Does a 302ci + 2BBL + 16 yo = disaster

I just talked to a guy with a 74 maverick, but it has been slightly modified for racing. He has found time slips in the trunk from the local race strip. I think it was 7.6 sec. It is a 302, 2BBL, dual exhaust. I seem to remember him saying the carburator had been modified.

He says he got it for his son, but his son decided it was way too much power for him, so he is selling it. (His story).

I am so on the fence about giving a 5.0 liter engine to my son. He is a really good kid and I trust him completely. He drives like a granny and lets me know when I drive 5 MPH over the limit. I am more concerned about his peers pressuring him to "show 'em what its got."

Am I being an over-protective mom, or sane? (My first car was a 318ci, so I feel guilty either way)

We haven't even looked at it (and this could be a moot point if the car is a rust bucket), but I am not taking him to look at a car, that I have no intentions of buying.

 

thats a pretty good time for a car with a 2bbl carb. i would have to guess that time is for a 1/8 mile track. if it did run a 7.6, that is a very healthy motor and i would defintly think twice befor i gave it to a new teen driver. i think im still alive because my parents gave me a 4 cyl pinto as my first car and not the v8 mustang i wanted.
i would confirm that that time you posted is correct. for a 2bbl carbed motor i would expect it to be a stock motor and that would more likely run a 9 second 1/8 mile or a 15 sec 1/4 mile time. if that proves to be the case then the car would probably fine for your son.

 

I am relying on what the guy told me on the phone, but you are right, I can check the slips if I go see it. I originally told my son that 6 cylinders was the max, but this car sounds like a decent deal.

I was just thinking that If the body is a good as he says, (interior needs work) I would almost pull the engine and negotiate a trade with someone here for a 250.

 

a 6 cylender will got 80 mph the differencde in the # of cylinders is moot. If he is a good kid, and he is, I wouldn't worry about him having 10 cylinders. I would be more concerned with the safty of the car. Are the brakes good? steering good? suspension.etc.? i guess I am saying, trust your kid. GL

 

He didn't happen to tell you if the front tires would lift off the ground did he?

j/k.. Forum joke from a crazy thread..

When I got my car in high school it was I who wanted to give er tha gas. Your son may want to test the waters just like anyone else.. Hope it works out which ever way.

 

if the car runs 7.60's in the 1/8 which I highly doubt it is that fast it would be way to fast for a 16 year old. A ls1 camaro will run around an 8.50 with a good driver. The car you are talking about will probaly run high 9's or low 10's if its just a 302 2bbl which would be around what a newer v6 mustang runs

 

you'll never know just how good of a kid he is until you give him a chance to screw up and he doesn't.

my first car was a 71 nova with a 252 i-6 and i drove it like it was a v8 alchohol.a 250 6 cylinder and a 302 are only 50 cubes apart.

 

detune it,or put a rev limiter on it,1 of the first cars i drove at 14 was my dad's 650hp 69 mustang drag car,he set the limiter to 3000rpm and let me warm the car up with him in the passanger seat when we'de go to the track.

 

If he hasn't given you reason to distrust him then trust him. He deals with peer pressure all the time and doesn't secome to it. A car will not change who he is.
If the trust is damaged you can always take the keys back.

 

Myself, I would never let my 15 year old daughter drive a Maverick for a everyday car (once she starts to drive). Not so much that I don't trust her, its other people. A car the is 40 something years old, is no where near as safe as even a 20 year old car.
Old seat belts, steel dash, old low back seats..the list goes on and on.

 

yea thats a really fast time for a 302 with just a 2v on it but its possible i guess.

if your son is willing to work on it and learn the car id trust him ive been working on restoring my car since the day i got it 9 so months ago and im scared to push it b/c i know how much of my own money and time i put in to her to get her running and driving if your son is anything like me ( im 18 by the way ) he will grow up with the maverick and learn to love that car more than anything else ( no offence mom he will still love you )

and you can always get a rev limited like 408w-maverick said up there pertronix makes a really nice electric ignition to replace the coils and its cheep too makes start up and running so much better. the new one the III in the series has a rev limited built in set it to 3200 and he will be set not to be able to go over about 70 with a stock gear in the rear.

 

hate to say this but if a kid is going to screw up in a car it isn't going to matter if it has a V8 or a 4cyl. My Dad made me sell my first car (V8 Maverick) and had me driving a 1966 VW Bug in which I preceded to bury the speedo which went to 90mph and I wrapped it back around.

So didn't want me to have the V8 because he was afraid I would wrap it around a pole or tree. So what did I do? Figured out how to make the bug go fast. LOL.

I would honestly say that 95% of the time I drove the speed limit or under but EVERY teenage boy with a driver's license and a car is going to test the limits once in a while.

I think what has already been said stand it's ground. If you trust him with the majority of other things get him the V8 Maverick and trust he will do the right thing MOST of the time. He's not going to go any faster in a V8 Maverick then he will in anything else given a little time money and ingenuity.

 

GIVE YOUR SON A CHANCE! he will love you in the long run for it. as for the car, if its not to far gone...the repair work he doe's to it will stay with him forever. he will learn the value of a special car, and be the admiration of all his friends. He's a good kid, so therefore nothing to worry about. sure he will light the tireS a time or two, but when he has to replace them- that will stop.
come on mom GIVE HIM A CHANCE AND A GREAT CAR!
BTW, MY FIRST CAR 1968 CHEVY BISCANE. 396 BIG BLOCK. MADE ALL MY FRIENDS PAY FOR THE GAS.

 

that right there is the truth! so you might as well teach him where to use up that other 5%

 

I'm 29 but only have had my licence for a year.
We're prepping my car for a 351w, however I would have been terrified to have a 302 for a powerplant. I would have been excited sure, but I'm neurotic and would have thought that i would have died for sure. After a year though, I feel comfortable enough to trust my self with something bigger.

It all up to the driver in the end. You'r son sounds a bit like me (cautious) so he should be fine. Plus, think of the girlfriends he can pick up...