Just as the title says, what is included in your tune up? I'm picking up my Maverick next week and want to give it a little update and make sure it is winning the best it can. Also, what are the thoughts on E3 spark plugs? Any issues with detonation timing? Any issues with blowing rings or holes in pistons due to increased detonation?
Flush the rad change hoses ,belts t stat. Cap Points plugs condenser wires check timming and carb. I put some carb cleaner in my gas tank. Oil and air filter after changeing oil. Check all vacum lines replace pvc valve. Change tranny fluid and filter. Check Diff oil. Check Brakes for ware and adjust. I have a checklist for all my vehicles even my tractor. I do it every year accept for 3 Month oil changes. I used to work on Aircraft a good PM checklist is what works for me. Did I miss anything?
Don't waste your money on fancy, expensive spark plugs. Just get your standard ordinary Autolite spark plugs. If you don't have a dwell meter, you will need one to correctly set points. My sugestion is to replace the points and condenser with a Pertronix unit and matching Flamethrower coil. Set it once and forget about it. Points will require resetting the dwell every 6 months (if daily driven) or at least once a year (if only driven occasionally) they're also sensitive to weather changes. Get good spark plug wires. I use Ford Racing 9mm wires, with a large post type, brass terminal distributor cap. Set the initial timing to about 12* BTC, then tune the carb to the new timing setting.
Thanks for the help guys. Am I wrong in thinking that this looks like a distributor (see pic below)? If not is there a bolt on distributor for these?
A couple of the conversion kits I have found say they work on mavericks between 71-74, is that because the maverick went to distributer on 76 stock?
They all have distributors. It's just that the later ones had electronic ignition and the distributor didn't have points in them.
the coil is red. it looks like a msd coil. sense that has been upgraded, there is a good chance that an electronic conversion has been done to the distributor. the easiest way is to take off the distributor cap and see if the points are still there or if there is some electronic conversion done.
My car is 1976. When I look up distributer on MSD it shows a strait distributer replacement. Is that correct that I could just buy one and the internals would be what they need to be? Or potentially they are already what they need to be, so you can do an internal kit?
Points went away sometime about 1974-76. They were replaced by the Duraspark electronic system which wasn't so hot then, many failures at that time, but all that's been corrected now. Your's looks like a points system, but like Bryant said, pull the distributor cap and see what's inside first. If there's a single wire from the distributor to the coil, it's got points. If it's got two wires, chances are it's got an electronic conversion module. If there's three wires going to a spark box on the inner fender, it's got a Duraspark. One word of warning, if it's got a Duraspark: Do NOT grab the distributor cap while it's running, unless you're wearing heavy rubber gloves, & standing on a dry floor. The Duraspark's got a nasty "bite" if you grab it and you complete the ground. These things will throw a spark three feet long.
