Looking to build out a 67 BME TA Cougar Replica.

[PrettyMuchAShelbyGuy]

@427Heaven... Yes... Thank you...  I thought so too on the price of the car..  Not so much.  I've been looking for 2 years now...  Lotta Cougar 'junk' (literally) out there..

[SFM5S000]

You mentioned you like to "do it right".

Is that a political statement?

Even so, kinda' pricey to do these days and open to interpretation?

Earl, that tach must be noisy with that cable drive, no?

Doug, naaa you can't hear it because the whine from the Jerico is louder. It even drowns out the SW 240A.

I know he knew how to spell "W" ....dub-b-ya

In just two days from now, tomorrow will be yesterday. He will soon have an out-of-money experience.

Cheers
~Earl J

[PrettyMuchAShelbyGuy]

@Earl j...  Thank you for all the pic's.  Had forgotten about the cable drive tach's.  Think I know who may have one locally.  I'll ask...  Want the Minilites (or Minilite look), but still undecided.. May come down to what lands in my lap at the right time size & $-wise.  My dad used to call them all "upside down gold-mines".. He was in the industry, but never got the enjoyment.

As for doing it right... I want to try.. Some stuff is just sky high, and not right to do when/if a real car may need that part..  I have to consider since it will be street driven a fair amount (I have to have AC in Texas), I'd like to have some level of drivability (Would love another 715 CP carb, but at 1,200+?) may have to try the FiTech or similar route.  Aluminum heads vs. cast just for weight & drivability.  Headers?  Gut says go E-Z w/TriY, but am open...So maybe doing it right in this case leaves a little "wiggle room" for comfort.  @ 60, that's worth something to me.  The cars were apparently in a number of different configs over the years, so some poetic license to be taken perhaps... 

Let me ask the group...  Is there any definitive book/publication on the BME Cougars?  I've read everything on Shelby over the years...  Haven't seen much at all on the TA Cougars

[shelbydoug]

The coolness factor is thru the roof, the only saving grace is the initial cost of the car. 

Yea, my sons keep staring at me wondering why I think I'm so cool and I'm the only one who knows why? Others here likely suffer or will suffer the same fate? 

[honker]

Hmmm, is that not the "Webster Turns" at Sebring?

That is the only race that; 3 BME Cougars raced at the same time, the Cougars ran Magstar wheels and that Gurney's Cougar was configured like that.

Here are a couple of pics from the fantastic book "Trans-Am, the Pony Car Wars 1966-1972" by Dave Friedman.

Looks like Dick Thompson's number 11 Shelby Mustang is in the same corner.

- Phillip

[SFM5S000]

" Let me ask the group...  Is there any definitive book/publication on the BME Cougars?  I've read everything on Shelby over the years...  Haven't seen much at all on the TA Cougars"

You should try to reach out and contact Rich Rodeck, he would be the guru on the BME Cougars these days. He's here in the SF Bay Area, Ca.

Cheers,
~Earl J

[shelbydoug]

You mentioned you like to "do it right".

Is that a political statement?

Even so, kinda' pricey to do these days and open to interpretation?

Earl, that tach must be noisy with that cable drive, no?

Doug, naaa you can't hear it because the whine from the Jerico is louder. It even drowns out the SW 240A.

I know he knew how to spell "W" ....dub-b-ya

In just two days from now, tomorrow will be yesterday. He will soon have an out-of-money experience.

Cheers
~Earl J

Is THAT what he was sayin'? Dam chewin' tobacco!

[gt350hr]

@Earl j...  Thank you for all the pic's.  Had forgotten about the cable drive tach's.  Think I know who may have one locally.  I'll ask...  Want the Minilites (or Minilite look), but still undecided.. May come down to what lands in my lap at the right time size & $-wise.  My dad used to call them all "upside down gold-mines".. He was in the industry, but never got the enjoyment.

As for doing it right... I want to try.. Some stuff is just sky high, and not right to do when/if a real car may need that part..  I have to consider since it will be street driven a fair amount (I have to have AC in Texas), I'd like to have some level of drivability (Would love another 715 CP carb, but at 1,200+?) may have to try the FiTech or similar route.  Aluminum heads vs. cast just for weight & drivability.  Headers?  Gut says go E-Z w/TriY, but am open...So maybe doing it right in this case leaves a little "wiggle room" for comfort.  @ 60, that's worth something to me.  The cars were apparently in a number of different configs over the years, so some poetic license to be taken perhaps... 

