Keeping your maverick/comet happy

Discussion in 'General Maverick/Comet' started by justin has a 74, Jan 11, 2010.

  1. sierra grabber

    sierra grabber Certifiable

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    Yeah was going to dial in my lifters this weekend and found brown infusion layer in my valve covers, so now im pulling my block and checking it for cracks...... i will admit i drove for about 15 years though with only having to do minor maintenance like brake changes. it wasnt until i started adding performance parts i really started having problems ( may be the mechanics fault though ;P )
     
  2. scooper77515

    scooper77515 No current projects.

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    Performance parts kill our cars.

    Mine ran fine for nearly 30 years, no problem. Then I got it, and as soon as I swapped the manifold and carb, just problem after problem, and replacing stuff every time I turn around.

    Then there is that old lady in the video that has like 600K miles on her comet and just keeps driving and carrying her .38 special, and no problems...
     
  3. Bryant

    Bryant forgot more than learned

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    when i started reading this i thought hmmm i dont have any real problems with my car then i rembered, its mostly new. i started out with just a shell that i tranfered stuff from a bad shell into and rebuilt everything as i went. so ya i know what its like to start at one end and work your way back to the other end. it sure was a great feeling when the car started up that first time.
     
  4. olerodder

    olerodder Member

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    CaptainComet,
    Thanks, we will see that the history continues.
    I understand what you are saying, just remember to keep the "goal" in mind all the time.
    I have restored more than a few cars and one, a 1968 Z28 Camaro (documented with Protec-O plate and matching numbers 302) and spent almost 4 years doing the job. About the thrid year I just lost interest in going out to the garage and doing anything...................so it sat for almost six months just collecting dust. I finally put a list together of what needed to be done in order of time and difficulty. I then started to work on just one item a weekend and wouldn't start any other part of the car that was..................a little easier. Anyway, it only took me 7 weekends to finish the car! Another time when I was putting a race motor together I started by replacing the head bolts with studs, then by the time I was finished I had replaced every nut/bolt in the motor with new......it didn't really need to be done, but once I got started it was hard to stop.......


    sierra grabber/scooper77515

    When building a performance motor, the most important thing is to start with the best foundation you can afford to put together. Putting high performance parts on a motor that is tired or overdue for a rebuild is a receipt for failure. IMHO
     
  5. scooper77515

    scooper77515 No current projects.

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    Yeah, it failed.

    Got a new motor now.
     
  6. simple man

    simple man Member

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    Be VERY careful taking those old hoses off! They seem to weld themselves on the nipples over time. I cut them with a razor knife and it really helps removal. I broke one of the nipples on my heater core once by trying to twist the hose off. My car has air and it is a b---h to replace the heater core. By the way,my car is usually happy,it`s me that`s sometimes not!:)
     
  7. justin has a 74

    justin has a 74 Maverick bandit official

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    I had to do that too.
     
  8. sierra grabber

    sierra grabber Certifiable

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    sadly enough i paid to have the block tanked, checked and done and the bottom end all machined, so it should have been fine. it may just be a gasket, but i did move to where it snows also and may not have had a high enough amount of glycol.... dont know for sure yet...
     
  9. justin has a 74

    justin has a 74 Maverick bandit official

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    cars somewhat happy now.
     
  10. bonham

    bonham Member

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    i love working on the mav. i have a mercury villager i put a water pump on it,their was nothing i loved about that(y)
     
  11. Retta Ranch

    Retta Ranch Member

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    My daughter asked "when is the Mav going to be doooonnnnneee?" complete with irritating whine. Her brothers starting laughing, and I just patted her on the top of the head, and said, never done, honey, just between stuff. :yup:
    We replaced the motor, she drove it about two days, and the transmission went out. I should have had it rebuilt while it was out.
    While its down, her brother replaced the heater blower that I couldn't get out, and I recovered the dash cap. She also got a new radiator from Champion Cooling w/fan when we replaced the motor. I learned how to wire a fan, too!
    Rhonda
     
  12. coutangman

    coutangman Member

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    Just finished an oil change on the Sprint Maverick and was letting it warm up, when coolant started shooting out of the front of the radiator. Seems like I have been in this situation before, hmmm!! This time I will NOT look into replacing the water pump or anything else. Don't want to open up any more cans of worms, LOL!!!!

    Gotta love these old cars. Otherwise, they will drive you insane!!

    Jim
     
  13. CometPrincess

    CometPrincess Member

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    I thought mine was happy, drove it 60miles up to work yesterday. Drove it around town. Decided to break down on me before the 60mile trip back home last night. At least it was in town and not on the interstate. Spent this morning searching for radiator hoses, go figure not one store within 2 hours of me has them in stock. Of course after I do the hoses something else will break... Gotta love it...
     
  14. Earl Branham

    Earl Branham Certified Old Fart

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    Old cars are like that! Mine has decided to leak oil and water all over the floor, so I am going to take it to the builder and let him take a look at it. Hope it is minor. But, if I can keep it happy for a long enough time, it is going all over this summer.
     
  15. CometPrincess

    CometPrincess Member

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    Gotta say though, the nice thing is that it's usually minor things. And I have a daily driver so I'm not stuck relying on the Comet. Just sucks having it sitting here at my shop an hour away from home right now. And I had to sit here for hours last night waiting on someone to be able to drive my other car up here and get me lol My daily driver, that car is always happy, I drive it 120 miles a day 7 days a week.
     

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