During our normal search for coolness on Craigslist this week we found this super cool little 1971 Maverick that is wearing it’s original Medium Gold paint, steelies, and running it’s original 6 cylinder 3 speed combo. The great thing is the stance and super straight exterior with zero rust. That and the fact that it’s less than 10 minutes from my house! At $5000 obo, this car is worth every penny in our book. No body work and no paint means this car is saving you ten grand off the top. Plus it runs and drives mint so you could buy it, start your planning and parts buying and still drive the car until the engine swap weekend arrives. And with a stick in it already this car is much easier to do the 4 speed or 6 speed swap.
Here’s what we would do.
We’d have someone drop us off at the house with $4500 in our pocket and give it all to the current owner and then leave with our cool new Maverick. Even if he thinks he will only take $4800 or something, he’ll let you have it for $4500 if you have no ride home. After driving around for an hour to find all the cool stuff this car does we’d take it home and start planning.
With a car this clean we’d pull the engine one weekend and do a spray bomb under hood makeover and then get our wiring ready for Holley Terminator EFI that we would be installing on a cool 347 stroker small block Ford that makes 500 horsepower and will be happy with a 150 shot of NOS Nitrous on occasion. Our engine combo would feature a stout rotating assembly and 10.5 to 1 compression thanks to Racing Head Service cylinder heads. We’d reach for Crane’s line of hydraulic roller cams and lifters for the right one here. Of course MSD Ignition would keep it firing and an MSD Dynaforce Starter would crank it over. To keep the power all good we’d be feeding our Optima Battery 14.4 volts from a PowerMaster Alternator that will keep up with anything we throw at it.
The engine, trans, and rear end swap would happen the following weekend with about 4 buddies so we could be driving it on Sunday night.We’d hit up Hedman for the hedders on this project, coated of course, and move exhaust to the back with a full mandrel bent system from Flowmaster. Cooling would come from AFCO’s awesome aluminum radiator, and we’d even add an oil and differential cooler from AFCO as well.
Of course we would back it up with a full Magnum T56 System from American Powertrain, with one of their new White Lightning Shifters, and top it with Clayton Machine Works trick new shifter handle. Of course we’d have matching pedals from Clayton ’cause they are the bitchinist ever. A Dynotech driveshaft would send the power back to a Currie 9 inch rear with all the goodies inside. Behind that we’d put a new stock style tank in with Aeromotive’s Phantom drop in fuel system, fittings, lines, and regulator.
Underneath we’d get our Ridetech on and use their Mustang components on the little Maverick. All the stuff isn’t exactly the same on a Maverick, but thanks to several custom installs using their parts, Brit, Rodney, and Snaps know exactly what to use to make the Maverick get it’s handling on. In a weird move, we would run Ridetech’s new Triple Adjustable Coilovers we think, although we are so Air obsessed that who knows. Both will kick ass on the road course and autocross. When we were all done we’d have a Maverick with tubular arms, trick swaybars, and unbelievable shocks up front and an ultra cool triangulated 4 link out back.
Stopping power would come from a legit, but not crazy, 13″ brake package from Baer Brakes front and rear. A killer set of 18″ Weld RT-S S74 Wheels in Polished and Black would set off the gold pain perfectly. We’d wrap them in stickies from Falken and get our race on.
On the inside we’d get with a cage from Chassisworks because we know how nice and tight they fit to the interior which is what we would want since this is a street car. We’d even install the swing out door bars and leave them at home except when we were out racing. We’d also use a set of Chassisworks tubs out back to square off the wheel wells for more tire clearance. A set of Recaro seats and harnesses would round out the inside, although we’d also add some tunes from Kicker cause that’s how we roll. Oh, and it gets hot here sometimes, so we’d call Rick and the gang at Vintage Air and set this bad boy up with one of their new Air, Heat, and Defrost systems that allows you to just set the temp like a new car. We dig that. To make sure that there are no electrical issues ever we’d be installing one of Painless Performance’s new systems as well. In fact we would probably do this first thing while waiting for the under hood paint to dry and before installing the engine. To keep an eye on everything we’d run the full compliment of AutoMeter gauges in the stock dash.
On the outside we would not screw it up. We’d leave the Medium Gold and simply add a small grabber style hood graphic and scoop, maybe a slightly larger stripe down the side, a spoiler and perhaps black out some of the trim. Nothing crazy, again just a weekend deal. Our goal with a car like this would be to have it down for work for a maximum of 10 days at a time. This is doable on a car this clean.
Are you in? Sounds like a good plan huh? Well it’s no charge to use it. Call the dude by clicking the link at the bottom of the page and make this project a reality. This would be a fun one for sure. Here are the before photos.
What would you do different?
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I wouldnt change a thing….roll it as is…The stance is great.
I lied, I would lose the white walls in favor of some BFG radial T/A’s…
I’m with you on the “wouldn’t change a thing”.
Not sure about the BFG’s or the white walls.
Needs a Viper V-10. It can be made to fit, right?
