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I n s t a l l s

Shawn's 1983 Mercury Cougar SVT

This is my 1983 Mercury Cougar SVT.
Quite a few hours and a lot of care went into bringing the car to the point in which you see it now.
This car was purchased for $100.00 about 3 years ago; from a gentleman that was simply ready to get rid of the car. Basically he was just leaving his house to drive this car to the junkyard and I happened to be in the right place at the right time.

Clearly I took issue right away with this fox-car. Driving it to the junkyard? I promptly offered the gentleman $100.00 for the car and it turned into a profitable day for both of us. He was able to get $100 and I was able to get this car. Clear title and all.
There were several issues with the car initially, as it had been thoroughly abused for most of its life- and it showed.
After fixing several of the mechanical gremlins, detailing it front to rear, and things were looking better. A few months later, and a few thousand miles later, the stock 5.0 V8 finally had its day. After years of abuse and lack of upkeep, the bottom end developed a serious knock.
Tearing things apart revealed a miriage of things that needed attention. The crankshaft was worn so severely that machining wasn't an option, all the bearings (main and rod) were shot, and the bottom end of the block was pretty torn up itself.

Time to retire the stock engine and replace it with a little something better.

Naturally, being a car fanatic, I wanted to spruce things up a little. Taking some cues and guidance from my favorite car builders, Chip Foose, Boyd Coddington, and Troy Trepanier, I knew this car had to be sleek, smooth, and original.

The new 5.0 has been fully bored .030 over, fitted with SVT Ford Motorsports GT40/Cobra Heads and Cam. Ford Motorsport Crank, Rods, Pistons. It has the original intake and throttle body, but they have been ported and polished. MSD Ignition, Ford Motorsport 9mm wires, A Custom Dual Exhaust, Bosch 60 lb/hr hi-flow injectors, Bosch Adjustable Fuel Pressure Regulator, Flex-a-lite racing fan, Hi-flow water pump, and functional direct ram air.

The Transmission is a Ford AOD 4 speed Automatic with a B&M Shift Kit. Other than that- the transmission is stock- using red-line fluids.- This has been a very strong transmission for this car.

The Car was fitted with a hood from an 88 Thunderbird Turbo Coupe for styling and performance upgrades. Yes- the scoops are functional!

The car was then taken into the body shop where it was sanded and pounded to perfection, and then sprayed in primer.

From here on - the Cougar had a nice flavor of Ford SVT Bright Sapphire Blue Metallic Paint with Clear Coat applied.

Several of the stock moldings were removed for a more sleek look. Those that remained were re-conditioned and painted to match the car.

Power goes to the rear wheels via the stock 8.8 Ford Rear End which has been modified with Ford Motorsport 3:27:1 gears.

A set of Boyds Polished Wheels wrapped in BF Goodrich Rubber keep everything rolling, and stuck to the road,

This car is capable of approximately 400 Horsepower at the fly wheel.

So far, this combination has proven very reliable, and very efficient in terms of power. I am quite happy with the results, and only look to do a little more with this car mechanically.

The suspension has all been upgraded with Ford Motorsport SVT Springs, and MOOG Performance parts.

The Cougar even retains its Air Conditioner! - A definite plus in the hot and humid Iowa summer!

This audio system was again designed around Sound Quality Alone. This and a straightforward, no-nonsense, install without the need for excessive and overdone fiberglass painted everything.

The System was also designed on a budget, so the bang for the buck factor is a definite plus.

Many of these components I already had sitting in my shop, the only purchased additions were the subs and the amp. Things came together quite nicely in the end as well.

An Alpine CDE-7859 Starts things out.

The signal is then sent to an Audio Control EQL for filtering, then to a Profile 400 watt amp into a Pioneer 6.5" Component set mounted in the lower doors. Also to a JBL BP1200.1 amplifier which feeds a single Adire Audio Shiva. (12" for those that done know)

The system is still not completed by any means, as the car itself took priority over the system.

This will continually be updated and the system will eventually be on par with the rest of the car.

As for now- the system does sound pretty good and keeps pace with several more costly systems that I have heard.

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