Looking for some help

Greetings and salutations to all!

My first post on the Maverick Forums. And might as well start it off with a big bang.

When I was 18 my dad bought me a 77' Maverick from a neighbor down the street. It had the V8, 302 with an automatic transmission. I loved that car so much that I blew the head gasket.

Well I'm 27 now and I've finally got myself plugged in at a good job that pays well. So it's time to restore the Mav. I've found the best help can be found from those who love the car most. That would be you folks.

After inspection and some talk with the pops, its sounding like what I need is an entirely new engine and have the transmission resealed. What I would like to do is convert it to a manual transmission, if that's not too difficult to do.

I guess what I'm asking is if anyone has any tips on what I should and should not do in restoring her, or where I can get quality parts for the least amount of money.

-Tim

P.S. Is it possible to supercharge a 302 in the Maverick?

 

Welcome to the board.
You have definitely come to the right place......lots of knowledge here!
You should be able to find answer to all your questions.

 

Thank you maverick5946!

Last night I did a little internet research of my own. The first thing I want to do is by a new block. From what I'm seeing on the web, a food rebuilt 302 will run me around a solid 1-grand. Is that about right?

Also, should I be looking for any particular VIN code, or will just about any ford 302 fit?

 

Any 302 will fit.
Make sure you do some good research before buying a motor.
What does that $1,000 include? Is that just the short block? or longblock? Stock, or modified???
Around here you can get a longblock 302/5.0 for around $800 with a core. I bought one and had alot of luck with it.
Goodluck!

 

I've been looking at this board off and on for years now, and I have to say it's gotten a lot better over the years. Now, there is a lot of activity on the board and tons of new members. There are also lots of experts that can help you with just about anything imaginable on these cars. You have people who know everything about drag racing, tranny swaps, engine swaps, EFI Conversions, etc. Some of these guys race their Mavericks, others are trailer queens. If you're like me, you'll find the mods that everyone does the most interesting. People have come up with some awesome mods for all different parts of the car. What kind of manual tranny are you looking to put in, a modern 5 speed, or an old 4 spd Toploader?

 

I'm glad I found you guys. I'm excited about getting my old Maverick up and running again.

As far as transmission goes, I'd like to keep the car as classic as possible, so a 4-spd Toploader would probably be the way to go.

 

Is he talking about me?


Anyway to convert over to manual is not a big deal except for the clutch linkage. If you have the bucks, just buy a hydraulic set up. Personally, if your going to do a manual, I'd consider the 5 speed unless you planning on making a real potent 302. How much mechanical experience do you have? This will be the major determinning factor in what it will cost you. If you've never rebuilt a motor, This is a great time to learn.

 

My mechanical experience is decent. I've helped rebuild on old nissan motor once, and helped replace the head gaskets on GMC. I currently own a Ford Focus and I've been doing a few mods here and there on that one (Don't worry. There will be no rice in my Focus).

Rebuilding and installing an engine is something I can manage. Anything that requires modifications, like cutting, trimming or fabricating, that will be the limit of my abilities.

 

Nah I wasn't talking about your Sprint Dennis. I know how you take offense to that sort of thing . Besides, you drive it a good six or seven-hundred miles a year . In all honesty, if my car looked as good as yours and if I spent all that money and time on it, I probably wouldn't even take it out of my garage.

I guess what all this comes down to is what you plan on building the car for. How much HP you looking to pump out? They have new T-5's that can handle 400 hp no problem, and even beefier stuff like Tremec. You get that extra gear for better gas mileage and lower cruising RPM's, which can be a big deal if you're running low gears in the rear end and ever plan on driving it on the freeway.

 

engines

not sure if this will help much, if your lookin for a used motor,I'd stay away from the 73'-76' 302 they had a taller deck height and dropped about 1point in compression also the 86' HO there was no valve reliefs in the pistons so cam choice is limited..just my$.02

 

Just so happens I'm in the middle of rebuilding a '74 short block with the higher deck. To get compression up where I want it I'm having .020" taken off the decks. Costs $80 at the local machine shop.

 

blocks

I found out the hard way mines a 75' I never relized it was different till I was already done with the engine.

 

I would buy a 347 rotating assembly from Scat or Coast, which is less than 1000 bucks, and just have the block reconditioned. You spend the real money on the heads these days anyway.

As fas as a manual conversion, the pedals can be a little tricky, as all 77s had power brakes, I think, and the older manual cars were all drum brakes. Some fabbing may be required.

 

I would buy a 347 rotating assembly from Scat or Coast, which is less than 1000 bucks, and just have the block reconditioned. You spend the real money on the heads these days anyway.

As fas as a manual conversion, the pedals can be a little tricky, as all 77s had power brakes, I think, and the older manual cars were all drum brakes. Some fabbing may be required.