Re: Jack Rouch's Maverick ?

peganit2 March 25th 2011, 3:52 pm

Glad to see this car is still around and still in great shape. Thanks for preserving it Sudden Death. Cool

This is a historic car. I bet you could get a small fortune for it at Barrett Jackson.

If I remember right, the silver paint was off on the original build, which looks like it in the pics. Kind of multi-hued. You should try and duplicate it!

And I wonder what happened to the 606 Can-Am motor?!?! Cool

nuclearcobra March 27th 2011, 7:27 am

SuddenDeath wrote:Thought I'd post an update now that I've gotten a bit done on the car. Replaced the fuel system under it with stainless braided/AN fitting setup. Installed new battery cables front to rear. Just wanted to get it safe to even have it in the garage with fuel in it Installed new master cylinder, 5 lug rotors, calipers, hoses, etc. I think the move to 5 lug was a good choice. Installed correct size tires on the restored wheels. All 4 of the wheels had incorrect lug nuts on them! They had taper seat lug nuts on washers/wheels designed for the shank style lugs. Rear tires are 30-13.5-15 M/T ET Streets and fronts are D70-14 Firestone Wide Ovals. Also adjusted the coil overs to get the rear end down a bit. Could still use another inch. I have the correct leaf springs and vintage bars now, so when I get to it, restoring the rear suspension will sit the car back where it belongs in the rear. My driveway isn't flat, so its a bit misleading, but the car sits great now and front isn't in the weeds any more with the little donuts that were on it when I got it.

Thanks for letting me ramble! It runs good, but one of the turbos is blowing oil. After all it sat for literally a couple of decades, so the seals can't be in good shape. Next project is turbo removal and header fabrication.

Thats pure torture Evil or Very Mad

I love it!!!!!! I love you

SuddenDeath May 23rd 2011, 7:56 pm

peganit2 wrote:Glad to see this car is still around and still in great shape. Thanks for preserving it Sudden Death. This is a historic car. I bet you could get a small fortune for it at Barrett Jackson.

If I remember right, the silver paint was off on the original build, which looks like it in the pics. Kind of multi-hued. You should try and duplicate it!

And I wonder what happened to the 606 Can-Am motor?!?!

Definitely going back to silver paint with the gray gelcoat bumpers as it was originally.

I wonder the same thing about the Can Am motor. I was thinking of doing just that some day, more inches that is.

SuddenDeath May 23rd 2011, 7:58 pm

Came across this photo of the car with Jack Roush driving. Taken January 1977, same time as the Sudden Death photoshoot. Location was Farmington Road near the old Livonia Cemetery just blocks from the original Gapp and Roush shop.

Mustang II - Jack Rouch's Maverick ? - Page 4 RoushDrivingSD1977

Mustang II - Jack Rouch's Maverick ? - Page 4 RoushDrivingSD1977

SuddenDeath May 23rd 2011, 8:14 pm

Here's a couple of pics during my last test/tune drive. I finally have the car running like it should and reliable. Likely the first time thats happened in 30 years. Currently I have the rear suspension removed to restore it to the original setup. Once completed, then time for disassembly and paint work.

Completed duplicating the original hood/scoop setup off of original photos/articles of the car. Completed repairs to the busted front seat, cleaned up all wiring, installed a new trans cooler/temp gauge, fuel level gauge, restored the shifter to the original setup, turbo removal completed, new headers fabricated, headers and original JR mufflers/pipes ceramic coated, installed the missing proportioning valve and all new brake lines, had the water pump rebuilt, new hoses, etc, etc.

Mustang II - Jack Rouch's Maverick ? - Page 4 AprilSDdrive26

Mustang II - Jack Rouch's Maverick ? - Page 4 AprilSDdrive26

Mustang II - Jack Rouch's Maverick ? - Page 4 AprilSDdrive22

Mustang II - Jack Rouch's Maverick ? - Page 4 SDfirstdrive1

Carpet, seats, covers, dash, etc still all original to the car.

Mustang II - Jack Rouch's Maverick ? - Page 4 Finishedseats2

SuddenDeath May 23rd 2011, 8:21 pm

I just really like this photo Smile

Mustang II - Jack Rouch's Maverick ? - Page 4 AprilSDdrive6

bbf-falcon May 23rd 2011, 8:55 pm

Lots of HotRod history in that car. Smile

SuddenDeath May 23rd 2011, 9:04 pm

For sure! Sure wish someone would come forward as a former owner. Hard to believe I've had no one contact me on the car in over a year and a half. The owner who had the car from 1995 to 1999 was the one who removed all the original rear suspension...sure would like to find it! Probably tossed it in a dumpster...oh, the horror!

I've gone to great lengths to duplicate the original setup from original photos/articles. Taking some days off this week to begin reassembly.

res0rli9 May 24th 2011, 1:29 am

http://www.gapponline.net/
http://www.gapponline.net/gapp-roush-car-pics/

SuddenDeath May 24th 2011, 5:47 pm

res0rli9 wrote:http://www.gapponline.net/
http://www.gapponline.net/gapp-roush-car-pics/

I've spoken to both Wayne and Jeff Gapp about the car. I was lucky enough to meet Wayne at the Gatornationals this year. Joe Ruggirello was the original owner (bought new at Fred Grande' Ford in May of '75), then sold to someone in Florida in 1981. I haven't been able to identify that person, but the car was for sale at the Fun Ford Weekend event at Gainesville in 1995. Apparently it was sold that day and disappeared again. I know it was in Fort Wayne, Indiana at some point, then to New Jersey about 1999 until 2010 when I found the car.

bigblockfox468 May 25th 2011, 8:59 am

SuddenDeath wrote:Came across this photo of the car with Jack Roush driving. Taken January 1977, same time as the Sudden Death photoshoot. Location was Farmington Road near the old Livonia Cemetery just blocks from the original Gapp and Roush shop.

