Holy smokages, I just came to the realization that the Maverick is not a 1972 Ford. It's a 1970... the first run o' the Mav!!! Like an idiot, I never decoded the VIN or anything until now. So, after this realization, I told my parents. (Yes, I still live with my parents, I'm 18... gimme a break ) My plans are close.... I have a rear end, front end, 302, C-4, and shifter ready to rock'n'roll. But... My mom, who knows next to nothing about cars, goes on to lecture me on the age old story about how I should "keep the car all-original, cause it won't be worth anything at all to anybody if you don't, cause the whole value is in the originality of the... " blah, blah, blah... I got this before, when I took and restored this 1981 Malibu/Chevelle, w/e. The car, stock, was a totally uncool, granny, ugly, slow, rotten, stupid, ugly, rusty, granny piece of crap. Many thousands of hard-earned high-school-job wage dollars later, the car is a bright-red head turner, and in show quality after a good waxin'. There is no coolness to a COMPLETELY stock car. It says "Hey, look, I have from-the-factory all wheel drums, a 105 HP engine, 3-on-the-tree manual, and a baby rear end!!!! Whooo!!!!" Seriously, tell me what you think.
That age old rule of keeping a car original so that it will be worth more down the road may apply to certain cars, i.e. Mustangs and some other "classic" cars, but Mavericks will probably never fit into that category. I say, GO FOR IT.
tell your mom that the original car.. in PERFECT condition might be worth some money, but you wont get what you put into the car. on the other hand, fixing it up with the engine upgrade, tranny upgrade and all the extra parts will make it more "desireable" if you decide to sell it later, and adding on the disc brakes and new rear end will make it safer, and since it is an old 70 maverick made of steel and not tin, it is far safer than any import car you can buy now a days. show her a few pics of stock cars on the forum and a few pics of cars that you want yours to look like. see what she thinks 1 thing you cant change, older people are stuck in their ways, it is hard for some young kid to change them, so dont try. good luck
Thank you, stmanser. I figure that if I take every "cool" stock option from several early year models of the Mav and integrate it into one Mav... it'll have a much cooler and desirable feel to it. It will still feel stock, since it'll incorporate stock parts from other year models of Mav... or at least close cousins (T-handle ratchet shifter from a 73 Mustang I just got for free )... stuff like the grille and bucket seats, not to mention all the performance upgrades. That's how I think it ought to be done, and I don't see anything wrong with it either. That's how I did the late model Chevelle. Since it wasn't cool from the factory, I made every effort to change what needed to be changed so that it would look like it was still stock, yet badass and musclecar-y... as if it was a super-cool car from the factory (which it wasn't) I take the same approach to the Mav, I guess... I got into that perspective, and that's where I'll stay, I suppose.
'Sorry, but your mom is not "right". Did you buy the car to drive and enjoy, or Is it supposed to be some kind of "investment"? Mavericks are not investments, nor will they ever be. They are just decent little cars with a nice body contour, and can be cool when given the proper treatment. Your mom is the typical person who sees a Barrett-Jackson auction on TV and thinks that any old car is worth a fortune. It's not her fault, she just doesn't know any better. Make that car the way that YOU want it. I'll say it again; original Mavericks/Comets are extremely boring cars. Let's face it, they are not limited edition cars, and they are not Camaros, Mustangs, Corvettes, GTOs, 4-4-2s, GSXs, 'Cudas, etc...
make it what you want. you need to be happy with your car. and tell your mom i'll be 60 in may. been around. the maverick isn't going to be worth a lot until after i'm long gone.
Go for the customizing job. Mavs (and Comets) weren't made to stand the test of time, they were what mom or granny drove to the grocery store, or an economy car so the working class could get good gas mileage commuting. The fact that some of them are V8s is cool if you want to do mods, but even the I6s can be modded awesomely. Since this car isn't going to be seen on any Barret Jackson auctions I say go for modding it to how you want to. Make it how you want to drive!!
Mavericks in general are worth more when 'tastefully' modified for power (v8), safety (discs), and creature comfort. Unlike muscle cars made during the era, the Maverick was a compact economy car. Muscle cars already had the big engines, disc brakes, and bucket seats... Some big reasons why they are worth more stock. Mavericks, for the most part, never had the good, high profile stuff, and are much better cars when infused with that stuff. I think your mother might understand if you put it to her like that. Even Malibus from the late sixties are worth much more when cloned into Chevelle SSs and such. (as long as one doesn't try to pass it off as real) Bench seats and I6s just don't excite buyers.
It's your car, not hers. Do what you want and what you like. These cars will raise their value to their max in some years, but they'll never reach a mustang, camaro, nova, etc. I second shaunh82, rat rod it...it'll look nasty! Black primer, blower sticking outside of the hood, side exhaust, lower the front, big tires at the rear...damn maybe I'll do that on mine.
