Say you want to make your Cougar look a little different. Maybe you don't particularly like some of the chrome accents, or perhaps you're just bored with stock pieces. Whatever the case may be, I can assure you that there is no single greater visual trick than to add some paint. Now before we dig in deeper, I highly apologize for dragging my art background into this section, but I feel it's necessary to help you understand why paint (and where you spray it) is so important. And I promise, there will be no pop quizzes on colors in relation to modern automobiles, nor will I bore you with the color wheel theory. It does help, though, to have a particular "theme" in mind before you go spraying paint everywhere. Some people like the monochromatic look; some like a mix of body color and chrome; some like the all-blackout look. It depends on your overall scheme for the car; pick what you feel would look nice to you.

These cars were all about the chrome. Thankfully it was rather limited compared to a lot of other cars during this time, yet some people still don't like it, saying that it just stuck out too much. Don't forget that chrome's main purpose is to reflect light and attract attention. But what happens when almost every single car looks like this? Chrome loses its ability to divert your eye, and you get bored with it. There is nothing wrong with painting the chrome to make something different, and it is, in fact, a very good way to "modernize" the look of your Cougar.

GRILLE (1983-86)
This seems to be the main offender in most people's eyes. The shape of the grille goes very nicely with the car, yet is seems to just stick out obtrusively because of the chrome. Painting at least the outer grille surround makes a huge difference visually---the grille becomes part of the front end, not sticking out at all but blending nicely. Leaving the main inside supports chrome is cool; some people paint the inner waterfalls or butcher block a flat black to help that area blend into the radiator and to accent the remaining chrome. A little bit of chrome helps define the grille better...but painting the whole thing also looks killer. On a dark colored vehicle, leaving the chrome bars in the middle usually looks the best. Lighter colored cars can get away with painting the whole grille.

HEADLIGHT BUCKETS (1983-86)
In concert with the grille, the headlight buckets have a thin chrome surround. Now after painting the grille and leaving just a bit of chrome in the middle, the headlight buckets look much, much better. Still, a lot of people feel that the inner argent color sticks out. Painting this section body color is a great solution because the buckets no longer feel separate from the car. Again, if you have a dark colored car, leaving the chrome surround on the buckets will help tie in with the grille. Or if your car is black and you want the "all black Darth Vader" look, paint the whole thing.

OUTSIDE MIRRORS
Since Mercurys are theoretically upscale from Fords, the Cougar got all-chromed mirror housings and the Thunderbird had all-black ones. Again, some feel that these chrome mirrors are rather conspicuous. Painting them body color is usually the mod of choice, although using a black T-Bird mirror also works.

WINDOW & B-PILLAR TRIM
While not hugely offensive, the chrome window trim can be toned down. Very popular is the blackout look, which gives a more business-like tone to the car and makes even a base model appear similar to the upscale XR7. A black chrome look is also cool (Eastwood Company should have a kit to do that). Now I have seen some people paint all the window trim in body color and it usually doesn't work well. It seems that there needs to be some kind of visual transition between the body color and the glass surface. On my convertible, I removed all the trim, sandblasted part of it, and then painted those parts a flat argent color. This left a bit of chrome and a bit of flat silver next to each other. The all-black look would have done nothing for a white car, and I wanted to keep all the trim a light color. This worked out perfectly...experimentation and creativity will usually get you the right look.

Since the B-pillar trim on 1983-86 cars is trapped between the windows, this is also a great area to get attention. The flat dark grey factory color can seem boring, after all. Black is good; so is body color. I have even seen people remove the color completely and polish the aluminum pieces up to a high shine---looks fantastic. Don't forget that this area can be seen from a great distance, so choose your paint (or lack thereof) wisely.

