I would like to get pinstriping painted on my black '67 Dan Gurney Special. Could you tell me the exact width, spacing, etc.?

For '67 and '68, the stripes are both 3/32-inch wide with 5/16-inch between them. They do not join together at the ends! They end abruptly about a half-inch from the front and rear edges of the fender extensions. There is a small gap (about a half-inch) at the door edges, and fender and quarter extension seams.

Hello. In one month, I will buy a 1969 Mercury Cougar convertible with the 390 engine. What is the length and the width of this car?

The wheelbase for the 1969 Cougar (both hardtop and convertible) is 111 inches, overall length is 193.8 inches and width is 74.2 inches. The convertible trunk has 8.9 cubic feet of space. The weight for an XR-7 convertible with the 390 engine and automatic transmission is 3,607 pounds; the standard convertible weighs 3,582 pounds.

I have a Cougar with power brakes and I hear a hissing sound when I apply the brakes. What could the problem be?

You could have a bad booster-most likely a ruptured vacuum diaphram inside the booster. The solution is to buy a rebuilt unit. Be sure you get the correct one, either Bendix or Midland. Either can work in your car, but the adapter for the mounting bolts must be saved if you switch.

I read your column that addressed common problems of the Cougar. I tried all of your ideas-tightening the alternator belt, checking bulbs and voltage-and I still have the same problem: All my signal lights operate fine, but my dashboard turn signal indicators just glow and do not blink. Can you think of any other repairs I can try?

Don't let this bother you. Most '68 Cougar dash turn signal indicators do not actually blink! They go bright and dim in rhythm with the signals in the back, but do not blink. On my car, they will blink when nothing else is on, but with headlights on or even the brake lights, they only change brightness.

If you study the operation of '68 turn signals, you find that relay K5, the turn signal indicator relay, near the accelerator pedal, has normally closed contacts, providing ground to the dash indicators. The +12 volts to the respective lamp comes from the turn signal switch, left or right.

The +12 volts to the sequential motor in the trunk flows from the turn signal switch through the K5 relay coil. Assume that the resistance of one lamp is 12 ohms. Thus, when the motor selects the first (inboard) lamp, 1 amp flows through the relay coil. When motor selects the second lamp, the front signal also lights, so the total resistance in the circuit of the three parallel lamps is now 4 ohms, meaning 3 amps flow through the relay coil. When the third (outboard) lamp lights, resistance drops to 3 ohms (four lamps) and 4 amps flow through the relay coil. This is enough to create the magnetic force to energize relay K5, which opens the ground contact for the dash indicator and momentarily turns it off. The motor then opens the circuit to all lamps, relay K5 de-energizes and re-establishes ground, and the dash indicator glows again.

Now, suppose we add additional resistance in the circuit, such as a corroded connection, which would come in series with the four parallel-wired lamps. This keeps the current from ever reaching 4 amps to open relay K5, which may partially open or not open at all. So, the dash indicator never goes completely out. The extra resistance can be anywhere in the circuit: the ignition switch, turn signal switch, relay K5 coil connectors, sequential motor contacts, emergency relay K10, main relays K8 (right turn) and K9 (left turn), the lamp grounds themselves and the ground in the trunk at the screw near the gas filler. That's a lot of wire and connectors to check!

To get the dash indicator to actually go out completely, you have to eliminate all resistance in the circuit except that of the bulb filaments themselves. Relay K5 is special, staying closed with the current for three lamps in parallel and opening as the current reaches four lamps. You might check the ground for the relay itself if the dash light is always dim. This is provided by the screw that mounts the relay to the bracket near the accelerator.

If the relay K5 ground itself is good (check the relay mounting screw!), then the dash light will be bright when the relay is closed. If you can access the dash lights with the cluster out, see if they are really bright. If they alternate between two states of dim, you might try replacing K5. The most likely place for extra resistance is the lamp socket ground in the trunk, itself. Shine these up and make sure the sockets are firmly seated in the holes. Clean those front signal sockets, too!

On my car, the right turn signal lamp switches on and off, most of the time, if the engine speed is up and alternator voltage is good. But the left lamp reacts as above, so I must have some added resistance there. I will check the front signal lamp socket first, because I have just done everything in the trunk, and I know it is right. By the way, all four lamps must be the same type. And I do not trust the Taiwan bulbs at discount tool stands!

Dick, I just purchased a big block '69 Eliminator, with a sunroof, for my wife. I know a lot about Cougars and I know about sunroofs, but I don't know a lot about Cougar sunroofs! Are documentation and parts available?

Assuming the car has the original Bosch sunroof installed by American Sunroof Co., then the first thing you need to know is that all the hardware is metric. In the Final Edition, 1975 parts book, the complete exploded view is on Page 12 of Section 500. American Sunroof (734-285-4911, www.ascglobal.com) still has most of the parts you might need. They have divisions nationwide and I have had the best luck with the Boston group. Mercury put out a training manual on the sunroof, and you can buy a photocopy from former CCOA president and parts vendors Randy Goodling (717-367-6700). Also, American Sunroof has a useful book, ASC 775-7, which they published in 1975. It covers all their installations, and is mostly correct for the earlier '68 and '69 models.

The most important thing I have found about Cougar sunroofs: The welding work is very sloppy, and the top will have lots of hot spot dimples. You probably will want to MIG weld the assembly to make it stronger. Use a padded vinyl roof, like Mercury did, when you put it back together. Be sure the water tubes go down the pillars and actually exit to the outside-otherwise, you're asking for rust! The power switch is a '68 Mark III power window switch. And last but not least: NEVER lean on the car with the panel out! You almost certainly will push the whole roof to one side and, maybe, crack the windshield.

I have a 1992 Cougar that I love. I want to make it a much nicer ride than it is now. I have tried to find wheels that will look good and have been told that my car has a unique tire size. Could you tell me what size wheels would fit and if I have to do any alterations to get custom wheels on my car?

From the shop manual for the 1992 Cougar and Thunderbird: The wheel size for standard (including the LX and the 25th Anniversary models) is 15 x 6.5 inches and uses a P215-70R15 tire. The XR-7 uses 16 x 7.0 inch wheels and P225-60R16-97V tires. For either, the bolt circle is 4.25 inches, and the offset (to clear the brake caliper) is 0.39 inches.

I'm having a devil of a time finding the right choke thermostat for my '68 XR-7 with a 302-4V engine. The choke thermostat housing has the fitting for the heat tube in the center of the cap. No one seems to have it and many folks aren't familiar with it. Meanwhile, the car is hard to start and the idle won't kick down-not fun. Can you advise?

The Autolite four-barrel carburetor for your 302 is C8ZF-C, for a standard transmission, and the choke housing is coded "EY." For an automatic, the carb is C8ZF-D and the choke housing is "EX." You're right: The choke furnace tube enters the housing in the center of the cap, not on the edge, as is common with other Ford carbs. You can, of course, change the complete choke mechanism to the other type, using either the piston type or the non-piston type-either will work. Then, you will have to fabricate a new furnace line.

I agree these are hard to find! But I wonder if everything else is right with the adjustments; you did not say if you are actually missing the housing. You have to have the choke operating lever secure in the thermostat spring loop when you install the housing, and this usually means you have to rotate the housing as you install it to reach the alignment index marks.

I am starting to restore my '69 Cougar convertible, 390-4V, C-6, 3:00 open rear. While removing the rear springs, I was able to see where the paint code stripes were. I am not able to tell what color they were. Can you help?

Leaf spring colors for '69 with the 390 engine are red, violet and orange for convertibles and red, violet and brown for hardtops (contributed by Bill Quay).