1970 Mercury Cougar M-code Eliminator

I’ve owned this Cougar for about 18 years and have put about 2,000 miles on it since. The kids are getting older and it’s time for new priorities (college). When I found this car it was my intent to drive it and enjoy it as it was and then someday restore it back to its original color. But the time just isn’t there. I’ve had about 10 Cougars since I was a kid but it’s time to move on.

Authentic M-code Eliminator

The car was repainted some time in the late 70’s. It left the factory as a competition green Cougar but was repainted comp orange, as it stands. My intent was to bring it back to green, as it should be. There were only about 52 green 70 Eliminators in total produced! How many are left … 10-15? Safe to say you probably won’t see another one at the local cruise.

The original 351C is currently out of the car and has been sitting idle in my shop for 18 years. All I know is that the car is currently running a 1971 351C which runs very well. No smoking or burning oil, it runs quick and strong. It has a very new Holley 650 vac sec carb as the original 4300 is unfortunately missing. Autolite 4300’s are out there but need to be tweaked by a pro to run well. Both motors are intact with proper intakes and exhaust manifolds, distributors, valve covers. The current air cleaner is for the ‘71, I believe. Everything under the hood is fresh and looks period correct except the battery, which is new.

The car currently has a C6, in place of the stock FMX, which I think was matched up to the 71. I no longer have the FMX it came with but they’re easy to find. The C6 is a much stronger transmission.

What attracted me to the car is its very good, much-better-than-average, driver condition overall, and the ability to rebuild the original motor while driving it. Plus the orange is a very cool color - but the next owner gets the honor of returning it to green. The paint is shiny and pretty nice but has plenty of imperfections. There are small chips in the typical places, surface rust behind 2 wheel wells, a 1” scratch on the roof, and some slight paint fade …. but not a single tiny ding anywhere on the car. The metal is actually super straight on every panel, although there’s plenty of mismatched body line-ups, as usual. The surface rust (see photos), has not changed a bit in 18 years. The car has never seen rain while in my possession and I've washed it maybe 5 times. Overall there are very few signs that it used to be green. If you look inside the dual mirrors, behind the actual mirrors, you can see the cool green color.

It has always been registered with the intent to drive but it has sat idle in my shop for years and has just been placed back on the road for the first time since around 2010.

The chrome on this car is a 10 out of 10. I have no idea if its original but man its perfect. The ext trim pieces on the hood, trunk, and near small side windows, are ok to good. The tinted glass looks original and is excellent.

The interior is good to very good. The houndstooth is perfect which makes me wonder, like the chrome, if its original. Who cares, it’s awesome. The black dash is pretty good but the center front has an odd faded area. The door panels are pretty good. The rug looks very good so I doubt that is original. I replaced the headliner 10 years ago but there is now a small hole above the passenger's seat (see pic). The floor matts are newaftermar. The center console is very good with new wood panel insert and original wood shifter (needs refinishing) is tight. The steering wheel has the 1 typical crack, but but the wood grain looks good and the cool rim-blow horn works (although the horns sound weakly). I replaced the clock with a re-mechanized modern “original” 10 years ago but it is currently not keeping time. Heat works, AM radio works, wipers are fine and actually look like they may be the original set. Back dash is very good and sail panels are fine. There are a few irritating squeaks inside, one of them being the passenger-side window rubbing on the trim.

The trunk looks good with a new liner and spare tire cover. The undercarriage looks pretty decent but there are a couple patches on the floors. The suspension is OK, with new springs this year up front. The power all-wheel drums work perfectly.

Front tires are very good, rear tires are good. Rims, including chrome trim, are perfect.

The headlight covers work as they should and do not creep up. The trademark sequential tail lights work fairly well. I would replace current original electronics with an electronic version.

If you’re looking for a show car, although it’s an awesome candidate, this isn’t it. This is a better than average car ready to be driven as it should or restored to original.

NADA has this car valued at well over $30,000 in "average" condition (see pic). It's certainly better than average but the car is priced to sell lower than 30k.

Lots of new parts but in the past year:

Master cylinder

Brakes

Alternator

Starter

Front springs

All hoses, belts, vacuum lines under the hood

Coil, wires, pertronics

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Eliminator Package Plus

Desirable Houndstooth & Black Interior

Black Camera Case Finish Dash

Factory Eliminator 351 4V Cleveland V8

Power Steering

Tilt Steering Wheel with Rim Blow Horn

Factory Styled Steel Wheels

Flowmaster Dual Exhaust

True M-code Eliminator

351 Cleveland 4V

Full Eliminator Package including Houndstooth Interior, Camera Case Black Finish Dash & Appointments, Full Console with center compartment

Dual Flowmaster Exhaust

BF Goodrich Radial T/A Tires

Factory Build Sheet

Full Marti Report

Owner's Manual