New to mavs wondering some things...

Hey Guys!
I was looking at a 72 maverick for sale right here in town...
http://adcache.collectorcartraderonline.com/10/1/3/74238013.htm
(I believe the lady meant an I-6 not a V-6, I haven't went to see the car yet waiting on an address)

But anyways I was wondering a few things...
How good are the I-6's in them? About how much HP do each of the I-6's turn out (the 170, 200, and 250). I know they aren't power machines... but this will be my first car and I can't afford to feed a 351C with premium all day...

Anyone have any ideas on how many MPG these little I-6's get?

Another thing... I noticed that the interior of most of these mav's are BUTT UGLY! I mean what's with the HUGE glove compartment, or shall I say shelf? What have some of you guys done to actually make the interior look better? I was thinking about putting in some new seats... new carpet... some kind of cover or something for the back seat. But what about the dash? I know I could get a dash cap but that only would make a nice black very empty dash... I was thinking about somehow cutting out a place in the dash for a custom made (by me) line of guages for whatever... give it some look.

Any words of advice for a mav noobie? Thakns!

EDIT - Wondering about 4 disk brake conversions?
And I have heard about bolt on carbs that add about 100hp to some of the V8's... is there any kind of "special" carb that would easielly add a lot of HP?

 

The I-6's are good solid engines. Horsepower ratings depend on how many cubes, in '72 the 170 was rated at 82 hp, the 200 at 84 and the 250 at 98. This was the first year Ford measured horsepower in "net", so the ratings dropped quite a bit from '71. As for gas mileage, if I recall correctly I met a kid last year who said he was getting about 35 mpg in town with his 170. Hope this helps...

 

IF you don't like the package tray(70-73), the 74-77 Mavs had a glove compartment instead of the tray. But then you have to deal with the big bumpers on the outside.

 

I put 180,000 miles on my 200 before retiring it and it was a little work horse. Pulled trailers loaded with household stuff and motorcycles half way across the country and back. Had tons of fun and still always got at least 18mpg. Was it fast? Well, to me back then, it was acceptable. But without some big bucks, no 6 cyl is going to be "fast." But boy was it dependable. Nothing but routine maintenance the entire time I ran it and it had no easy life behind my fat foot. As far as interiors being "butt ugly," beauty is in the eye of the beholder. I love the simple look. A set of buckets, floor shift and some well placed gauges, and I think they are sweet. But, your only limited by your imagination, talent, and money to modify these cars anyway you see fit. Good luck and keep us posted of your progress. Pictures would be great.
As far as a 100 hp carb, yea, right. Don't believe everything you hear.

 

Humm so no magical carbs... damn
Would this thing even be able to do 80mph? Would think so but better ask...

What about disk brake conversions?

O and... does anyone have a picture of the inside of a mav's trunk? For some reason just haven't found a picture so I was wondering what the trunk looked like

Thanks Guys!

 

I know it should never have happened, but my little 200 saw upwards of 100 a coupla times. It was one more tough little motor. As far as fast, it was pretty decent. Mine had a good little growl to it. Very, very, very reliable. With me driving, it got around 20-22 mpg (and that's saying a lot because I drive hard) Does this help? Oh, and the +100 horsepower carb was only available on the Shelby Maverick purchased by Elvis two years ago in Mexico. Take care......Preston

 

My 71 has the 250 I6, will cruise nicly at 70 MPH, will do 80 MPH but I don't feel comfortable with the engine up at that RPM. Dependent on your driving habbits, the car/engine condition, the car will travel up to about 300 miles to the tank. If an older lady was driving it I wouldn't push the engine to hard as the ring ridge in the engine will be established lower in the cylinders. Reving the engine to a high RPM will cause the conecting rods to stretch minutly. Will be enough to ram the piston rings into the ring ridge and damage them. The end result will be a oil burner. The repair, rebild/rering engine.
I dont have picture of the inside of the truck. It is not huge, I would call it moderatly sized to small as the spare tire takes up a good quarter of it.

 

thats Funny

 

i don't think the dashs are ugly at all i like the clean looks of them

 

Wow! That looks great MaverickGrabber! Preston

 

MaverickGrabber has the cool dash

 

The later 73's have a glove box. My 4-door Maverick has one.

 

Personally, I think the glove boxes on mavs look really cheap and cheesy. I'd rather have the package tray any day. As you see here, I think all black dashes look pretty sick on these cars. I'll be doing some mods to mine soon and I'll post pics. No disrespect to the dash lovers, but to each his own! :bananaman

 

you guys sure burst my bubble. when i read about the 100hp carb i was already getting the checkbook out. actualy i went with one of the carbs that gives you 110% gas mileage. only problem i have is when the gas tank gets so full i have to siphon some out and fill my other cars.

 

Hey how big is that check book? For the right price I just might be able to find that 100hp carb that I have stashed.