302 conversion - over my head?

Oh yeah!
Those big bumpers are even heavier than they look!

Edit:
The small bumper swap can be expensive though.
At the moment, part like those are rapidly climbing in price.
There is some buzz that the parts might be repopped before too long, but it's just buzz right now.

There is a mod called the 'bumper slide'.
I believe that guts much of the very heavy backing for the bumpers.
It certainly looks much better because the bumpers are moved closer to the body.

 

O.K. so the brakes are suitable up front. I was thinking that I could use some larger disks maybe, but for the time being I would want to avoid aftermarket parts ($$$). As for the bumper conversion, I would need to find a '70-'72 donor, right? (was that the year they were mandated, or was it '73?) Shaving weight is always a plus (another reason I am pensive about the 302). Are the '76's power brakes, or manual? Would that be a "beginner level" project?

P.S. are guides for "bumper slide" mod available here?

Thanks,
Jack

 

i can lift a small bumper with 2 fingers but need the help of another person to move a big bumper out of the way.

you may already have this but if not swapping to a power brake booster will help if feel a little nicer slowing down

 

http://mmb.maverick.to/showthread.php?t=25122&highlight=%22bumper+slide%22

 

http://mmb.maverick.to/showthread.php?t=15922&highlight=%22bumper+slide%22

 

http://mmb.maverick.to/showthread.php?t=8951&highlight=bumper+slide

 

Darn, I have no access to a welder, and even if I did, it's been a long time since shop class! Could I just take the bumper off and slide the mounts back like dmhines recommends, maybe with a few precision whacks from a sledge?

Thanks,

Jack

 

If you don't mind leaving the weight in there, one of the threads recommends using a press to shove the impact absorber in 3.5".

If you notice the one thread, the writer gutted the front bumper and lost 70lbs... Had to weld though.

We had another thread where we noticed the 78-82 Fairmont bumpers were very close to Maverick bumpers.
No one has tried this swap yet, however we found that the Fairmont bumpers would be very well shaped for the slide mod AND best of all, they are aluminum bumpers.

 

Back to your ?? about performance,you can do several little things to the 250 six.A fresh tune up,free flowing exhaust and a 2bbl carb upgrade can pep it up a bit.It being a stick is in your favor performance wise IMO.Better rear gears(3.55)will help optimize what power you already have.Stuff like this is fairly straightforward and will get you comfortable with working on it.A 302 swap is pretty easy as it is all bolt in stuff,but the previous stuff will get you familiar with the car and may be enough to satisfy your "need for speed".If not,then you can decide whether you think you can tackle a v8 swap or get it done by someone else.Fordsix.com is a place where they are hardcore into everything 6cyl.But first,go and get some tools!You need some basic tools if you're going to do anything.And if you are wanting to make this a long term project it'll be cheaper to just buy some tools instead of renting/less of a hassle than borrowing.Hang around here long enough & you'll be tinkering around with it in no time.

 

yea theres alot you can do with a 6 but the bill will add up pretty quick and by the time your done you would have been better off spending it on a 8. 200 hp is ALOT when your talking about a I6 but on a 302 thats pretty low. the carb swap is a good bang for the buck swap though, espically if its a driver. for about $100 youll be able to have a little more fun behind the wheel and its easy to get on.

buying tools seems to be the way to go around here. a local place charges like $50 a day to rent a hoist mean while the local pep boys sell a hoist for $120.

 

Well, I'm going to check out the '76 tomorrow. In the likely event I end up buying it, I will begin a new thread dedicated to the restomod. I plan on taking a butt-load of pictures and asking just as much advice (i.e. butt-load). After considering what everyone has said, I've decided to do the simplest upgrade I can think of at the moment: new rims and tires. These are the rims I was looking at getting:

8x15 for the front, 10x15 for the rear.

What is the maximum backspace I can get away with? What sort of aspect ratio should I go for as far as tires are concerned? Any tire recommendations? I plan to stay on the road with this car, but a firm grip would be nice. Straight lines are fun, but I'm a handling guy as well. Also, I am beginning to amass literature on the car. I have ordered the 1975-1976 Ford Car Shop Manual Complete Set, the 1976 Ford Car Service Specifications Manual, and already have the Haynes Ford Engine Overhaul Manual (wanted to mod my 1995 Town Car, but on-board computers confuse and frighten me). I will also be getting "How to Rebuild Your Small Block Ford" when I am ready for the 302 swap, as per Ratio411's suggestion. Are there any other books I might find useful? Also, my paltry collection of tools basically consists of a Craftsman 104pc. Mechanics Tool Set (ratchets, Allen wrenches, a screwdriver with removable bits) and a torx screwdriver set. What are some other vital tools I need to start out with?

"Help me Obi-Wan-Kenobi(s), you're my only hope."

-Jack

 

the chilton maverick comet 70-77 book is a good one too but probably wont cover the info as well as the boks your already getting

sounds like your pretty good on tools. a good breaker bar might be necessary considering those bolts have been in place over 31 years. but i dont recall needing anything over the top for my car. might be worth it to invest in a drill and grinder, just incase the breaker bar isnt enough lol i definatly like how there isnt a single metric nut or bolt to be found on these cars. to work on my cutlass or any other 80's GM in my collection i need standard tools for the engine and most of the mechanical parts but the rest of the body uses metric tools

 

Yeah, I was actually planning to get one of those. So I have enough tools for a tire exchange. Now how about tire size? I am really new to this. Will those rims be O.K.

-Jack

 

i dont know about the rims, you have to make sure the lug pattern and back spacing are correct. im sure someone hee knows those specs off the top of heir head, i dont.

to swap tires you need a jack and a lug wrench, one of those big metal X's, im sure you know what i mean. depending on how long the rims have been in place you might need to spray some penetrating lube on the lug nuts and let it set in for a while.

 

You might hav a hard time with 8's on the front and 10's on the back. That is getting pretty tight.

You should probably do a search on backspacing but if I remember right I think you can go up to 4 inches on the rear and I am not sure about the front, especially since you have the disc brakes up front.

Don't get me wrong I think the 8's and 10's will fit but it's gunna be a tight fit. I am almost positive that those are the sizes I had on the Blue Maverick in my signature line but I could be stretching my memory and imagination. I know the tires on the front were pretty wide and the ones on the rear were even wider and $$$$ expensive.