How to restore my Mav.

Hi,

I'm new here, but have had my '70 Maverick (200 CI) for about 13 years now.

I have plans to restore it / fix it up, but am not sure of how I should approach it.

I purchased the car from its original owner who bought it back in May of '69.

I'm not sure if I should restore it to its original glory being that it is an early Maverick, or if I should go ahead and fix it up with a larger engine, disk brakes, etc...

I'm itching to throw all the "good stuff" on it, but would hate to destroy something that may be much more respected in stock form as an early Maverick.

Thanks in advance for any input.

 

hi 70 maverick,welcome to the board.any question you may have,someone will have an answere for it!you couldn't ask for a better group of people.if you indeed have a 69.5 maverick,keep it original!!!!there's not alot of these out there anymore...and it sounds like you have a decent one.i had one and miss the hell out of it.i'll find another one someday.my personal opinion,i would find another one to modify,and keep that 69.5 all orig.but it's your car,you have to do what makes you happy.good luck in whatever direction you take with it.again welcome aboard,and post some pics!
chuck.

 

restore it original. i agree... then find a nice 70 mav and make an animal out of it! joining the maverick comet club is a good idea too! welcome aboard.

 

70Maverick; I, too, have a 69.5. I modified mine with a V8, disc brakes, all the goodies I could. It has a grabber hood, spoiler, etc. If you want an original, go for it. But, pls put on the disc brakes, and be safe. The little 9" drums are not the way to go. That being said, they are 5 lug, so the rear end would have to be changed to match. Quite a lot of decisions. Good luck, and let us know. And.......join the MCCI!!!

Earl

 

Hey, thanks all.

This looks like a great forum with great people. I'm a long-time member of another car forum which I have sadly watch degrade over the years due to the current demographic of owners. It's great to find a forum reminiscent of the earlier days of the other. Really looking forward to picking your collective brains (so to speak ).

Yes, looks like I have much to decide. One thing that I'm pretty well decided upon is to repaint it back to its stock (red/copper-ish)color as I haven't seen another of the same color (oddly enough).

I'll snap some pictures when I get a chance. I have to warn you though. It's definitely a work-not-quite-in-progress.

I'm currently working on another project (the '94 6-speed Legend in my sig). Once that's done, the Mav is next in line.

Thanks again for all your input, and I look forward to much more.

scrapper60: I'm in L.A., CA (well, kinda. )

Earl: Yeah, I haven't driven the Mav for most of the past 9 years (I lent it to a family member during those years), but I remember those brakes well.

 

I'll add anonther welcome. And then modify it. I also have a 69.5 and I don't think they are so unique, but I also don't know how many they made but I've had 2 counting the one I have now which is much like Earls, v-8, disc brakes, 5 lug, and more to come. What ever you do you'll have fun with it. Ps did anyone mention JOIN THE MCCI!!! You have some members in your area.

 

70Maverick, welcome to the board. Glad to see another 69.5' Maverick out there. As it has been recommended, definitely upgrade those brakes for safety reasons. As far as the rest, you mentioned you "are itching to put some of the good stuff on it". Sounds like you already know what you want, but I understand how you may want to keep it original.

One thing about the mods, you can always do a lot of mods, without doing to much irreversable damage. A lot stuff can always be put back to stock later depending how crazy you go with your mods.

Good luck, feel free to post a picture of your Maverick!

Later,

 

Okay, I guess I'll put my 2 cents worth in. I am a certified auto appraiser and some of you may already know that a lot of modified cars are now bringing much more than a car in stock form, of course it depends on the car too. You wouldn't want to modify highly sought after car that's already worth a lot of money. Unfortunately our Mavericks haven't gotten there yet but they are getting better all the time. A car tastefully modified with the right goodies such as the ones that have been mentioned along with a really nice paint job will in my opinion increase the value of your car. If you plan on keeping it then I would by all means make it like you want. It'll be much more attractive and get unbelievable attention every where you go.
Of course, any car is only worth as much as a person is willing to pay for it but the restomods have been coming increasingly popular the last few years. You'll have to follow your heart but from my experience on these cars, don't let the value keep you from doing something you'd like to do. Whatever you decide...enjoy it.

Ray

 

Hey, thanks for the continued input fellas.

I do have an idea of what I want, but I'm not sure of the specifics including "want" vs. "need".

Among things on my list of things that I've considered are:

1. Upgraded rear-end.
2. Upgraded (302 / 351) engine - Tranny upgrade maybe?
3. Somehow lowering the stance of the vehicle without sacrificing (preferably improving) suspension performance.
4. A/C retrofit (if possible).
5. Disk brakes
6. Wheel/tire upgrades.
7. Replace the shoulder seat belts (original owner cut them off )

I haven't quite decided on the interior; especially on the issue of bench vs. bucket (I also need a new headliner, carpet, and front seat repair/replacement). Other than that, I plan to keep the rest of the car cosmetically stock (maybe a grabber hood if I can get my hands on one )

As with my other projects, I tend to lean towards keeping true to the vehicle's aesthetics. I'm on my second Acura Legend project, and both are/will be completely reversible.

I'm in the infancy of my Maverick research. So as I go along, with your help, I will be able to solidify my plans for the Mav.

 

I say modify the hell out of it.

Make it the way Ford SHOULD HAVE made it in the FIRST place...

 

OK. Here are a few pics of her as she sits. Please excuse the rainbow-effect treatment . I swear she came from the factory multi-colored! Oh ok. Maybe not.

<img src="http://home.earthlink.net/~skybound/images/mav1.jpg" border="0">

<img src="http://home.earthlink.net/~skybound/images/mav2.jpg" border="0">

<img src="http://home.earthlink.net/~skybound/images/mav3.jpg" border="0">

 

70' mav. i don't see anything wrong with the paint that is on it now....frank...

 

To each his own I say, looks like you got a good solid car to work with...if it was me I'd drop a good 302 in it, mildly built to ward off all those pesky Japanese fruit flies out there and restore the car to its original condition.
Thats just my opinion and you need to do whats gonna make you happy.
BTW...Frank forgot to say he was color blind

 

I'm with razorsharp on this one ! My car is a 69.5 but it wouldn't be worth much without all the MODS! For those of you who don't know me heres a few pics of my old girl. A few things have changed sence those pics. The motor is still a 302 but its a 350 hp bullit now! The intake is a RPM the Carb is a 650 DP the tranny is a BW T-10 and a 9"with 350 gears and a full spool.

www.mustangsandmore.50megs.com/MembersPics/69maverick.html