the same thing just different frills.........normal dicks don't know that.........cougars had the pain in the ass flip up headlights

[@OliverCloseoff69]

Andrew, I'm glad to see someone younger with a genuine appreciation for these cars. It's obvious you do, most would not go through the work you have put into this car already. Good job!!

[@WestCoastClassicCougar]

Thanks for saying so! Car is still not done, but shooting for mid-2015 to be back on the road.

[@luizchevelle7218]

Vinyl top, a great rust promoter.

[@jaggass]

Vinyl roofs was a stupid idea. They are just a great big water trap.

[@fixrite11]

Great job young man. It is refreshing to see someone who does not have all the experience of a pro take on the challenge and learn some new skills. Good on you for what you have done. I hope you will take on more challenges like this in the future. I know this is a few years ago but none the less great job.

[@Coldsweepinc]

Well your video is about the only resource available that addresses this issue. Thanks a million for taking the time to document the process. Last weekend I spent about 6 hours melting lead and drilling out spot welds to remove the roof. It was surprisingly easy to do. I did use a cutoff wheel to cut along the drip rail to get the roof out of the way and then removed the remnants in the drip rail channel one tiny spot weld at a time. I'm going to have to wait before I install the new roof because I discovered rust issues in the drip rail channels that need to be repaired... Thanks again for showing us how it can be done!

[@tint661]

Looks good. Nice Cougar. Don't listen to the haters. They are just jealous. Getting things fixed right is the right thing to do. You will be happy you went the extra yards with the project.

[@lewiscollins1045]

That is not the way to remove the replacement roof skin, that is the a mig man in action............

[@AndrewFRC135]

Holy rust bucket, Batman! Thats a lot of iron oxide! Glad to see the old cat get all the needed bodywork done and a fresh coat of paint to boot.

[@geirmyklebust]

Stupid decision with vinyl roof, way better with vinyl look painting.

[@geirmyklebust]

I know ......we all know.

[@monarch1957]

That's what I used on my 65 Mercury is vinyl roof paint and no rust at all on it.

[@CalTxDude]

what's with the plot exposition and "acting"? lol Like they used to try to do in the old porn flicks! Ha!

[@WestCoastClassicCougar]

Everything about the video and the story is real, but some of us are a little awkward in front of a camera...

[@CalTxDude]

+West Coast Classic Cougar I apologize, I didn't mean any harm I was just mouthing off no offense meant.

[@bufordt.justice4052]

and noted, choice of fiberglass filler....."Long 'n Strong"....yeah. Excellent video as always Andrew.

[@lickymywicky6289]

R Daniel lol

[@johnnelson8956]

Don't ever use screwdrivers to pop off glass molding. The chances of breaking the glass is too great. Replacement can be costly. Spend $25 dollars on a molding tool. It's made to slide between the molding and the glass to release the retaining clips.

[@donrelly11]

Im currently doing the same to my cougar, and probably do the floor pans myself also ,,, love this video easy to do yourself :)

[@musicflow1766]

Сколько будет стоит авто в таком состоянии ?????????????????????

[@nwestgroup]

Thank you so much for this video. I had no idea how to remove the drip rail without distorting or damaging it. After three minutes, half of the Passenger's side is off. This was a HUGE help!

[@ljdidit2916]

Great acting guys. Lol

[@MrAmwxx]

Hey awesome video. It gives me a lot of hope for my 72 LTD up here in PDX. My roof is probably worse than that one under the vinyl. I feel pretty confident about replacing the skin now, The only hard part is going to be finding one.

[@Mantakev]

Nice video, very well explained I did the same roof swop on my Manta many many years ago pre youtube and I used lead as a filler as it is the best thing and still is available

[@hotwheel6663]

Why not just leave Vinyl top off?

[@WestCoastClassicCougar]

Hi, Andrew here. In my case, I wanted to keep the car true to how it was originally since it's a family heirloom (grandparents bought it new). Also since it's white-on-white, I felt like the black top helps give it some contrast. I went with a premium quality vinyl instead of the cheap one that's widely available. Don't get me wrong, though, I came pretty close to leaving it off. Totally understand why many people get rid of them.

[@hotwheel6663]

West Coast Classic Cougar That's Cool. Cougars look good in white. What engine You got in it?

[@WestCoastClassicCougar]

Just the original 289-2V, now bored .030 over and balanced. Just a couple conservative upgrades like a slightly upgraded cam and larger 2V carb off a 390. Runs nice, but have only done short test drives so far with no seat installed! First drive video from 2014: kzbin.info/www/bejne/qpWzlaqDiq94iLM

[@hotwheel6663]

West Coast Classic Cougar Yeah its a Beauty for sure. Love the 67'-68' Cougars. How many original miles on it?

