I just adopted a 74 ford Maverick from my brother who couldn't afford to do with it what he wanted. So here I am and I'm wondering if what I want to do is even possible. I was wondering if its possible to take out the 302 and replace it with a more modern, fuel injected engine as well as an electronic transmission. I just want to see how much power I can get out of it. Its such a beautiful car, I just want to get power and mileage if possible. If not, let me know. Also, let me know if thats a stupid idea. I also want to redo the interior so if you more experienced folks can recommend some good places to get after market parts, I'm all ears.
Anything is possible.(except shoving an umbrella up...never mind)How big is your budget???EFI 302 swaps are very doable.There are some clearance issues as far as the upper plenum is concerned though.A non coumputer aod swap is also very doable and well worth the minimal effort to complete.The stock 302 2 bbl engine should be fairly good on gas with a proper tune and a good free breathing dual exhaust set up.17 to 20 mpg is not unheard of.4.6/5.4 liter mod motor swaps are not so simple.(lots of cutting and fabbing) not to mention the mustang two front suspension swap.it is doable it just comes down to what you want to (or can) spend to make it happen.Good luck.And welcome aboard.
i havent really though about creating a budget. i definitely dont want to break the bank. since this is the first car that i will have fixed up i should probably keep it as simple as i can so im able to wrap my head around it. id prefer to avoid cutting and fabbing but im pretty much willing to do whatever else it takes. what is an aod swap? how do you know if your maverick is a grabber or not? if u were in my situation what do u think you would do? whatever i decide im going to have to get the parts. i dont have an engine sitting and waiting so im not limited by that factor. is it worth it to go EFI gas mileage and power wise?
Allways have a plan (a realistic plan)its easey to end up chasing your tail and get in over your head.I havent personally done the aod swap but Frank(71Gold) has and apparently loves it.I am sure there is a thread about the swap ins and outs on the forum here.Do a search and you will find all sorts of info referring to trans swaps.As for grabber ID: the third and fourth digits in your vin will be 93 if its a grabber.If not it will be 91.What I would do in this order,Are you ready???? 1.Evaluate the cars over all condition,figure out what it needs mechanically to be a safe sound platform to build upon. 2.Once the safety and reliability concernes are out of the way.Devise a plan... a) How will you use it. Cruiser? drag race weekend warrior.(street/strip)Most go this route. trailer queen b)build according to your plan That said the easyest and most cost effective mods to start with would be as followes; 1.) Headers/dual exhaust(most engine upgrades will require these to begin with) 2.)Electronic ignition.Will increase reliability as well as fuel usage(I didnt say economy) Electronic ignition is more efficient and by that virtue will give you an increase in performance as well as "some"econmy gains. 3.)A simple upgrade to a dual plane aluminum intake and a 600 cfm 4 bbl carb will give you a bit more seat of the pants performance. 4.) Rear gear ratio change.Your car has 2:79s' or 3:00s' up the gears to 3:40s' or 3:55s' unless you go to an aod.Then you can go 3:80s' or 4:11s' At this point the trans should be attended too.Shift kit/re-build and so on. Beyond this stuff you start getting into major mods to drive train/engine such as high stall converter better cam/heads and so on but the outline above is a good base line starting point for simple do it in the drive way upgrades and minor shop duty such as the rear axle gear change and trans work.Hope this helps you to get started or gives you an Idea of where to start.Good luck and most of all have fun doing it.A plan allways helps to keep it fun by not allowing yourself to get in too deep.
as far as the cars overall condition: it has minimal amounts of rust on the floor boards and some on the hood. the engine doesnt run. i think its a fuel pump problem because it will turn over with starter fluid sprayed in the carb but when it runs out it stops. no fuel is getting to the carb. i replaced the fuel pump but that doesnt seem to have helped. before my brother let it sit for 2 years the engine didnt run on all cylinders and he drove it like that for at least a year. i dont know how bad that is for an engine so i was thinking about just replacing it but at the very least i think that i need to have it rebuilt. i wont know what els is wrong under the hood until i can get it running. theres no rust on the under carriage at all. i just took out the bench seats and the carpet and i want to put some bucket seats in which i think is pretty straightforward. i am interested in keeping a majority of this work in my driveway and shopping out the stuff that is over my head. I want to use it as a cruiser. im not much of a racer but i still, like every other man on the planet, want my car to go really fast and look good while doing it. is there anything else that you think i should look for as far as it being a safe platform to build on? thanks for your help.
First and fore most:Brake system.(fast is fine but if you cant stop) Front suspension:balljoints/tie rods etc... Lights turn signals. Before you do that stuff.Evaluate that engine.Figure out why it wont run and fix it.At least get it to run as you stated:you wont know whats wrong with the engine till you can run it.Dump the old gas/clean out the tank/Put a new Gas Filter on it.At the very least it sounds like it needed new plugs/wires/cap/rotor/points/condensor when your brother was driving it.Throw a tune up at it(cant hurt)
i have a friend whose maverick has the 3rd and 4th digits 92. what does that mean? just out of curiosity. its a 4 door. does it have something to do with that?
If you like modern powertrains, I would shoot for the 5.0 HO with matching AOD. That way you have the response and economy of EFI, and the added economy of the overdrive tranny. You just need to find a donor car with both pieces. Make sure you take every bit of the wiring harness, vacuum harness, any and every sensor, along with the computer. That way you can have as close to a 'drop in' swap as possible. The 5.0 is just the modernized version of the 302 that came in our cars, so it really is a straight forward swap. This engine/tranny have an unbelieveable amount of aftermarket upgrades available too... Makes things nice. Some things to consider with this particular swap: In-tank fuel pump for EFI needs fitted to Mav, or some equivalent. The shock tower braces must be used... The EFI interferes with the stock tower braces. Either make new braces that clear the EFI, or use an aftermarket EFI plenum that clears the braces. Stock 5.0 HO exhaust manifolds (tube type) do not fit in a Mav. Aftermarket headers must be used and fitted with o2 sensor/sensors. Not a problem... aftermarket headers make better power and mileage anyway. For a modernized ride to match the EFI, make sure you have or swap in disc brakes out front, at least. Could do the rear as well, using Crown Vic or Exploder rear discs. Anyway, just my .02... Dave
Well, I've been really busy with work lately so I haven't had a lot of time to devote to the Maverick. However, I've had some time off over the last week so I've been working on it. I got it to run by changing out the hoses that go from the fuel tank to the fuel pump and removing and reinstalling the fuel pump (I don't think that I had installed it correctly before). After I got it to run, I couldn't get it to shift into gear. So, I removed the pan from the bottom of the transmission, changed the filter, cleaned the pan and reattached it. It was at this time that I realized that I have to transmission dipstick. I figure I'll just head to a junk yard and snag one in the near future. Once I put a gallon of transmission fluid in the car it would shift for me, which is nice. Now that it runs i decided to spend some time today removing all of the parts that are only there for emissions control. If anyone can think of anything that is there for emissions control that I shouldn't remove please let me know and I'll run out and put it back on. I took it out for a drive and noticed how right you were about the brakes mavman72. I have a hard time stopping that thing without anything special done to the engine. What are the best brakes that I can put on a 74 grabber so I can get it to stop once I make it better faster and stonger? Also, this may sound like a stupid question but how do I start a new thread on here. I have some other questions related to the interior that I want to post on a new thread but am too dumb to figure out how. Thanks for your help everyone. Sean
92 means it's a 4 door Maverick. To start a new thread, just go to the proper section of the forum for the subject of your thread, and click the "New Thread" button in the upper left hand of the screen.
