Freebird

Terry, nail on the head again, problem has been sorted and you were right. The problem was sorted by the auto electrician, he worked on the car from 3 pm to 6 pm last night. He traced the problem to a shorting wire tucked behind the glove box, he cut the wire and replaced it. Now this guy is just starting up on his own near Basildon Essex and obviously I would highly recommend him. A lot of mechanics looked at this problem before he was called in and all were stumped. He charged me only a nominal amount but Im doing computer work for him, but I do know he would be reasonable and Im certain he is profesional and knowledgeable. So if anyone in this area, ESSEX UK, needs an an auto electrician get in touch with me as his business is not quite up and runing yet. As for keeping the Cat, I had another chat with my mechanic this morning and its going to be very difficult to keep any car of this age running as a classic car, mainly due to the electronics involved. Im lookin into buying a run-around to use daily and keep the Cat for special occasions. Thanks so much for getting back to me on this Terry, I dont know how you find the time and Im always reluctant to bother you. There is something else I would like your opinion on if you dont mind. I have had the car 8 years now intending it to be a future classic, its in excellent condition and I still love the old girl, I have driven other cars in recent years and to me they just dont cut it. Its had a few problems and most parts are very expensive. Cars just arent what they used to be, obvious statement perhaps but it seems you have more chance of having a classic car pre 1980s (pre ECU, computer chips and complicated electronics) than a car with computers and electronics after that. My mechanic has a friend who is a service manager at a Ford dealers and has mentioned a few times that when they cant locate faults despite having all the diagnostics, they replace parts until they find the faulty one (very expensive) doesnt just apply to Fords I think. He thinks we are going down the Japanese road where older cars are just exported after (I think) 3 years due to emmision laws. Apart from that he believes our emission laws are going to get tougher ( also Road Fund Tax now is really high for 2.6 l engines and above, and a lot are higher). They wont even lower road tax for LPG cars. Big (?) cars like the Cougar are going to be forced off the road by the government, and cars that are starting to get on a bit will be impossible to maintain. So, after 8 years I may have to give up on the car, or buy a cheap run about to use daily and keep the Cat for my ego if I can. Not so much because of maintenance problem but emissions laws, road tax and electronics failures which may be hard to find and repair. A short somewhere in the miles of wiring can be hard to locate and it seems difficult to identify and repair. I suppose the short version Terry is would it be possible to keep 'modern' cars like the Cougar to an age where they would be a classic car, or is it going to be too expensive or maybe banned due to emmisions laws? Thanks Again Phil

I have a weird problem with my UK 2000 V6 Cougar, the horn sounds continuously. Three months ago coming home at 10.30 pm the horn suddenly started for no reason at all. No torch so I couldnt see to pull the fuse, so I drove home the last 10 miles (past the Police Garage (illegal to sound the horn after 10.00 pm in the UK)) with the horn blaring all the way (big red face). Next day it was the same so I took the fuse out, then there was no hooter and no hazards, but indicators ok. So I left it like that until the service. Car is now in the garage for a service, steering wheel apart and no problem with the contact assembly behind the airbag. In fact disconected the horn still sounds. So it looks like an earthing/shorting problem and an expensive auto electrician has been booked. As this stupid problem looks fatal Im wondering if anyone has had a similar problem or could maybe come up with some suggestions. Can I bypass the horns for example and put another one in (may be cheapest option). I do need hazards and horn working also as she is due for MOT roadworthy test soon. Thanks Phil

OK, Ive been reminded to post so here goes. Had my Cougar for about 6 years now and still love that car, Im going to arrange to be burried in it. Only problem was the mill blew up at 56k but with the aid of Terry Ford stumped up half the cash to replace it. Its an amazing car and still gets looks. I have had the front and rear suspension arm bushes replaced a couple of times which seems to be unique to my car for some reason, but apart from a bulb or two everything else is original (even the exhaust and its 7 years old). The car is serviced by an ace mechanic (not Ford) regularly and is always well treated, I dont drive slow but i dont thrash it. I currently do about 120 miles a day mainly dual carriageway cruising between 60 and 80 mph with a boot full of equipment and still get around 32 to 34 mpg, its never even faltered. I debadged it after the engine blew and have cat oval badges, but now have a Mercury rear badge to put on and will be ordering a US spec grill tonight. This car deserves a medal, a few years ago my business went bust and I had to do courier work in it all over the UK, lots of miles and carrying some weight, i hated it but the car was not going to be sold. So thanks to you guys in the states for a very well built car and to Terry for his work on design. Im hoping its going to be a future classic, it deserves it. Will hang around here more often in future Take It Easy Phil

Hey, thanks 93Nighthawk, it has a lot of potential and the paint job does look great, Im still into rock music from that era (hence Freebird), but I gotta admit I would be a touch embarresed owning a car with a paint job like that. I keep forgetting I'm pushing 60 now, and my wife mutters like Pa Bear every time she gets in the Cougar so I got no chance with this. The car doesn't deserve the treatment its had though, and a lot of American Muscle ends up this way over here, either because people dont have the knowledge to restore them or total lack of skills with Amereican cars. Its a real shame. My friend who bought this one used to import Muscle cars from the US, and has litteraly owned hundreds in his time, now he looks for abused ones to restore and this is the latest. This is a link to a pic of him with his last last one TransAm When she is all sorted I will let you all know. BTW, I very much appreciate you guys helping me out here, especially when its nothing to do with Contours. All good 'hands accross the water' stuff. I did try one of the Corvette Forums but got no response so far. Thanks Phil

