GEARZ with Stacey David - 1967 Mercury Cougar Interceptor Project | ||||||||
Description:
We are honored to have a small part in this incredible car Stacey has been working on. The idea for the V8 Interceptor had been bangin’ around in my head for a number of years, just waiting for a chance to get out. I have always loved the early Mercury Cougars and wanted to do a high performance street machine project that wasn’t just the typical early Mustang or Camaro. I also wanted the feel and direction of the buildup to be based around the natural mystique of the Cougar. These cars with their hidden headlights and sequential taillights were always very sinister and menacing looking on the street, and when you add to that the fact that a Mountain Lion is one of the most perfect natural “interceptors”, you’ve got the basis for a great project. I mean, in the wild a Cougar will chase down a Mustang or Firebird, or Impala and eat it!....... is that a great visual or what!?! But it didn’t just stop there. Calling a project “the V8 Interceptor” takes balls, because you’ve got to be able to back that name up, just as the legendary Mad Max car did years ago. So I definitely wanted to add in a little flavor of the original Mad Max car, but also step beyond that and build a car that nobody has considered yet. The purpose of this on the TV show is to encourage people to think beyond the boundaries, and get really creative when they are building their projects. OK, That’s the idea behind the project,……here’s the nuts and bolts that will make this car a reality. The center piece of this project is the incredible Boss Nine engine I am using from Jon Kaase Racing. This is 520 cubic inches of Ford Hemi that is tipping the dyno at just under 800hp and an astounding 700ft/lbs of torque! Mash the throttle on this thing, and all that torque will stop the earth from rotating for a second! To top it off is a Hilborne 8-stack injection that is going to stick up through the hood with ram tubes going all different directions. Intimidating???...... you bet! Backing that up is the new Magnum 6spd tranny from Tremec that is designed to handle that kind of power, and an entire clutch and drive-shaft system from American Powertrain. The only way an engine this size will fit in an early Ford is if you remove the shock towers, and using a kit from Total Cost Involved we did just that. We removed the shock towers and installed TCI’s state of the art independent front and rear suspension, complete with subframe and torque arm for a super stiff chassis. The brakes are Wilwood 13” rotors and 6 piston calipers in front, and 4 piston calipers in rear. The rearend is the massive Fab 9 nine inch Ford from Currie Enterprises and it’s packing a tru-trac posi and forged 31 spline axles. To massage the body of this machine, we hooked up with the Cougar specialists at West Coast Classic Cougar to not only get some great original parts and sheetmetal, but to also get some new reproduction parts like dash pad, carpet, weather stripping and seat upholstery. So this car is going to look as well as it runs, and that was always the magic combination the Cougar had. Guys, this is just the tip of the iceburg on this project, as there are many more companies involved, and the plans when it is done are to road race the car some……drag race it some……drive it across country…...have it at shows and events like Power tour and SEMA……and at some point, take it up over 200 MPH just to show that it can be done. And of course let’s not forget the most important job of a car like this……to run down and eat anything that tries to get ahead of it…….because…..well…….that’s what Interceptors do! HA….ha……ha…
 Click here to see one of the interviews Stacey did with Don when he visited the GEARZ studio.
Hey Don! Thanks so much for the picture and the kind words! If I can’t have the real tow truck, I will take a rendering anytime!...... especially hand drawn by an artist!! COOL! I just want to say, it has been a real pleasure working with you and WCCC on this project too. As with any of these projects, they don’t just happen by themselves. The projects and crazy things I want to do and build on GEARZ would go nowhere unless I can find people that share the vision and take a chance and get involved. You did that, and I am so glad to see you reaping the blessings of it! I have to chuckle when I think about the humble beginnings of this project (and others) and compare that to the response and buzz I just heard about it at the SEMA show. All good…. All positive! I know there are a lot of really nice early Mustangs going together in top shops across the country, and some are even using the Kaase motor. But NOBODY is doing a Cougar, and nobody is running a wild 8 stack injection on this engine. ( I am still waiting to get the first injection unit from F.A.S.T…… should be here any day) I think the fact that this car IS different than the typical Ford or Chevy, and the fact that most people have always liked the Cougar, are a couple of the reasons people have been going nuts over this project. I am looking forward to another great season of shows as this thing goes together. You aren’t done yet……you’re just getting started! Have a great Holiday Season, and may God richly bless you and your family! Thanks, Stacey David Rattletrap Productions, Inc.
| ||||||||
|
