New to the Forum with a 2000 Cougar V6

K10wN

K10wN

Active user
Oct 12, 2011
78
11
Outback Australia
Hi to everyone. New member from downunder where there wasn't many Cougars imported and only the V6. Can't buy anything for them locally.

I've had the Cougar since the start of this year, second owner. It's the V6 2.5L manual 5 speed with leather seats in Spruce Green. 110,000km on the clock when I bought it and 122,000 on it now and it's never missed a beat the whole time I've owned it. It's still like new inside and out (even still has the new car smell inside). I've not experienced any of the regular Cougar faults with mine. I've averaged 32.5mpg in the 12,000km I've driven.

Only mods to date is a 2nd alarm/immobiliser with a numeric keypad, dark tinted windows and a new mp3 header unit with USB so I can plug 16gb of music into the dash. I have more planned though. Set of Lenso D1R 17x7 wheels are on their way from AlloyWheels.com in the UK. I'll wrap them in Toyo Proxes T1R 225/45ZR17 when they get here. I have a set of the V-Tech light covers from the US ready and will be getting a bodykit, Visteon hood scoop and wing sent from the US soon. As most of the car will need a respray after the bodykit, I intend to spray the whole thing in 'hurt your eyes' bright yellow with gold holograpic metal flake.

Done nothing performance wise as yet, but would like to get it to 230-250hp. Twin system, set of headers and some high flow cats and replace the airbox with something that breathes abit easier then look at what else I can do after that.

My only dislike is that it's FWD. I can live with it, but I don't like it. Everything else about the little cat I just love, and love to drive it, most times just for the hell of going for a drive in it.

Thanks for reading, Mark
 
Welcome along Mark, get yourself subscribed and have a look in our discount scheme section, theres loads of trick bits for the cat performance and styling that you can't get anywhere else at a great price!

It sounds like the modding bug has hit you good and sounds like its gonna be a right monster :) But 32 mpg?! Most of the guys here struggle to get 22 haha

Stick around, I'm sure you'll get plenty more ideas for your cat and meet some great people

Enjoy :D

F2EEMAN
 
Hello Mark and welcome to the forum. Sounds like you've got a good one and have some tasty mods lined-up. Keep us posted with your progress and photos are a must.
 
Hi and welcome to the forum!
You have a very interesting list of mods lined up and cant wait to see some progress! especially the respray!! love bright colours and holographic/ metalflake jobs!!!! (y)
 
Thanks for the welcome guys.

After I get a few posts up and can actually see what's going on (posts look odd without pictures), I'll get some subscription going so I can see everything else.

Here's a photo of what she looks like now (taken at the All Ford Day at Cooyar, Queensland in September):

img20319_03092011162058_1.jpg
 
G'Day Mark, welcome to the forum. Sounds like you have quite a few ideas about the mods you want to do to your Coug - nice one. Amazed at your mpg!, mind you fuel in Aussie is a damned site cheaper than it is here in the UK. We pay about (£1.36) $2.14 @ litre, whereas (well in Brisbane anyway) your paying $1.42 (90p) on average per litre.

Where in Aussie are you? as I grew up in Brisbane, although did live in Whyalla (S.A) for a time too.
 
Welcome to the madhouse Mark.

I don't wish to put a downer on your hp aspirations but getting extra horses out of the V6 is not easy.
A twin turbo is not a bolt-on mod. It will require lots of engine work to change the compression and beef up some components (pistons & con-rods). There's plenty of info on here though so pay your subs and read on.
And good luck.
 
FlamencoAssassin said:
Welcome to the madhouse Mark.

I don't wish to put a downer on your hp aspirations but getting extra horses out of the V6 is not easy.
A twin turbo is not a bolt-on mod. It will require lots of engine work to change the compression and beef up some components (pistons & con-rods). There's plenty of info on here though so pay your subs and read on.
And good luck.
Click to expand...

I think he ment twin exhaust system buddy :LOL: ... But yea 250bhp without forced induction will require alot of time and even more money!
 
I've only ever run the BP Ultimate 95 fuel in it (AU$1.59/ltr). The fuel economy (the one on the dash which has not been reset since purchase) actually went up 0.1mpg on a 1,100km trip Tuesday to Brisbane, around the city, and back again. 700km of that was highway (but alot wasn't at highway speeds being caught in traffic and major roadworks (blackbutt range) and following a smoke blowing Mazda van @ 70km/h for 150km along with about 100 other road users with no where to pass), the rest was in and around Brisbane dealing with traffic while looking for my 16yr old son's first car. I guess I'm just a smooth driver in a well serviced and maintained car. Best economy I've gotten from it was about 44mpg (calculated by fuel use over a 180km run), but I was sucking the draft of a semi most of the way (lorry in UK). I do really give her a boot full when I get front row of the lights :p , so I guess the economy would be better if I behaved myself all the time, but who can when she begs to go faster when you give it a little rev.

