I know we have a lot of members on here. Everyone with a different background, different up bringing, "definitely some different opinions" haha. What I want to know is what are some of the things you did or didn't do to you Maverick that you loved, hated, wish you did or didn't do. What makes your Maverick special to you? I think it would be cool to see some of the upgrades people did that they loved or hated. Could give some us an upcoming idea to add to our Mavericks or teach someone who is new into Mavericks what to stay away from.
Installing a aftermarket one wire 130amp alternator one of my best easy upgrades. Getting rid of 55 amp alt, external regulator & wires works for me. Also, provided extra power needed for elec. fan, AC, additional horn and stero amp.
Here's my don't. I joined in 2009, it is now 2020 and my car is still in more pieces than I can count....don't drag your feet, get it together and running!
Don't: I took my car apart 7 years ago for a big 9", coil over suspension, and a 4-link. It was a mistake. I would have been fine with an 8.8, cal-tracs, and some front suspension upgrades. Now every single thing I do to the car is a fabrication session. Do: Shock tower chop if you want some extra wrenching room.
don't: pay for any paint or body work "up front", better known as "paint jail". I drove a Maverick to a body shop and 14 months later...hauled it off in pieces... do: Rod and Custom ...RC 107 rack and pinion kit.
Do Not: randomly buy parts off eBay, normally they will be way over priced. It is much cheaper to buy them from members on here. When rebuilding your front suspension DO NOT use poly bushings for the strut rods, they will snap Do: when rebuilding your front suspension make sure to use good parts such as MOOG and if you can upgrade your spring perches to roller nearing. Also when you buy front windshield gaskets only buy Daniel carpenter products do not buy others such as precision.
Mine is the same for DO and DONT... Buy a 40yr old car when you know absolutely nothing about cars. It has been both the best learning experience and most frustrating thing ever....
Buy a nicely done, unfinished project(yeah I kno, few & far between), mine was ¾ mi from my house. Wasn't exactly cheap but for work already completed, was reasonable. Rust free southern car. Was well on it's way to being a extra nice driver, borderline show car. Killer paint job, all new glass, headliner, resrored grille rechromed bumpers, NOS side marker & tail lights etc. It's issue was engine compartment & suspension were still stuck solidy in '72. Original 302 tired, but trans was rebuilt. I rebuilt suspension, inst disc brakes plus rebuilt 5.0, all in one fell swoop.
I work hard for what I have. SO! Don't loan out your cars to every and anyone. Especially if you,ve soup it up! Heard many stories of test drives gone bad.
The top do's for me in no particular order were, Ford Duraspark electronic ignition, front disc brakes, early 90's Mustang 3g 130 amp alternator, PMGR starter, and Ford Taurus electric fan. These were mainly simple bolt-ons and made the car more enjoyable to drive. Save the big/expensive mods for later. Make it road worthy first. Don't throw money into a car that has (prohibitively expensive/extensive) issues like rust or hacked to pieces. Tom is right, if you can find and afford someone else's well done car chances are you are paying much less than what is in it.
Top on my list do i,ve done are 1. Front disc brakes 2. Front end rebuild Top don,t i,ve done Is buy 3.89 DL for my 9inch. Paid $900 for it. Brought life to my weak 351w. Over kill when i upgrade to 408w. Great for track but bad for highway. 3.00 would have been perfect.
do try new things, do enjoy YOUR car, don't worry about what others think, don't be scared to learn from others, do ask questions, don't worry about the people who say "you should have ..." do the best you can with what you can, don't think it has to be perfect before you drive it.
Roger, you jumped right into the deep end. I admire your courage, empathize with your frustration, and all I gotta say is awesome job mister! DO: when building a street motor, build a street motor! I love instant torque and sanitary exhaust fumes.
That's tough advise to follow for me! I have never heard my car run let alone drive it and I keep fighting the urge to up the ante. I really want something I can drive and enjoy which this engine should provide. It's full roller, 347 with aluminum GT40 Y heads and an unknown cam at the moment. I was told it has an X cam but will find out when I tear it down.
As long as the cam doesnt go crazy, that should be a nice, powerful street motor. I am still discovering all the ways my junk motor wants to loose traction, but I dont have a posi. It is more frisky than any car I have ever had....even my 428 69 Firebird that had a pick a part motor from a 69 Ventura. Yours will be a beast with a manual trans.