[@WestCoastClassicCougar]

These odometers only show 5 digits, so this car shows about 45,000 - likely 145,000. Not sure, since records weren't saved over the years.

[@wedgehead383]

I`m an average idiot, too:) Done the same on a 80 Foxbody. Greetings from Germany

[@cliffordkinnear9354]

How lucky, just walk out to the yard, count your blessing young man.

[@WestCoastClassicCougar]

@LYinKansas That's why I'm usually the one behind the camera, not in front! -Andrew

[@renosgarage7451]

bro fuck grinding all that lead out, that's insane How much can it warp the metal? They had to heat it to ADD the lead, heating it again to remove it will do no damage, I melted mine out with a turbo torch when I did mine and it worked great

[@dette-envers-les-animaux]

good job but to be definitively efficient, you should put grease everywhere. grease et the only thing very efficient against rust. put grease between metal and carpet, inside door, behind metallic bumper, under the vehicle, behind the repairs you can make (everywhere inside the body- hidden erea - instead of using paint), hollow areas (necessarily hidden, so no need to be aesthetic). For rear wings unreachable with a paintbrush, use an extender and poor old oil everywhere each year.Handyman Experience - 35 years. From france

[@WestCoastClassicCougar]

@KennyKatt1962 Soon, hopefully! It's getting painted sometime in the next couple of weeks. It needed floors, lower quarter patches, trunk panels, dents straightened out, etc. So much for keeping it simple!

[@ajathalli6782]

West Coast Classic Cougar i3bhtuyo uyi

[@ajathalli6782]

West Coast Classic Cougar i3bhtuyo uyi

[@SeaTravelr123]

Love watching different ways to get stuff done. So surprised about the way the moldings are on the Mercury. My moldings on the Bonneville are screwed in

[@wreckerjonny6144]

I'm kinda glad both of my cats never had vinyl roofs. But I'm doing a satellite roadrunner roof skin

[@deathwrenchcustom]

Any chance we could just see the how to video without all the horrible acting?

[@mistersniffer6838]

If you can do that, then your not an idy'it......................idy'it!!!

[@WestCoastClassicCougar]

@85fordman Mainly for originality and looks. The car will probably lead a more protected life than it has for the past 44 years. Hopefully the new paint on the roof will protect it from moisture. And I'm using a higher quality vinyl this time (OEM material rather than cheap replacement stuff) so hopefully it will be more watertight.

[@RiggsGaming]

i really love this video. Thankyou for posting it. im about to do a roof transplant on my camaro and im NERVIUSE

[@sandylake304]

Also, on the donor car you say you had to drill from the underside (to take out the spot welds) in order not to damage the roof panel. ???? If you’re using a spot weld drill bit why would that damage the panel if you drilled from above? Seems like that would be a lot more difficult as well.

[@WestCoastClassicCougar]

I believe the reason he did that was more about protecting the drip rails. If you accidentally mangle those drip rails it is going to be a bugger to get that trim back on.

[@lynnprestgard5417]

I have a 69 cougar that is in really good condition needing a little bit of restoration, that has been being in a garage all these years. I also have a brand new 1971 351 Cleveland engine. Anybody interested in buying?

[@WestCoastClassicCougar]

You should list those over at the Classic Cougar Community: forum.classiccougarcommunity.com/c/the-marketplace/classic-cougars-for-sale/23

[@WestCoastClassicCougar]

We got them at Harbor Freight. Most good hardware stores should have them. Also, don't drill all the way through both layers of metal, just through the first layer.

[@Jean-tz7vi]

im here to chop the top off my 2001 SVT mercury cougar

[@fatihfx1]

Hi guys.. i want to buy a rusty cougar which is about 3k, is already dead. How much do you think cost for me to restore it? And have idea any bodyshop for helping me..? Im in Ct, there is a few classic car bodyshop in bridgeport. Thank you guys.

[@WestCoastClassicCougar]

I would pose that question at www.classiccougarcommunity.com/. The Cougar owners on there can share their costs, ideas on how you can save costs and recommendations on where to have the work done.

[@fatihfx1]

Thank you 👍🏻

[@mikek4610]

Leads not toxic if you use it properly

[@thomasdalton2042]

Yes you can do this too all by yourself if you have a professional shop to help you when the camera is not on. And it only took a month just think how long it would take you all by yourself before you set i. On fire or called professional.

[@andrewwilson8317]

Get yourself an Eastwoods catalogue mate, they sell lead free body solder kits and top notch quality. I have no tie to them other than being a happy customer. If you going to do restoration stuff then you need their catalogue bad!

[@GorillaCookies]

Vinyl top cars should be avoided

[@yuvegotmale]

The metal prepers in the factory liked the cars with vinyl tops...they didnt have to be very particular how the lead seam was and other defects in the roof panel..