Hi! I'm Hunter, and I bought my first car about a year ago, and it just so happens to be a 4-door, 1976 Maverick in pretty good condition. Found it off of Craigslist in the Mason, Ohio area, had 65,000 miles on it, and ran like a charm. It's got a new carb, gas tank, tires, and I got misfired cylinder repaired. Oh, and just the other day I got the radiator replaced because I had no idea you need to check the fluid every once in a while. I actually didn't grow up with anyone to teach me about cars and such, so now living on my own in Chicagoland has proved just how little I know about cars in general. That being said, I'd love to hear tips on how to maintain it, and also I've noticed some rust showing up where the last guy put Bondo I think... So any tips on how to keep that from getting out of hand would be awesome too Nice to meet everyone! Hunter PS Sorry for the cheesy photo, my friend told me to pose and it's the only good photo of it that was readily accessible xD
Hey Hunter! Kinda crazy how similar a situation we are both in. Just picked up a beautiful 4 door 75 myself for super cheap and know very little about cars in general. I don't have a photo of me posing yet, but here are a couple pics. Wish mine was that sexy looking white instead of pea green though...
Welcome to the forum both of you from Chicago southland. Those are some pretty nice cars from those pics .
you want to check the oil every day for a week to start just to see if it leaks any or if it uses any. after the first week you can check it once a week or however often you think its needed. also you learned to check the water already if you get a clear overflow bottle youll be able to just glance at that and know if it needs any water. make sure to run the proper coolant in your car. check the transmission fluid with the car running in park on level ground. BE CAREFUL THESE CARS HAVE A HABIT OF JUMPING OUT OF PARK WHEN RUNNING so maybe get someone to hold the brake or atleast make sure your parking brake is on check your tire pressure once a week or so look at your front tires every time to walk past the car for uneven wear or bald spots or bubbles in the tread or sidewall. if you find uneven wear on your tires get your front end checked out you could just need an alignment make sure all of your lights are working once a month do a quick walk around with the lights on. otherwise have fun and cruise away if you hear a squeel coming from your cars front its time for new brakes and if you feel like something is dragging or grinding when you step the brake your car is over due for new brakes. if you have a les schwab tire center in your area theyll give your car a once over for free and if they find something that needs repaired youre under no obligation to have them repair it. if all of the maintenance is kept up your car could last you years and years without problems good luck and enjoy
Welcome to Maverick/Comet central. Looks like a good solid driver. The rust repair issues can quickly snowball on you so I would recommend picking the largest battles and working backwards from there. Course if you're not familiar with this type of stuff you could always practice the procedure on the smallest repairs first to get an idea of time and investment needed for the larger repairs too. Just be cautious about biting off more than you can chew at one time or your car will end up pulled apart and parked(which is never good for the mechanicals) like many others who had good intentions before life got in the way of completion times. If you want to keep driving the car.. pick weekend projects that can be completed. Rust repairs should be based on the investment and timeframe that you want them to last. As with about anything, longer lived always costs more time and money. If you are just putting some lipstick on to freshen the look/remove eyesores and don't plan on keeping the car for a much longer period of time(4-5 years or more)?.. just grind away and wire wheel/brush the bondo out and then dust/wipe with acetone or naptha followed up with some rust converter type coatings. You can also use a heavier zinc fortified cold galvanizing spray too. Either way you go make sure to over-apply so it runs down into/behind the holes and then dab/blott the excess runs off the exterior surfaces with a paper towel. The converters can be found in brush on for this very purpose. Then some tiger hair(long strand fiberglass reinforced filler) for the bigger holes(don't use cardboard backer to hold the putty in place because it holds water.. thick plastic sheeting works well for a backer) or heavy body filler for smaller repairs(never use lightweight fillers for holes.. only shallow filled finish work that it was designed for. Depending on how long and nice a job you want, use filler primer after that and don't oversand too smooth or the paint primer may not bite down as well(mechanical bonds are very important for adhesion/lifespan. Or just go straight to a sealer type primer and knock it smooth enough for paint. Color matches and blends are very tough on older paint jobs so it's usually best to paint full sections until you find a seam to stop at. Hope that helps steer you in the right direction. Congrats and good luck with it all. PS. harbor freight tools has cheap toss away consumables too.. sandpaper, putty spreaders, etc.
from Atlantic Canada! My first car at 14 was a 77 4dr Maverick. No better way to learn than hands-on!