hello all

[bensenvill]

well short and sweet, I got the eco bug a decade ago in college. I was very dedicated to a solar powered hydrofoil build (flying electric boat). Switched over to cars because its a hobby/topic you can discuss with other people.

so heres the car list:
99 mercury cougar (2.5l v6 auto). easily was getting 36mpg hwy with it and was topping out in the low 40s.
94 towncar (crushed by govmnt). suprisingly efficient on the hwy. 25 ave, best tank was 31
96 ford contour (same 2.5l v6 but stick and a fair amount of performance work, very sick race tranny). it was a stubborn car, should have been capable of some very impressive eco numbers but just never topped 30.
09 honda fit. have averaged 42mpg for the 6.5k I've had it.... could be alot higher but its there for DD.

anyways, I am someone who tinkers extensively with things. the cougar really is my car passion and something I've taken to the Nth degree. Weight particularly.... if its not required for safely or road legality, its NOT in the car (down to the individual wires, that was over 30 pounds right there).

case in point:

[cfg83]

bensenvill -

WELCOME to EM! I've always loved the last-gen Cougar from an aesthetic standpoint. Since it came in a 4-banger, I kept tabs on it and look it up in Autotrader now and then.

You said a v6 Auto for the Cougar, but your spartan picture shows a stick (right?!?!?). Did you transfer the Contour tranny into the Cougar?

CarloSW2

[bensenvill]

and reliability wise the 4-banger in the cougar is fantastic. we have a number of people that have well over 250k miles on that engine with nothing other than routine maintenance (I think one guy still has the factory clutch in his). Keep looking, the contours are all around that 1k mark and the cougars are getting close.

and sharp eye. the cougar still has the automatic in the car... its been heavily under construction the past 2 years and I wanted to work out all the electrical gremlins (front to back, the wiring is all my own construction) before I threw any new unknowns at the project. I have 2 trannys for that car and they will both have their own engines: the tranny from the contour will be more track oriented with an NA motor that should be close to 300hp (although there are some big unknowns with the cams I am trying to use), the other tranny will also have a LSD in it and a more street friendly clutch and a 200hp motor.

[mcrews]

BIG WELCOME!!!!

is BENSENVIL going to move to the head of the class??????

Yeah, those towncars were geared for gram and pops to coast down the road. I would have love to have seen what a few smootherd edges could have accomplished.

Since you seem to be a ford guy and an inline ford guy (as opposed to a small block/big block guy) My first love was a 66 mustang coupe w/ 200ci w/3 spd auto w 2.89 rear ration. Ran 3-2 -1 headers and then split out the rear into 2 GT tips. I used to get 27mpg on the road back in 1979.

Then I got a 79 mustang pace car w/ a 4 banger turbo (they should have installed an intercooler from the factory!!!!!

Welcome welcome welcom!!!

[bensenvill]

Towncar was gramps car (and if you smoothed the edges, you'd have a markVIII), contour was bought as a temporary DD and then to become a parts car for the cougar (other than body panels, they are identical cars).

I have no real preference to any type of car other than it needing to be outside of mainstream car culture.

and speaking of EV boats, heres the one I worked on (everything done in house by about 3 guys, running around 30mph in that photo)