If your steering feels loose and vague on your classic Cougar (or Mustang, or other old Ford / Lincoln / Mercury), you need to watch this video. There seems to be some confusion over a statement Don Whitnell (DW) makes at around the 15:10 mark. He says "Most people put these in wrong". DW is referring to putting the shaft together incorrectly, not putting the clips in wrong. The upper and lower shafts can fit two ways, but only works correctly installed one way. You should always mark the two pieces before you separate them so that they go back together the same way.

During our annual open house event, we invited several Cougar owners to put their car on the lift and let us wiggle things around to diagnose loose steering. Some unrestored cars needed attention in several areas, whereas others were suffering from one or two factors that were overlooked during restoration.
Armed with the knowledge you'll gain from this video, there's no reason your steering can't be made tighter and more precise. All the applicable parts mentioned in this video can be found on our website in these two categories:
Steering parts: http://www2.cougarpartscatalog.com/st...
Suspension parts: http://www2.cougarpartscatalog.com/su...