A Labor Of Love: Bryant Althof’s Sleeper Maverick

Working in a paint and body shop you become accustomed to seeing beautiful cars come and go. The thought of one day owning one stays minimal as you continue to put in a hard day’s work. Occasionally a certain build will catch your eye, then you’ll be stuck trying to decide if you should put in an offer or duplicate the build yourself. That dilemma was met by Bryant Althof as a particular Maverick entered the shop. Althof’s love for the car would eventually lead him into ownership. 

Althof is a master welder and fabricator at Schubert’s Speed Shop in Lena, Illinois. Althof’s dedicated work has graced a large majority of restomods exiting the large white bay doors. After seeing such high end projects, you wouldn’t think a Maverick would do him. However, there was something about this Maverick that was different. After toiling with the car in his head for over five years, it finally became available for purchase.

Althof’s Maverick

The Maverick had been built as a sleeper, something Althof admired. The original owner had replaced the factory motor with a first generation Coyote with a Ford Performance engine harness. A lightweight performance C4 transmission with a Dynamic Motorsports 11-inch, 2,400 RPM stall converter resided behind the five-liter. Best of all, the paint was still in immaculate condition!

Althof had worked on the car in the past and knew exactly what he wanted to do to make it his. He started off by upgrading to a Mustang II front end by Fatman’s Fab. This included six-piston Wilwood Dynapro calipers up front. Althof then moved to the rear braking and replaced the drums with new rotors and four-piston Wilwood Dynapro calipers . These would aid immensely in slowing the Coyote-powered Maverick. Althof wanted to give the car a correct attitude so he lowered it with 2-inch drop shackles on the front. He then used 1.5-inch lowering leaf springs on the rear. 

Sound and Style

Althof’s love of music inspired him to install a Retro sounds head unit. He decided to take it a step futher and installed dash speakers, 6.5-inch Kicker door speakers and a 10-inch Kicker Audio Subwoofer. The sound system competes with the Flowmaster Super-HP muffler and 2.5-inch X and H-pipe. A set of 17-inch U.S. Wheels wrapped in Nitto NT01 tires make sure tire noise is minimal.

Not Just For Cruising

Althof is proud to use this as his daily and distance driver. A few weekends ago he cruised over 1,350 miles round trip to see the Holley Ford Fest. In addition to being with friends and family, Althof was was able to reconnect with Vaughn Gitten Jr., with whom he starred on Ford Motor Company’s show, Octane Academy, Season 2. Not bad for an old Maverick!

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About the author

James Elkins

Born into a household of motorsport lovers, James learned that wrenching takes priority over broken skin and damaged nerves. Passions include fixing previous owners’ mistakes, writing, and driving.
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