After MUCH MUCH deliberation, I have decided to take the 86 mustang gt I just bought and part it out for my maverick. The 86 has a salvage title anyway, so I don't feel bad, it is just that I need my mav more than 2 mustangs(I have a vert as well) My brother and I are going to embark on this project starting this weekend by picking up the cherry picker from my fathers storage, and each subsequent weekend, designating the first half of saturdays. What I need to know right now, as there will be plenty more questions to come. What should I keep off the 86 mustang?? Obviously the motor. I plan to mate this up to the c4, and not got stick shift, as my mother would have a cow (remember it was her car 30 years ago) -I plan on retaining the fuel injection and putting the fuel injection into the mav. -thanks for all the help, as this first post is just to gather information of what parts to take off of the 86 Jeremy
It will be a little eaiser to do the wiring due to the engine being Speed Density. You will need the computer, fan and water pump. The Map sensor, air filter box and connecting hose. The headers cannot be used . You will need to get a set of Heddmon shorty headers and have Oxygen senor bungs welded into the head pipes and on and on.
I'd look into changing the rear out to the Stang 8.8" if you don't already have a 9" in its place. You'll want to keep the fuel pump (although it's probably easier to get an external pump) and for safety sake, keep the enertia kill switch. Has anyone put Mustang seats in a Mav? Might look into that also. Good luck, Rick
It's impossible to go thru it all here Jeremy. There is just so much. The Maverick presents several problems that are not inherent to the early Mustang conversion. If you have dual exhaust, you will see that the fuel sending unit is on the side of the tank rather than the front of the tank like the Mustang. This is a hurdle all to itself. The exhaust passes right next to it & must attach your return line there, as well as the fuel pump & fuel filter in roughly the same area, although you can move those forward somewhat. For now save everything off the 86, even things your not sure about(throttle cable, brackets etc.). You can adapt the existing 86 harness, but by doing that it will dictate where you put your accessories rather than where you want them or where they currently exist. One example, your starter solenoid. My point is, I would seriously consider buying a new ready made custom harness if you can afford it & you'll eliminate the aggravation of broken & corroded connectors & the dirt a grease of trying to save & adapt this harness. Ron Morris built a custom EFI harness for my Maverick & I told him where all of my engine accessories would be located. He will sell you the main harness, the EFI harnes & all the sub harnesses for $750, which is a lot cheaper than Windsor-Fox. I don't know what your budget is, but I spent less than $5000 to complete mine. That included headers, functioning A/C, billet power pulley kit, BBK cold air induction, Motorsports Plug Wires etc. I bought a virgin core 89 motor for a $100 & I honed & re-ringed it, performed a valve job & all new bearings for less than $600. Nothing trick, just a standard rebuild. I elected to run the serpentine system, which means a reverse flow coolin fan. You can email me direct at: comingore@hotmail.com & I'll walk you through any questions or problems you might run into. Hope this helps.
This is going to be one involved process! I amagine If I decided to convert the roller to Carburation, then I wouldn't have to mess with the wiring harness?? If I keep the FI can I work with the mav harness?? If I have to pull out the 86 stang harness, what is involved?? Do I pull the whole harness from the engine bay to behind the dash down to the computer?? I am on a tight budget--so $750 for a harness may be out of the question. I would like to used the 8.8. Is it possible to retain the stock 8" maverick axle shafts and axle housing and just slide them into the 8.8 rear itself-since the 8.8 has a spring/shock combo and the stock mav rear is not? I am not too worried about the exhaust getting to close to the tank, as my dual mav exhaust dumps down at the axle, however this mustang motor is pushing out probably 275 horse at least, and it may be a bit much for turn downs. I would prefer to run an external pump- but would consider an internal I guess any more questions will arise when I am knee deep. within the next 2-3 weeks, I will start posting with many pics and progress...thanks all. One big question I will ask when I get there is how to prep the engine compartment to look good. No reason to yank everything and drop a newer engine into a 30 year old greaseball engine compartment.
It would be a shame to have the EFI system available to you & not utilize it. They develop more HP, better driveabilty & better gas mileage. They do make the job more involved & create a couple of additional obsticles(like firewall to shock tower braces). Does your Mav have power brakes? Yes, remove the entire harness all the way back to the ECU, including the ECU. For a quality prep, paint & detail of your engine bay, remove as much as possible in stripping all the parts out of it & detail each of those parts individually before reinstalling them. Your in for atleast 6 months to complete the entire project. That's how long it took me. I also used an external fuel pump from MSD. The axles are not interchangeable between the 8.8 & your 8 inch rearends. I'd stick with the original 8 inch & it's probably stronger than the 8.8. If you have a tight budget, I would can that part of your project. I used both the original harnees & the EFI harness. I treated them both as seperate ententies. I only tied them together at the solenoid & the alternator. Hope this helps & good luck.
Ok, here is what I have to save so far. I am getting rid of the rest of the car this weekend in a trade for a big air compressor, so it is very important to know that I have it all!! -computer -fan -waterpump -map sensor -air filter box and connecting hose -I am not saving the fuel pump, as I will go with an external one -starter solenoid -engine wiring harness do I need to save the following parts???: -dash wiring harness -throttle cable and brackets -fuel lines from the front to the back?? what have I missed?? Do I use the mustang fuel lines or the older maverick lines??
Are you going to run the serpentine or V belt system? Did you decide whether your going to run the EFI or carburerate it?
I am going to keep the efi. I won't be running a/c or a smog pump, so the original belt won't work. I also have underdrive pullies, so finding the correct belt could be fun. What do you suggest, serpentine, or v?? How does my part list look?
I eliminated the smog pump, but am running the A/C. I think the serpentine belt is the way to go, but there will be added expense & you'l need to rob all the associated parts off of the donor car. pulleys, alternator, tensioner, etc. They make the serpentine belts in all different lengths, so finding the right belt is not a problem. Plus they sell dummy pulleys in place of the removed accessory. Remember, when utilizing the serpentine system it is reverse rotation & you must select the correct fan. In other words, the fan you took off of the EFI car is of no use, unless your going to utilize the serpentine system. I'm not sure whether the 86 had the Barametric sensor on the firewall, but anything that your engine harness plugs into, I would take. Make sure you take the Distributor & coil. I would also take the throttle cable, bracket & gas pedal. Also take the speed sensor out of the trans & take the speedo cable if it is still good. The speedo cable still has the same attachment at the gauge after all these years. o2 sensors? The fuel lines will be of no use to you & you can build your own from generic auto parts brake line lengths that already come with the fittings on them. They are very cheap & work well. They come in different lengths & you can buy a inexpensive tubing bender for $10. That's all I can think of at the moment. If in doubt...take it.
