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04-13-09, 01:40 PM
1968 Mercury Cougar XR-7 Custom Cat
http://image.mustangandfords.com/f/images/15733157+ppromo_large/mdmp_0905_01_pl+1968_ford_cougar_xr7+front_view.jp g
This Bright Orange Cougar Is A One-Of-A-Kind Vision (http://highperformancestangs.com/featuredvehicles/mdmp_0905_1968_mercury_cougar_xr7/index.html)Mark Dienes' '68 Cougar XR-7
Mark Dienes of Chesterland, Ohio, is the latest member of his family to own this unique '68 Cougar XR-7. It was purchased new by his grandfather and then given to Mark and his father Al in 1978 to be used as a father-and-son project. Mechanically, the car was in great shape, but almost every body panel needed work. Mark credits his father for having the foresight to go out right away and buy most of the major sheetmetal panels from Ford in 1978, while they were still available. Since that time, new sheetmetal supplies have all but dried up, and they are very expensive when available. Reproduction sheetmetal generally isn't available for classic Cougars. During the course of their ownership, the father-and-son team have spent more than $18,000 over three different rebuilds during the last 30 years. Mark discovered that finding parts for a classic Cougar project is much more difficult than finding components for a classic Mustang. He says that one thing in particular has helped him a lot over the years, and that was a detailed knowledge of which parts will interchange with a Mustang and which won't. He was then able to concentrate his efforts on those components that were Cougar specific.
Photo Gallery: 1968 Mercury Cougar XR-7 Custom Cat - Modified Mustangs & Fords Magazine (http://highperformancestangs.com/featuredvehicles/mdmp_0905_1968_mercury_cougar_xr7/index.html)
Photo Gallery: 1968 Mercury Cougar XR-7 Custom Cat - Modified Mustangs & Fords Magazine (http://highperformancestangs.com/featuredvehicles/mdmp_0905_1968_mercury_cougar_xr7/index.html)
Read More (http://www.mustangandfords.com/featuredvehicles/mdmp_0905_1968_mercury_cougar_xr7) | Digg It (http://digg.com/submit?phase=2&url=http://www.mustangandfords.com/featuredvehicles/mdmp_0905_1968_mercury_cougar_xr7&title=1968 Mercury Cougar XR-7 Custom Cat) | Add to del.icio.us (http://del.icio.us/post?url=2&url=http://www.mustangandfords.com/featuredvehicles/mdmp_0905_1968_mercury_cougar_xr7&title=1968 Mercury Cougar XR-7 Custom Cat)
Full Story.. (http://www.mustangandfords.com/featuredvehicles/mdmp_0905_1968_mercury_cougar_xr7)
http://image.mustangandfords.com/f/images/15733157+ppromo_large/mdmp_0905_01_pl+1968_ford_cougar_xr7+front_view.jp g
This Bright Orange Cougar Is A One-Of-A-Kind Vision (http://highperformancestangs.com/featuredvehicles/mdmp_0905_1968_mercury_cougar_xr7/index.html)Mark Dienes' '68 Cougar XR-7
Mark Dienes of Chesterland, Ohio, is the latest member of his family to own this unique '68 Cougar XR-7. It was purchased new by his grandfather and then given to Mark and his father Al in 1978 to be used as a father-and-son project. Mechanically, the car was in great shape, but almost every body panel needed work. Mark credits his father for having the foresight to go out right away and buy most of the major sheetmetal panels from Ford in 1978, while they were still available. Since that time, new sheetmetal supplies have all but dried up, and they are very expensive when available. Reproduction sheetmetal generally isn't available for classic Cougars. During the course of their ownership, the father-and-son team have spent more than $18,000 over three different rebuilds during the last 30 years. Mark discovered that finding parts for a classic Cougar project is much more difficult than finding components for a classic Mustang. He says that one thing in particular has helped him a lot over the years, and that was a detailed knowledge of which parts will interchange with a Mustang and which won't. He was then able to concentrate his efforts on those components that were Cougar specific.
Photo Gallery: 1968 Mercury Cougar XR-7 Custom Cat - Modified Mustangs & Fords Magazine (http://highperformancestangs.com/featuredvehicles/mdmp_0905_1968_mercury_cougar_xr7/index.html)
Photo Gallery: 1968 Mercury Cougar XR-7 Custom Cat - Modified Mustangs & Fords Magazine (http://highperformancestangs.com/featuredvehicles/mdmp_0905_1968_mercury_cougar_xr7/index.html)
Read More (http://www.mustangandfords.com/featuredvehicles/mdmp_0905_1968_mercury_cougar_xr7) | Digg It (http://digg.com/submit?phase=2&url=http://www.mustangandfords.com/featuredvehicles/mdmp_0905_1968_mercury_cougar_xr7&title=1968 Mercury Cougar XR-7 Custom Cat) | Add to del.icio.us (http://del.icio.us/post?url=2&url=http://www.mustangandfords.com/featuredvehicles/mdmp_0905_1968_mercury_cougar_xr7&title=1968 Mercury Cougar XR-7 Custom Cat)
Full Story.. (http://www.mustangandfords.com/featuredvehicles/mdmp_0905_1968_mercury_cougar_xr7)