I just recently discovered Ford's Maverick for myself - frankly, I didn't know much about it before last month... I've been seriously thinking about getting myself a project car as soon as I move out of the city to Jersey or north of the city. The Maverick seems to fit the bill - plenty of them, fairly cheap, pretty easy to work on. So, I'm here to learn and get ideas... Any suggestions - well, I'm all ears. As far what year is best, most common swaps/mods/kits available.... Thanks in advance!
...:Handshake what are your skills that apply to automotive? this would help decide to what level of a project you should start with. will this be a street or strip car? what options will be "must have"? will this be in a shop/garage at your residents or have to farm out the work? Frank
Thanks, everyone! I've been looking at projects on here and on Pro-Touring.com... The Pro-Touring route is definitely the one I would take - strengthening the frame, building a modern suspension, having all the modern amenities. I was a huge Dodge Neon enthusiast back in the late 90's and early 2000's, I still am actually, even though I sold my car some years back. I'm currently looking for a Caliber SRT-4 as a daily driver and would like to start planning now for a project car as well, one that I would start within the next 2-3 years. One of the things I would like to get back to is Autocrossing, and a properly PT set up is what I would need. How much aftermarket support is there for the Maverick, are there any companies that specialize in it? The other project car candidates are the Buick Skylark ('68-'79) and Apollo, the '67-'73 Merc Cougar, the 1st gen Olds Omega, and the Pontiac Ventura II or the 1st gen Phoenix.
To be honest, I wasn't a Ford guy, not for many years. However, the person that originally got me INTO cars was a Mustang nut, he had a 95, all modded up. What really made me notice Fords, however was this thing that guys in Houston were doing... I was stationed in San Antonio at the time and would go down to Houston to hang out and race (legally of course, *ahem*). And I saw this Ford Escort ZX2 simply MURDER a Camaro. Turns out he had a 5.0 under the hood, and that it's almost a perfect transplant. Needless to say, I was a lot more aware of those cars after that. )))) But still, I was never a big Mustang fan over their last two generations, but when I started to read up on the Maverick, I liked it more and more... I think they would be a great beginner platform for my first muscle car/pro-touring build.
Unlike some people, I don't believe in being a "Ford guy", or a "Chevy Guy", or "Mopar guy" or anything else. I love cars from all the major manufacturers (I also hate cars from all the major manufacturers). I'll never understand why anyone limits their self like that. Same applies to music. I like more than just one style of music. Life's too short to limit yourself, or to make a religion out of car brands.
Amen, brother. I was raised on classical music, grew up with Sinatra, Elvis and classic rock, along with hip-hop and metal. Now I have a lot of electronica on my MP3 player ))) Variety is the spice of life, absolutely