Hi, I just took my new 1973 Maverick Grabber into a restoration shop to find out what needs to be done on it. I want to keep it original, but I want a safe car to drive around town in. I'm not equipped to do my own restoration, so I know I'll have to pay someone to do it, but I got sticker shock from the list of what the restorer says I need. He typically works on '50's Chevys and Mustangs -- not Mavericks. Radiator needs "rodding out" $350 (It has a slow leak, but I can buy a new radiator for half that). Needs complete front-end rebuilding $2500 (I know ball joints and bushings are worn, but does everything need replacing?). Needs front and rear brakes $300 Needs front and real wheel cylinders $500 (This car didn't come with power brakes. Does it need brake cylinders?) Has no heater or control valve (I can buy a NOS control valve from Auto-Krafters for $40, and a heater core for another $40. This doesn't look too hard to do myself.) A/C needs freon and fan. Engine needs compression test $150 (It has a rough idle, but runs OK. A friend who checked the car out with me when I bought it, tested it to make sure no cylinders were missing. He says they're all firing.) Power Steering pump is leaking $250 Front seal in trans leaking (no price given) Needs two rear tires $200 (Seller replaced front tires right before I bought car. Rear tires could last a few thousand miles more. I don't plan to drive very far, just locally.) This all adds up to over $4000. I just paid $3000 for the car. Exterior is very good, but has a few small dents and dings, a little rust near the hood, and could use new paint, stripes, and decals. I figure that could cost $2500 to $3000. Interior is excellent except for cracks in the dash pad, and driver's seat. So what do I do? :confused: Which of the above list is needed immediately, and which can I wait on, and which can I not do at all? Is there anything I can do myself, without heavy lifting, or crawling under the car? Can I buy the parts from J C Whitney, or Auto-Krafters, and find a local guy to install them, and how much do I offer him? I thought I got such a great deal on this car, and now my bubble has broken. I don't have another $4K to put into this car at this time. Roz
first thing i would do is get some quotes from some other places like midas for the brakes, and pep boys for the shocks & power steering pump. the radiator is about $150, maybe a little more, and is held in by 4 bolts after you remove the shroud and hoses. ask around and plenty of people would do it for cheaper or point you in the right direction. you can buy 2 tires at pep boys with a 40,000 mile warranty for about $100 installed. engine compression test can be done by removing spark plugs one at a time and screwing in a $20 gauge. good luck.
Repair all you can, yourself. Farm out the rest or find a friend that can help you with the difficult stuff. Both ways the $$$$'s add up quick. Good luck.
roz., just run it by the house one day and me, chris, earl, m.a.v. and kelly will take a look at it.... . the prices you quoted do look a lot higher than they should be. if you take your time you can get these things repaired with a little work and money. they are not as complicated as they sound....good luck...frank...
Thanks for the good advice. I'll look into buying a compression guage. The closest Pep Boys is 15 miles away, but i'll check it out. Roz
Is the $2500 for a front end rebuild or a Mustang II replacement? I was just thumbing through my latest copy of STREET RODDER. Total Cost Involved out of Ontario California is advertising their Mustang II IFS kits for $1750 and air bags for $212 extra. $2500 sounds like a $1400 dealer cost IFS kit and $1100 for installation. Some of the guys on this board have done the front end re-builds with the parts advertised on the back of Car Craft and Hot Rod. I thought the kits were about $300 and took about a day to install. Anyone recently done this that can comment? Cleaver
Gee .... with those prices ..... did they happen to quote you a new muffler belt price and tell you all the Gromenzol valves are leaking air and need replacement? Seriously, get a set of the Factory Ford shop manuals and a friend to help with the basic stuff and get 2nd opinions and prices (or 3rds and 4ths) on some of the bigger items like the ball joints. Stay away from a "restoration specialist" shop and stick to reputable auto service shops. Just my
Holy Crap ... you live in Hollywood or something? Where did you get those prices? There is a guy on eBay selling the entire Front End Rebuild kits for $260 ... I'm gonna get one myself one of these days to do the 74 .... Can easily be done it a weekend in your driveway. For $350 you can get a new Radiator! $500 for wheel cylinders + another $300 for brakes? That is another easy driveway project for $150 ... None of this stuff has anything to do with restoration really ... it's maintenance ... Got to a local midas or meineke or whatever you got on the Left coast .. that restoration shop is ripping you off ... IMHO ...
i bet the 2500 price tag for the front end WAS NOT for a brand new suspension...i would be willing to bet it was for removing and replacing the existing parts and ONLY replacing with OEM parts.... you can pay anyone to do all that stuff...but in all actuality you can do everything you mentioned yourself and a buddy. there is no reason for anyone to quote that much money to get that stuff done...well one reason (shops are rip-offs and scam centers) do the work yourself.... get the repair manuals......and follow the directions....heck i bet you can find someone on here that is close enough to you to help out....if anyone is in or around tucson arizona i am always willing to show people how to work on cars or help out if needed..... good luck and DONT pay that much money to do the work...you can save youself all the labor costs if you do it yourself.. (labor these days $60 or more per hour)
Man, I'm speachless. They are seriously trying to rip you off. My wheel cylinders costed $9 a piece. You have to remove 3 springs, 2 bolts and the brake line to replace them. Brake shoes cost around $28 for all 4 wheels and you can replace them at the same time your doing your wheel cylinders.
Hell buy me a plane ticket out there. Buy the tools I need to fix it while I am there and I bet you would still end up less than 4k BTW I am an ASE master Tech. Sounds like that restoration shop priced you high so they didn't have to fix a "maverick"
I'd venture to say the guy(s) didn't want to work on it and priced it so high they were hoping you'd go elsewhere. These guys have given good advice (as usual). The cost should be no where near that - and as they said, a lot of it you can do yourself (even if you have to buy Harbor Freight tools). All is not lost.
Most of those prices are a rip-off and the shop probably isn't really interested in doing the work, so they've quoted you extra high on everything. Shop around. If you lived here, I would help you...
Here's a break-down: You can get a new radiator for $180-$200. Can probably be done for around $1000--shop around Sounds about right. Wheel cylinders are part of a brake-job (if they are old or leaking) and cost only $15.00 each. How in the world can they tack-on an extra $500 to a $300 brake-job?!! The NOS valve is a good idea. New heater cores are only $25.00 for these cars, but you should be advised that A/C-equipped Mavericks & Comets are a royal pain in the @$$ to replace a heater core on. It's quite easy on non-A/C cars. R-12 freon is quite expensive these days, and if your A/C system has a leak, it can add to the expense of recharging it. You can get a new blower motor cheaply from the junk-yard (if you can find one). It works for both the heater and the A/C. Yes, you can do that yourself. Again, the junk-yard has them for $25-$50. Any '70s Ford or Mercury power steering pump will work, as long as you use the correct pully. Ask a transmission shop. The entire thing may need to be rebuilt but not necessarily. Tires are only $50 each. You could get all 4 for $200 (or even less if you go with the original size). Walmart has the best prices I've ever seen on tires...
I second the sentiments, you are getting screwed with those quotes. Check with Craig Selvey, he usually has several Chiltons repair manuals specific to these cars that he sells. Take that and the advice previously given. They are correct, this is maintenance, not restoration. Those prices are ridiculous. I had mine painted, rebuilt the tranny, motor-several mods, added new tires, exhaust, suspension, had the interior redone for less than $10K. Ask if you need assistance. Seth
