Transcona, the Dirty Old Cougar
 

There is a neighborhood on the east side of Winnipeg called Transcona. Long renowned for where a young man could go to get experience at the hands of an older woman. A Cougar if you will.
This is the build thread for the 1997 cougar XR7.
This will be the best thread here for several reasons.
1. Its a lot farther along and I may actually finish it
2. I use a lot of pics.
3. It is not a first gen Camaro. (Sorry I am just burnt out on them right now)
4. Because I said so! (See my online name)
This was never supposed to be a Cougar. The plan all along was for this to be a super-coupe. BUT, I received a Cougar from the classified ads for the sum of $450. I HAVE money, I just don't like spending it. The car has been safetied and licensed.
https://lateral-g.net/forums/attachm...1&d=1608921939

The car isnt in horrible shape and that dent passenger side is the only straightening required. The floor is quite bad but you will see in future posts that it doesnt matter.
https://lateral-g.net/forums/attachm...1&d=1608922110

The engine ran like a top. I was tearing it apart with my students and asked on of them to drain the rad. There was no hose attached at the bottom, hmmm that saved some time! Actually ran it around for a lot of miles like that. Aint using a mod motor anyways.
https://lateral-g.net/forums/attachm...1&d=1608922518
The Moon roof is a goner. Top end weight and weight in general.
This will be a full on build with an Optima "maybe" future.

I enjoy those who respond.
I enjoy those that provide constructive criticism.
But most of all I just enjoy those of you that interact.
I already at twice a week, have enough posts for a couple of years. I PLAN ON SHOWING YOU WHAT CAN BE ACCOMPLISHED WITH A VERY SHODDY GARAGE AND SOME VERY GOOD TOOLS. Oops caps lock.
LOL. Anyways this build is over the top in everything but money.
Its been 10 years or so since my last build. I have it linked here, http://locostusa.com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=36&t=7995
If you look at that you get an idea of what's in store for this car.
I kind of feel guilty as I watched some of you struggle with stuff I had already solved. Maybe you can forgive me as you read along?
So maybe another post Monday or Tuesday?
Trust me I will give you more info than you ever wanted.

I lied, the next stuff is easy to post up and I want to get you guys sucked in.
This is the stuff laying around the yard that may get repurposed, used for mockup or just give me some good ideas. I have 9inch floater to install and a Crown Vic front end. Does anyone have a source for performance info for these front ends? The truck guys love them but how good are they?
https://lateral-g.net/forums/attachm...1&d=1608923763

SOOO like all the rest of us I want the biggest tires that are possible. So where do I acquire such things without spending too much money?
Lets see rich boy D-Bags drive Vetttes, Vipers, Porsches and Ferraris. And they have more money than brains so usually they get rid of the stock rims.
HMMMM Corvettes are the easiest to find and they show up on the classifieds around here. Hey a set just showed up.
First he wanted $600, then when we arrived they were $500. After we let him talk some more they dropped to $400. Finally he agreed to sell them for $300. Remember I haven't said a word to him about price yet!!!! My buddy Dave says we should have just stood there and said nothing until he gave them away?
I am just starting to acquire some parts here. I have a plan for how it should all turn out stored in my head though. It will be freaking amazing!
https://lateral-g.net/forums/attachm...1&d=1608924054

Naturally I now have the bug and buying stuff is getting out of hand. I am also making other deals as all this goes around too. The seller of these tires wasn’t going to make any sweetheart deals like the other guy. He is building an SLC and the work he is doing is meticulous. Here is a link to his project, https://www.gt40s.com/threads/kens-s...-thread.38446/
Now we have some even bigger tires to put on a project. 850$ gone. Do I keep track of the money or just forget about dollars and be blissfully ignorant instead? You guys can guide me about this part. Its just Canadian dollars so eff it, we don't have a budget anymore!
https://lateral-g.net/forums/attachm...1&d=1608924959

This should be fun!

Interesting to see how this turns out.

I feel bad because its a lot further along. You will be entertained. I hope?