Let me ask the group...  Is there any definitive book/publication on the BME Cougars?  I've read everything on Shelby over the years...  Haven't seen much at all on the TA Cougars

    The carburetors used "initially" were BJ-BK 600 cfm carbs. "390's" were never used nor were C6OF-AA,ABs .There are period photos of the Titus car with these in "stock" form. Later in the year pictures show the switch to "mechanical secondaries" but still a single accelerator discharge nozzle in the front. Later yet in the year , the mechanical secondary "center squirter" design was developed/ used. I have many of these "SK" carburetors in various CFM ratings.
     The distributors in Earl's photos were made by ACCEL , not Ford. The "correct" distributor was made by Ford/Autolite Division and has an "XF" number cast onto it. These were also used in ( and created for) the GT40. They are very rare these days . I have two that are NOT for sale as I still use them. The cable attachment is the same as the early Thunderbird/ FT series Ford trucks.  I have all of the BME engine build sheets for the Cougar engines.

[shelbydoug]

@Earl j...  Thank you for all the pic's.  Had forgotten about the cable drive tach's.  Think I know who may have one locally.  I'll ask...  Want the Minilites (or Minilite look), but still undecided.. May come down to what lands in my lap at the right time size & $-wise.  My dad used to call them all "upside down gold-mines".. He was in the industry, but never got the enjoyment.

As for doing it right... I want to try.. Some stuff is just sky high, and not right to do when/if a real car may need that part..  I have to consider since it will be street driven a fair amount (I have to have AC in Texas), I'd like to have some level of drivability (Would love another 715 CP carb, but at 1,200+?) may have to try the FiTech or similar route.  Aluminum heads vs. cast just for weight & drivability.  Headers?  Gut says go E-Z w/TriY, but am open...So maybe doing it right in this case leaves a little "wiggle room" for comfort.  @ 60, that's worth something to me.  The cars were apparently in a number of different configs over the years, so some poetic license to be taken perhaps... 

Let me ask the group...  Is there any definitive book/publication on the BME Cougars?  I've read everything on Shelby over the years...  Haven't seen much at all on the TA Cougars

    The carburetors used "initially" were BJ-BK 600 cfm carbs. "390's" were never used nor were C6OF-AA,ABs .There are period photos of the Titus car with these in "stock" form. Later in the year pictures show the switch to "mechanical secondaries" but still a single accelerator discharge nozzle in the front. Later yet in the year , the mechanical secondary "center squirter" design was developed/ used. I have many of these "SK" carburetors in various CFM ratings.
     The distributors in Earl's photos were made by ACCEL , not Ford. The "correct" distributor was made by Ford/Autolite Division and has an "XF" number cast onto it. These were also used in ( and created for) the GT40. They are very rare these days . I have two that are NOT for sale as I still use them. The cable attachment is the same as the early Thunderbird/ FT series Ford trucks.  I have all of the BME engine build sheets for the Cougar engines.

Was the XF distributor commonly used by the Shelby and BME cars?

[gt350hr]

  Doug ,
     There are pictures of the Titus car with one and the John McComb '67 had/has one. The '67 SAI T/A coupe a friend bought from the original owner , did not have one. There are pictures of the BME Cougar engines without them. The engine build sheets I have do not specify the distributor used.

[SFM5S000]

Randy is correct, those tach drive distributors are made by ACCEL I believe 37201T's or 39201T's. Funny one of them has a FoMoCo stamp on the body. Anyway I was originally referring to the JONES tach.
The XF tach drives Randy refers to I've seen only once, and have never seen one available ever.
If not for the ACCEL's I have, I'd try an find a more modern Ford Motorsport M-12127-A304 with tach drive which I believe were made by MSD who so happened to had one as well.
The only source for the Ford Motorsport piece was Nelson Specialties last time I looked. Make sure you're sitting down when you hear the price they quote you.

Cheers,
~Earl J

[Bob Gaines]

I have a used tach drive Accel marked 30201T for a small block and a NOS tach drive distributor for a FE marked 37200T. I bought them years ago for a open track project that came and went. PM if interested. 

[shelbydoug]

So the GT40's would all use a mechanical tach? Interesting piece. Thanks for the info gentlemen.

Bob does/did your T/A car have one?

[gt350hr]

   Earl ,
      I'll show you one in July! Maybe even the offset T/A 302 version. BTW Nelson retired according to Jay Cushman , who bought out the Ford inventory. The Motorsport 304 dist is almost as scarce as the original XF dist.

[shelbydoug]

   Earl ,
      I'll show you one in July! Maybe even the offset T/A 302 version. BTW Nelson retired according to Jay Cushman , who bought out the Ford inventory. The Motorsport 304 dist is almost as scarce as the original XF dist.

You should start your own museum.