Speaking of glutton for punishment . . . how about restoring a Maverick
Weren’t those known for rusting away?
Believe it or not, the wife and I looked at one of those when they first came out. Glad I couldn’t afford it.
I don’t think that the Maverick rusted away any worse than a lot of other cars of the time period. I owned a Maverick–a 1971 Maverick Grabber that I bought in 1973. It had the 250 cubic inch 6 cylinder engine and it was quite peppy for a 6 cylinder car. The car was rather sporty with its vinyl roof, bucket seats and floor shifter for the automatic transmission, fake hood scoops and “sport lamps” in the grille. The sport lamps were so dim that you had to stand in front of the car and light a match to see if they were on. The Maverick did ride like a wheelbarrow, however. I was driving a lot of miles at the time and when I found I was spending more on Preparation H for myself than on the upkeep for the Maverick, I traded it in for a smoother riding car.
An old Maverick Grabber at the right price might be worth restoring, particularly if it had the 302 V-8 engine.
You’d spend all that money and still end up with a Maverick. I always liked their styling, but friends who owned them a few years later (when I was in HS) had very little good to say about them. I haven’t seen one in years so wonder how easy it would be to find one worth restoring.
A few times they’ve filmed movies in my neighborhood. One day I turned the corner to find two blocks parked solid with cars you’d have seen on the street in the mid-seventies. I had a blast wandering along checking out ordinary old cars in period colors and varying condition. So some new cars, shiny and nice, some older, nice or crummy. Lots of Torinos and Grand Prixs and other once-popular models. It was heartening to see those cars because it means somewhere out there is a 1970 dark green Torino that looks just like it did. Collectors rarely bother with downscale models like the Torino, even though they were once very common. It’s so hard to figure what will capture their fancies. There must be ten Novas of that era for every Torino or Maverick, and not just performance versions. An ordinary Nova is nothing special (anything but). Maybe they were just a little more durable, or preserved by Latinos who valued Chevies more highly.
It’s a shame, in a way, that there were so many different models being made by the early seventies. There are collectors for pretty much anything made in the US in the fifties and most cars of the sixties, but I wonder who is going to be collecting the ridiculous number of models sold today. Will anyone collect older Kia Optimas or Chevy Sonics? Why would they? Maybe I’ll be proven wrong, but I doubt it. The cost of restoring these very complicated cars mean only selected models will be worth the cost and effort. I don’t doubt you’ll be able to find 3-Series BMWs, say, or super popular cars like Accords and Civics. The unloved cars will exist in tiny numbers and otherwise be well documented on the Web.
Hello!
A long time in responding…but it is the original poster here!
I read through everyone’s responses (thank you all so so much).
And today, two years after posting this…a purchase, and a project, has been made.
Today, I purchased a…
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1959 Nash Metropolitan
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And I just could not be more happy. It was a real debate between the Nash, which doesn’t run at present, but has all of its bits, and a 1969 AMC Rambler that runs and needs no work. Heart won out over head, and the tiny two door will be mine officially on Saturday. I’m a little over what I wanted to pay at $2,500…but…it’s so damn cute.
It will be getting a name (Nigel? Percy?) and a blog somewhere soon.
I suppose I should answer my own question about “How do you find a project car?”
Well, once a British historian friend of mine showed me the Metropolitan, I was smitten. So I began Googling it periodically, checking Hemmings, Ebay motors, Craigslist, etc. Once I got in to the habit, it was then a process of “What can I afford, what state is it in (meaning condition), what state is it in (meaning location), and is it worth it to me to go out and get it?”
On Saturday afternoon, I spotted the listing for my Metropolitan on Hemmings, and it was literally across the river from me. I jokingly sent it to my dad, who happened to be out for dinner. As soon as I sent the listing, he knew exactly where it was and had seen it while out on a road call. He and my mom drove over and peaked at it through the fence (my mother wisely restrained him from climbing through the hole in the fence and getting a B&E at almost 60). So he pestered me to call the guy on Sunday and see if we could get a better look at it (to which the seller said “sure, just go through the hole in the fence! 
”. So we met, poked around at it, and then I commenced 36 hours of spousal badgering until I got the green light.
Good for you. For your first project car I’d recommend something that is relatively easy to obtain parts for. You’ll feel happier I expect making progress by turning a wrench than by looking through websites for spare parts for hours on end, only to find the only one that’s available is in Australia. Sure you can buy it from an Australian source, but what happens if it isn’t the one you need when it arrives? It’s a big time waster that one.
