The Ford Maverick Page

www.fordmaverick.com


 
Articles - Front Disk

06.24.97
By Gregory J. Smith

The Red words are an update by Wylie Jones who did it on a 72 2 door Maverick(4 lug converted to 5 lug). Wylie used a 76 Maverick(302) doner car.


This is a shot of my Maverick with the booster installed. It's really a tight fit.

This shows the difference between a non booster pedal/steering column mount on the left and one designed for a booster on the right.

This is the mount that is installed on the inside of the firewall. Non booster Mavericks do not have this. Note: On Wylie's 72 Maverick it did have the proper mount. You may also notice that the "plunger" comes out in a different place that the booster less Maverick. The original hole sits under the middle of this plate.
The following info is partially from a email sent to me from a fellow Maverick Owner. I followed this same procedure and had no problems.
The power booster setup from a 1975 or later Maverick has the proper angle to clear the shock tower. Granada also have the similar parts as the Maverick. They are almost the same car and is a good place to find these same parts. Except for stuff like brake lines. The easiest way that I have found to do the whole swap is to get the following parts from the donor car:
  • The power booster/master cylinder assy
  • The shock tower to firewall support
  • The proportioning valve with brake lines
  • The pedal assembly from under the dash (Including brace).

This is the "power" aspect of the whole job. The manual brake pedal mount will not work.
I have found that the spindles from a 1974 manual disc brake Maverick are a direct bolt-in. Simply undo the old ball joints, tie rod ends and rubber brake hoses, and bolt them right in place of the drum spindles.

Installation of the booster and pedal: (This is for a Maverick/Comet with manual drum on all four corners.)

  1. Unbolt the stock 2 bolt master cylinder, prop. valve, and any attached lines that will be in the way.
  2. Undo the under dash tray or glove box panel from inside the car.
  3. Remove the two 9/16" nuts that hold the plastic cover on the bottom of the column at the dashboard.
  4. There will be two more exposed 9/16" bolts that will need to be removed. The column should be hanging free. The purpose of all of this is to get to the bolts that hold the pedal and the inner brace up under the dash.
  5. Get all of the bolts out of the brace and remove it with the pedal.

Modification to recipient car:

Note from Wylie: Take out the front seat to save your back and neck from unneeded strain.

  1. You will need to make a paper or cardboard template from the back of the booster. There should be four mounting holes for the booster and one egg-shaped hole for the rod that actuates the brakes. (An easy way is to study the firewall on the donor car to get an idea of the holes that will need to be drilled). Note from Wylie: The problem with the original bracket is that the bolt pattern is slightly different. The vertical distance between the bolt holes is about 1/4 inch shorter on the bracket than on the brake booster. First, I removed the old brake pedal assembly and the spacer bracket. I removed the 4 spacers from the bracket that mounts between the firewall and the pedal assembly by using a drill to destroy the tack welds in the 1/8 piece of sheet metal. (Each spacer is tack welded to the bracket by three spot welds. These welds make little dimples that keep a drill bit from "walking") if you place a 3/8 drill bit in the center of a dimple and just drill about 1/8 of an inch, it will effectively remove the weld and the spacer will literally fall off the bracket when you drill the last weld. (This works much better that using a hammer in my opinion but "to each his own") Next I moved the two bottom holes down about 1/4-1/2 inch where the original master cylinder bolts went through the firewall. (I just "eyeballed" it but I'm sure a cardboard template would work much better). Now all the bolt holes are in place.
  2. From here, you can do one of two things: 1) You can create a cardboard template for the new hole where the shaft passes through the firewall OR 2) You can remove the bracket that is between the booster and the firewall and put it in place. Hold it there and score a line using a nail or some sharp object where the new hole is to be drilled. Home depot sells hole cutting bits that are excellent for this job. I spent $15-20 on a 1&1/8 in hole saw and center bit. The ones I got were black in a green box and cost about 8 dollars for each part of the 2 piece tool. (Hence $15-20). The electric drill I have is too long to fit between the shock-tower and the firewall when the bit is inserted. I have a pneumatic drill that is about 2 inches shorter and it worked/fit beautifully.
  3. To mount the prop. Valve, the two mounting holes may have to be enlarged, depending on the car.
  4. From Wylie: The tricky part is that the spacers are now all separate instead of being part of a bracket. The spacers are ABSOLUTELY NEEDED for everything to work right. The pedal assembly is not meant to reach all the way to the firewall when its attached to the steering column. There is a gap between the pedal assembly and the firewall (its supposed to be there). Have someone insert the brake booster bolts through the firewall so only 1/2 inch of each of the bolt comes through into the passenger compartment. Place a spacer on each of the bolts and then line up the pedal assembly (I LOOSELY attached the pedal to the steering column so it is able to wiggle back and forth which makes this easier) now have your assistant SLOWLY wiggle the bolts through the pedal assembly holes. (Be sure that you do this slowly so none of the spacers fall off because this is the most difficult part) Once you have 1/4-1/2 inch of the 4 bolts through the pedal assembly place the nuts on them so it doesn't back out when your assistant lets go off the booster.
  5. Now figure what brake lines will have to be bent, shortened, etc..
  6. I used a tubing cutter and a double flaring tool that I borrowed from a friend. PAY ATTENTION TO WHERE THE LINES CAME OFF OF THE DONOR CAR. You will need to know which lines off the master cyl. Go to which holes in the prop. Valve, and to which wheel they go from there.

All in all, it is a relatively easy swap that is well worth the time involved, especially if you plan to hotrod the engine in your car.

   

 This page is a collection of information on modifying or "upgrading" the Ford Maverick and Mercury Comet.

 

 Any persons referenced in these pages are not responsible for anyone else implementations of the modifications. In some cases the modifications have been tried, some have not. If you try any of these Mods, you do so at your own risk.. The Ford Motor Company is in no way related or responsible for any information here unless otherwise noted. All trademarks and copyrights are owned by their respectful owners. Some assembly required. No purchase necessary. Batteries not included. Does not include MSRP and taxes.