Regarding rear turn signals: Everything works correctly, but the signals work real slow. It takes about twice as long to go through the sequence as it should. If I leave the signals on for a while, it will get a little faster, but still not as fast as it should be. Any suggestions on what I should look at first?

I covered a lot of what you need to know in my article, "Once Around The Cat" in the fall 2000 ATSOTC. Anyway, a common culprit for slow '69 turn signals, as I said in the article, is a loose alternator belt and resulting low voltage. If you don't have 13.8 volts at idle, that is your problem. Next, be sure the ground connection in the trunk, next to fuel filler neck, is tight and clean. Then, turn the sequencer (under dash, above the wiper switch) upright in the clip! Next, be sure the bulb grounds are good-shine the tail light holes and be sure the snap-in bulb holders are tight. Good luck! You'll likely find your "lazy turn signals" problem after all this, if they work at all!

My 1969 Cougar convertible has a 351W engine. I have 351 fender emblems. First, did a '69 with a 351W have fender emblems? Second, if it did, where is the correct placement on the fenders for the emblems? I have tried other sources to no avail.Mike Harnett, #7522

Sorry, but no 351 emblems were used on Cougars. These common reproductions are for Torinos and some Montegosmaybe even others. Only 390-equipped Cougars sported fender emblems in '69. Cannot precisely say where they go, but a new "Body Assembly" manual is expected out soon, so you might want to check that. It should include a diagram for emblem placement for the 390, which could apply to 351 emblems. If you are customizing, you might get the hood stripe decal (available from Cougar parts vendors) with the cat head and reversed-out "351" at the nose of the hood. It looks cool (to me, anyway).

I just purchased a '68 Cougar, 302 with power steering. The steering seems to have too much play. A friend is helping me with this, and we're guessing it could be the power steering control valve. When the steering wheel is turned, the ball stud in the control valve is activiated immediately, but moves about 1/16 to 3/32 of an inch before it begins turning the wheels. I do not know if this is normal or not. The steering wheel is acually moving about 3 inches off center before the wheels turn. If the ball stud is moving too much before it acuates the wheels, is there a way to tighten it, or will I need to replace the entire control valve? If this is not the problem, where would you suggest I look?

Your power steering valve needs a rebuild. A kit is available from any of the vendors, Cougar or Mustang. The faulty valve creates the effect of a wide dead spot in the wheelI had this myself on my '69. Be sure the steering box itself is not loose, and check that the cylinder is very tight (even welded) to the frame rail. If the car has a load of miles (let's say 135,000 miles or so), then steering box play may be a contributing factor. Take up the play as you would with any box by loosening the adjusting lock nut, then turning the screw insert in to just seat it, then re-tighten the lock nut. These boxes wear out more quickly than you think, so you might need a rebuild there too. Again, the vendors can supply you with a rebuilt unit, if that's what you need.