Growing up in and around the car scene, you get exposure to many different build genres as well as a whole host of makes and models.
Of course, if your childhood years predate the influx of import/sport compacts roaming the streets, chances are you prefer American muscle. For Kendall Collins, his childhood was filled with everything from rod runs to drag racing and most had to do with good ole muscle cars. But there’s no rule against taking that dated technology and upping the ante with some serious high tech power.
“I always enjoyed cars and as a young child I
was a Hot Wheels fanatic,” Collins explained. “In Elementary school, I would get in trouble for drawing cars instead of my class work on a regular basis. My dad always had a hot rod or street rod of some type all through my childhood, too.”
By the time Collins had reached his early teens, his father acquired a cool 1971 Ford Maverick Grabber as a daily driver that soon became a regular at their local drag strip. “I just fell in love with it, it had great
The Maverick has a killer, almost level stance with sizeable meats packed inside the rear wheel wells.
The black and red stripes accenting the Ash Gray metallic paint along with the vinyl roof work very well on the Maverick body. Attention to detail is obvious; doors are tight, gaps are even, and it has all the functioning street equipment.
From mild to wild...an early magazine ad shows how the lowly Maverick has evolved into a dragstrip terror.
lines, and it was different from most of the cars that were at our track.” At this point, Kendall was residing in Savannah, Georgia and ready to get a hot rod of his own. Savannah seemed to favor the Chevrolet crowd, but Collins wanted to go against the grain a little bit. “No one thought of the Ford Maverick as a fast car, but the little 302 always impressed me.” They tried to find a Maverick but instead ended up with a 1970 Mustang for his first car, not a bad “second choice” we’d say. After the Mustang, a 1970 Ranchero with a 429 would occupy Kendall’s senior year of high school after which he’d spend 6 years in the United States Navy with a sweet ’64 Falcon during his enlistment.
“Once I separated from the Navy, I purchased a tube chassis Fox Body that I bracket raced at Savannah Dragway.” The Fox Body craze was well underway and along with it the fast street car drag
The Maverick’s hood is often the topic of conversation and it was made by Kendall with help from his best friend Dana Brown and his dad.
No one thought of the Ford Maverick as a fast car, but the little 302 always impressed me....Kendall Colllins
Kendall magically stuffed a late model Ford Coyote powerplant between the frame rails of this Maverick. Oh yeah, and he somehow plumbed in a pair of turbos that can barely be seen.
For performance, street and strip durability and product support, Collins chose Bullseye Power Turbochargers and installed a pair of Bullseye 66mm units. Look hard and you might see them installed inconspicuously behind the headlights.
race scene was gaining some serious momentum. Kendall purchased a Mustang to compete in Outlaw 10.5, but shortly after finishing the build, life took another change for him when he and his son Austin moved to Orlando, Florida. Austin had been racing BMX for a number of years but transitioned into racing motocross until he was 18, but when it was time for him to go to college, Kendall moved back into fast street cars. “Being a big Ford guy, I had always wanted a ’64 Fairlane. I tried to find one that was in good shape and afford-
able, but I didn’t have any luck, so after searching for a while I moved onto my next choice which was a Maverick.”
He found a rust-free car in the Northern part of Georgia and quickly snapped it up, spending the next 5 years slowly piecing it together. “While I was building the Maverick I took about a 2-year break and bought another nice Fox Body street car to play with for about a year and ended up trading it for a ’71 Maverick Grabber that I drove for the following year..”
By now, Radial Tire racing was starting to dominate street
If these wheels make you feel a little nostalgic, you’re spot on. Kendall picked these slotted wheels up from a swap meet, polished them up and had them beadlocked. Equally nostalgic are the ET Gasser wheels up front.
YouTube viewer
...That is one sick and one of the best Maverick builds yet...
This is what stock type suspension really looks like. It’s not often you see a street driven car this clean underneath, but it gives you a chance to check out the cool equipment installed, including Calvert split mono leafs and Caltrac bars along with the trick 8.8 rear diff and remote cooling fan.
car drags everywhere, and shortly after attending a popular radial tire event at South Georgia Motorsports Park, Kendall sold the ’71 Grabber and promptly got back to work on the ’70. “The motivation behind the build was that I wanted to build a cool ‘drive and drag’ type street car to cruise the streets, hit up car shows and take it to the track to run a decent number. I’ve always been a huge
fan of fast, ‘true’ street cars,” he said.
