Probably the number one inquiry that we receive concerns putting a ground effects kit on a Cougar. And with good reason: it's the most brash, in-your-face way to separate your Cat from everyone else's. But before you consider doing such a radical mod to your car, you must know the facts.

Before these cars were new, there weren't many ground effects kits for cars, period. The 1977-81 Camaro Z-28 and Firebird Trans Am were about the only domestic cars that had any provisions for factory ground effects, and aftermarket companies were slow to capitalize on other cars. Once the '83 Cougar and Thunderbird hit the streets, though, all that ignorance went out the door. Aftermarket companies suddenly took great interest in producing kits for the radical new aero Cat and 'Bird. Really we can almost single-handedly thank the Thunderbird, since its aero shape made an enormous difference in NASCAR racing. We simply rode its tailcoats, so to speak, being that the bumpers and dimensions below the beltline of the Cougar were identical to the 'Bird. In any case, the NASCAR "air dam" look was a huge hit with owners of our cars. Quite literally your car was transformed from an everyday cruiser to a bold race car-inspired look. By the way, ground effects are also known as a "spoiler kit", "body kit" or "air dam kit"; they're all the same.

But even then the kits were expensive. It was nothing to pay $600-1,000+ US for a kit, and then have to pay for painting and installation. And since things really got rolling for the aftermarket industry with these cars, the fit and finish could be rather spotty. Still, sales of kits skyrocketed in reflection to the sales success of these cars. Ground effects got so popular, in fact, that auto dealerships got the idea to offer kits on new Cougars and Thunderbirds as a way to pad their profit margins. This is how the misperception started that there were "factory" ground effects kits. In reality, factory kits never existed. They were simply aftermarket kits that were sold to customers by the dealerships.

There are 3 main types of ground effects kits: fiberglass, plastic and urethane. Quick to the scene was fiberglass, since it's relatively easy to mold and mass produce. Fiberglass kits usually gave the tightest fit, were lightest in weight, and were possibly the strongest. However, they were also easily damaged (but admittedly, almost as easy to fix). These kits disappeared on the mass market in the late 1980's, for the most part.

The plastic kits were the multi-piece kits: 3 pieces for the front air dam, 3 pieces for the rear valance, and 2 pieces for the side skirts (1 for each side). Fit and finish was not that great, to be honest. One company even molded the Thunderbird emblem in the rear valance, which made putting one on a Cougar a little odd. They were light and strong, though. Still, they didn't look as clean as the other two kinds. These disappeared from the scene by most companies in the early 1990's.

The main survivor of the 3 types is urethane, which is the same rubbery material from which your bumpers were molded. This is a huge advantage because they easily flex when struck, acting just like your bumpers in that respect. Most kits had a one-piece wraparound front air dam, and matching one-piece rear valance, with a pair of side skirts. The 4-piece system was much easier to install, line up, and maintain, and really smoothed out the look of the car. The only real disadvantages of urethane are the heavier weight and the rather difficult chore of repair should something ever happen. Still, the ruggedness of the material was something the other two kinds couldn't offer, and that's why they're still available to this day.

As you can imagine, with the passage of time the number of companies that still produce ground effects kits for the Cougar/Thunderbird have dwindled enormously. Companies that used our cars' kits to make huge profits, such as A&A, Kamei, Erebuni and Pacifica, have long since discontinued our kits. The information below is the most current, up-to-date information about ground effects kits for the 1983-88 Cougar/Thunderbird that you will find anywhere. It will change as information is obtained.

1983-86

A long-time manufacturer of ground effects kits for the 1983-86 cars is Xenon, a division of American Best Car Parts. They are still in the restyling business with domestic and import cars, and with trucks as well. This company also bought GTS, the maker of headlight covers, just recently. The urethane Xenon kit is 4-piece (front air dam, rear valance, pair of side skirts). Fitment of the front and rear pieces are very good. However, the side skirts leave a little to be desired. They require you to attach them inside the door seam, instead of just below on the rocker panel itself. As a consequence, the urethane that slips under the doors is very, very thin and has a tendency to wrinkle and ripple. I used to bend up custom aluminum pieces to slip over this section, to try and keep them from rippling so bad. That partially helped but the wrinkles always remained. One other thing to know about this kit: it was designed around the turbo bumper cover with foglight cutouts (1985-86 XR7, 1984-86 Turbo Coupe). It is possible to use this kit on cars with the stock bumper covers in front, but you will need to cut out for the foglight provisions in the air dam. For cars that have the turbo cover, the air dam slips right on and butts up to the stock lower dam perfectly. Part numbers for Xenon's kit, according to their website, are as follows: 8131 Air Dam w/Fog Light Cut Outs 8135 Right Side Skirt 8134 Left Side Skirt 8132 Rear Valance 3003 Rectangular Light Kit/3.25"x6"/Fog Pattern/Clear Lens 8000 Complete Kit (8131,8135,8134,8132) Pricing info is unavailable; at last check a few years ago, a Xenon kit was in the neighborhood of $550-600 US. If you are thinking about purchasing a Xenon kit, you have some work ahead of you. Xenon lists distributors here, and interestingly Pep Boys is among them. Some people have reported that JC Whitney still has them in stock. A few people have called Xenon directly to see exactly what is up. However, there have been mixed results in finding out whether or not they still produce them. One person was told that they don't and will not back up the warranty, while another person was told that yes, they indeed do still make them and will back up the lifetime warranty on them. We have not been able to personally verify any of this, so if you get any info, please let us know here so that we can put that information on this page. After having spoken with the owner of Xenon several years ago, we feel that they probably will continue to make them. The molds have been paid for since the 1980's, so it wouldn't make much sense to drop the Cougar/T-Bird kit. And they have been pretty good (and rather emphatic) about backing up their warranty in the past. We see no reason why they wouldn't now. Xenon c/o American Fabrication 2890 Via Martens Anaheim, CA 92806 Phone: (714) 632-1709 Fax: (714) 632-2738 UPDATE: Keith found a place that still lists the Xenon kit for sale. Check out ZProducts in OR.