I'm 350km west of Brisbane WildV6. Only head that way when I need something I can't mail order.

Turbo is not an option here FlamencoAssassin. The modification rules here prohibit it on a vehicle that doesn't have a turbo or SC as a factory option. Possibly the best I could do would be a 3.0L NA transplant to stay legal. I guess I could live with 200hp, but that would be my lowest aim.

Seems TNT have lost 2 of my wheels in Hong Kong :( Hopefully they will get it sorted and the new wheels will be here soon. My rear tyres are getting low on tread and I don't want to shell out for two 16's when the 17's will be here soon. The 17" Toyo tyres are ordered and waiting at the tyre shop for the wheels to get here.
 
Sounds like you have a rare Coug in Queensland matey, as when I was last there a couple of years ago, I didn't spot one anywhere around the Brisbane/Gold Coast/NSW border. I know there are a few around Melbourne/Sydney but not many further north than that. You must be out Goondiwindi way then, if your 350kms west of Bris?? Post some pic's up of your Coug when you can. Cheers, Tim
 
Yeah they are few and far between. I've only ever seen one other in the flesh. They would have sold better if Ford didn't price them so silly new (more expensive than an XR6 Falcon), as a result there was only about 1000 sold in Oz, and 100 of them were Tickford upgraded Eibach models. All were V6's.

I'm about 250km north of the NSW border. West of a little town called Kingaroy in the middle of nowhere.

I did post up a photo in the thread, but it hasn't appeared yet, and got something about needing to be approved by a moderator that flashed off the screen before I could read it all, so hopefully it'll show up eventually. I've added my car to the garage if you look there.

Most of my cars over the last 30yrs have been small british Fords. Started out with a 65 Cortina GT (it was a mess and used as a paddock basher to learn to drive in), then a string of Escorts, a Capri and then a few more Cortinas. Currently still have a '78 Escort Coupe 1600 and a '78 Cortina Mk4 Ghia as well.
 
K10wN said:
Yeah they are few and far between. I've only ever seen one other in the flesh. They would have sold better if Ford didn't price them so silly new (more expensive than an XR6 Falcon), as a result there was only about 1000 sold in Oz, and 100 of them were Tickford upgraded Eibach models. All were V6's.

I'm about 250km north of the NSW border. West of a little town called Kingaroy in the middle of nowhere.

I did post up a photo in the thread, but it hasn't appeared yet, and got something about needing to be approved by a moderator that flashed off the screen before I could read it all, so hopefully it'll show up eventually. I've added my car to the garage if you look there.

Most of my cars over the last 30yrs have been small british Fords. Started out with a 65 Cortina GT (it was a mess and used as a paddock basher to learn to drive in), then a string of Escorts, a Capri and then a few more Cortinas. Currently still have a '78 Escort Coupe 1600 and a '78 Cortina Mk4 Ghia as well.
Click to expand...


LOL!! Definitely a Ford man through and through eh! There are a few old Cortina's left over here, but unfortunately due to the weather here and salt on the roads, many of them rotted away. You'll have to post up in the 'Pictures' section some pic's of your Ford's as the guys will be interested to see these.
Yeh, just checked your "garage" - that is a smart looking Coug - nice colour too! We didn't get that colour here in the UK, as we only got the darker greens, black, silver and blue. Will you be changing the side repeaters? i.e. what we all call "fried eggs" ?? it's normally one of the first mods we do over here, I have smoked ones on mine.

Are you a member of any Aussie Coug web forum??
 
WildV6 said:
Will you be changing the side repeaters? i.e. what we all call "fried eggs" ?? it's normally one of the first mods we do over here, I have smoked ones on mine.
Click to expand...
I like the orange ones. They contrast well with green. Will see how they look when the car turn yellow.

Are you a member of any Aussie Coug web forum??
Click to expand...
There isn't really one that I've found. Only a sub forum in the Australian Ford Forums, which doesn't appear to be very active. Joined the UK and US ones to talk to other like minded Cougar fans where the car was sold at greater levels and where there is some good parts and knowledge support.
 
Thanks to everyone for the warm welcome.

The new Lenso D1R wheels arrived today. Woohoo! Beautiful set of wheels. 7 days shipping from the UK. Shipping always seems to be quicker from the UK than the US. Last US purchase took 3 weeks.

Soon as they got here I went to test fit them to the car and struck a problem. The factory wheels have a locking wheelnut on each wheel, and the previous owner neglected to include the key with the car when I took possesion, so I can't get the wheels off. This would've been a great discovery if I'd gotten a flat sometime in the last 9 months and had to change to the spare on the side of the road. I checked all the other cars here and their locking wheelnuts are all completely different. Guess I'll have to make up a key in the mill.

It's booked in on Monday to get the Toyo T1R tyres fitted and balanced.
 
Does the car still have the original owner's manual? If so, there's a slim chance the little card with the code for your locking wheelnuts might still be in there. Take that to any Ford dealer and they should be able to order you up a new release key.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.