Youther,

Thanks for checking the tires! I am trying to get it right the first time and I wondered when the wheel guy recommended only 28-29 psi in the rear with a "70" sidewall, it sounds like he was saying I would have to deflate the tires to keep from rubbing under the inside of the rear fenders. Anyway your sizes are close to what I was told, but now I may try a "60" or "65" side wall and it's good to know that a "245" width is possible. I recently installed coil springs on the rear and mounted the shocks in the highest hole because I like the "downhill" look and I want to start out with good clearance for the rear tires vertically but I am surprised you have the 245 width, that's even better for traction!
It was interesting that the wheel guy asked me three times if I really have a Maverick 8" rear as if he didn't believe me either because I am on the East Coast (the wheel company is in Calif.) or because they are rare? Anyway I found three of them easily here in Central Virginia and bought the one with only 64,000 on the odometer from a '74 Maverick with a 302. According to you maybe I should have bought the whole drive line, but I am hoping I can get more torque with a SBC 350 for the Maverick 2.79:1 rear. I guess I will hear it from the Ford fans, but maybe I should alert you to the long water pump on the Ford small block, although I guess nowadays there are marine or other short water pumps? I got away with the short Corvette pump on the SBC 350, so before you make the change to a Ford engine you better measure the firewall-to-radiator distance and maybe have to move the motor mounts. Hey it's not all that bad having a Chevord, that way you can talk to both Chevy and Ford fans!

Don Shillady
Retired Scientist/teen rodder