So which makes and models are easiest to obtain parts? For cars less than 20 years old, most of them should be easy to source parts, especially well-sold econo-boxes. For 60’s and 70’s cars, VW air cooled Beetles and Vans, and well-sold Detroit iron based cars and trucks. Ford Fairline, Galaxy, F100; the Chevy versions of those; the Dodge Charger of that era is a hot topic among the Hot Rod crowd.
Suggest to visit your local bookstore that has a large car magazine selection, and look through some of those. For American cars & trucks, Hot Rod Magazine, Classic Trucks, Vintage Trucks; For British and European Practical Classics, Classics Monthly; for VW’s Hot VW’s and VW World. All are a good place to get some ideas, and what’s available from the vendors parts-wise.
I bet there’s an owner’s club that’ll have folks with LOTS of info for getting your Metro on the road. As much as you’ll want to get it running, make sure the brakes are in TOP condition. They’ll be weak at best.
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You’re going to get a lot of looks and questions while driving that Metro. The Methodist minister who used to live across the street from me had 2 older cars besides his late model.
One of those was a Metro that was done up in a turquoise and white paint scheme. He told me he always got questions and thumbs up from people while motoring around in it.
His other older car was my favorite; a '55 Chevy @ DR HT done up in candy maroon and cream with an all chrome built up 350 under the hood. Both cars were gorgeous attention getters.
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Cool car! There’s a Metropolitan that I see driving around town where I live from time to time. I’d love to have one.
Gonna do a spec restoration or a restomod?
Not sure where you live but be sure you get a car that has spent its life in the south. Older cars from the north are generally rust buckets. starting with a mostly rust free car will save you tons of time and money in the long run. The thing to look out for is people do a decent job of hiding the rust with bondo. Some bondo not so bad but if buckets were used you are not really buying much of a car.
If I am reading the OP’s post correctly they have acquired the Metropolitan and are not looking for a vehicle at the moment.
Propane, she already got a car. It took two years but now she has one. I did see one of these running around town last month and it was really tiny. A lot easier to work on and takes less paint. Let the fun begin.
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@shadowfax I’m going for a spec restoration…as an art historian, authenticity is kind of my thing.
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@Propane_Car: Good point. This car lived its life in Florida until 1974 (it still has a Florida sticker on the windshield). The seller got it in Florida, brought it to his garage in PA, and there it has sat, for 40+ years as a project car that never got started. So it has had a reasonably well protected life, and it will be enjoying life in a garage as it is worked on, and under a cover when it needs to live outside (parked next to my dad’s current project car, a 1966 Chevy C60 dump truck!). The garage situation post-restoration will have to be…negotiated.
Either that, or this is finally when my husband agrees to let me build an additional garage (we have a tiny garage in our 1940s house…it fits a Honda, but that’s about it, so the Met would fit just perfectly in there, and we could get a real garage in the back for our daily drivers).
It has some rust issues, but it isn’t Swiss Cheese, thankfully. I think its saving grace is that it has all of its parts, and its title, and hasn’t really had anything done to it just yet. Now I just have to continue the streak of not screwing it up!
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What about a 53 plymouth ?If you can find one that isnt a total rust bucket drop in a modern v6 and a good AC and with a little chassis upgrade (add seatbelts) should make a nice cruiser,very easy to work on ,heck you can even rebuild and upgrade the old flat head six(sound like a Chriscraft with the proper exhaust ) .
Oh ,I should add ,make the project a hotrod rather then a restoration,much more leeway and you dont have to sweat the impossible to find restoration parts.Make it yours ,put the outrageous paint scheme on it you secretly lust for And if you do your work right it will be fun and economical ,plus cheap to own ,not to mention reliable .
Kevin it appears the OP has bought a Metropolitan that they intend to restore.
Heck yeah, just strap a turbo on that Met engine…the ultimate sleeper.
;-]
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Actually, Insightful, it’s been done. I saw a Nash Met that had a custom chassis under it made by Art Morrison with a smallblock V8 and fully independent suspension. From the outside, it looked like a perfectly (and beautifully) fully restored stock Met except for the slightly larger wheels and tires. Inside, it was fully restored with the exception of modern buckets and extra gages. It was truly stunning. And it’s a driver, not a trailer queen.
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