This product has received the 'Crappy Product' certificate.
Items that receive the 'Crappy Product' certificate are products that we carry for comparison purposes as they are often the version offered by other vendors or because it is the only version available. We would not be willing to use these parts on our own cars, and we do not recommend purchasing these parts.
WE ARE NOT ABLE TO ACCEPT RETURNS FOR THESE PARTS.
Product Condition Grades
Below is a general description of what the criteria is for our product condition grades. These are generalizations that are intended to give you an idea of the condition of the product at a quick glance. Because different parts degrade at different rates, there are variances in what the letters represent, please see the products description for details about the condition of any particular product.
A = Excellent / Above Average
B = Average / Some flaws / Good to Excellent Driver Quality
C = Obvious flaws / Poor to Average Driver Quality
D, E, F = Worse, Worser, Worsest
New old stock tilt / tilt away steering column lock relay for the Mercury Cougar or Ford Mustang. Keep in mind we have a reproduction substitution for this part. This unit can be identified with the bend in the bracket compared to the 1967 relay which is straight.
Ford part # C8ZA-3E553-A.
There is an active thread on the
Classic Cougar Community Forum discussing tilt columns and trouble shooting.
*NOTE* For tilt column service, you can contact Tony Augustine at 6t8cougarguy@gmail.com. Tony is a trusted colleague of WCCC and we've sent many customers his way since our column specialist retired last year.
Helpful tip:
For those having trouble getting their tilt away mechanism to activate, here's a tip that might eliminate one possibility. The vacuum motor relay. First off in order to test it it's simple. The prongs are numbered 1 thru 4. Using an ohm meter check continuity between prongs 1 and 4 then check to 2 and 3. The prongs may have some corrosion that need cleaning but if you can't get continuity between those points then the relay is not functioning properly. There are six pinch points that hold the plastic cap of the relay in the metal box it's contained in. You can remove the relay from its box and view the internal which includes a coil which connects 2 and 3 and a copper tab that makes contact with ground and the case in prongs 1 and 4. The contact points after 50 years will have corrosion that you can clean off. I use a flat razor blade to clean what looks like contact points on an ignition distributor. Delicately clean the other parts without damaging anything. There's a reasonable chance it will start working again. If after this you still don't have continuity then check with WCCC for the aftermarket replacement. Hope this helps!