Posted by q-ship331 (24.4.252.2) on January 17, 2001 at 01:27:04:
In Reply to: Maverick brake conversion - help! posted by Joel Usher on January 16, 2001 at 22:42:10:
: My 16 son just got a 73 Maverick, 302, auto, 73k miles. Only thing is, it is real hard to stop. What is the simplest cheapest way to get better brakes. The exisitng ones are in great cond., still hard though. I was told 75 Grenada parts would work. If so what exact parts do I have to buy and are there any after market parts I could get. Thanks
Earl, I've done this same conversion on my '70 Mav using a '70 Torino setup. EVERYTHING is a direct bolt-in. Luckily I was parting out the Torino, so I had all the parts at hand. First, you need the complete asemblies from whatever donor car you're using, to ensure the ball joints are correct. In this case the Mav outer tie rod ends were the same
size as the Torino, but that's not always the case. I used the Torino springs minus 2 coils, but the Mav springs would probably work better. I used a '75 Mav master cyl and proportioning valve (both for manual disc) and used the Torino brake hoses. (had to drill 1 hole for each hose to mount to the frame rail) Possible donor cars would be any '68-'73
Mustang, Cougar, Torino and Mav. Granada/Monarch pieces work, too. Just remember to get the complete assemblies - upper/lower control arms, spindles, calipers, hoses and outer tie rod ends, and everything should go pretty smooth. The manual discs in my Mav work so well I don't see any reason to go to power brakes - and I drag race this car. While
you're at it, the rear brakes are even easier to upgrade! I used the '70 Torino assemblies on my Mav with no problems. Again, get the complete assemblies from the donor car - drums & backing plates must match! Double check the backing plate bolt pattern, but any 8-inch and most 9-inch (pre '74) are the same. PST and Just Suspension have complete
rebuild kits for whatever front end you decide to use. The urethane bushing upgrade may be a little much for the street, but I like mine that way! We can all offer more advice if you could give us a bit more info, such as the intended use (daily driver, autocross, drag race etc) performance desired (all out, stock is okay, want "a little more" etc)
You wouldn't have a 302 z-bar, would ya? (just kidding-see the other postings) Good luck and let us know how it turns out!