Thanks very much Dom for taking the time :) . Phil

Thanks Dom I thought Terry may have been put off by the art work, appologies Terry. It used to be a 'show car'. Its not as bad as it may look, the paintwork can be restored and re-laquered Im told. It certainly dont belong where it is, but space is a problem near London. Compared to your average 'Euro car', this machine is really something else! Thanks again Terry and Dom Phil

Hey Terry Whats 'Bow-Tie' guy!!! (the smiley gives me a bit of a clue though) Phil

Hi Guys Ive just been over to look at the car and to take some pics, i've uploaded them here PhotoBox Corvette . The car looks a bit sad shoved into the corner of a yard, but its just been bought by my friend for rebuild/restoration. So no need to send a Seals team over to rescue abused American Muscle, it will be cared for and restored I promise. All we know is that when the previous owner had the car the injectors caught light and burnt a lot of pipes etc on the top of the engine and it hasnt run since. We were looking for a photo to show how the engine SHOULD look and compare with what we have in order to identify missing parts. It does need a new throttle cable and cruise control cable, and I believe some vacuum pipes, there may have been other plastic pipes that burned away too. The wiring harness seems to be ok. If we could ID all of the missing and burnt parts, and locate a dealer in the US who can supply them, we have a guy going to the US later this month who can collect them and bring them back over. Im going to have a chat with my mate later to see if any parts have been removed from the engine which he may have stored away. If you need any specific information or photos in order to help us then I will organise it straight away. Thats going to be a beautiful machine when its back on the road for sure!! Thanks again for your offers of help. Phil

Hi Terry & Dom I've arranged to go up and look at the car tomorrow, i will take a few pics and try to get an idea of whats needed, and mail them to you tomorrow. I appreciate your offers of help with this as it will be good to get the car running again (I have been promised I can take it out when its running ) The Cat is running very well thanks Terry, its done 3k and I recently had it serviced at a non Fraud Garage. I dont know if you know this Terry, but the warranty laws have changed here, and to keep FSH cars dont have to be serviced at a manufacturers dealers, the book can be stamped as long as its with a reputable dealer. I may still have a grudge with Fraud (about my clutch not being changed when the engine was out), but since the service the car pulls like a train and the hood rises a little when I give her a little exercise (only a little as Im keeping it down until its done at least 5k), and I get to hear the Cougar growl which I never heard before in the 3 years I have had the car. I checked your web site this week by the way and bookmarked it for future use. Thanks again. Phil

Hi Guys This is VERY off-topic but I hope someone can help please. A friend of mine has bought a 1984 Corvette Cross Fire injection, the injector had caught fire and burnt all rubber vacuum pipes and connectors on the engine. Basically he needs to import to the UK all of the destroyed parts, the problem is that no one is sure what needs replacing, so he needs a photo showing how the engine SHOULD be in order to identify the parts, and a dealer who will ship to the UK. I know he needs a throttle cable, cruise control cable and all ancilleries on top of the engine. Maybe someone could recommend a US Corvette Forum for the information? Dont throw rock at me please, I drive a Cougar. Thanks in advance. Phil

Terry, I was recommended NGK plugs for my V6 some time ago (I think they were NGK PTR5D-10 (double plat)) and changed to those at about 45k. There was an improvement (but realistically any new plugs may have made some difference). Is it best to stick with Motorcraft? This thread has reminded me to check what plugs are in the new engine.

Terry, Im really impressed that you took your HGV test in the Antar, and loaded too. These days they take the test on really easy rigs. My dad had a Diamond T for a while but I dont have any photos of that one. He hauled timber after the war and mainly drove a Unipower, there isnt much information about these lorries, but I have seen a couple of restored ones in recent years. Have you ever heard of them from your army days? I saw a 'Douglas' recently for restoration, wooden cab, I dont have the time for restoring a truck though unfortunatly. I spent most of my time driving drawbars (rigid with a trailer, also known as wagon and drag or truck and trap). The continentals run rings round us reversing these things (a bit of an art). Sorry I went off topic by the way.

Terry, Antar, Mighty Antars I seem to recall, was it a tank transporter as they were used mostly for heavy haulage, mostly Army but Pickfords may have had thm with the Scammels. My dad drove tank transporters in Italy in the war, I have a photo of him with a Mack, he loved that truck!

I mentioned double declutching on the UK Cougar forums once and never got a reply. It seems mainly those who learned to drive in the '60s have the 'habit'. I seem to remember synchromesh on 1st gear being a major breakthrough back then. Its so much smoother and your making life easier for the car. I drove HGVs (Heavy Goods Vehicles) (trucks) for a while (and still have my license) where (at least over here) you HAVE to double declutch. Back in the 70s I had a clutch fail on my lorry and the company mechanics asked me to get it home (150 miles). It was a challenge but I got it home smoothly, just avoided stopping (keep it rolling), couldnt have done it if I couldnt double decluch. My mum (80 now) drove a Buick in WWII and she still has the habit! I think Im getting old! LOL