Hello & welcome brad!
Sounds like quite the project you've got on your hands....Try posting in the F2 forum,plenty of helpful guys there,I'm sure some one can help ya out.
Yet another Cougar lover here!
I used to work at a Lincoln-Mercury dealership back in the late 80s and fell in love with the '88 XR-7 when it came out
Then I found out about the musclecar Cougars and got a boner over the '70 Eliminator
Would luv to get my hands on any early Cougar but doesnt look like its in the cards

Good luck on the bike and have fun

 

There getting very hard to find now. I was lucky to find two. The only problem is I dont have the time and money to build two so I just have a second shell just laying around. I started building that car when I was 16. Check this out the orginal color was a off white and green and brown on the inside. Bam Bam there is a guy in birmingham with a all numbers matching 396 xr7 that looks a lot like youres. To completly honest I have have only seen maybe 6 in my life including the my two as my x calls them "the red headed ****" and "the gray car"

 

ya , ive looked pretty hard to find these old cougars and they are dissapearing fast, my wife and kids are quite attached to this car and my son is itchin to help me do a full build up on this car. I found car when i was 14 and he wood never sell it to me and after 10 years he finally let it go, he was the original owner and new nothing about cars, it did not run and i towed it to the house ,replaced fuel tank , fuel lines and new carb and walla she has run great ever since, ive had her for about 15 years now, first on my list is i am dying to put disc brakes all the way around, any good info?

 

I still have drums and it really blows its got way to much power for those brakes. I had a 65 mustang 289 mustang i fliped and between my 2 cougars and the mustang none of them have had disc however they did come stock on a few in the front. next time I do something big to that car I'm going to disc.

 

Looking good and good luck with the bike :P

 

that is a fact my freind, my cougar goes way faster than it stops!!!my 69 had front disc and was a better hotrod with those brakes...

 

She'll stand but she will not stop