Posted by Roadrage (IP: 152.163.197.199) on May 20, 2000 at 08:31:04:
In Reply to: all those stroked mavs out ther.e..... posted by JasonGfunk on May 20, 2000 at 00:25:46:
contrary to popular belief, a 302 is a very potent little motor.
all this talk of 351 windsors, clevelands, and 428's in a maverick, strike me as over-kill. the 302 itself, barely fits in. i dont understand why anyone would go through all that trouble and expense to adapt a motor that the car was not engineered for.
there is a trick illustrated in pat ganahl's "ford performance" book, that will really bring your 302 to life.
what the trick is, is to put 289 connecting rods in your 302. this gives your old small block a longer compression stroke. i personally know of 2 people who have done this trick and it ROCKS! i am definitely going to do this trick to my 302 when rebuild time comes around.
one car is a 63 ranchero and the other a 66 mustang. in both cases, these cars are ridiculously fast. they were fast hot rods before the trick. both owners will concur that the trick is responsible for why they are so fast now.
this same logic obviously applies to our mavericks as well.
i was with my friend in his 66 mustang when he easily ran away from a saleen mustang, he raced. this made a believer out of me.
the ranchero, i have never witnessed in a race. however, i do know with close to 300 horses, peg leg transmission, original brakes, and 4 speed toploader transmission, that this car is an overpowered, unsafe beast. it is the most unsafe car i have ridden in.
if you want power, use your head. a 428 maverick(or other engine) is possible, but costly and will be unsafe.
i highly recommend the making the most of your 302.
roadrage