I recently purchased a 76 maverick that was original a straight six car. The previous owner did a 302 swap from a 74 mustang II. I noticed the drag link hitting the starts. Is there a different drag link needed for the 302 setup or a smaller starter? The car has a manual steering setup.
I can't visualize how the drag link could hit the starter, normally it's at least two or three inches below... Link is same for 6cyl or V8... Possibly does the M-II bell mount starter lower than std bell(assuming it was used)?? Gotta picture?? BTW there are smaller late model starters but should not be needed, something is seriously mismatched...
I suppose anything is possible, does the pan seem to hang low?? A stock pan should be about even with the front crossmember...
Well I dunno, any chance it maybe has incorrect idler arm?? I have two finger width of clearance between link & starter... I am using a newer gear reduction starter but at that point there is less than ½" difference in the two types... There's much greater clearance than pict suggests...
It's rubbing across the oil pan also. May need some thick washers between the motor mount and block to raise the engine up a little.
I owned a Mustang II V8 car. The oil pan and manual bell housing are application specific to the Mustang II if memory serves. These factors could very well be associated with your problem.
IIRC, MII has a 141-tooth flex plate and the Maverick has a 157-tooth. Looking at images on-line of the two different block plates, the MII starter seems to hang down lower past the crank centerline. This would place the starter that much closer to the steering components. Just my two cents...
I checked the drag link and it's not bent and the idler arm is correct. That's great info about the mustang II power plant. I will hunt down a smaller starter. Thank you to everyone for the help.