1974 Mexican Maverick Restoration

i learnt alot and now i will try to do all by myself exept paint. like that ill have it how i want it and i will learn alot more as i already have...

the bad about that guy is: he is one of the better shops in mexico...
he is just old and want it to do his way. i believe he is used that someone brings him an old car, he does it how he want it and gives back a great looking car.
but i dont really wanna know how it looks inside and what parts are used...
well it didnt work with me, i always wanted to know how and why and tell him how to do it...
now i do it myself

 

thats the problem with shops even in the us they want you to tell them how you want it to look when its done and come back a year later with a big fat check when its done.

they want little to no communication in between. they dont want to answer any questions theyre better than that. they know if you really start asking too many questions youre going to figure out theyre charging you WAY too much for the parts and doubling or tripling the hours of labor it will actually take

when you start asking why and how and start saying you want it like this they start putting your project to the side and want to charge you for the whole build even though they didnt do half of the original build

 

I am very lucky to live only 35 miles from the best Maverick restorer/painter and his equally talented wife - Dale & Jean Doll from Palmerton Pa. - I tell him what I want done but I trust him enough to let him go about it in his own way and everything comes out perfect

 

U can do that becuz he has a passion for these cars, passion for his work, knows them intimately and wants to satisfy his customers.
U lucked out!

 

And that don't happen often, Everett

 

as a shop owner, i can understand what the problem is here.
i try my best to include my customers as much as possible in the progress of the build. i take lots of pics and send them to the customer to show the progress. even some video when cool things like first start up happens.
i have 2 week settle up policy. we will communicate with the customer and settle up on the balance of the job. this keeps things from spiraling out of control.
so many jobs start out with just one little item then they say while your there can you do this this and this. sure i can but that does increase cost. a lot of people seem to think the extra stuff is just part of the original job cost.

as for shops charging way more for parts and more time than it actually takes, you need to understand what is going on. a few of them can be just thieves but most are businesses that have to operate. most parts supply houses will sell parts at just a slightly lower price than they sell across the retail counter but the list price provided to the shops is considerably higher. most shops will sell the parts at the provided list price. the theory is that the list price is what is what the cost is to the end purchaser but in reality that is not true.

as for labor, if its a standard repair, shops use the industry standard of flat rate time. their are guides that list the labor times for most of the possible jobs on a car. these times are based on the time it takes to do the job the second time (so familiarity with the job is already established) with basic hand tools.
now as a mechanic, i will have purchased lots of very expensive tools to be able to do the jobs faster than the flat rate time in most cases. also the shop it self will have spent lots of money on equipment like lifts, air compressors, benches, air lines and hose, wash tanks, and more to help facilitate the fast repair times.
also consider that a shop should be insured, have rent or a lease to pay, licensing fees to several different governmental agencies, electric and other bills. ive seen lots of under the table shops with cut rate prices try to do business but they never survive more than a year or two before disappearing.

while its easy to save lots of money by doing a job at home or at a friends house who has a few tool for some people it does not mean repair shops are just a scam. their are a few bad apples out there and there are a few people who mean well but get in over their heads and dont take responsibility for it.

in custom car building its very important to find the shop that you can establish a rapport with. i recommend meeting the owner. they should be very happy to meet with you and answer all questions.

as to the shops building it their way vs the way you want, chances are the shop has experience with why your way is not the best way.
i always ask my customers what are they using the car for what are their goals for the car then i can guide them and recommend the best way to achieve those goal with best results and least expense.

now mexico is a whole different world. they are still a bit wild west. this thread http://mmb.maverick.to/showthread.php?t=97458 says it all as to why mexico does cars different that America, Canada, and European countries.