I’d like to stick a Ford EcoBoost V6 in a Falcon, Maverick or Pinto. Why? Why not!
LS motor, what else?
With all due respect, Mr. Regal, I am tired of seeing LS engines everywhere. Surely I’m not the only one.
to bad tell ford to build a engine that’s not the size of a big block
Definitely an LS motor/6 spd combo. But a fox body stroked FI 5.0 wouldn’t be too bad either.
Just saw an ultra clean Comet up in Saginaw, Michigan and had all these same sick, twisted thoughts. I always like the bumpers on the Maverick better than the Comet though.
Chad, three questions…
1. Did you purchase the Maverick?
2. Would Peyton (sp.?) appreciate it as a 1st car?
3. What does SlightlyWickedChick think of it? (Gotta be better than a funny car body in the back yard!)
Some things I’d change:
Instead of a 347, how about an Australian Falcon overhead cam straight six? Never seen one of them stateside.
If I were using a Holley EFI system, I’d skip the Terminator and go for an HP. I don’t trust throttle body injection to give good fuel distribution. No point in going with an EFI solution designed for cheap and simple installation at the cost of ultimate performance on a build like this. I’d go straight to port EFI (and if you’re starting with the Falcon six, TBI is a huge step backwards).
I might cheap out on the suspension a little bit – I like the challenge of dialing in stock-ish parts over cubic dollar builds there. Think boxed stock control arms, relocating the upper control arm mounts a la Shelby Mustang, and similar tricks.
For a wheel and tire package, I’m thinking either repop Minilites like an early 1970s Trans Am racer, or if you want to keep the sponsors happy, Rocket Ignitor as-cast wheels.
First, I would put new springs on all four corners, thus lifting it out of the gutter. Next, I would see about setting up a turbo unit on the 6cylinder, since it is nice to see something different under the hood. I’m sure Clifford Performance has some goodies for this particular engine.
I’d flip the white walls for the black walls, and stick with a poverty cap look.
A turbocharged inline 6 with the poverty cap look, PROPER ride height and the sleeper from hell recipe is well on its way to completion.
Bumper dragin’ is for knuckle-draggers.
Im agreeing with Mercwagn… Id pop an Ebay turbo kit on the 6 and see what breaks first, then Id go with the alternate plan after selling the turbo kit on ebay. Of course Id stick a tripower fuel injection kit on the 347 with the Holley ECU and MPI harness, but that’s just me.
I’d stick with the 6. Being an Aussie, and knowing how much grunt can be had from the Falcon XR6Turbo, I’d be transplanting one of those. 4 litres, turbo – there are examples in Oz running around with 700+hp at the wheels.
Definitely different from running the typical stroker V8.
Cragar SS wheels, as big a tire as could fit the stock wheel wells in back, and call it a day. Maybe warm up the six at some point.
I’d take the inline, grab a 300 inline, make it fit, 5 speed stick,
procharger or turbo and mpefi
I think that should be an employee use car, just saying, you are the best employer ever
My Brother had one as a first Car. The 347 is a lethal little engine, That car should surprise a lot of People! Light!
Gotta agree with Turbo Regal, LS motor all the way. Otherwise, leave the stock sleeper stance w/steelies & white walls.
I’m in Mr Rourke’s camp, more or less…I’d mount a set of big n’ littles on Rocket wheels and call it done.
That particular car, leave it alone and drive it. I would like to do a Maverick in ’70s Pro-Stock garb but with one that’s already a bit beat.
This is a little off topic but close enough. My friend died of cancer before he could really get started on his new to him 1971 Comet, the sister of the Maverick. His widow donated the car to a local car club that has run a Cars for Cancer show on Labor Day for about 10 years. Its a huge show (500 to 700 cars) and the proceeds are nearing 100,000 bucks donated to cancer research. The club started restoring the comet and local vendors jumped at the chance to help.
Body work, paint, engine, interior, wheels and tires and labor. This year the car will be raffled in his memory at the Labor Day show. Its a stunner and probably far beyond my friends original plan for the car. 100% of proceeds to the research fund. BS should check it out. Want to buy tickets?
By the way CANCER SUCKS!!!
If I was 10 minutes away I’d buy it!!
I’d go with a “FordSix.com”/”ClassicInlines.com” Crossflow head conversion and a five-speed to start. The untouched/sleeper look is to good to ruin. You could even turbo that…
http://classicinlines.com/images/frontpage/head3.JPG
I would go with an Atomic EFI by MSD. We have one for either a TBI set up or an LS swap. Looks like your fans are pushing for the swap so you will thank us for sure if you go with our Atomic LS. Simplifies your wiring, no ECU and you can tune yourself. Also, since you don’t know how to leave anything alone (thank goodness) when you upgrade your injectors you can do this on our handheld so no sending your ECU or paying for it. Add a custom paint job on the fuel rail and coil covers and you have a real sweet engine bay and exterior. Of course I’m kind of partial!