Codi Posted September 7, 2019 Share Posted September 7, 2019 Hi everyone, this is a new thread centered around a JoHan Maverick Grabber I bought off ebay some months ago in the U.K. The car was in it's original box, no warpage, and even original shrink wrap. I thought they didn't exist to be honest. I'm doing a Pro Stock / match racer that is a "what if" type build. The what if centers around the leaps in car development made from 1970 with the introduction of the Pro Stock class in NHRA to the mid-70's when Hemi Colts were just one of the wild rides of the day. From the research I've done, many if not most Pro Stock racers spent a lot of time match racing as well. It was very lucrative for them and the factories (at least at the beginning) were happy to jump in and assist. My car will be a bit different as it will be a "Pro Stock" car set up for match racing of the day.......or what "could" have been. Wayne Gapp (check out Gapponline.com for great reference material btw) was part of the Ford team that created & developed the Boss 429. Even though Ford bailed by 72' from direct factory support, it seems that Wayne maintained a "pipeline" of parts and good will with Ford. Without going on about historical this or that, Ford had developed an all aluminum, 494 C.I. Boss (big by the standards at that time) for Mario Andretti's Can Am effort. Records mention anywhere from 12 to 18 alum. blocks were cast. Hubert Platt had one as did Gapp & Roush. Interestingly enough, Wayne also developed a set of twin plug Boss heads that were never introduced because of Ford's sudden pull back of factory support. The Gapp link I noted above gives great insights to the car(s) they were racing & developing. My "what if" match racer is a Maverick with the lowered stance of the red "Shotgun Express" Gapp & Roush car which was unique at the time but with a Can Am 494 & his twin plug Boss 429 heads. Holley dominators with a Weiand/fabricated manifold should set the engine off. Sorry, way too many words but this should give you and idea. Pic's are a general theme and I have a bunch of after market items (resin, PE and 3D printed parts) on the way to compliment the machined / fabricated parts I'll be making. The JoHan chassis will be a big hurdle as it's worthless in my estimation. I have "Minor" brass leaf springs coming among other oddities to hopefully achieve what I have in mind. Norm from Replicas and Miniatures has already shipped his Boss 429 (he is GREAT to do business with btw) as a reference and I'm sure I'll utilize some of his engine parts for my build. I just have the firewall & chute to install on the Bantam and this new car will be front and center. Cheers to all, Tim I'll fab a new scoop but I wanted to see how straight the body was in primer.............first coat.......my kit was made in an ugly green plastic btw a Boss 494 aluminum Can Am motor..........mine won't have the stack intake of course. Dominator's and a fabbed manifold for my car. The twin plug Boss 429 heads that Wayne was developing for the engine. Remember the twin plug Chrysler hemi heads of the day............I love this kind of stuff as if you couldn't tell. Wayne's early Maverick the "Shotgun Express" which is a great reference for my build. My car would have raced in 1972 if and only if factory support hadn't stopped. I like to think that Ford could have more than held their own if this had come to fruition. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Claude Thibodeau Posted September 7, 2019 Share Posted September 7, 2019 Hi! Interesting project, rare subject! My brother had a similar 71 Comet, that he drag raced with. These cars were "minimalist", to say it bluntly. But when converted to Pro-Stock, they flew off the tree like crazy. Souvenirs... To your point about the Johan chassis... I concur. Their kits were mostly upgraded promos with extra parts for the kit market. Their bodies were GREAT, even in minute details. But the chassis plate... You are right to discard and start with something else. Can't wait to see where it takes you! CT Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cobraman Posted September 7, 2019 Share Posted September 7, 2019 You have my attention. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
iBorg Posted September 7, 2019 Share Posted September 7, 2019 Take the JoHan chassis and soak it in brake fluid for a week. Then get the AMT '67 Mustang chassis. Very close to the same chassis as the Maverick but a whole lot more detail. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Force Posted September 7, 2019 Share Posted September 7, 2019 Interesting project, this I will follow Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MeatMan Posted September 7, 2019 Share Posted September 7, 2019 Nice project! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mooneyzs Posted September 7, 2019 Share Posted September 7, 2019 Tim... This is going to be another epic and steller build. I am all in on this and will be following along for sure. I can't wait to see you do your magic on this one. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dmthamade Posted September 8, 2019 Share Posted September 8, 2019 Great history lesson on early ford pro stock!! Look forward to the build. Don Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rocking Rodney Rat Posted September 8, 2019 Share Posted September 8, 2019 Bring it on!!!!....we had a four door dog Maverick when I was a kid....every time you came to a stop you had to shift into neutral or the car would stall out... -RRR Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Codi Posted September 10, 2019 Author Share Posted September 10, 2019 Thank you one and all that posted your interest in my next build. Should be this weekend when this gets going in earnest on the bench. Spent 3 1/2 hours today just detailing the Bantam firewall before install. The jig I made up to display the body and various body panels is assembled as well. Cheers, tim Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