1987-88

	(left) The boldest kit seen to date is offered by GST. It's a fiberglass kit, so fit and finish is outstanding, although trimming may be necessary (as with anything made of fiberglass). The kit includes the front air dam, side skirts, rear valance, trunklid spoiler and a pair of Monza exhaust tips that exit the rear valance. GST is retailing the kit for a whopping $950 US. That is not cheap by any stretch; however, it is a superior kit that is about as in-your-face as you can get. GSTfx 7901 Airport Rd. Middleton, WI 53562 Phone: (608) 833-0048 Toll Free: (877) 506-5695 Fax: (608) 833-8848 UPDATE 1: Brandon has contacted GST; this is their response: "The Cougar kit #13000 includes a front valance, rear valance, 2 side skirts, 2 exhaust tips, all hardware and instructions for install. Kits ship semi only in sandable gray gel coat, and must be trimmed and fit prior to paint. Optional wings #18901 lists for $210.00 and 47801 for $205. Light kit #54448 is available for $65.00 additional cost. List on the 13000 kit is $820.00, but from the plant, it's $775.00 plus truck freight. Again, this is a made-to-order-only kit due to age, and we would advise on delivery times if you decide to order. Feel free to call the plant toll free to order as no one stocks this kit due to age. Without your location, all I can say is semi delivery to a biz address starts at $75.00, with some locations more, and home adds a $40-50 surcharge for home semi service. Out of US more!" UPDATE 2: The order page for GST kits is here. Thanks to Ben for the info. UPDATE 3: Several people have reported that GST is now out of business. I have also personally attempted to contact the company with no results. A reader that lives near the company has confirmed that the doors are shut. If you want a GST kit...you'll have to hunt it down on eBay or at swap meets.
	There is also an ABS plastic kit available from Kobel. Within the past few years, McK Plastics bought the Kobel brand and indeed uses the Kobel molds. Their website has been down for a good part of the past year, but phone verification has netted some info. Their site will be up soon, and they still plan to produce and sell at least the 1987-88 Thunderbird kit (left). We see no reason why the Cougar kit wouldn't be available, since only the front air dam changes. The kits list for $479 US. Until their site is live you can contact the company here: McK Plastics Inc. Po Box 200849 San Antonio, TX 78220 Phone: (210) 661-0007 Toll Free: 800-685-6235 E-mail: mck@txdirect.net
	UPDATE: This is the Kobel/McK Cougar front air dam. The rest of the kit will be identical to the Thunderbird's above. Thanks to Scott for the photo. UPDATE 2: A company called Aeromotive is selling this kit. Their number is 800-833-2376. Thanks to Mario for the tip!

ALTERNATIVES
If you can't find these kits, or don't have the money for them new, you can try to find them used. They very, very rarely show up on eBay. Some people have had luck with finding kits at swap meets or at salvage yards. You can also search for kits on the places listed on the Links page of this site. Really, at this point in time, those are your only options. No other vehicles' ground effects fit our cars either.

MISC. INFO
- If you're tempted to use a 1983-86 kit on a 1987-88 car, or vice versa, you're out of luck. The dimensional differences, and the use of totally different bumpers, prevent you from doing this. We've seen attempts to do this and the results are less than professional.

- Also, if you're curious, Mustang GT kits won't bolt up either. The side skirts actually fit the front wheel well and under the doors about perfectly. It's just that they're about 8" short of the rear wheel well, which coincidentally is about the difference in wheelbase length between the Cougar/T-Bird and the Mustang/Capri. The bumper covers are pretty close, but not enough to try and manipulate them to work without serious modifications and bodywork.

- You also cannot fit 1989-95 Thunderbird SC ground effects on your car either, because of the obvious differences in wheelbase, width and beltline height.

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