Just wondering....where are you from?

SuddenDeath June 7th 2011, 7:35 pm

Just finished getting the rear suspension back in the car. Removed the poorly done coil overs and installed exactly what Wayne and guys at the Gapp and Roush shop put in the car when it was built. Now I can finally look forward to cosmetics/paint!

Oh, in case you're wondering...yes, the tank outlet is capped. I had a fuel filter in mind, but it was too big and had to order another one.

Mustang II - Jack Rouch's Maverick ? - Page 4 SDRearSuspensionResto20

Mustang II - Jack Rouch's Maverick ? - Page 4 SDRearSuspensionResto20

Mustang II - Jack Rouch's Maverick ? - Page 4 SDRearSuspensionResto18

SuddenDeath April 12th 2012, 6:15 pm

Been quite awhile since I last posted, so thought maybe you all would enjoy an update. Its not that I haven't been working on it! In fact, as of this month, its now painted back to the original color of silver. All of the poorly done mods, hacked up sheetmetal, minor rust areas, are all now repaired. We stripped the car to bare metal and started over.

Here's a couple of pics of SD out in the sun taken while loading it up for the trip home. Next project is to remove/rebuild/restore the rear axle/suspension, starting tomorrow.

Sure looks better!

Mustang II - Jack Rouch's Maverick ? - Page 4 SDcomeshome14-8-12

Mustang II - Jack Rouch's Maverick ? - Page 4 SDcomeshome14-8-12

Mustang II - Jack Rouch's Maverick ? - Page 4 SDcomeshome44-8-12

Mustang II - Jack Rouch's Maverick ? - Page 4 SDcomeshome64-8-12

Ranch71460 April 12th 2012, 6:57 pm

Car looks fantastic Exclamation

Now...make haste with the re-assembly eh bounce

56Tbird April 12th 2012, 7:08 pm

I love seeing someone taking a piece of history like that car and putting it back to it's Glory!! Excellent job!! Cool

Gary Blair April 12th 2012, 7:25 pm

Great seeing that Mustang II again and the Taxi. We used to run NHRA B/SM in the 70's with a Boss 302 and we had to carry extra weight as well. I used to talk to Wayne at the track and buy parts from Jack. Got to meet CJ Batten and Al Buckmaster. Those Clevelands would really thunder even with the extra weight. I remember it like it was yesterday. Very Happy

rmcomprandy April 12th 2012, 8:26 pm

SuddenDeath wrote:Page 4

To be honest ... a car like this was not alone back in the 70's at the "Nugget" restaurant on 12 Mile Rd. & Orchard Lake Rd. scratch

When I first saw it, I didn't think it was any big deal with Wangers and Addison and Mannarino and all the other fast street cars of the day which came around.
NO trailers either ... they DROVE 'em. Wink

They were all known to us at "The High End Club". Everybody knew what was out there and we never knew how really fast any of them were 'cause sandbaggin' was prevalent.

bbf-falcon April 12th 2012, 10:37 pm

Looks like a young Merle Haggard lookin at the engine Smile

SuddenDeath April 14th 2012, 9:21 am

Thanks Guys...I'm glad to finally have the car back in its original silver paint. Should be able to finish it this year, barring any complications.

Plans are to take it to Detroit for a visit, including a stop at the old Gapp and Roush shop on Schoolcraft (Wayne still owns the bldg), The Nuggett (which is now a mexican food place) for some photos, the old Livonia cemetery on Farmington for some photos where they did the "Sudden Death" article pics, and most importantly I'm hoping to be able to show the car to Joe Ruggirello again after all these years. Would love share the car with him and to hear some history on it from the man himself.

rmcomprandy April 14th 2012, 11:00 am

To hear of these cars being restored is really great. A few years ago Addison's "Silver Bullet" Satalite was totally restored and I heard that Wanger's black Pontiac Firebird was in the process.

These really were "the good ole days" when Sunoco 260 was the gasoline of the day and even Cadilacs had 12.5/1 compression ratio from the factory.
An 11.5/1 factory Oldsmobile engine with a TWO barrel...? You bet.

SuddenDeath January 19th 2014, 2:21 pm

Been for too long since I posted something here on the car. The road to finishing it has been long and painful, but its finally pretty much done. Just some refinements to do from here.

Here are a couple of pics taken at the NPD Silver Springs show in Ocala last weekend. Before you guys give me grief, the air cleaner is actually a copy of what they had on the car in the first articles/photos prior to the "sudden death" piece. No doubt it would/will be removed as "needed". I just had to make it as correct as possible.

Mustang II - Jack Rouch's Maverick ? - Page 4 SDSilverSprings20141_zpsc807a780

Mustang II - Jack Rouch's Maverick ? - Page 4 SDSilverSprings20141_zpsc807a780

Mustang II - Jack Rouch's Maverick ? - Page 4 SDSilverSprings20142_zpsac6ec2ab

Mustang II - Jack Rouch's Maverick ? - Page 4 SDSilverSprings20145_zpsdd3aec86

Mustang II - Jack Rouch's Maverick ? - Page 4 SDSilverSprings20143_zps017eb1f5

res0rli9 January 19th 2014, 2:36 pm

That"s AWESOME.. Cool

61coon January 19th 2014, 3:10 pm

That is an AWESOME restoration of a piece of drag racing history! Thank you so much for sharing with us!! Extremely nice! cheers

cool40 January 19th 2014, 3:15 pm

Lem Evans January 19th 2014, 3:26 pm

Very

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Jack Rouch's Maverick ?