Stephen Toumi, of Oakley, CA, never had a passion for "souping up" or restoring automobiles growing up. That was until 2003 when he was offered an Augusta Green, 1968 Mercury Cougar XR-7.

The previous owner had the Cougar cited by the local police to be towed if it were not removed from the residental streets. Stephen knew the owner through a mutual friend and contacted him after hearing the Cougar was to be towed. The owner just wanted to get rid of the cat.

Stephen took a trip to Santa Rosa where he negotiated a deal with the owner and paid for title and transfer at the local DMV and drove off as a happy, new owner of a Mercury Cougar XR-7.

After sitting for years out in the open, exposed to the elements, the Cougar had seen better days. The 302-4v engine still ran strong, after priming the carburator and topping off the transmission fluid. Most of the Cougar was still in stock condition, including the 8" [3.50] rear end and the tan interior, which was in dire need to be replaced.

The vinyl saddle colored top had long since been removed and the weather had turned the top an orangish rust which will require a lot of work in order to recondition the metal in order to prep it for painting and replacement [black vinyl].

Most of the restoration began in 2005 as Stephen torn the front end apart and rebuilt with a P-S-T Super Front End Kit, replacing the control arms, coil springs, shocks, tie rods and idler arm while replacing 35 year old bushing that had seen their better days.

In conjunction with the rebuild, he started soaking the spindles in lubricant, while disassembling the brake unit. "The early upgrades were all focused on making my Cougar safe. I still am amazed I drove this home from Santa Rosa in its original condition," said Stephen.

With the front end now completely rebuild, sporting new brakes, pads and lines, the rear was next on list including new leaf springs, insulators and new drum brakes and hardware. A few unexpected problems popped up, including replacing the rear axle brake line, due to some leaks and its age.

Along with the rebuild, Stephen spent countless hours cleaning, conditioning and repainting the wheel wells and the rear axle. After all these years, there was a considerable amount of road grime and gunk that had accumlated.

After 2 months of work, the Cougar was ready to roll for the first time. During the rear end work Stephen purchased a set of Hedman Hedders and Flowmaster Delta Force 50's and headed to the local muffler shop. "I was shocked when I was working on the rear end to find a metal hanger holding up the exhaust pipes, which had been fitted with Cherry Bombs by the previous owner."

Stephen admits there is still much work to accomplish, but feels like he has accomplished quite a bit of work that is not necessarily seen but is work that had to be done.

After moving to Concord, Stephen joined the Stray Cats in late 2004 and went all of 2005 without attending a meeting. "It's great to meet other Cougar owners who have a passion for their cars."

What's next? If it were up to his wife, the Cougar would be painted. "My wife jokes about it all the time, referring to the Cougar as my rust bucket, but I tell her all the time, money and work that has gone into my classic would have needed to be accomplished at some point," said Stephen. Currently the 302 block is being rebuilt by Bad Ass Racing up in Sonoma and will have an output of 350 HP. Until that time Stephen says, "I am cleaning the engine compartment and will be repainting it and replacing many of the componants, such as the vaccum lines, brake lines, master cylinder and power booster."

When asked about what car he would love to own, he made it very clear he was after an Eliminator. "When I got into Cougars, I was not sure what I wanted. But after researching them, I am in search of a 1970 Mercury Cougar Eliminator."