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Meet ‘Sunshine,’ Carl Nigro’s 1967 Standard

The Basics

  • Owner: Carl Nigro, Columbia, Md.
  • Mileage: 133,000
  • Engine: Bored 302-4V from a 1973 Maverick
  • Transmission: C4 automatic
  • Rear end: 9-inch
  • Body Color: Competition Orange, black hood scoop and spoilers
  • Interior Color: Black

Options

  • Factory AC

This Cat’s Tale

“I had an 1967 XR-7 Cougar when I was 18. It was red with a black vinyl roof — pretty stock, and it kept me busy with repairs. Being young and immature, I decided to sell it after a year and a half, leading me to my next project car (not a Cougar).

Fast forward to 2021. Nine months before I retired from my career as a biomedical technician, I decided I wanted an American muscle car as a retirement gift to myself. I found myself thinking about the different muscle cars I had and mainly about Cougars. I had a fascination with the Cougar when I owned it, and I decided I wanted to go back to a Cougar. I didn’t realize how expensive an XR-7 was and got sticker shock. That bummed me out!

I started looking at less expensive Cougars and was hoping for a turnkey car. It turned out what the phrase “turnkey” meant was wide open. After nine months of searching, my wife and I chose our present Cougar: “Sunshine,” as we call her, because she came from Boca Raton, Fla.

I wanted a Cougar that would offer me little projects, and I didn’t realize what I was getting myself into. Sunshine has given me what can be summed up as “blood, sweat, and tears.” In three years, I rebuilt my engine in my small garage after a pushrod bent and made endless improvements almost to the point of a restoration project. There are some things I have done to my Cougar that most people would not. For example, I have an engine bay in bright colors rather than bling (see photo).

Here’s a summary of what I’ve done (or had done) in the past three years since buying Sunshine:

  • New cylinder heads, pushrods, lifters, racing rockers
  • Rebuilt transmission — twice (I did not do this personally, but maybe I should have!)
  • Endless wiring (neatening up and replacing)
  • Replaced headlights
  • Fixed instrument cluster gauges
  • Replaced one vacuum canister
  • Replace PerTronix with new unit
  • Replaced carburetor power valve
  • New water pump
  • Removed nonfunctioning AC
  • Replaced power steering control valve and rag joint
  • Repaired Cougars Unlimited first-gen control box in trunk
  • Replace turn signal wiring harness
  • Replaced U joints
  • Installed battery in trunk
  • Installed Calvert Racing monoleaf springs
  • Installed comfortable car seats
  • New tie rods
  • Added high-performance sway bar
  • Subframe connectors
  • Power steering pump

I’m sure I’m missing some bits and pieces here, but you get the picture. I was trying to do the build economically and estimate I did three-quarters of the work myself. I am at the point where the to-do list involves upgrading the AC I removed, upgrading the taillight wiring and bulbs, and repainting. The car looks good but I want to take care of it, and that means a paint job probably next year.

At this point, I enjoy driving the car, and the attention and thumbs up I get when I take her out. Sunshine delivers many smiles per mile!”

Notes

Carl says his dream car is a truly turnkey 1967 XR-7. When he’s not tinkering with Sunshine, he enjoys home improvement, gardening, cooking, furniture restoration, and weight training. Carl was born in Boston and lived in southern New Hampshire for many years. He moved to Maryland 18 years ago.