by Barn finds come in all shapes and sizes, but one thing that’s almost inevitable is any classic car that’s left abandoned for decades will slowly rot and eventually stop working altogether.
This 1969 Mercury Cougar muscle car, originally built as a mid-level counterpart to the Ford Mustang, has been in the hands of its owner since he was in high school and has certainly lived a tough life. The car has been sitting for 20 years and due to work and kids, the owner never had the money or time to work on the car.
YouTuber Kevin Brown aka Junkyard Digs gets drafted in to get this Cougar rolling as a yard car so it can get ready for a full restoration. However, as Kevin discovers, there are more than a few challenges to overcome.
What Engine Did A 1969 Mercury Cougar Have?
The 1969 Mercury Cougar came as standard with Ford’s 351 cu. in. (5.8-liter) Windsor small block V8 engine – producing 250 hp with the 2-barrel carburetor and 290 hp with the 4-barrel.
Later models adopted the Boss 302 small block V8 as well as the 428 “Cobra Jet” big block engine. However, this Cougar is the base model with the 351 Windsor small block and a 4-speed manual transmission.
Kevin, along with his friend Angus, starts to inspect the car and quickly finds that the brakes are completely seized. With the clutch also not working, Kevin suspects rust is causing the clutch plates to fuse together.
The Restoration Begins On The 1969 Mercury Cougar
Moving to the engine bay, Kevin checks if the Cougar has fluids and oil and then sets about fitting a replacement battery. Next, the two clean the distributor cap and fix the points in the distributor to see if they can start up the engine.
After shorting the starter solenoid and spraying some fuel into the carburetor, the engine does turn over. However, the car won’t idle and so Kevin pulls out the carb and sets about fixing the power valve. Unfortunately, it looks beyond repair, so Kevin fits a replacement carburetor to get the engine running.
After fitting some new temporary wheels and tires and hooking up a makeshift fuel system on the hood of the car, Kevin bump-starts the car out of the garage for a quick drive around the yard.
As the clutch is toast, the car won’t shift gears and will only stop if he turns off the engine due to the non-working brakes. With that in mind, the Cougar does run and drives around the owner’s yard.
Kevin asks the owner if he wants a drive, and he understandably looks ecstatic when he gets behind the wheel. The owner doesn’t give too much away on what he’s going to do to the car but promises to give Kevin updates on the restoration which is set to begin this summer.
