Business Name

Beginning Stages

I first came across this car during the summer of 2006.  The owner had placed a for sale advertisement on SCCoA forums.  I had always liked the 1989-1990 XR7 Cougars, so I contacted him.  He sent me some photos, I gave it some thought, but didn’t pursue it any further.  Money was in short order, and as I have already stated, I really didn’t need another project.  4 months later, the owner dropped the price, and I agreed to purchase the car.

The car had been parked away in a garage since 2004.  It had light collision damage on the front end, was in need of brake work, and a few other odds and ends requiring attention.  It was complete, stock, and overall a clean example of this rare Mercury.  My original plan was to fix the body damage and brake issues, complete a through tune-up, and give the car a good cleaning.  I thought I would keep it all factory original, enjoying it as a good example of a 1989 Cougar XR7.  The more I got into the car, the more those plans changed.

The following pages are written in journal form as I began the “restoration” process.  I didn’t think to document my work until several months into the project, so the first few entries are not very detailed.  The original entries were posted on a local car forum, and have been edited and reposted here.

I have had a lot of help and support along the way.  In particular, I need to thank my brother for lots of help and a warm garage, my good friends Brook and Ben, Dan at DynoSport, David of SCU, and the entire SCCoA community.

Cougar spotting in Northeast Kansas

1989 Mercury Cougar XR7

Cougar | Info | Plan | Start | 2007 | 2007 | 2007 | 2008 | 2008 | 2008 | 2008 | 2008 | 2009 | 2009 | 2009 | 2009 | 2009 | 2009 | 2009 | 2009 | 2009 | 2009 | 2009 | 2009 | 2009 | 2009 | 2009 | 2009 | 2009 | 2010