Hey everybody, I recently became the proud owner of a 75 V8. It's my first project and Im excited to get going on it. It's been sitting around our shop for years and my boss gifted it to me. The reason we had it kicking around is because we are going to use it to mock up some exhaust. I've been making Mustang, Torino/Fairlane, Cougar, and Bronco exhaust for 5 years. 80% Mustang. We pretty much do the entire line. Some OEM and others we designed ourselves. All of it is out of the box and onto the car. I've been searching up and down for exhaust or exhaust info and can't find anything anywhere. Anytime I'm looking at Maverick stuff, I usually end up here. This forum is great. Hopefully you guys can help me with some questions. Was all factory V8 single exhaust with a Y pipe? My 75 has an offset gas tank and no room for a tailpipe on the driver side. Are folks just modifying their gas tanks for dual? From what I've seen, it seems that one system from mid pipe and back would fit all years if everything is stock? Not including 4 door. Or were there changes along the way that would require different kits? I suppose any info on mufflers would be good too. Lol. Or if anyone knows a resource that has info on OEM exhaust systems? It seems, I'm hoping, that trying to cover all years and engines won't be too tall of a task. From what I've seen, there is nowhere to order exhaust kits without hacking and welding. Thanks for any input. I appreciate it. Currently starting from scratch. Jake
from Wisconsin! The Maverick V8 cars all had a y-pipe into a single. Many of us have gone to the early Mustang tank to get it centered in the frame rails and make room for a dual exhaust. While the Mustang pipes can be used with some modifications, there is no kit that I know of made specifically for a Maverick. I did all my pipes on my '72 as a custom fit using 2.5", H-pipe and Flowmaster 40's Here is a link to the tank swap. - 1971 - 1973 Gas Tank Upgrade | Maverick/Comet Forums
Awesome! That answers one of my biggest questions. Thank you. Fortunately, we work with a lot of Mustang parts distributors and get a decent deal. Looks like an early Mustang tank is where I'll be starting to figure out the dual system. Thanks a bunch! Jake
Not sure how many you would have to make to justify the time/effort/expense...but while others might chime in and disagree.....not sure there is enough interest to warrant making them. Most of us just go to a local muffler shop and have a set custom made and installed. That is what I did.
Thanks for the pics! I know the Maverick/Comet resto industry is nothing like Mustang I've been making the Mustang exhaust non-stop for 5 years, 65-72. 5 days a week. My first question walking into the place was "How much Mustang exhaust do people buy"? And I haven't stopped yet. Lol. We do tons for CJs and also lots of other smaller distributors. And National Parts Depot and Classic Industries have been doing a fair amount lately. Having the full Maverick line would be cool. We do a fair amount of Torino and Cougar too. Using the existing Mustang stuff exhaust, I think we're already halfway there. We'll start by throwing our 289/302 H Pipe up there and see how close it already is. Also getting some OEM copies for the bone stock people. Hoping to get my hands on some OEM to copy. Or for the folks that want to just open up a box and hang a system. It wouldn't take a whole lot to create the systems. I live on a bending machine, making wholesale and retail orders all day long. As a new Maverick fan, I'd love to add it to the catalog Thank you for the pictures. Jake
I sure do He's the one that gave me the Mav. He's been sitting on it until we got around to doing the exhaust.
Obviously. But does the pipe maintain the same smooth diameter throughout the bend or does it get crushed to a smaller diameter in the bend?
Its compression bending, so it does lose some diameter, unlike mandrel. Still better than factory Part of the reason for more affordable systems. There's an interesting episode of Engine Masters where they beat the snot out of their headers and didn't lose anything. An insignificant amount anyway. Here's what a transverse over the axle looks like with a pretty healthy 130ish degree bend in it.
Yeah, I remember years ago Joe Sherman ran some tests on a 700 hp car where they mangled the tail pipes. Didn't make a lot of difference hp wise. Didn't say what the diameter was, could have been huge to start with. IIRC it made the engine run warmer.
@bmcdaniel I've seen that Engine Masters episode a couple of times. It was pretty conclusive as they used a big, healthy engine to make sure they tested it thoroughly, and the difference was almost nonexistent. I suspect that's because the way the pipe distorts doesn't make a lot of difference to cross sectional area until it gets crushed very severely. All mandrel bent systems cost a substantial amount, and if your car is based in the concept of good enough then it's not strictly necessary. I think you'd get some bites on Maverick exhaust, particularly when you already make other Ford exhaust.
