Hi, I live in Arkansas and I have a big question. I have a 430 buick V8 and a 400 Turbo TM I would like to drop in a '73 Maverick. I realize it is something of a daunting task but has anyone seen this done before? What major obstacles MIGHT i encounter? New to the Mav world and really hope to make this work. Thanks for any inputs
Drag out the cutting torch and go with a Mustang II style front end...you can pretty much drop in any engine you want. Got enough money and resources it can be done.
It will be pretty front heavy. Don't expect it to handle well in the corners. It would be a torque monster though.
Rod and Custom Motorsport, Etc. Hi, If you are going to try this swap. Rod and Custom Motorsport makes kits that will allow you to swap out your Maverick front suspension for that of the Mustang II. This will clear the necessary room right and left in the engine compartment. The complete kits start at $2,395.00. You will need custom motor mounts and transmission cross support. The radiator will have to be replaced with a substantially large unit. The drive shaft and the rear end have to go. You would tear up the stock ones on your first full throttle run. For electrical compatibility and tuning needs, an outboard ECU is almost mandatory. Oh, by the way, you will have to chop up the bottom of the firewall to clear the Turbo 400. That is for starts. My advice to you is sell your motor and transmission on E-Bay. If 450 streetable horsepower will do, a 302 based motor will work just fine, and it will be a direct drop in for the Maverick with available FoMoCo parts. If you run aluminum heads on the Ford motor and a Ford 9" rear your weight distribution will be better than a stock I-6 or V-8 Maverick. Anyway you cut it, this is a tall green project. With your GM engine and transmission, you might get this project done for $5K less than with a built 302. But the work involved will be a nightmare, and the 302 based project would suck your doors off. However, if burning rubber and spinning you wheels for an eighth of a mile or so is your cup of tea, by all means, drop in the Buick and Turbo 400. I am sorry that I can not be more supportive of your project. David
Thanks for the replies so far. I am curious though that one of the main issues with any other swap that I have read on the board talks about the space available or rather lack of space available when installing a 351W or 351C. My 430 is 1 inch longer 2 inches more narrow and one in taller than a Windsor. So if fitment is so tight with the Windsor, what am I missing with the 430 being 23" wide vs 25" ? I am not trying to be belligerent here just posing ?'s to the experts. Thanks for you time
The clearance between the towers isnt the issue...Its the exhaust.Headers are a bear on a mav...especially with a 351W or cleveland.You might actually get away with the stock nail head log style manifolds in a mav.If you go to headers...ALL bets are off with the buick.
also the bellhousing is a big issue, if your turbo 400 is a small bell or changeable one you may be able to do something with that though. the turbo 350 is probably a better fit if you really want to go GM..
Hi Joeshort, You were perfectly polite. My bad. The V-8 that was factory stock with the Maverick is the 302. As "Mavman72" pointed out, it is the headers that are the nightmare. Getting headers onto a 351 in a Maverick is a nightmare, and that will hold for the Buick as well. There are two sets of long headers available that will fit the Maverick with a 302. Being old and lazy, I'm swapping a 302 based engine into my I-6 Maverick. I doubt the stock Maverick V-8 engine was making over 200 BPH so there will be down the drive line problems with any significant horsepower increases from a swapped in V-8. And, even if you use the stock Buick cast iron exhaust headers, weight distribution might be against you. Almost anything is possible with enough effort and/or money. I guess I am speaking from personal experience. Many decades ago I got a Chrysler 392 shoehorned into a 1956 Chevy sedan. The result was a tire burning monster. Four hundred pounds of bagged concrete in the trunk helped a lot. With my car so weighed down, a stock 1956 Chevy with a small block V-8 was almost as quick. I worked on the car for two months, owned it for three more, and then sold it. I am new here too. So, welcome, this is an amazingly good community with lots of members here with loads of experience and knowledge who are willing to help. Regardless of what you finally end up doing with your Maverick, I wish you the best of luck and not too many busted knuckles. This is all supposed to be fun after all. I guess it is for me. In one way or another, I have been involved with project or race cars for over fifty years. David
