Maverick has been sitting for ten years. What steps should I take?

Your "dream" may become a nightmare.

 

start with one that is already running...

 

here's the way i look at it. as long as its not going to be your primary transportation you will be fine.IF however it is, well, you are def in trouble.

hell i didn't know a damn thing when i pulled my first motor out at 16 and spread it all over the driveway. (aside from reading stuff in hot rod magazine). a few mos later i took a class on engine rebuilding and figured it out, that 351w lasted 10 very harsh years. ( i rebuilt it in class as my second motor. the 1st motor was a 300 six actually)

with the advent of the internet information will be much easier to get than when (most) of us were starting out. go for it. and good luck.

 

I would suggest you get a set of repair manuals for Mavericks...They come up on flea bay from time to time...They will help with specs and proceedures...Good info if your retention is poor...Take lots of pics and jot down notes...I have been doing this sort of thing since I was 10 yrs old and I allways take notes and pictures when doing a major project. These cars are simple...Very basic machines...The most elaborate component in your mav is the transmission and its just a fancy hydraulic pump. The rest is very basic...It wont be cheap but it is a good subject to gain mechanicle experience with...Have no fear, just...Have enough cash to do each project before you get into it ( Plus a cash cushion ) There are allways surprises with these old cars and some of em are not good. As for patience...Just remember not to get bent up over things you have no control over and you will be fine...Dont sweat the small stuff man. Ask questions and use the search function here...Most things have been discussed and or documented in some form here on this forum...Good luck man!!! And remember...This hobby is supposed to be fun soo...Have fun!!!

 

Excellent advice! Everyone on this forum seems extremely supportive, so I'm going to take a deep breath and tackle one thing at a time.

My car has 67,000 miles on it. It seems to be pretty solid. My first issue is to get some water out of the drivers side floorboard. The seller forgot to shut the door all the way, so I have two weeks worth of rain in the car. The seats are now covered in mold.

I'm going to dry everything out. Then I'm going to use a product called "Shockwave" to kill/remove mildew (Shockwave was used to destroy mold after hurricane Katrina hit).

Do you all think I need to pull the carpet and treat the floorboard with a paint or bed liner product? Or should I just dry the carpet and call it a day?

 

Realistically...Pull the carpet/hang it and let it dry. Otherwise, it will stay wet for a long time...The batting under it will anyways. Then the mold starts...At the very least peel it back and shop vac as much water as you can out of the carpet/batting and let it dry peeld back. Check your cowl with a half gallon of water too...Pour it in the grate between the hood and windshield, make sure its not pouring into the car.

 

Thanks Mavman72.

I'm going to do that cowl test first thing in the morning. That's a great idea.

I'm going to take your advice and peel back the carpet and shop vac around there. I will leave a fan running too. I wish I owned a dehumidifier, I'd throw that in there.

 

do you have a place to keep the car out of the weather?

 

I have a three car garage that sits empty (the bike is long gone). I even have tools.... and I know how to use at least a few of them. I once had a welder that I bought as a spontaneous purchase. It took me all of ten minutes to realize that I had wasted my money. I tend to get a little over ambitious at times.

 

looks like you're good to go...

 

Like previously stated check the cowl....... You stated there is rain in the car from the previous owner leaving it open...... Thats what I would say if I were trying to cover up a leaking cowl issue. pour water in the cowl and check to see if any is leaking in..... if it is thats a big pain.

Like others have also said I would repace all the hoses and plugs.....but I'd hold off on dropping or cleaning the tank. See what you have first. Take a gas can and run a hose from the gas can to the fuel pump and with all new hoses, plugs, distributor cap, wires, etc etc etc ( whatever it needs ) try to fire it up. You might replace the tank only to find that the motor has no compression or that it barely runs and the trans slips constantly and not want to continue.
Essentially don't spend a grand in nickle and dime stuff just to see if it runs to find out it doesn't and have a grand over what your original investment was.......

Ask me how I know these things lol.

 

Take your time....no skills and no money means you'll gain alot of experience! I know for me no one in my family was into cars really- but i can remember my father and mother out in the driveway when i was a kid rewiring the engine compartment of our 64 Galaxie (dad was an electrician) after there was a fire in the engine comp(got it for free because of that)-no real knowledge just 1 wire at a time--me I was poor & young so if it broke i had to fix it the guys at the local parts store were great & helpful actually knew something about cars and would offer advice i went to the library and would 'study all the books until i saved my pennies and bought the big hard cover Chiltons Manual for all makes 1964-1971 yould be surprised what you can learn from an old book although theres much more info now on the internet...just take your time and you'll learn what works and simple concepts or if nothing else youll learn from your mistakes... Good luck & you'll be fine.

 

Another option for starting the car without dropping the fuel tank and cleaning everything is to get one of those cheap plastic boat tanks and enough rubber fuel line to hook the tank to the fuel pump and run the car with the tank sitting well out of the way just in case the car backfires. Boat tanks don't spill as bad as a regular gas can when accidentally knocked over. Just make sure the rubber fuel line is kept away from all moving parts, sharp edges, and hot parts such an exhaust manifold to keep from having a fire ruin your day.

An added benefit of the extra fuel line is you can driveway test everything by sitting the tank on the hood after running the fuel line through your grill and strapping the tank down so it doesn't go sliding off on a break check.

A cheap video camera on a tripod that is focused tightly in on where you are working and in a place that won't be completely blocked will also help when you need to figure something out that you just were working with. Sometimes you just don't have the option of stopping to take a close up picture, but a rolling video camera might catch enough to help out.

I hope this helps,
-Scott H.

 

You guys are top notch! You were absolutely right.

I got the car home today and did the water down the cowl test. It is leaking for sure, somewhere above the fuse box. The surprising thing is, I don't believe that it has been leaking too long. I got under there with the tow truck driver and we both felt everything was solid. Oh well....my luck.

Since you all have pretty much told me that with my limited skills and my non-existant budget that this is a death sentence, I'm regretfully going to sell the car.

If anyone knows anybody that needs a Maverick project or parts car, shoot them my way. I have $700 tied up in the car and that's what I'm going to ask. The car has an Ohio title, but it is signed by the former owner as the buyer (he never titled it in his name and he is now deceased).

After I sell it, I'm going to add some more cash and buy another Mav. I hooked now!

 

With the cowl rusted out....and al the rust I see in the pictures, that is truly your best option.