But Why is it Not a Mercury Decal?

But Why is it Not a Mercury Decal?

Posted on in Mercury Cougar

The Devil is in the Details

Since the posting of the engine bay photo of the Aruba Eliminator, there has been many questions about the air cleaner decal. Here is your Thursday afternoon automotive history lesson.

A "premium fuel" Mercury Division decal has never been documented on a production Cougar in 1970 .... so, as history has shown, Ford Motor Company used the Ford premium fuel decal in all of the high compression 351 Cleveland 4v and Boss 302 engines in the normal production assembly line. Every survivor air cleaner on an Eliminator 351 4v or a Boss 302 that has been located from the '70 builds used the Ford decal.

The Experts Weigh In

Well known individuals in the Mercury Cougar world have studied to ensure the accuracy of our statement. These include:

  • Dave Wyrwas, who leads the National Elminator Registry
  • John Baumann, of John's Classic Cougars
  • Kurt Lawrance, of KTL Restorations, otherwise known as #thecougarspecialist, following in the footsteps of his fater, the late Tom Lawrance.

The Numbers Don't Lie!

Let's go a step further shall we? Are you a Ford part number geek like we are? Then keep reading! If you like the fine details, you will easily know that a "C9" begging part number is represented by a 1969 part and a "D0" is the beginning of a 1970 part.

  • The part number for a '69 Windsor Eliminator decal is C9ZF-9600-H
  • The part number for a '70 Cleveland 4v high compression decal is D0AF-9C611-C
  • The part number for a /69 Windsor 4v decal is C9GF-9C611-B

Is there one out there? Who knows? Maybe a prototype or another one of Ford's hidden gems. To our intricate research, we have not seen that there was, but only time, and barns, will tell.

 

Photos by: NotStock Photography / courtesy of Goodguys Rod & Custom Association

Written by KTL Restorations