Because I strive for the communication when it comes to the cars, more comments can help the posts to come quicker. LOL
I am holding back! Of course with the cold winters I don't want you guys to wait 4-5 months between posts. I want it to look seamless, so when we get to paint jail or wiring you wont forget what's going down.

What about the wood sticking out of the passenger side headlight?

This will be a fun build. These cars and their Thunderbird cousins were cooler than they got credit for when new.

That's an illusion. If you look the wood was just to hold open the hood enough so I could reattach the battery to roll windows up and down. The fenders on my trailer wont let the doors open enough for me to get in. But I can get an arm in to operate them.

following along :military:

So...where's this Transcona again? Can one still meet freaky women there? Asking for a friend...:sarcasm_smiley:

The bar to attend is affectionately known as the Spike. Anyone in the area can get you right there!
I also noticed that this is the only non-Camaro thread today. Refer back to my intro post for relevance.
Listen to this for an idea.................
https://soundcloud.com/nestamatthews...ougar-hits-the

:rofl::rofl::rofl::rofl:

Look that stuff up on the interweb. They used to play a new one everyday on the radio station.

Transcona...down by the rail yard! I'm following along.Hope the build is indoors gets kinda chilli this time of year out there...

I am a few years into this so I can stay warm in the winter and then still have content when we are wrapped up.

The delivery angel
Remember that I said I was making other deals? This is the arrival of a very expensive deal. I am just getting started and I already hate shipping companies and vendors that are flakes. This fork lift operator is my favorite guy as he loaded my bounty in the trailer and helped get my shipment released. He just went and yelled at the shipper receiver and problem solved.
https://lateral-g.net/forums/attachm...1&d=1609253386

This deal was about 6 grand worth of materials that would decide the course of this build. The shipper was new and the dock hand wasn't. I could see my crate sitting there and he just went over and told the shipper how it was going to be and VOILA I had all my new stuff. LOL

It finally arrived
I contacted a Corvette dismantler in Welland Ontario just after Christmas. Honest to god, the dealing nearly drove me nuts. It took me 3-1/2 months to get my stuff delivered. That’s right my 97 Cougar is getting a large amount of C-6 ZO6 parts. A lot of people will just say, why didn’t you just start with a Corvette then? Well, I don’t fit in a Corvette. I am a big man, like NFL defensive line big. This was $6600 dollars worth of goodies and this post will show you the wheels. I will list prices as I go but will let you add them up if you so choose. Remember the prices are in Canadian funds.
SOOOOO Stock C6 ZO6 wheels in an 18-19 combo. I made a decision years ago when this idea began to germinate about wheels and tires. My way of thinking was that these are very expensive items that have a good chance of getting destroyed. There are rich boys all over the place that want the latest and greatest wheels and tires. Ferrari fan boys, Porsche people, Corvette kooks, they all have one thing in common. They will sell the stock stuff off fairly inexpensively. Seeing as I was purchasing corvette suspension, may as well have the same wheels. It also allows me to update by buying for a corvette and just bolting them on my car. Luckily I got them all from the same place.
https://lateral-g.net/forums/attachm...1&d=1609254210

By the way the 6600$ was not just for the wheels. There is a lot more to come in the Cougar Tales/Tails. See what I did there?

This is entertaining...I like it!! It's like an episode of your favorite tv show and you can't wait until the next episode airs.

Thanks for your interest. There is a LOT more coming. I am trying to post twice a week. I am also trying to build a story along with a car.
I am a Red Seal Steamfitter, Plumber and Sprinkler-fitter. I have 42 years in these trades and now teach a Voc-Ed high school course in Plumbing and Pipe-trades. Any help from the Students is just them needing a break from classes to blow off some steam.

