A 1967 Mercury Cougar that sat idle for two years might not seem like the best choice for a 1,500-mile road trip. But with just four days to get it running, the crew behind Junkyard Digs decided to take their chances.
Kevin and Angus wanted to drive the old Cougar from Iowa to Tucson, Arizona, for the Blue Collar Drags event. Their original car wasn’t ready, so they ended up with a rusty Mercury that still had plenty of problems from its last adventure.
Getting the car back on the road was only the beginning. Before reaching Arizona, the pair would deal with engine trouble, overheating, shaking, and a strong gasoline smell that refused to go away.
Even after making it to Tucson Dragway, the Cougar wasn’t ready to race. What followed was a frustrating battle with the fuel system, repeated rain delays, and a drag race that didn’t quite go as planned.
Four Days Left
The Junkyard Digs video begins with the crew trying to fix the Cougar’s troublesome engine. After finding that several hydraulic lifters weren’t working properly, they eventually replaced the entire set.
With the engine running better, they turned their attention to the rear suspension. They installed new traction bars, adjustable shocks, and extra bracing to help control the severe wheel hop the car had shown during earlier runs.
They also moved the driver’s seat back, repaired a mirror, and installed a tachometer. The Cougar still had loose steering and several broken dashboard gauges, but it was finally ready to leave Iowa.
Highway Headaches
The first problems appeared before the crew had traveled very far. A loose hose clamp caused a coolant leak in Missouri, while a faulty throttle return spring left the engine idling too high.
Farther south, a strong vibration led to an unplanned stop at a driveshaft shop in Tulsa, Oklahoma. Workers balanced the driveshaft, which helped, but the Cougar continued shaking at certain speeds.
Then the engine temperature began climbing. A roadside inspection revealed dirty coolant that looked more like mud than anything meant to cool an engine. Kevin and Angus spent roughly half an hour flushing the system with a garden hose.
Although the cooling issue improved, gasoline fumes continued entering the cabin. The crew checked the fuel system several times but found no clear leak. Moving equipment away from the fuel tank appeared to reduce the smell.
Despite those problems, the Cougar reached Tucson under its own power. Kevin even calculated an impressive 21.6 mpg during one stretch of the trip.
Running On Empty
At Tucson Dragway, another problem threatened to end the adventure. Under hard acceleration, the Cougar kept running out of fuel before reaching the end of a gear.
The crew changed the fuel pump and filter, then tried an electric pump when the trouble continued. Neither approach fully solved the issue.
After a disappointing first attempt down the drag strip, they removed the fuel tank sender and found dirt and debris blocking the pickup. Cleaning it helped restore fuel flow.
Their next pass was against Dalton from Pole Barn Garage. Kevin struggled for traction at the starting line, while Dalton pulled ahead and won by about a car length.
The Cougar finally completed a full run in 14.7 seconds, but further attempts brought more trouble. Kevin suspected valve float at high RPM, though he couldn’t confirm the cause at the track.
One Last Ride
Rain repeatedly stopped racing throughout the weekend. When another storm approached, Kevin decided there was little reason to keep pushing the car.
Dalton eventually ran a 13.9-second pass, beating the Cougar’s best result.
Rather than drive the Mercury all the way home, Kevin loaded it onto a trailer behind a 1997 Ford F-350 Power Stroke the crew had purchased during the trip.
After thousands of miles, several fuel-system repairs, and only one successful full racing pass, the Cougar headed back to Iowa behind a truck instead of under its own power.