Not long ago I was hooking up the battery in my ’84 Cougar when the positive battery cable literally fell apart at the starter solenoid. It was a cable that had already been replaced once with a correct design but I didn’t expect it to fail so soon. These days it’s terribly difficult to get good new parts…you’re lucky to find decent used parts at all. So I chalk yet another thing up to experience as I try a different vendor this time.
That got me thinking about this whole parts dilemma and our cars. I’ve been a Fox Cougar owner every day since late May of 1987. I knew then, as I know now, that this was not going to be an easy road to traverse as an owner and enthusiast. I love these cars to death but hate how there has really never been great support for them.
For the life of me, I couldn’t tell you why. Well, I could and it begins with the word “MUSTANG”. That’s where Ford has always put its backing (and even some long-time Mustang enthusiasts will tell you that it can be tepid at times). When the 1983 T-Bird was unleashed, the NASCAR world shook to its very core because they knew this car was a winner. And it was: the Thunderbird dominated the 1980s in not only NASCAR, but also in NHRA and circle track racing, thanks to its aero design and major sponsorships to back it up. One would think that alone would have been enough to get people interested in aftermarket (or more pronounced Ford-backed) parts for the Cougar and Thunderbird.
Those wimpy 88hp 4-banger Mustangs? Thank them–so many of their parts interchange with ours.
I know a lot of you owners probably aren’t as old as me, so let me paint the picture for you of how things were back in the day. A lot can be said about cars of the 1980s and they’re all true. They were not that great in quality or fuel economy, horsepower was laughable, everything rusted at a slightly lower rate than 1970s cars, and they were slow as dirt. Did we care? Not really…a set of wheels and a good stereo were all that was required.
My folks were middle class but the reality of 1980s economics was always in your face. Before I started driving, my family only had two vehicles: the family daily driver and my dad’s work pickup truck. I knew that I’d need a car for college and quite frankly, I didn’t care what it was–I was just excited to know that I’d have my own set of wheels. My folks had been talking about a Monte Carlo or Cutlass, maybe even a Firebird. And I’d have been perfectly happy with one of those. My mom did a lot of reading and in a few comparisons she mentioned that the Cougar and T-Bird scored better for quality. Instinctively I said “COUGAR” and that was it: thus began a lifelong passion for an orphaned car model.
Insurance rates were killer back then; I was afraid that we could maybe afford the Cougar but not the insurance (that’s why it ended up being a V6 model). But my parents found a way to get me on their insurance and everything worked out. Two days before my high school graduation I had my first light blue ’84 Cougar with a Kenwood cassette deck. Wheels and tunes: check!
I was friends with twin brothers that I’d known since grade school. They lived a few miles away but went to a different high school. They each got a (used) mid-80’s Mustang after graduation, so we all hung out together and got to know the cars better. They were both super smart, and eventually they became engineers, but they also introduced me to the world of car parts. I learned the value of getting parts at a salvage yard. They brought me to the largest indoor Ford-only swap meet in the USA. They showed me how to get my own JC Whitney catalog. They are the reason why I got into these cars in more than a topical way. Things were way easier when these cars were newer.
But the more I got into parts, the more I realized that I was alone. And would always be alone. That even though this car was as American as anything else, and was selling incredibly well, I’d have to head into this territory by myself, with little to no support. The desire to customize was strong but the aftermarket backing was non-existent. I would stand in the aisle at the parts store and see that every other American car had support for customization but mine. Need glass for a broken outside mirror? Nope, that’s dealership only. Windshield decal for a Cougar? Every car but. Window vent shades? Everyone else got the cool smoked ones, mine would have been sharp-edged aluminum. Sigh.
The saving grace was definitely JC Whitney. They’d been in business so long that even my dad had bought parts from them when he was younger. JCW had about the only custom parts for our cars but thankfully they were the coolest: headlight covers, spoilers, and body kits (ground effects). There were several different headlight cover manufacturers to choose from. Spoilers were universal fit but there was a good variety. And ground effects…oh, you had your choice back then. Plastic? Urethane? Fiberglass? Yes. At one point there were probably 3-4 different companies’ kits available through JCW. I remember buying a rear valance, not liking it because it was plastic and had the T-Bird logo embossed in it, and sending it back for a refund! (JCW has since gone all-Jeep and don’t sell parts for all vehicles like they used to).
The good news is that you’re not alone: thanks to the internet, we can commiserate together in our collective failure to find parts.
While these aftermarket parts were undoubtedly great, it was difficult to come to terms that I would hear “no” way more than “yes” when it came to other parts. No taillight covers available. No custom hoods, at least until many years later. Custom wheels for 4-lug cars? That brought a lot of laughter. If I wanted something I was going to have to make it myself, or go without. I worked wonders with paint, an airbrush, and plexiglas/Perspex.
So now we’re well into the 21st century and nothing has really changed. In fact, it’s probably worse now as far as finding parts due to attrition and the passage of time. The good news is that you’re not alone: thanks to the internet, we can commiserate together in our collective failure to find parts.
Actually that’s not entirely true. There ARE some parts available but unlike other classic vehicles, we will never be able to pick up a catalog and order parts from it. That’s just the harsh reality. Yet if you know your cars and parts, you can likely get what you need. For example, my positive battery cable is being reproduced…for a Mustang of the same era. Does that really matter? Not really–it’s brand new, it’s factory style, it’s mostly correct for judging, and it’s not horribly expensive. I call that a pretty good win.
And that brings us to the Mustang issue. Because I’m going to tell you, whether you want to hear this or not: the Mustang is saving our collective backsides every day. There are so many reproduction parts being made for the Fox Mustangs now. I am in awe of what’s available, and it seems little surprises pop up all the time, things you never expect to see. Even if I cannot use some of the parts, the fact that there’s interest in them gives me a little hope for us. A lot of mechanical, suspension, and electrical components meant for a Mustang can be used on our cars. Those wimpy 88hp 4-banger Mustangs? Thank them–so many of their parts interchange with ours.
Of course, with the advent of 3D printing, there can be some opportunities out there. And it’s not limited to printed parts either. Already a few people have stepped up and begun making some new parts for our cars, namely Ron’s Performance Garage and 2.3 Parts. Ron makes some 3D printed parts but also finds really good used parts and will ship all over the place from his eBay page. There are some great, hard-to-find parts at 2.3 Parts at really reasonable prices. Andrew and Heath are knocking it out of the park.
So the dichotomy of Cougar/T-Bird ownership still exists. We can get some new parts IF you know what you’re looking for and IF it’s being reproduced. We can find used parts IF you can dig hard enough or get lucky.
Nobody said loving these cars was going to be easy. It’s way more frustrating than it should be. But thanks to the Mustang and a few select vendors there is still a bit of hope for the future.