Destination: 15th Annual MCCI Roundup Nationals, Washington D.C. or Bust!!

Ice cream!!!!!!!! I'm there too!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

...over pancakes!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I'm there too!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

O.K.....this weekends update:

- Had the old radiator boiled out and checked out. It had a very few small weep holes in some of the tubes. Instead of getting it fixed, I opted for a brand new radiator (only $199). I got it installed as well as the 160 degree thremostat and a new radiator cap. All new hoses and belts as well. Runs nice and cool now.

- Well...the "While we are at it bug" bit, and while I had the radiator out I added an auxillary transmission cooler to the car as well. This should really help on the long trip.

- The old battery tray...while rust free, had both hold down holes ripped out. I decided to just replace that with a used battery tray I had. It was soooo tempting to want to media blast and paint the used tray first...but I reminded myself that I am going to drive this car....so I bolted it in "as-is".

- Finished the rear speaker install. All that was left to do was put in a new package tray. I had one custom made at REM with "holes" instead of the "slits" like Auto Krafters sells, because Mavericks had "holes"...not "slits". I didn't want the aftermarket speakers to be seen through the holes, as I like to have "invisible audio". I got some black sheer material from Hobby Lobby and glued it in place. It is very thin and you can see thru it, but it hides the speakers very well.

- Installed new rear shocks. The previous owner had installed a virtually all new front suspension, but the rear shocks were still original to the car. One was leaking very badly, and they rode like crap....so now with new shocks all the way around....it should make for a smooth ride.

- Change the oil and oil filter.

Many of these items I would not have done if I was just going to be driving the car around here. But, for a long trip to D.C. and back (and through the mountains), I felt the need to address many of these problems.

Check out these pictures of the speaker tray after I added the cloth.

 

Oooooohhhh, I need one of those package trays!! Are they going to offer them now?

 

I added some pictures Dave.

I am not sure if Auto Krafters can get them or not. If not....I can probably get one for you as I am a dealer for REM. I could bring it to Carlisle and save you on shipping.

 

Looks nice Craig.
Dan

 

Two steps forward and one step back:

New radiator has a small coolant leak around one of the tranny cooling line fittings. So....out it comes to take back to the radiator shop to be fixed.

It is really a small leak.......even under pressure it will only leave one drop of coolant every two days or so. But......with the long drive ahead of me I don't want to risk it.

 

Craig I would be interested in one as well.

 

O.K. email me directly and I can have them shipped together to save on the costs.

 

Here is the latest update:

Installed aftermarket cruise control: http://mmb.maverick.to/showthread.php?t=44732

This should make the drive to Washington, D.C. a breeze!!

Removed the new radiator and had the leak fixed. I have road tested it and it no more leaks.

Got the rebuilt AC condensor and dryer re-installed. I also changed out the expansion valve. Had the AC recharged and it blows nice and cold!!

Here are some "detailing" pictures:



Here it is at a total stage or disassembly. The cars original color was still on the radiator support, as well as dark blue overspray all over the center support and AC condensor and dryer.




Here I detailed the front in with some semi-gloss black paint. Since this area shows thru the grill, I felt I HAD to at least detail this area. You can also see I added an aftermarket coolant recovery tank.


Still have a few little things to do. I want to pull out the gas tank and make sure the vent at the top of the tank is working correctly, and to see if I can get the gas guage to be more accurate...as it reads about a 1/4 of a tank too low, meaning I have more gas in the tank than what it shows. When it shows "E"...I actually have about a 1/4 of a tank left.

 

At least you won't run out of gas. Lookin good.

 

lookin' real nice!

Cruisin in a maverick all the way to DC has got to be a cool ride!

 

that's what i was thinking...
my digital guage reads "0" with 2 gals. in the tank...

Frank...

 

on my car E is E, i learned that the hard way once lol

 

Well.....got to test out some of my repairs and modifications this weekend as I DROVE this car to the MCCI Mini-Meet in Dearborn, Michingan. I thought it would be a good "test" to see how everthing works.

Report: 576 mile Round trip

AC worked flawlessly and kept the (4) of us nice and cool.

Cruise Control worked like a charm...just like driving a modern car!!!

Gas Mileage: Thought I would see what kind of mpg I am getting. With (4) people, a trunk absolutely full, driving a consistent 70mph and using the AC.....18.5 mpg on the 250 6 cyl. Not bad. I think I can do better at a lower speed and less passengers.

Drove thru some major rain. Found a small leak in the windsheild that will need fixed.

New stereo/CD player quit working...so that made for a boring drive home. Need to figure out what is wrong with that...but I am sure it is an internal radio problem, so I will have to get a new one....again.

I need to do a few other minor things...but I would say it is ready to go!!!