MOLDING
Did you know that the dark grey used on the Cougar/Thunderbird was unique to our cars? Still, who cares if it looks that bland! I've been a firm believer in painting the molding for many years because it's probably the singlemost effective way to differentiate your Cougar from everyone else's. Of course, body color works---the monochromatic look does not get boring. Or, you can have a two-tone Cat and paint the car from the molding down (similar to what I did with the convertible). Or you can paint it the interior color. I have seen people simply paint the molding a silver color, straight out of the Krylon can, and it helps tremendously in the visual department. I'm betting that your bumper paint is probably coming off and showing the nice yellow color underneath anyway. If you want a different looking Cougar, painting the molding is the way to go.

Of course, we still have a chrome strip in the molding with which to contend. Some people like to leave the chrome; some people paint it as well; and some people cover it with 3/4" 3M striping tape in a different color. If you are totally dechroming then you'll want to cover it up with something.

LOCKS & HANDLES
Yep, a lot of people forget this part. The handles are rather large and could use some visual help. Since it is a high-use part of the car, though, be careful with your choice of finishes. If you want them body color, then be sure that there's lots of clearcoat on top. Flat or semi-gloss black is good too. Same deal with the outer locks (doors and trunk)---make them match your handles and you have a winning combination. I have found that just painting the outer lock surround is the best way to go, since painting the part where the key goes in will only result in chipped paint. On some later Cougars (XR7 models in particular) the locks were anodized to look like black chrome and that's a fantastic look for any color car.

MISC.
If you had the bright rocker trim option (all LS and some GS), then you will want to pay attention to this area too. It's not advisable to remove the trim completely, as that leaves you with a lot of large holes underneath. The best thing to do is paint the trim and put it back on. Most people go with the body color, but you can also make it match your window trim.

The C-pillar emblems, because of their multiple levels of sculpting, are usually not obtrusive to the eye. But should you wish to make them different then you can surely paint them. Again, whichever look you have for the window trim usually works best for the emblems. The trunklid or taillight nomenclature can also be modded. Painting the chrome part body color is what usually looks best. Try to keep the black letter surrounds intact, though, since they help people to see the letters better.

PREPARATION
First thing I always recommend is to remove all the pieces that are to be painted. Everything is fairly simple to remove, save for the window trim. There is a trim removal tool you can pick up at good parts stores that will help you with the windshield and back window trim. Be very careful as this metal will bend easily (and you can crack the glass if you're not careful). The C-pillar trim is held in by a few screws, then simply unclips. The door trim is probably the worst but be patient. After removing the mirror housing, remove the screw underneath. There may be a screw in the end of the bottom trim, by the B-pillar--be sure to check first. The bottom portion unhooks from the door. The top portion does the same but it's held in tighter than the bottom part. Be sure to tape off any parts that you don't want painted very well. Overspray will find its way into every open area.

Remember that we have some old-school materials on this car...which is a good thing. No plastic parts can ever be substituted for real metal. Metal always wears better too, a plus when you're about to abuse it before the paint goes on! The window and B-pillar trim are aluminum that has been dipped in chrome. The door locks and handles are potmetal. The headlight buckets, mirror housings and emblems are ABS plastic that have been dipped in chrome. Some grilles are metal, some are RIM/ABS plastic (tap yours to figure out which is which). In all cases you can simply sandblast the pieces to remove the finish and prep the surface for paint.

Keep in mind that what you want is an even surface that's flat so that the paint will stick. You do not have to go wild with the blaster, just enough to knock down the surface shine. The handles and locks will be simple. The aluminum window trim is pretty easy too. On the plastic parts, you have to decide how far you want to go. Sometimes the original chrome will start wrinkling or peeling with age and sun damage. In this case you have no choice but to go all the way. Once the metal is opened and starts peeling back, you must remove all of it from the plastic by hand. Usually that's done with a pair of needlenose pliers and a lot of patience. A typical mirror housing will take about 2 hours to blast this way! But if the original chrome surface is even and not wrinkled at all, then you can simply hold the part at arm's length and blast from there, knocking down the shine and being careful not to stay in one spot too long, or else you will see a wrinkle starting. In the case of the mirror housings, it may be simpler to find a pair of good Thunderbird mirrors and just use them instead---saves a lot of time with surface prep of the Cougar's chrome mirrors.

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