SC 3.8 into Maverick (along with "a few" more goodies from donor-92 SC Thunderbird)

Seems like RMiller finally put all the clues together and came up with the most suitable solution to the riddle: Using the whole MN12 platform for this car (if I wanted to keep both suspensions and not kill myself while driving this Mav only 10 blocks away from home!!!)... So, yes (congrats RMiller!!!) this Maverick is mounted on the whole T-Bird's platform... I kept the floorpan, wheelwells and firewall and it's been a biiiiaatch!!! hahah... but it's coming along real nicely... Tons of cutting, adjusting, welding, fitting through trial and error, filling empty spaces with new sheetmetal... GOD!!! ... ... the cowl area was the most challenging so far as I had to make sure no water would ever seep through the joints between the T'Bird's and the Mavs sheetmetal and ruin the floors (and my whole building experience) ... As I write this, I'm about to drill the T'Birds front frame rails to bolt up the bumper brackets. (I converted to thin bumpers, of course!) The space between the Mav's front brackets was 77cm and the frame on the T'Bird was only 99cm so all I had to do was loosen the bolts on the bumper and slide the brackets 1cm out each and voilá... I'm so freakin' happy cause I've had to work real hard for a long period without the car showing any real progress to outsiders and people who don't share our passion for doing things ourselves... my friends all teased me cause it's been a while since I started and every time they stopped by the shop, they would comment on how they'd just throw the darn thing away and buy another one for a fraction of what I've already spent... But the satisfaction of materializing something that only lived in your imagination is really rewarding and makes it all worth the effort. Now that the cat is out of the bag, I'll be posting more pics of the process to get where I am now... Didn't do it earlier cause it would've given the trick away too early... thanks for your comments y'all!! :Handshake

 

Eagerly awaiting current progress photos

 

Hey guys!... Sorry for not posting anything since january... been busy doing other stuff... I've done some research on the 3.8 SC engine... and turns out what I have found on some forums (mainly on www.sccoa.com and www.tccoa.com) is not really that appealing any more: Head gaskets on the 3.8 seem to get blown quite often, parts are hard to come by (and even more so in Mexico), the supercharger alone is very pricey and tends to fail often too. Between superchargers and turbochargers, I rather turbocharge the thing myself (even if it implies a lot more work with the fuel system) as superchargers produce boost across te whole rpm range (and more fuel needs to be injected all along) whereas turbos will have the engine drink extra gas ONLY under boost (load). With gas prices the way they are now, the supercharger option sounded a bit scary... Well... I've already bought a V8 (4.6L) '94 Thunderbird which is my daily driver right now and that's the engine and whole electrical system I'll be putting in. I promise I'll post more pictures this week... Cheers pals!!

 

sounds like the research on the 3.8 SC engine should have been done earlier....
got any pics. of where you are at now with the car?

maybe your friends were on to something...
"they would comment on how they'd just throw the darn thing away."

"But the satisfaction of materializing something that only lived in your imagination is really rewarding and makes it all worth the effort."...or humbling when you realize it wasn't a good idea.

...on to your next dream...

 

That's not really true, a properly setup SC isn't boosting till approx one third throttle, at idle or cruse there is no boost... After owning a dozen Turbo Coupes and one supercharged Marauder, I'll take the supercharger any day... Unlike the turbo, throttle response for supercharger was instantaneous, and the 4600Lb barge(includes two occupants) would knock down 22-23mpg on highway... Of course it was so much fun around town, mileage was maybe half that...

No comparing a half motor to a V8 isn't exactly fair, but the point is the SC is far and away more responsive...

 

Hi there everybody... ... ... I uploaded this video onto Youtube to show my progress, much hasn't been done since my last post here but I'm finally (thank God) working on the proyect at a steady pace and hope it will be done before my birthday in August (keeping fingers crossed)

Hope you enjoy it and look forward to reading your thoughts on this.

Cheers!!!

 

I like the other little green Maverick in the background!!!

The progress looks great, and the video is so much better than pictures! The engine compartment looks really good--looks factory!!!

 

Wow, that is awesome! Nice work!

 

Very cool!

 

got any pics?

 

Love the hood.. Get some better pic's and a write up on that mod...

 

Yeah!... the green mav looks awesome, the upholstery is also sweet!!... ... owner and I are proud of that team work, turned out great... finished almost a decade ago and there's some rust (damn humid and salty air in the coast) already eating away at some lower corners and it's scheduled for body work next month...

Thanks, there are still visible welds and little details pending that will make it look even more "factory" as I don't want to have to explain government officials that this is a "Frankenmav"... and risk having it banned from the road out of safety concerns, I'm being thorough when it comes to safety and I have reinforced critical flex points... but having to explain this to close-minded officials is not my thing... so I need to get as close to a factory-looking-thing as possible to avoid unwanted raised brows.

 

Sorry ... there's a bug in my laptop right now and the damn thing hid most of my files on the desktop. I know files are still there but I can't access them until I take the laptop to the service shop for some cleanup and vaccination... I suppose you want pics because for some reason you were unable to watch the video, right?

 

Thanks Bkcha, After I finish the welding and panels adjustment I'll take everything apart again for proper prepping and priming ... and then I can take close ups of those hinges and describe the mods I did... Basically they are turned upside down and switched sides... Relocation of the battery into the trunk and an aftermarket air filter will be a must for me with this mod though, the hinges and gas springs already took up those spots... are you sure you wanna get into this as well?... ... I did it cause I had to, not really cause I wanted to... ... The result sure pleases the eye though, and some may want to do it just for looks... I just loooooved the way the factory hinges kind of "slide" the hood forward in a way that it clears the grille real nice as it swings open!!... kind of like the universe wanted me to have it this way as a reward for all the hard work... Cheers!!

 

I'd like your input for this mod:

The supercharged thunderbird originally meant for this project will regretabbly be parted out and I'll grab as much of the usable stuff before that happens, such as beefier half-shafts for the rear suspension and, OF COURSE, the rear disc brakes... ... ... ... but I always loooooooved the ground effects on the supercharged compared to the less sporty look of the regular flavor... ... so I said, hell!! the thing will be unfurtunately wrecked anyways... so I'll get my grinder and get everything I can (even if it means cutting some of the sheet metal on the lower side of the T-Bird doors) to achieve this potential look: (I've been inspired by the Brazilian "Batistinha" look) I'm posting both original pictures of a Maverick and a SC T-Bird and the composite image I quickly "fabbed" on my computer ... ... ...




... should I go ahead and start the carnage and rip the door sides, rear quarter panel and both front and rear spoiler lips on the t-bird to get what I need?