Do you have a line on a Cougar? Maybe it's because they are not popular like you say, but I very rarely see them anymore. If that is the case, I say Cougar of course. Neither will impress a modern suspension engineer I am sure, but the Cougar definitely wins in the looks department.
My friend in high school had a 67, I think, Cougar XR7. Yeah, it would do burnouts. My dad had a 79 Buick version "Nova". Sky-something? I rode in both; I would go for the Cougar. I think it had a better "feel" than the chevy, err, Buick.
In reply to MotorsportsGordon :
Funny you mention the subframe. Dad put the Bill Elliot tribute car into the wall at Princeton Speedway (WV) back in 93 or so and ruined the front subframe. Put in a new subframe and went back racing. The car was so beat by the time he was done with it only 3 tires touched the ground on a flat surface.
Roadkill Cougar
Just about perfect in my opinion!
A Cougar with a big block Ford and a manual is perfection.
You also gotta love the cougars rear sequential turn signals.
dannyzabolotny said:A Cougar with a big block Ford and a manual is perfection.
A Cougar with a Big Block Mercury and 4 speed is even Better
Cougar, then again I've had 3, 67,68 and a 70. The 69 and 70 are bigger cars, think fastback mustang, the 67 and 68 are lighter and more fun with a 408 and stick shifts. If GM then do the skylark or 78 up b body.
GTXVette said:dannyzabolotny said:A Cougar with a big block Ford and a manual is perfection.
A Cougar with a Big Block Mercury and 4 speed is even Better
Was a big block Mercury ever a thing? I don't know too much about Ford in that era. I was under the assumption they used Ford engines.
My wife's 78 Nova is in my garage right now. All the suspension stuff is pretty much Camaro in the front with leaf springs out back. It's the last GM chassis car that was available with straight-6 engines and v8's both from the factory, so you don't get much more room under the hood, which I think is also the last one that was available without an inside hood release.
It's actually kind of a weird car all around, chock full of 60's features yet new enough to be driven every day.
In reply to oldopelguy :
If you think a F/X body engine bay is tight then a unibody Ford will haunt your dreams.
EDIT:Disregard that, I apparently can't reliably comprehend the word "more".
I didn't mean it was a tight engine bay, I meant that it was wide enough for a v8 and long enough for a six, so plenty of room under the hood.
I have a soft spot for the Nova, as my first car was a '75, with the deeply terrible three on the tree. I learned how to hang under the car by the steering wheel so I could actually reach under and un-jam it at stoplights while still belted in.
It handled benignly, which was good.
I still think they're kinda neat, but I'd rather have the Cougar.
We interrupt this discussion for a brief thread-jack: the 77-79 Impala could be had with an inline six. I have no idea how popular it was, but it existed.
In reply to dannyzabolotny :Well yes it is a Ford, But all Good and a 390 is PLENTY.
AND, this thread made me call a dude in Chattanooga that has a 68 listed in one of the little 'For Sale' Books here in N.Ga. I haven't spoke with him but would if someone want's me To. Darn I guess I will Anyway!
ebonyandivory said:Roadkill Cougar
Just about perfect in my opinion!
That's what my friend's looked like. Kinda. Same color, less fading, large dent just behind the driver's door with about 2lb of Bondo in it, different wheels, and smelled like stale bong water.
I traded a pair of speakers for a 78 Nova once.......bought another running example for $50. They were basically free in the early 90s.
I'd kind of like one now. My best buddy had a 79 Nova Custom (square headlights) in H.S. He and his Dad built a hot 327 with a big cam, single plane intake, and 3.73 posi with a super-stout TCI auto trans. Looking back on that car, it was pretty darn fast--- probably mid 13 sec 1/4 mile. It became obvious to me later in life that his Dad didn't build a car for my friend........he built a car for himself, and let his son drive it. I'm sure this was how he got it past his wife! Not a great idea, as my buddy had zero self control, and that Nova spent much time above 100mph, and even more time offroad!
A Cougar is undeniably cooler----- but I'd rather have a Nova.
oldopelguy said:I didn't mean it was a tight engine bay, I meant that it was wide enough for a v8 and long enough for a six, so plenty of room under the hood.
My mistake, yeah, it's roomy in there, on account of the 2G F body relationship I think most of the big GM engines (Olds, Pontiac, Chevy) are a drop in.
But I still hold that those unibody Ford bays are too damn narrow to have much fun, like the 64 falcon build I was involved with where a cross flow narrow valve angle 2 liter 4 cylinder barely fit between the shock towers. I think the Mustang/Cougar is a bit wider, but a couple inches isn't much when you start that small, the little 302 almost looks big in there.
And to address the original topic, the Nova is better by most (all?) technical metrics, and cheaper to buy, and probably cheaper to upgrade. All V8s and the 75 6 cyl cars got the 8.5 rear end. They all have 11" disc brakes. Personally I think the 2 door looks alright too, at least by 70s mandatory bigass taillights and bumpers standards.
In reply to Joe Gearin :
Why would you rather have a less cool car? I mean, neither of these are smart decisions in 2018, so what's the motivation to have the Nova?
My first car was a '71 Nova. Get the Cougar!
I'm gonna disagree with BrokenYugo a bit here. My Cougar came with a big block and while it was a bit tight in places, there was more than enough room for it between the shock towers. There are plenty of Nova fans out there, and I am one of them for the right car, but the Cougar is soooo much better in most regards. It drives better, looks better (in my opinion), and has nicer interior materials. It was a higher spec car to begin with, where the Nova was built at a much lower price point. In today's terms, it's like comparing a Cruze to a MKZ.
Having said that, if I were wanting to build a car to drag race, I'd probably go Nova. It's lighter and GM parts are dirt cheap.
pres589 said:In reply to Joe Gearin :
Why would you rather have a less cool car? I mean, neither of these are smart decisions in 2018, so what's the motivation to have the Nova?
Sentimentality. I have many, many good memories in Novas. I've never even ridden in an older Cougar. I'm also more of a GM guy than a Ford guy when talking about older machinery. I also think the styling of the Nova has held up well over the years. Cougars were better looking still (IMHO), and far better equipped. They are cool----- I just don't want one!
And the Nova also came in hatchback form!
And speaking of Novas. I had a friend in HS with a '70 something version with a 6cyl. It had the big bumpers so probably a '76. '77 or so. There was literally nothing you could do to kill it. He wanted some car at the time, and his parents told him not until the Nova died. I'm pretty sure you could have drained the oil and driven it from Alabama to California and it would have still ran. It wasn't pretty with its faded red paint and red interior, but it always ran. Perhaps the perfect HS kid's car at the time.
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