1976 Maverick 2.3 swap

[Joe Dirt]

Remove the oil cooler and use the fl300 filter (short) if that doesnt clear use a ford racing 90* adapter (same as sbf)
You look to will need a log style manifold like guys use in ranger pickups that move the turbo forward

I cant really see the fitment as to where the motor is sitting in the compartment

[carnageX12]

This project seems to just be dragging on. So I have been getting all the parts I believe I need. I am going to get the motor mounts made in the next week hopefully and thought I had the motor in the right place but when I went to put back on the starter I noticed it was hitting the tie rod. So not sure if I should raise the motor to clear, or try to find a shorter starter. Anyone with insight or an opinion let me know.

[Joe Dirt]

A late model ranger 2.3 starter will be smaller as it is a "mini" starter

[carnageX12]

Originally Posted by Joe Dirt

A late model ranger 2.3 starter will be smaller as it is a "mini" starter

Wow that was a fast response. Thank you for all the advice you've given me.

[Joe Dirt]

Originally Posted by carnageX12

Wow that was a fast response. Thank you for all the advice you've given me.

No problem at all it may give you enough clearance over the big starter

[carnageX12]

I've made a little bit of progress with the swap. After being free all summer the guy that was supposed to make the motor mounts finally started to do something after I fixed his tv wiring, even though I'm paying him for his service. He cut some metal and now I have the motor in the car without a cherry picker but the mounts aren't welded, only in place. I've been at this point for about three weeks now, waiting on him. And now that I'm back in school have even less time to work on it, I get a notice that says I need to either have the car road worthy or in a garage by the 30th or face a citation. There is no way this guy is going to finish what he said he could do for me in time.

So I started looking around and found three old timers that finish projects for people. To finish this project I would need to finish the mounts, figure out how to adapt the electric fuel pump to the gas tank, run new fuel lines, new brake lines, make a firewall adapter for the hydro clutch, a firewall adapter for the new smaller brake booster, master cylinder for the new brake booster, adapt the exhaust header to fit within the shock towers, new exhaust pipe, fabricating a low place to mount the intercooler and reassemble the dash and windshield. Maybe a little more that I'm forgetting but that is about the gist of it. How many man hours is fair for that? The old timers quoted me roughly 1 week at 40 hrs but with 2 guys working on it so 80 man hrs. They charge $30 an hour making the total is $2,400 as long as it does not take longer, but they also said that would include the cost of materials. I'm not sure if that's good, bad, or the going rate for that much work.

I had wanted to be involved in the swap myself but now that I'm back in school and have the citation looming my options are limited, besides I don't really want to rely on the original guy anymore, if it has taken him this long just to make mounts that aren't even finish, I can only imagine how long adapting the gas tank would take. I might have someone else take a look at the car tomorrow and give me a quote if the weather permits. But I did like how the old timers seemed like they knew what they were doing and getting involved with with this project, just not sure of that price. I figured it out recently, the total I've spent so far including the car and extra stuff, like MaverickMan's carbon grabber hood, have come to about $4,500. Then if I throw another $2,400 I'm at $6,900, making this the 2nd most expensive car I've had and it won't even have power steering or A/C. Even the 2006 G6 I just bought last week was only $4,500 (got the notice about the citation one day after I got the G6).

To make a long post short, is $2,400 to do the work I need done so that I can drive the maverick fair, and is spending(cannot use the word investing with old cars) $6,900 sane or crazy?

[franktf]

Originally Posted by carnageX12

I've made a little bit of progress with the swap. After being free all summer the guy that was supposed to make the motor mounts finally started to do something after I fixed his tv wiring, even though I'm paying him for his service. He cut some metal and now I have the motor in the car without a cherry picker but the mounts aren't welded, only in place. I've been at this point for about three weeks now, waiting on him. And now that I'm back in school have even less time to work on it, I get a notice that says I need to either have the car road worthy or in a garage by the 30th or face a citation. There is no way this guy is going to finish what he said he could do for me in time.

So I started looking around and found three old timers that finish projects for people. To finish this project I would need to finish the mounts, figure out how to adapt the electric fuel pump to the gas tank, run new fuel lines, new brake lines, make a firewall adapter for the hydro clutch, a firewall adapter for the new smaller brake booster, master cylinder for the new brake booster, adapt the exhaust header to fit within the shock towers, new exhaust pipe, fabricating a low place to mount the intercooler and reassemble the dash and windshield. Maybe a little more that I'm forgetting but that is about the gist of it. How many man hours is fair for that? The old timers quoted me roughly 1 week at 40 hrs but with 2 guys working on it so 80 man hrs. They charge $30 an hour making the total is $2,400 as long as it does not take longer, but they also said that would include the cost of materials. I'm not sure if that's good, bad, or the going rate for that much work.

I had wanted to be involved in the swap myself but now that I'm back in school and have the citation looming my options are limited, besides I don't really want to rely on the original guy anymore, if it has taken him this long just to make mounts that aren't even finish, I can only imagine how long adapting the gas tank would take. I might have someone else take a look at the car tomorrow and give me a quote if the weather permits. But I did like how the old timers seemed like they knew what they were doing and getting involved with with this project, just not sure of that price. I figured it out recently, the total I've spent so far including the car and extra stuff, like MaverickMan's carbon grabber hood, have come to about $4,500. Then if I throw another $2,400 I'm at $6,900, making this the 2nd most expensive car I've had and it won't even have power steering or A/C. Even the 2006 G6 I just bought last week was only $4,500 (got the notice about the citation one day after I got the G6).

To make a long post short, is $2,400 to do the work I need done so that I can drive the maverick fair, and is spending(cannot use the word investing with old cars) $6,900 sane or crazy?

That is dirt cheap at $30 an hour, and I don't know if 80 hours is enough time to do all the work you need done..... I quess it depends on the quality of work they do.....

Where I work we get $60 an hour which is cheaper then most, but we do some extremely clean work there.....

[captainmack]

i refuse to ad up what ive paid to mechanics over the years...I feel your pain bro. i put 6k into it last year.. at 30 per hr thats good if he has a concience... and doesnt cul de sac on painting return springs and b.s. .. like my ex mechanic.. what milage was you 2-fitty geiing? i have a 6

[carnageX12]

My 250 was only getting 15 mpg. But there was something wrong with the carburetor, it was leaking gas intermediately and when I would come to a stop I would have a 50/50 chance of it stalling on me. Not much of a gear head and had someone rebuild mine, maybe they left a gasket off but at that point I decided to pursue this 2.3 turbo idea, for not only mpg but also no tinker fuel injection and get a 5 speed to boot. If only I knew the horror I was getting myself into, my other neighbor that I met after just buying the 2.3 could have fine tuned that carb and showed me how to for future reference. Oh well at least I will get 5 speed out of this ordeal.

[Jamie Miles]

This probably isn't what you want to hear, but being realistic, I'd sell the 2.3 and use the money to start rounding up the parts needed to put that T5 behind the 250 and drop the 250 back in.. A properly tuned and driven 250 should get mid 20's for gas mileage with an overdrive trans. Put that 2,400 towards minor upgrades for the 250 like a header, etc. and I think you'd be very pleased with the results. Hell you could just buy a brand new carb for a couple hundred if you don't have a way to get your current one properly rebuilt.