Hey Guys, Very Glad to be here and definitely in the right place for resources and sharing in my upcoming 72 Maverick project. I have a few questions I need some guidance on. I have a complete 89 302 out of a Mustang GT that will be going in to replace the inline 6. 1) Will that engine with stock headers fit with the appropriate motor mounts? Are there any clearance issues or mounting problems I should be aware of? I dont plan on doing anything to the engine, I think the stock powerplant is fine for just tooling around town. 2) I think the car has a C4 tranny, dont know how to tell. Im told I need a bell housing that will do the C4 to the 302 ( I Think ) Is that an ok Transmission or should I be looking to replace that also with something newer, if so, will the shaft or other connections need mods. 3) Car has been sitting for about 13 years, should I ditch the tank and get a fuel cell with a high flow gas pump and run fresh lines or is there a way to keep the tank. 4) Rims and Tires, Need to know rim sizes widths, lug spacing etc to look at wheel options as well as min and max tire sizes front and back. In my case I am trying to do things fairly budget minded, I have a close friend who is an incredible mechanic that will help with the hands on portion and mechanical expertise to install what needs to get done. I am looking for pros and cons to what Im about to get into so that I can factor time vs money and practical decisions. This Car will just be a family fun car, no drag strip, no street racing, no show car, just my personal hooptie hot rod. No One at the local car shows has a Maverick that Is brought for people to enjoy and reminisce about. I am trying to keep the look pretty original with just an minor update to the wheels. I need to clear some junk off the top of the car inside the garage to get some pics up before I tinker with it. I Dont know what I am going to do with all the leftover parts including the engine so this may be a good place also to see if anyone is in need of anything off the old engine. The car ran great before it just sat in the garage for years while my dads health declined. Any assistance would be greatly appreciated.
Welcome! Let's see if I can help... If by "stock headers" you mean the Mustang ones, sadly no. Stock Maverick manifolds will work. If you want headers, the consensus seems to be Hooker 6901's for the best fit and value. If you have a column shifter, be prepared to modify the linkage or get a floor shifter. If you have power steering, you'll need a "drop bracket" to clear it. Other clearance problems... Not really, unless you're keeping the Mustang EFI. You'll have to work out something to replace the shock tower braces in that case. Custom monte carlo bar, etc. If your car is an orignal V8 car it should be very straightforward. If it's an I6 car, you need the engine mounts and frame stands for a V8 Mav. "Belly bar" isn't necessary, but is recommended. (Ford saw fit to use those on V8 cars, and you'll come to realize they didn't spend one unnecessary nickel when they built these things.) C4's are great transmissions. Most people here use them, and if your car has the original trans and it's an auto, then that's what you have. Other options are T5 manual, 4-speed "toploader" and AOD. None of these are a direct bolt-in though, each has its own little hurdles. Simplest to just keep the C4. I believe the 250 bellhousing is the same as the V8 one, but not the other sixes. V8 and 250 trans are supposedly the same internally, but the C4 they put behind the other sixes aren't as strong. If you need a different bellhousing, there are two that will work. You'll want the smaller 157-tooth bell (left in the pic) if you have a 157-tooth flexplate, otherwise you can go with the bigger (164?) one. Either will fit the car but the smaller one will probably give you better exhaust clearance. They use different converters too. PaulS is the resident C4 guru on this board. Seek his sage wisdom for trans info. You can have the tank cleaned at a radiator shop if it's not rusted out. Another option is a Mustang tank. Check the tech articles section. People on here use a wide variety of tires and wheels, so I'll let other folks tell you about that. All I can say is what I use - 17" SN197 Mustang wheels with 2" spacers in the back and 1.5" in the front. 235/55/17 tires, lowered suspension. This has got to be the biggest tire you can put in the front without rubbing, mine barely clears. I think there's room for more in the back though...
...from Maconga, USA...:Handshake they sell '75-'77 tanks new for another tank option...they are a direct bolt-in. ...Frank...
If your in-line six is a 250 then the transmission will be fine. You will need a 302 flexplate and converter. If your six is a 200 then you will need a C4 made for the 250 or v8. Then make sure you get the parts to match your v8.
wow Next question is how can I tell, if my engine is the 200 or 250, inline 6, lol I dont know what I have. Lots of details to smooth out. This is great info, thanks to all who are helping me out here.
True Unless somebody changed it over at one time or other. 89 302 will be a 50 oz balance engine. If it has a AOD trans on it already, the flexplate will work with a big bell C4. If you Maverick has the original trans, it will more than likely be a small bell though, so you will need a 157 tooth, 50 oz balance flexplate. As far as wheels go, is you car 4 or 5 lug? All 250 I6 and V8 cars had 5 lugs factory, the rest [170 and 200 I 6 ] were 4 lug. Most of us with 5 lug run about a 7-8 inch wide wheel with about 4" to 4.5 " back spacing. It's really hit or miss on the back spacing, as what may fit one car may not work on another. Explorer/Ranger wheels work fine, as do early Mustang. Have even seen one Mav with older Toyota Celica wheels that looked good. Aftermarket is wide open to your taste. Bolt pattern is 5 on 4.5 Just make sure the center hole fits, it got bigger when they went to front disc brakes.
VIN is an "L" I may have stumbled upon a 71 Grabber donor car that has EVERYTHING I need to get my girl back up and running for next to nothing! God is Good! I wanted to add the Hood and rear spoiler to make it a grabber clone. If this pans out I may have a bunch of spare parts to share with the community here. Thank you for the insights, I am learning everyday and will be taking pics from beginning to end and sharing what I experience as I go along. Trying to to do this all as inexpensively as possible, I am craigslisting and about to ebay a bunch of misc. personal things to get the minor things I need to make this all happen.