 

so timo to do an update: ive been working the last two weeks aroung 10-20hours a week.
first dissasemble everything, check whats there, what has been done and what is missing.

the interior when it came home:



the front of the fenders where the lights come look pretty wrong, ill have to take them down to the metal to see what really is wrong and if its very bad i try to find others to replace.





i have to say im pretty disappointed of the work they have done at the shop, just missing the eye for the details, as they didnt clean down to metal before painting, not painting from underneath where you cant see it or just make things the bad way as the serpentine system with many washers and bad parts built (and that cost me alot too much for beeing like that...)

the front suspension, they didnt take the rubber pad thing away when painting...


it was pretty dirty:



the biggest points im on is getting the engine right, something with the mounts is still wrong. it is in with 3 degrees hanging to the right and only 1 degree to the back.
took all the parts around away, today ill take it out and go for new mounts. hopefully this will correct it.

the engine at the beginning:



the headers still hanging low:


the parts made for the serpentine system: (made in mexico by whoknows, probably a gardener...)


engine ready to take out:




and i took away all the paint and bondo on the rear, to see how bad it really is underneath...





]

and other things done and missing the detail i want:




the r&P steering gear is hitting itself so it cant turn completely to the left: to solve...


the new brakelines are a mess: to do new, with new master cylinder and prop valve for 4 wheel disc...


door hinges to clean and paint:



driver side mirror missing the adjuster with glass holder:

someone has a glassholder spare??? even without adjuster, just that i could put the mirror in and adjust by hand.

so this is how the car is at the moment.
lots of things going on and alot of pressure to finish it quick to bring it to paint that i can take it with me in summer...

 

wow, that's still a lot of work to do...

 

Damn! You have one hell of a headache!

Wish you had a cleaner car

Infact, there is a nice mav down the street from me very very very minimal rust.

 

thanks for the heads up guys...

 

By this time I am sure that you have come to the realization that the next "surprize" is really no surprize at all.

Just keep taking it one bite at a time - you'll get through the nightmare and be able to enjoy the reward.

 

thanks, nothing is a surprise anymore, just getting more and more disappointed of the bad work done...

ill give my very best to solve it and make it drive and enjoyable. hopefully it will pay out when its done.

 

yesterday we took the engine out to see whats the problem with the mounts.



and we found it!



it seems they changed one and one is old...
which one is the correct one?? the old one with uneven long ears?
someone has the part number to order new ones
or has some mustang the same? what year?

the frame mounts seem to have never been removed. are they correct like this?




the column inside looks ok, as well the pedals...


with the engine out i have to look closer at the brake and steering installation... the lines look horrible



the ishaft is very bad too, bad angles. ill build a new one.




attachment to the column: made in mexico


and the worst: the steering gear has a twoflat, but the ishaft was fineteeth.
it only held the rotational force with the screw. incredible!!


as well the brake lines are horrible...



i will do everything from master cylinder to the wheels new, as the prop valve should be vertical and not like this. you would never get all air out...

 

WOW! What a pile of work!! The upper V8 mounts can still be bought via www.rockauto.com, I'm pretty sure. They are DEA-brand and are part number A2316 (Maverick/Comet ONLY). The lower frame mounts look correct, alothough it appears the hole for the through-bolt looks a little elongated on one of them.

The brake booster looks like a GM (Chevy/GMC) hydro-boost unit common to their 3/4 ton and 1 ton trucks. Are you keeping that booster, or going to a vacuum diaphragm unit (smaller). That would also eliminate the use of two extra power steering hoses...and 4 potential leaks...

Good for you, taking the "Bull By The Horns". I'm sure once it's all done, you'll be much happier knowing it's done right!

 

thanks for the part number, thats what i was looking for.
ill try to find them here in mexico and if not ill order them from the states...

ive seen the hole on the frame mount as well, ill repair this, so i can go on.

the brake booster i got new in, as i went to hydraulic R&P steering i wanted one instead of a vacuum booster. just making nicer hoses and that should work.

i have the bull hard, but its a wild one. but for sure i want to have it done right, as i dont want to die driving a car i dont know how bad its made...
and to go through technical inspection in switzerland to be allowed on the road it has to be perfect...
so i better do it once right now as twice wrong afterwards...