Hey folks, first post but long time Maverick appreciator. After a long hiatus in the Mav world I recently picked up a very clean original condition 69.5 Maverick. The interior is in boxes and there's not motor or trans. It has slowly been worked on/taken apart since it was last insured in 2001. My question to the group is what should I do with it? I have a 1999 miata donor car that I could take the whole suspension/drive train out of for a ifs/irs conversion, but after much deliberation I am not fussy on the 1.8 torque capabilities. One the other hand the car came with a refreshed D0OE 351w and full rebuilt 3.03 with a new hurst shifter, but I'm on the fence about a full tilt build thats just another Maverick V8 build. A 1UZ-FE Toyota seems unique enough but a toy/ford hybrid doesn't roll off the tongue very well. The I6's seem fun enough but for power I might as well have an 8... Decisions decisions and I'm spoiled for choice, but not quite sure which way to go...
Assuming your car is a two door, no disrespect for 4 door owners; build yourself a pretty Maverick with the 351w or 5.0L and a traction-loc differential that can handle the power. It won't matter where you go, unless it is a Maverick/Comet get-together, more than likely yours will be the only Maverick at the event and will get far more attention than the cookie-cutter cars!
" on the fence about a full tilt build - - L6's seem fun enough but for power I might as well have an 8...Decisions decisions ,,, not quite sure which way to go... " . depends on what you want on the street , nice early Maverick geared for the anvil strong 200/250's and optimized for 'modern' speeds with simple power add-ons or "full tilt build" can be more than " just another Maverick V8 build ". . '74 Maverick 250 and Maverick 250 in '61 Comet run out of road too fast anyway ... . . . . . . have fun . PS Maverick - Miata swap is not viable , how about a 2CV' ...
Welcome, Ryan! I love the fact that you're thinking about different ways to approach the car. Mavs are uncommon enough I don't think you need to worry about doing "just another." I like the idea of putting the Miata suspension in, but the stock 3rd member is pretty limited in terms of strength. The Miata engine, though...just not a lot of power. An Ecoboost 4 would make a really fun, well-balanced car. For me, I'd build the 351W as I think it's a great motor.
It's your car and you can certainly do whatever you want with it. But your on a Ford Maverick message board and the majority will think putting anything other than Ford power in it is just sacrilegious. Lots of unique ecoboost engines out there if you want to be different.. JMO
