Restoring a Mercury Cougar XR7-G

It is always impressive to see beautiful cars restored to perfection. Sometimes the great lengths to which owners go in documenting their cars’ histories is nothing short of amazing. So is the detail work. Every engine compartment sticker is attached with adhesive from the original glue manufacturer. All the part date codes match the car’s build date. Air collected from Dearborn, Michigan on the very date of manufacture has been found and used to inflate the correctly date coded tires. (Well, not really, but if it were possible to go that far with a restoration, some owners would do it!)

Some of these cars were restored from very nice original cars that led sheltered lives due to the previous owners’ good sense and meticulous care. Others were in less pristine shape, but were rescued from the crusher by intrepid Cougar restorers with the skills, time and savvy to make the car look like it has been preserved in a time warp all these years. I am far more impressed by the latter because, to my way of thinking, every one of these marginally restorable cars is a worthwhile candidate.

Some of the XR7-Gs pictured below are so far gone they represent only a VIN and a dream. Others may look bad to the casual observer, but are actually quite sound investment/restoration candidates. There are several of these project vehicles for sale at any time, so please contact me if you think it is within your capabilities and budget to resurrect one that is sleeping peacefully in a field, garage or barn. I will put you in contact with the owner and you can work your XR7-G dream deal from there.

The good news about restoring an XR7-G is that the parts you need are always available somewhere. The bad news is that they will probably be expensive. Before tackling one of these basket cases be sure you know what you are up against. Check prices for the parts needed and find out what the services will cost for the work you must pay others to do. Think about the tools and equipment required. There are excellent articles on the TCCN web site that will give you an idea of costs and work involved for some of these restoration tasks. Finally, remember that a car takes up twice as much room disassembled as it does whole.

“Barn Fresh” XR7-Gs Awaiting Restoration