Hello, everyone, my name is Jeremy and I resurrected a 1974 Maverick with a 200. I have read a lot of helpful information on this forum, so thank you for that. I decided it would be a good idea to join since I know I will run into some headaches working on this car, finding parts, etc and it is best to learn from people who have gone through the same issues already. I am new to forums in general too, so I apologize in advance if I post something wrong! My wife inherited the car when her 92 year-old grandmother passed away. She did not drive for a few years while she was in failing health and it sat outdoors for three more before we could get it to Colorado. It was in pretty rough shape. I went through the tires, brakes, fuel system, charging system, rebuilt the carb, changed the fluids, did a tune-up and it fired right up. It runs pretty well too. The plan is to keep it stock for the near-term and then modify it as I have time to make it safer and a bit more turnkey so my wife can enjoy it too. Eventually, she wants me to teach our daughter to work on it and have it be her first car when she turns 16. I am excited to get started.
Welcome to the board. Looks like a pretty clean and solid survivor. Sounds like you went through the usual list of what a car this age would need. One consideration I would think about is front disc brakes if it doesn't already have them. 1974 may have had them as optional. Pretty sure they were standard 1976 up. Monarch and Granada discs are an easy swap, too. They put you on a more level playing field with modern cars.
Her grandmother took it to the grocery store and to church and that was about it. It is definitely a very solid car to work with since it is from the South and the A/C even still blows cold air. Of course, you need to turn it off to merge on the expressway but that's all part of the charm. It has a few things wrong with it but so do I and we are about the same age. You nailed it though...that is exactly what I am doing next. Now that it is running well to where I can teach my wife to drive it occasionally without being worried about starting it (she has never driven a car older than a 1997...her loss). I am going to upgrade the brakes and fix the seat belts (the belts look new, so I am assuming they were never used and just rusted in place) so we can take our daughter around on weekends without worrying about her safety and/or going to jail.
Welcome from Portland, OR. Good job getting that thing running again. This is my first "old" car since the days of owning a 60s/70s when they were only 15 years old. They are more of a challenge than I remember them to be....lol. I suppose age is harsh on man and machine alike. Welcome aboard!
