Where did I go wrong or am i just bored with my car

The other thread "How many ways would you build it" got me thinking. I have been really bored with my car for the last few years. I don't know if it is seeing all the other cars here that I now see as superior to mine or wish I had or just the fact that it has been pretty much in the "Done" state for 13 years.

I know when I finished it the board was alot smaller and thought I had one of the nicest cars out there, my opinion only of course. But now I wish I would have gone a different direction with it.

Take a look at my gallery pics http://mmb.maverick.to/gallery/browseimages.php?do=member&imageuser=45 and give me some criticism.

Lately I have changed the grill back to a 73 style with turn signals and painted it black, still need to do the headlight buckets. I am in the planning stage of doing a 5 speed swap which I think will make me enjoy driving the car more. just don't know what else to do besides strip the paint and redo it in an original grabber color like the orange stripe on white that I love on the 73, or like an early grabber Black with the silver or white stripes. Just not happy with the color now and cant afford to change.

 

LOOKS GREAT TO ME!!! Go out an smoke some tire,,, drink 3 large of your favorite beverage (mines diet mt dew) kick back and say, YEA, IT"S MINE!!! an be proud with HAPPINESS ABOUNDING!!!

or,,, you need a vacation,,,

 

I recently PM you with some questions abt ur car. To address ur question here I like what I see as far as can be seen on the pic's. I like the color combo, not to suttle, not to flamboyant.
The only thing I might consider to the exterior is paint the rear light panel the same as the lower part of the car. Other than that maybe a wheel change if I had some slushfund money, If not I leave it like it is.
Why u want to remove the 347? It maybe ur just bored - What can I say!
I've only had my car 13 mos.; If I have it as long as you I might be of the same opinion. With my finances after I put the kind of money and time I believe u have in yours I can't afford to get bored. Anyway, hope the eng/T5 swap makes u happy.

 

I think your car looks Great! You just need little fatter tires. I'm sure you’re not the only feeling this way the last few months some of the really nice cars on this site have been up for sale. Maybe it’s because of the new Mustangs, Challengers, Cameros, and Chargers some us feel left behind I myself am not about to pay that much for a nice new car right now. I find myself thinking of selling mine and getting a Mustang II or a V-8 Pinto but I’d never get what I’ve put in the car back but I knew that beforehand.

dkstuck might have said it best a vacation, I know I myself havent had one in three years.

 

Looks great! if your bored you can always come over and help me i have plenty of bodywork for you!

 

i agree, i think it's an extremely nice car. i dont really know why u would be bored with it, or think that everyone else's car is better because your's is really clean and very nice. I might be too young to like the airbrushing on the fenders and the wheels, but i like never-the-less!


btw, you'll love the 5sp after you get it in

 

I think the lower color would have looked nicae around the tailights, it was supposed to be that way, I took pictures to the paint shop of a real grabber and told them that is what I wanted. After I taking so long I just took it as it was even though it was wrong.

I have different tires now, those pics of the whole car are at the paint shop over ten years ago. I have 255/something on there now.

The 347 has been gone for a year or so, blew it up for the third time and had enough, stock bottom end now cause I want to drive it and not race anymore, just now I am wanting to do the t5 swap if I can sell my AOD.

I agree about the airbrushing, I would like block letters now. I think that was done back in 1999 or so and I had different tast back when I was 20, lol. Would love some new retro wheels. Anybody want to trade for some outdated Centerlines?

I had a vacation from it, only been drive less than 10 times this year, I want to change that but trying to get excited about it again. Not going to go buy some new stang or camaro, got my new Focus that suits me just fine. The nice blue one with the gray spoked wheels you see on the commercials.

 

Mean Maverick, If I was to build a car again it would be something like your blue one, Simple on the outside, with the hood and spoiler but no color drawing attention to them. nice wheels, and the cruiser look.

 

I've always liked your car, the way it is.
But as with anything, fashions change, and with cars, it seems to be almost every year there is something new...it's something here and there, that always keeps it interesting. I don't think any of my cars will be finished, there's always something else I want to do to them.

 

If you're bored of it, I can always take it off your hands!

 

I guess this is what happens when you still have your first car for 16 years, you are bored with it and would have done it different now cause styles change. Seems like evey couple years i find some money to play and a new little project, the 5 speed should make me happy for a while.

 

Thats a beautiful car, but you did ask about changes. I would get rid of the Grabber sign and put on some chrome torx-thrush II's. A little bling. You will love the 5-speed, with a stick everyonce in awhile you can put in the clutch and listen to your pipes if you want. Can't do that with an auto. Now to the Focus, I just got a Flame Blue SEL, couldn't take the harder ride of the SES. I love that little car, I only have 1400 miles on it and I'm getting over 31 MPG. The only thing that I found strange was that it didn't have auto headlights I mean come on heated seats but no auto headlights. Enjoy them both !!!!!!! Rick

 

i would put a skinny bumper on the front. do the rear brake light pannel as said before. you will love going to the t-5. thats my next project. you should be able to clean up your engine compartment a little. i think i have the same alt bracket but my alt hangs down from the bracket and the adjustor is on the bottom. it looks cleaner in my opinion. try to get the plug wires to go around the front of the valve covers. get the battery cable of the top of the shock tower. cant tell whats over the passenger side tower but i see some gray cable or something that donesnt look right.

over all you have a really nice car. these sugestions are just to change the looks not really to improve them.

 

ya engine compartment needs rewired, got a bunch of relatys by the battery on the shock tower too, that would require a total rewire of the car to incomporate them into the main fuse box, someday I want to do a painless harness for the whole car.

The battery cable over the shock tower is for the amps in the trunk. Never thought about moving it but now I think I can run it through the wheel well and come through right at the battery. Thats what i'm talking about, free simple thing to do to clean it up. The silver thing for over the drivers shock tower is my line for the fuel gauge coming from the isolater, not much I can do about that, its barely long enough and gotta keep away from the headers.

Don't really want to do the skinny bumper, I got a thing against using year correct paint scheme and non year correct bumpers, I even have the year correct grill again. But now that you mention it, the bumper slide could be done, forgot all about that. Another free thing to do.


So the future update list is coming along like this
change airbrush to Block letters
Paint tail panel
Update or retro wheels
rewire engine bay
Change out tweed covered kickpanels for factory black kickpanels (added that idea myself)
finish painting headlight buckets
T5 swap


Exept for the wheels and paint the other stuff is cheap and could do that this summer and Fall. Any more ideas?

I added a picture of the black grill, I think it looks alot better than the unpainted version in the other pics should look even better when the buckets are done. And added the Focus for all to see

 

Rickm.. I dig my Focus too, got 8500 miles so far. I only get about 27mpg but I do a long city drive to work and deliver pizzas a couple nights a week, pretty awesome mileage considering. I like the ride the low profile tires give. Once the warranty is up the car is begging for some Eibach springs. Auto headlights should have definitely been offered for these, other cars in the same class do.