i am looking to buy a 1974 maverick for $250. it has a 302 and a auto. its four door. the body and interior is in good shape. i just wanted to know the weight of a 4 door and what would be needed to get it into the 11 or 10 sec range. i want it to be a sleeper since my daily driver is a ws-6
Not sure on the weight, but I like your idea of a 4-door sleeper !! Investigate the twin turbo set-up for the 302 Darrel
i have a '75 4 door with a 302. alum wheels, alum intake, iron heads, headers, spare tire, no a/c, no p/s. weighs 3245 lbs with about 1/2 tank of gas. figure on frame connectors & maybe roll bar to add weight. even with alum heads & depending on drive's weight you will be in the 3400-3500 lb area. fiberglass parts would help. about 450-500hp for what you plan. might be easier doing a 393 stroker. or turbos as already mentioned.
Mr. Graham speaks truth. Nitrous is ALL it takes. The best bang for the buck there is in the go-fast world (IMO).
if you got it into the 10's you would be the first one..lol i havent seen any 4 doors in the 10s... but there is no reason why you couldnt.. except maybe the money.. it would take a lot to get it there..
One stat sheet I have seen says Wayne Gapp qualified NO# 1 with an ET of 8.92 in the 4-door at Old Bridge TWP. Raceway Park in 1975. That being said, you have to realize that these guys weren't running pro-stock with cars right out of the showroom. I'm pretty sure they used a 351c and it more than likely had all the bells and whistle of the day. And I imagine that the body was lightened up somewhat. In other words....alot of $$$$$$.
early mavs are much lighter. they added around 100 lbs each year, it seems. i was surprised at the weight, too. by the time '75 came around they had added door impact bars, more soundproofing, strengthened certain areas of the unibody, etc. the 4 door adds weight also. you can offset some of this, tho. battery to the trunk supposedly has the same effect as removing at least its own weight because of the change in weight distribution. fiberglass parts, cut the bars out of the doors, lighter seats, take out the spare, take out carpet padding, alum heads, etc.
ford crate motor. 514 ci based on a 460. itll take a 3200lb mustang deep into the 10's itll probly hold a 75 shot or somthing small. should get you there. if not build you own bigblock.
347, good aftermarked heads, a little compression, .600+ cam, and a 200 shot... Check out Erick Mav's car around here somewhere...Mid 11's w/ a similar setup w/o the nitrous.... Of course you have to build the car around it. Rear end, trans, weight reduction, suspension, fuel system. The motor is only part of the equation. Just look at NHRA Stockers and Super Stockers...10 second, Q-Jet, cast iron manifold and heads, 9 inch slicks....3200+lbs...
Here`s what I`d do ...If it is to be a true sleeper ,the exhaust note should not give it away. So build a low compression,small hydrolic roller cammed large cube engine like a 408w.Use Aluminum heads (save weight ,make power) add a Turbo charger with intercooler. and use some quiet mufflers. Add Nitrous if needed . Use a reverse Manual Valve body C-4 with a factory type floor shifter.A column shifter would be even better but linkage would be hard to Fab with the 408w and turbo exhaust. You wont need a very loose converter because of the low rpm torque you`ll have. Add a 9" rearend with 3.55 to 3.70 gears and a detroit locker. Use an adjustable pinion snubber for traction control like the Mopar boys use to avoid visable traction bars. Run 8" wide steel wheels with drag radials and hub caps. Keep the stock steering wheel ,put the guages in a factory Maverick consolete.along with a hidden shiftlight in the dash (inside the A/C vent!) Then... GO GET `EM !
