Hey guys. Thought I'd officially introduce myself, and post a few pics. Last October, we bought this '74 Maverick Grabber (for my brother) from a guy I work with. 250 I6/C4. It ran fine while he had it, up until the last month. Which is why we got it for $300. Driving it home, for whatever the reason may be, it took about a minute to get up to 45mph. We got it home, replaced the fuel pump, adjusted the timing, and tried driving it. Same thing (actually, it was a little better) I went to try driving it again one day, and it died about 20ft from my house. We put it on the street alongside my house for about a year, and just let it sit. Near the end of summer, I decided to try and get it running again. I went to give the carb a tune-up, and accidently broke a little part of the carb, and just decided to get a knew one, since it would be near impossible to find that little piece to replace, and now I could have piece of mind about the carb not being the problem. Checked the plugs, had some deposits, but didn't look too bad. Checked the distributor cap, and it was still nearly new from when the guy we bought it from replaced it. Then, I went to adjust the timing, but messed up. (I seem to have a knack for that). I loosed the distributor without making any kind of marking or anything to show where it was to begin with. So, after most decidingly not doing a good job of fixing this engine up, I gave up and let my brother have his way. He wants to just take it to a shop and have them get it running. Anyways, on to my part of the story. See, I've got this '70 Mustang right now. Here's a pic: But I'm selling it. I'm planning on using the money from that, and some of what I have saved up, to take over and pay off our 2003 Kia Spectra (about $7000. 11,000 miles, 5 speed, warranty. Can't deny the advantages over the Mustang it has, being a full time college student with a full time job) Anyways, the thought came into my head the other night: Buy the Maverick. It's all original (and I really mean all. I'd say about 99% of the non-maitenance stuff on this car is original), and in decent shape. My brother doesn't really have the money to support it well, though he does at least have a job now. I was thinking of seeing if I could buy it from him, and have it be my project/occassional driver/fun car. I think he might accept it, since the money I'd pay him for it would allow him to buy a better (well, more reliable than a '74 Maverick that doesn't run) car. The problem with my Mustang is, it needs too much money for me. But the Maverick is a much better starting point. I like how much rarer it is to see on the street as compared to the Mustang, and it's style. And, unlike the Mustang, I can keep both the Kia and the Maverick at the same time. In fact, according to an online insurance calculator, my insurance would be cheaper with the Maverick and the Kia, than with the Kia alone. Also, since I'll still have the Kia, I can afford to have the Maverick be out of commission for periods of time. So yeah, I found this place, because I wanted to have a place to answer any questions we may have about the Maverick, whether I buy it from my brother or not. So...yeah. There's more pictures at my CarDomain site, or, there's a bunch of pictures of the Maverick, my Mustang, our '65 Mustang (now sold), and assorted others here
Hey, that's going to make a nice looking car. I think you're making a good decision to go with the Maverick. Oh yeah, I don't remember exactly what year they started putting catalytic converters on cars but it sounds like a good possibility that if your car does have one it might be clogged. If so, you can get an exhaust shop to check it or you can disconnect the exhaust at the manifold and take it for a short drive to see if it straightens up. Good luck with the car.
Welcome to the baord. Lots of great people here. Good choice on the Maverick over the Mustang. Mavericks & Comets are for people who want to be different. Good luck with it.....
My car is pre-cat (I think). Well, even if it did have a cat, it doesn't now. The guy we bought it from cut the exhaust off from the firewall area back, and ran it like that for a couple weeks (no emissions for pre-75 cars). He then had a friend weld up a new exhaust, with a glasspack. But they did a horrible job. It looks like they used JB Weld to hold it together, it zigs and zags under the car, and they even hung it from brake hangers in some places. I did try unbolting the exhaust from the manifold-back, but it didn't help. that was, however, somewhere in the midst of me goofing all that other stuff up, so I won't eliminate the possiblility.
That car looks very similiar to the 73 Maverick Grabber we just bought my brother.(well I bought it and sold it to him 3 days later). Looks like you got a good starting point. Yes having a maverick sets you apart from the normal. Happy mavericking............