STYRENE-SURFER Posted September 11, 2019 Share Posted September 11, 2019 Codi, I will be following your thread for sure. Got the same kit and trying to work out the best way to add some more chassis detail. I'm just crazy enough thinking perhaps Dremel out everything wrong and go from there.? You have a good start. ? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Claude Thibodeau Posted September 16, 2019 Share Posted September 16, 2019 Hi! For what it is worth... here is a "basic" scratchbuilt injection system on a Boss 429 engine, with the horns made of shoelace eyelets. CT Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Codi Posted September 16, 2019 Author Share Posted September 16, 2019 Interesting piece you found for the horns. I'm not doing injection however, I'm going tunnel ram with 2 Holley Dominators for the car. cheers Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GoatGuy Posted September 18, 2019 Share Posted September 18, 2019 Looks like another great start. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Codi Posted September 19, 2019 Author Share Posted September 19, 2019 Thank you Dave. Having wrapped up the final pics on the bantam, it's time to clear the decks and finish the planning on this one so I can get started. cheers !!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chris chabre Posted September 20, 2019 Share Posted September 20, 2019 If you have questions, or need some photos, I should be able to help some (my father is a FORD drag historian of sorts, and I also have a bunch of literature). Interesting fact, the pro stock Mavericks/Comets had Dana 60s in them and factory bench seats when delivered to make legal weight. My father also has his 73 Comet he bought new, and a 71 Maverick he bought to turn into a period correct pro stock tribute car Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Codi Posted September 20, 2019 Author Share Posted September 20, 2019 Chris, a most generous offer which I would never say no to. Anything you have of the period from 72' to 74" would be most helpful to say the least and chassis photos in particular would of great interest to me. Btw, any updates on the 71' he bought to make into a pro stock and what engine is he planning on putting in it? Thanks again for the offer of assistance. Cheers, Tim Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pete J. Posted September 21, 2019 Share Posted September 21, 2019 Ok Tim, I'm on board and ready to watch this one. Good luck! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
1930fordpickup Posted September 21, 2019 Share Posted September 21, 2019 Nice pick for your next project Tim. I like Mavericks we had plenty in the family. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Deuces Posted September 21, 2019 Share Posted September 21, 2019 Dad's old '72 Grabber was just like this one.... Pretty rare color combo.... It came with the dog dish caps and trim rings.... 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Codi Posted September 21, 2019 Author Share Posted September 21, 2019 That's a sweet looking car Guido. To clarify regarding pictures, I'm most interested in chassis shots of either stock or race (Pro Stock class circa early 1970's) pictures. I think I'm going to end up fabricating about most a chassis when all is said and done. We'll see. Thanks in advance and if you'd prefer you can send me a PM and I'll reply in kind regarding pics. Cheers, Tim Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sixx Posted September 21, 2019 Share Posted September 21, 2019 This is gonna be cool ! My first car was a 70 Maverick...full of bondo, 6 banger, and with air shocks fully extended like a dork!!! Lol! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Codi Posted September 30, 2019 Author Share Posted September 30, 2019 (edited) Thanks for the laugh Derrick. I didn't have one but we remember the days well. I wanted to share that the last week or so I've been doing tons of research and planning on this new build. I found a great site for those that like 70's Pro Stock cars that has hundreds (think more than 500) that was a wealth of insight. Visit "Nostalgia Pro Stock" on Facebook. It's a public site and I'm sure you'll enjoy it. With that in mind, many details have been set to paper. It will have a scratch-built brass / alum. chassis to replace the stock kit. I'll likely use the interior tub, make a new firewall and follow the NHRA 1973 Pro Stock rule book. This was an interesting year as it was during this time that prominent existing and new chassis builders were coming to the fore. I'll be putting in a lenco 4 speed as well. A lot of new ideas were being put to practice and I'm going to incorporate them in the car. I'll have to scratch build my headers, frame rails etc. as part of this. I always loved the stance of the early 71' Mavericks but I wanted to push this towards the direction that the chassis builders & pro stock teams were starting to explore. I'm dropping the stance among those changes to this car. The rubber slicks are from Futurattraction. His 32x15" which I sanded down about 1.0mm on my lathe. A couple pics to give you an idea.......btw, the Boss 494 I'm doing for this will have one of the earliest dry sump systems in drag racing so the engine will sit a wee bit lower in the chassis as well. That will help to meet the NHRA rules stating that the hood scoop can't exceed 7" in height. I'll be modifying the mailbox scoop on the car to reflect this as well. Cheers!! Edited September 30, 2019 by Codi 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Straightliner59 Posted October 1, 2019 Share Posted October 1, 2019 Excited to see this one progress, Tim. I love those early Pro Stocks! If I ever get a shot at a reasonably priced Maverick kit, I'll have to jump on it! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Claude Thibodeau Posted October 1, 2019 Share Posted October 1, 2019 Hi! The stance is sweet!. As I'm sure you know already, many teams that were "pushing the envelope" back then were acid-dipping the bodies, to thin the sheetmetal and reduce weight. Some went overboard, and the shells became to thin and flexible... they had to put some "rigidity" back in. They resorted to installing temporary "walls" inside the quarters, trunk and c-pillars, trough which they injected high-density foam, then removed said walls after the foam hardened. Virtually no weight penalty, and reduced body flex. I think the Mopar Missile (if my memory is not failing...) had that on one of their early Challenger or Demon/Duster. I've never seen anyone push realism to this level, but if someone can, it certainly might be You! Regards, CT Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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