Need opinons and helpful advice

Thinking of selling my Maverick to purchase a weekend bracket car. I don't drive the Maverick much as it is and don't attend many shows anymore. The thought of getting back into some bracket racing with friends next year sounds like better use of my time and would be more fun.

The issue is that the current set up for my car needs to be enhanced to get me where I want to be; solidly into the 11's or quicker. I have a chance to pick up a fresh 351 based 396 long block for a very reasonable price, however there are allot of other mods and parts that need to be purchased for the swap. Additional "go faster" parts would also need to be bought to complete the project, and lets not forget the additional time/labor required.

The issue is that I like my car allot and really don't want to part with it. However, It appears that there are allot of options to purchase a complete turn key bracket car/truck out there right now for a reasonable cost. Dumping more money and time into mine to get it to go faster does not seem like a really good idea but I would be able to retain my car. On the other hand, buying a proven car already completed would save allot of time and money.

I have been going back and fourth on this topic and am just looking to see if anyone has any advice. I am sure some of you have been down this very road before so I am looking to see where it lead you. Are you happy or would you have done it differently??

Thanks -

 

even a moderately cammed 396 with decent heads will easily put you there if you shed the extra weight wherever possible. Probably still be able to run "somewhat streetable" gears with it too.. and an overdrive would easily offset some 4.30's for a nice drivable package. You'll have to cage it once you get too fast though.

That way it's easier to still have some cake left over once you've had your fill of "race only mode" for a while.. or you break it.. and decide to go back to a "daily driver" someday down the road. That gives the option of keeping the car for both scenarios.

It seems that a basic rule of human nature is that we always see more color in the grass on the other side of the fence once we've grown tired and bored of the side were currently standing on.

My latest hotrod experience is just the opposite of yours. I went from a stripped down setup with steeper gears, cam and manifold.. to a bit milder(gears,cam,intake) street machine setup. For the first month and a half I drove it daily.. and I felt like a teenager all over again which showed me what's been missing from my life for too long. The near instant "on demand fun" of taking it the long way to the store.. or the fishin' hole with the kids.. or even sneaking out of the house late at night to go visit some of my younger.. and much richer.. friends on nice flat straight stretches of road. Tough to do that with a bracket car when it has been gutted and runs open exhaust. So you end up enjoying it far less often when life gets busy.

I say do what makes you happy so you enjoy the whole point of what the cars are designed for. Just keep in mind that slightly slower and heavier dual purpose cars get to be driven more on AND off the track. That's worth a little something too.

 

If it were me I'd build the current car, you just never know what you'll get when you buy another persons car.

 

I regretted selling my first maverick!

 

My rule...Never buy another persons hot rod...Reason being, you dont know what your in for or getting in the deal. Buying a "Proven bracket car" can turn into "How the heck did someone get this thing down the track and live!!??" Been there and done that. Your car is a proven car...You know what you have and need. Someone elses car, can cost you more to get to your level of good than what you allready have. Grass is seldom greener elsewhere.

 

Well, I've done it both ways and can say that building your own car just takes time and money.............buying someones already proven car, well, at least most of the hard work has been done.
I bought my Maverick 3 years ago..........yes, it was a proven car and someone had spent a ton of money on the car plus it had been raced since 1979..........but it is a "drag only car" and I saw what it needed and did expect to refreshen the motor/trans/rearend............just didn't expect to spend the amount I have.......................but again, even with the dyno time I spent less than half of what the motor would have cost new.........one thing to keep in mind when building a car (unless you have deep pockets and time on your hands) is that new race parts are not cheap.............and used parts, well..............they are used and could be used up.
My first "race only car" was an SS/IA Camaro and I built from the ground up and spent one heck of a lot of money back in the mid 70's.....in todays money it would be equivelant to about $45k.
After that I bought all of drag race cars either turn-key or as rollers.......but they were proven cars with history...............and I enjoyed them a lot more than the first car I built. Yes, there are things you need to refurbish when you buy a used drag car............unless someone has done it already.
Right now strips are closing everywhere and finding a car that will go deep into the 10's is pretty easy. I have seen a number of Mavericks for sale and most looked like very decent runners.
What I would suggest is that you sit down and pencil out how much money it would take to put your car in the low 11's......................then, how much could you sell your current car for and how much would/could you afford to spend to get into bracket racing...................putting a 351w into a stock engine bay is not a lot of fun................even with the towers shaved it is a royal pain to get the headers on/off and change the plugs...............I can say this from a lot of experience..................................IMHO

 

Keep your car and go to the races with your friends. Help them out in the pits for a while. Gives you some time to see if thats what you want to do most of the summer. also gives you time to cheek out the race cars that are for sale. Nothin like seeing them in action AND watch who fixes things right and who is useing bubble gum and twist ties to fix their cars.
Just my 2 cents, for what its worth. I've done both racing and car show.......and still do, just not as much as I used to.

Just racing can be like just going to car show, fun for a while but you start looking for other things to do after a while.
Good luck.

 

What are the specs on your car as it sits, engine and trans?

 

Kill be makes a good point, if you don't think you will want to do this for more than just one season....................don't do it!
I've been drag racing for over 40 years and when I got back into it.........well
it definately something I have missed...............and I had forgotten how much fun it really is.........................IMHO

 

When RMiller asked you about the specs on your car...............I went to your profile...............................sorry I should have done this earlier before I started writting...............Very Nice Car!
I wouldn't sell it and it looks like you don't have far to go to push it into the 11's..............without the 351w.................IMHO

 

I appreciate all the repsonses so far as it is giving me some different perspectives and options to consider.

