Young Women Rodders – White Horse: Ellie Wolk’s 1970 Ford Maverick
Ellie Wolk has been driving this 1970 Ford Maverick to Goodguys events for almost a decade now, but the 24-year-old has been attending car shows and cruise nights much longer than that.
“I have been going to car shows with my family since I was born,” Ellie says. Her father James is an avid rodder and car builder, as is her uncle, David. It’s little wonder Ellie Wolk has been immersed in the scene her whole life. In fact, she’s been cruising this clean Maverick street machine for as long as she’s been able to legally drive. “I got my drivers permit at 15 years old and three days later we left for Des Moines,” Ellie says. “That same year we did the Cruise to Columbus in my Maverick.”
James and David get credit for the car’s custom work, which was done at their shop, Wolk Design. Starting with a relatively clean and rust-free car, they began by lowering the stance with custom front and rear springs, and eventually bolting up a set of 17×7- and 17×8-inch US Mags wheels with knock-off centers and 225/45/17 and 255/45/17 BFGoodrich rubber.
The relatively mild 302c.i. small-block Ford V8 puts out plenty of power for a compact Maverick like this. Performance enhancements include a Holley four-barrel carb and Pertronix electronic ignition, while the Cobra valve covers and Mustang air cleaner offer an OEM muscle car appearance. A dual exhaust system with Magnaflow mufflers makes for a nice exhaust note, while the C4 automatic transmission keeps shifting duties simple.
James and David incorporated a few tricks into the Maverick body, starting with widening the front wheel openings 1-inch and the rears 1.5-inches. They also built a custom rear spoiler, widened a ’67 Camaro rear bumper to fit the rear of the car, and installed ’67 Impala taillights. When the body was straight and well prepped, David sprayed the DuPont white paint, which was augmented with a matte black hood, stripe, and accents for a factory muscle car look, complete with GT302R lettering.
The inside retains an OEM feel with a stock dash and Ford three-spoke steering wheel. The ’64 Mustang seats, upholstered by James, look right at home in the Maverick. Factory air conditioning helps keep cruising temperatures comfortable.
In addition to caravanning with her family to events around the Midwest, Ellie has tested the Maverick out on the Goodguys AutoCross course several times, proving that it’s a good all-around performer. “I love driving my car to car shows and cruise nights and showing everyone how cool a Maverick can be,” Ellie says.
Photos by John Jackson