“I built most of it in my 2-car garage with the help of best friend Dana Brown, my father Andrew, Jerry Waller, and my wife Kendra.” Daryl Waldrup came onboard and helped with the cage and the fab work under the car, along with the rear suspension. The body work and slick Ash metallic base coat clear coat paint along with the vinyl top were mas-
Chassis Type & Mods: Stock frame rails with subframe connectors, 10-point cage 8.50 certified.
Suspension: Calvert split mono leaf springs with Caltrac bars, Menscer rear shocks. AJE front tubular K-member with Strange struts.
Body & Paint: Ash metallic base coat clear coat done by Gerald Smith.
Other Important Vehicle Information: Custom hood done by owner, his father and Dana Brown. Seats custom made by Ken Marrow.
Best ET & MPH: 5.02 at 140mph
terfully crafted by Gerald Smith.
The upgrades kept on coming over the years, especially in the performance department. Initially, albeit for a short stint, the Maverick was 5.4L/turbo powered, however, a built Coyote with twins now sits between the rails.
A sleeved Coyote block was equipped with a Boss 302 crank swinging Boostline rods and Manley pistons. Custom Comp Cams were used and heads are hand ported by Kendall along with the Boss 302 intake. A Moroso oil pan caps off the bottom end while a Fast Big Mouth throttle body is connected to custom plumbing up top. “The engine was built to withstand the twin 66mm Bullseye turbochargers I purchased from my good friend Bill Devine.” Transferring the power rearward is a Waller built Turbo 400 transmission with a Cameron’s torque converter.
The factory frame rails were reinforced and tied with a pair of frame connectors. Out back, a seriously beefed-up Ford 8.8 is stuffed with 3.55 gears, a Strange spool and 35 spline axles. Like Kendall said, he is fan of “true” street cars, so not surprisingly the Mav rides on a stock type suspension – not coilover conversions that everybody calls “stock type”, but an actual OEM configuration with leaf springs and shocks! Calvert split mono leaf springs
The interior of the Maverick has been meticulously restored using mostly factory panels and trim mixed with a spattering of race parts such as the 10-point 8.50 certified cage, custom race seats, Hurst shifter and FAST digital dash. FAST’s complete XFI 2.0 system controls the engine.
with Caltrac bars and Menscer rear shocks providing the hook, while an AJE front tubular K-member with Strange struts was used up front. Strange brakes reside on all four corners and a custom Marrow Morphosis built parachute mount with single ’chute helps when needed. The rear wheels are old pro stock slots from the ’70s that Kendall acquired from a swap meet, polished up and had double beadlocked, and ET “Gasser” wheels occupy the front wheel wells.
As with every single area of the car, the interior received a complete overhaul starting with the 8.50 certified 10-point cage and bracing throughout. Black was used over the factory red and trick custom covered race buckets replace the original front bench seat
with a matching rear seat installed, as well. A Hurst billet pistol grip shifter actuates gear changes while a FAST digital display is the only “gauge” device installed in the completely reconditioned factory dash.
“I plan on racing as many local small tire/street car type events as possible” Collins continued. “I want to make it to the Mod Nationals and plan on taking it to the Turkey Rod Run in Daytona as my dad will have his ’39 Ford there and my son will have my other Maverick with him. I’d also like to hit up a TX2K or FL2K event next year as well as the Spring Break Shootout in Bradenton.”
Stepping out of the box to build something different is something that Kendall Collins took very seriously and we’d say he did a darn good job of it. But don’t let this little Maverick fool you, it’s as reliable at the track as it is on the street…to date he’s ran a 5.02 best ET in the eighth-mile, and there’s no sign of slowing down anytime soon! RPM
Living in Southeast Georgia affords Kendall some great opportunities to compete at a number of premier events throughout Florida and Georgia.