Brake stuff
I am just going to let you look at this stuff and enjoy it just like I did when it arrived. I describe these as mechanical sex. I will use that term often over the course of the build.
https://lateral-g.net/forums/attachm...1&d=1609635870

Just some more brake photos. This came with the shipment from the corvette dismantler.https://lateral-g.net/forums/attachm...1&d=1609635985

Suspension stuff
Along with the wheels I also got all the front suspension complete with cross-member and brakes, rear uprights and hubs. I am not sure if I got a good deal or not but I got all my stuff to get designing with.
https://lateral-g.net/forums/attachm...1&d=1610158719

I have acquired a lot of C6 ZO6 components. There is a reason for this.

Remember the build actually started about 2-1/2 years ago. Who was the big winner for a long time in Optima? Danny Popp was.

What did he drive, HMMM. Imitation being the sincerest form of flattery I copied that end of his car for my own personal glory.

As we go forward you will see that I am not as enamored with the corvette rear suspension. I actually have a lot of experience building cars for dirt track racing and my favorite rear suspension will be adorning the rear of the car.

Cross-member and various parts.
Just some more parts that came in the crate
So I just told you that all this suspension was C6 ZO6 stuff. Well it mostly is.
I chose the aluminum crossmember because of the magnesium one being prone to cracking. A heavier car wouldn't make anything better right?
https://lateral-g.net/forums/attachm...1&d=1610159661

OMG I started reading this post from the end, and kept backing up. Good thing its only 4 pages right now, because I had to reread everything from the start. Entertaining it is.

I wish the reason I haven't posted any updates on my project was because I was saving them too... sadly it's just because I have too many other projects and an attention span of a squirrel.

Time to go get the popcorn and wait for the next episode :popcorn2:

Thank you. If you are going to do a nut and bolt build thread it will get boring quite quickly. Fortunately we have been granted a forum where we can tell a story. I tingle a little as I post stuff knowing that I am way further along than today and I know there are some wild surprises for the readers.
Once again thank you for following!

More yard inventory
Various engines and rear ends just lying around. I may design around the 351 in the one ton van. Nephew wants to do a Gt40 replica and needs the 5.0 engine for mock up. I can’t turn around without running into more crap. I often joke that when my parents divorced I had to buy the homestead because I could never move everything. It wasn’t really a joke.
https://lateral-g.net/forums/attachm...1&d=1610328364

So this is where we start to take a change of direction/ I believe this will draw you in where before it may not have.
I am a journeyman steam-fitter and have built approximately 30 cars for competition on dirt tracks and drag strips around this area. I have prepared cars for the local road racing circuit as well as the ice racers. I have no intention of building a boring car where we just bolt stuff on. Unfortunately my best work was done in the time of film cameras and not much evidence of it exists. I do have a few dirt mods that I built that I can post here but some of my real cool stuff only exists in BS sessions amongst old friends and racing buddies.
We are done with the initial collecting of parts and are actually getting started on construction.
Little bit of a heads up. This is not a mild build! It may never compete at Optima but it is being built in that vein. We are talking a complete frame replacement, full roll cage that is built to the rules of several series including SCCA, NASA, Optima and CASC for the Canadian watchers.
As a racer it’s weird to build with a nod to creature comforts. Air, cruise, tilt, power windows, and door locks. Won’t have a ridiculous stereo cause that doesn’t interest me at all but would look to have a navigation system with a big screen.
Ultimately I would love to do Drag Week, Bonneville, Optima and cruise nights with the same car. I would also like to make the car available to any sponsors that would like to do displays with it.
While I am farther along than the stuff posted today I want your input and to dialogue with as many people as possible.

Floater Parts
Remember that floater that I showed you before? Yeah, I am not using that anymore. Remember that I said I would describe many things as sex? This box of machined parts was described without prompting by the ego-nephew as a box of sex. Great minds think alike. These were about 450$US dollars shipped to Pembina ND. Arrived in 2 days, so I guess some people know how to run their business better than Corvette suppliers. http://www.9inchfloater.com/
https://lateral-g.net/forums/attachm...1&d=1610919873

This thing is going to be unique and wild, look forward to seeing how it turns out!!

Keep following and we will find out together! Well, I may know slightly before you LOL