Just for a little background, I bracket raced the red Maverick (picture include in this thread; http://mmb.maverick.to/showthread.php?t=75630 ) right before I purchased the green one. I had a blast but did not have many friends locally that were racing so I sold the car. Since selling the red car, quite a few of my friends have gotten back into racing due to a local track gathering momentum to reopen. So I am pretty certain of the direction I want to go at this time.

I could run my car as it is because it already has allot of good features but really needs help to go quicker. Currently it is a 306 with Windsor Jr heads, performer intake, 600 Holly, MSD 6AL, Headman headers, Spin Tech mufflers, H-Pipe, C4 with 2800 convertor, Ford 9inch with 4.11 gear, Detroit locker, sub frame connectors, and some traction bars. Not sure what the set up will run but in comparison to other cars I have taken down the track it is likely in the high 12's. My shock towers are already shaved so I thought the 396 would be an easy way to add some more power. However, buying different headers, some better top end parts,new convertor, drag radials, and some Cal-Tracs will be a pretty big expense on top of what I already have into the car.

The other issue is that I really don't know what my car is worth in todays market. I have not seen many sell recently so I am not sure what I will end up with to put toward another car.

If I was confident that some simple upgrades to my current set-up would get me into the 11's then I would go that direction without hesitation. I was thinking of a cam, intake, carb, and convertor upgrade versus the 396 swap but don't know if that would be enough.

Is anyone running a similar 306 set-up and if so, what type of track times are you turning?

Thanks everyone -

 

I know of guy down south who has a Maverick with 331 and he is turning in the 10.6's. He had his car for sale awhile back and was asking $14k. I'm not sure the car was a street car but was a drag only car with tubs.............but did have CalTraks.
Do you know much about the motor, what is the bottom end, stock??????, and what kind of compression do you have with the 58cc chambers with 1.94intakes?
I really think you could get your car into the 11's with minimal work, but the suspension will be the key, and the "traction bars" are going to have to go and be replaced with CalTraks or something more adjustable.
I guess my first consideration would be to take it down the strip and see what you have.............before jumping off the bridge.
If you like I could contact the guy with the 331 Maverick and get more information...................just let me know.
Here is a picture of 331 Maverick (Gray) and a picture of a Maverick in my area that the guy has been trying to sell for the past year (the red one) and he started out asking $6500 less motor/trans and is at $5800 now. This was a low 10's car on 10" tires.
I'd guess your car is worth $10/12k or maybe more to the right person.
Personally...................since you have such a nice car I'd just upgrade what you have and I'm sure you will get into the 11's.

 

Most of the race cars I've looked at needed major work to be up to my satisfaction and specs. Many look nice on the outside but had outdated or cobbled together cages and chassis work. I think you'd be much better off building what you have. A good driveline and Cal Tracs would get you down the track nicely.

 

yep.. another good point. Plus.. you get to reap the huge satisfaction of testing all gains to be had from all those new parts out as you continue to build it up. No steadfast rule to get er' all done at once, right?

quick recipe in order of importance for that car to go sub 12's is:

remove weight(but use 2 racing seats to share the fun with others )
add cam
add manifold
add convertor
add gear
battery relocation with additional ballast if needed

then add some new stickier tires to help stop those greasy 60 foot times and get you where you want to be at the big end.

personally.. I'd just swap to some lower budget AL heads with a tad bit of porting rather than max'ing those jr's out with a full effort port or buying the more expensive heads. If you're shooting for 10's.. then you'd need a pretty good head that keeps flowing to .700+ lift. But I've seen those jr's do near 500 horse with the right amount of work to so don't underestimate.

Another idea would be to put some extra stroke in that same block to more easily get to 450hp which is about where you need to be. The 306 can still do that too if you want to spin it up a bit higher and run more stall.. but cams/valvetrain get pricier for sure.

Another way to look at these types of builds is that there is no mandatory rule that you MUST buy all new parts for a buildup. There are tons of deals out there on used hard parts from many reputable shops and ebay stores. A trained eye can usually tell the junk from the gold most of the time and patience certianly does pay off.

If you really think about it.. in essence.. buying a used bracket car is just like buying all those individual parts used anyways. Unless of course it's completely fresh.. but aside from those few who fall on hard times and dump the project in an incomplete state.. most don't pour money into them and then never use them.

And to be honest.. who's to say that all those used parts that are already installed for you aren't in need of a good once over just to be sure they're worthy. When going from 0 - 110+mph from right here to over there.. I usually want to be sure things are done right.

I'd build the car that you already have. Unless you're getting sick of Fords or something.

 

Well, it looks like I should just stick with my current car as that is where my heart is anyhow. Sometimes you just need to hear it from others to make sure you are making an educated decision.

Even if I sold my car it appears that I will need to put some $$ out to buy a good complete bracket car somewhat ready to go. I can take the same money and put it back into mine which makes better sense as I have confidence in what is already there. Plus, I will still retain a dual purpose street/strip application.

I guess I will seek more opinions from everyone as I begin to start the upgrades. I will likely have some good used parts to sell off my car as I progress which will help offset some of the total build cost.

I don't plan to get real crazy, but I think I can get the car into the 11's without going overboard.

Thanks for the input -