Hey folks! After a long Minnesotan winter, my pet project is ready to finally get worked on! I was planning on converting my Mav from a 2bbl to a 4bbl, however for now I've decided to leave her as is and sink that money into fixing up some other things. With that said, I was hoping for advice on 1.) where to get quality parts for cheap-ish, and 2.) if the things I'm aiming to replace are good to start with. Here's the list of what I'm planning to replace here in the next week or so: - Battery Cables - Radiator - Hoses - Belts I figure that covers all the main things I can think of to start. She runs fine, but I'm planning a road trip soon and I want to take the Mav and be as mechanically sound as possible. Also, 2 more things: - Is there a way to get rid of substantial dents myself? I know a body shop would be the best way to get it done, but the ones out here charge an arm and a leg, so if I can do a halfway decent job myself then I'd love to try. - Out of the air filter cover, there's a rectangular hose that connects to a plastic piece (right by the battery). On my Mav, both of these are cracked pretty bad, but I can't find replacements online. Any suggestions? Are those even necessary (I see older cars that have the air filter cover just hanging out in the open with no hose on it, not sure if that's ok/wise). I made an album with pictures of the dents and a pic of the engine for reference. Thanks for taking the time to read this folks, I appreciate the help! http://imgur.com/a/QNqcF
You can shop around for the best prices on the parts but I would start with Rock Auto, make sure your brakes are up to the task. The dents you have are pretty substantial but you can get to them to pound them out and make them look a little better but it will mean taking down your headliner then you can get some experience with body filler, the one in the cowl by the windshield will be the hardest to deal with. You may want to invest in a dent pulling tool and use it to pull the dents out. Harbor Freight can be your friend for one time use tools Take some time and read up on methods of removing dents, it wont be real pretty when you are done because it will need to be have some primer and painted
I would not recommend attempting to remove those dents yourself. You could end up making the situation worse. Have a body shop do it.
I would also suggest to address the dents first before spending any money on the car in other areas...
While I agree it would be best to take car to body shop the cost associated with repair would out way the value of the car besides finding a shop to do it is slim to none, so being realistic the only alternative is to repair the car his self or buy a different car and with the location of the car it would be hard to believe it does not have some rust issues
Did a tree fall on the car? If you just want a safer driver before fixing the dents (if you decide to do it), I agree with your list of parts. And also agree with Mike, make sure your brakes are good to go. I would change the brake fluid if it is old and the car previously was sitting around.
The rectangular "hose" is the cold air intake. You can pull it off the air intake and take it to your auto store. They should be able to source it. MD
Thanks for the replies! Y'all are awesome. I'll take the car to a body shop and see about a quote for at least the cowl and roof dents. I just have a feeling it'll be more than I'm willing to pay to fix cosmetic damages, y'know? And thanks for the tip on the brakes, I'll definitely add that to the list! For that cold air intake hose, the black plastic piece it connects to is also cracked, is that called something specific so I can try to find one? Thanks again guys! I'm excited to start getting this fixed up, and you're all a great resource!
I've attached a photo. If we're talking about the same thing, it's a cold air intake box. Most folks tear this out when they change to a 4 bbl carb and manifold, and open element air filter ( where the air filter is exposed under the hood). For now it does no harm and even provides a slight ram air effect. Also you get cool air instead of hot under-hood air. It's a feature that all the manufacturers used in the 70's. They even advertised that they had "cold air induction". You won't be able to find a new one. Maybe someone has a used one. Alternatively you can wrap it in black tape. Hope that helps. MD
You do not need it. It will run fine without it. The purpose of it is to bring cool air into the carburetor while driving.
