Although low 11s is first-round fodder in the NMCA's EZ Street class, you gotta give credit to Travis Lawrence and his 62,000-mile '73 Maverick-a car model we think should be more popular. Yeah sure, he's more than two full seconds off the competitive cars, but Travis boasts of up to 6,000 miles annually, hitting cruise nights and related "after hours" activities around Taylorville, Illinois. Factor in a price of just 8,500 bucks to build the car, and it's easy to see that this one-of-a-kind street/strip special is worth a closer look. Although Travis was running 11.30s at the Memphis NMCA race, he later broke into the 10s with a 10.78 at 126.8 mph at Gateway International near St. Louis, Missouri.Although low 11s is first-round fodder in the NMCA's EZ Street class, you gotta give credi Less is more inside, too. A ubiquitous Auto Meter monster tach keeps track of the 351, along with other gauges. The stock bench and its vinyl/cloth covers provide the cushy seating. The main add-ons are a Grant wheel, RCI five-point seatbelts for the driver, and a B&M Street Stick shifter.Less is more inside, too. A ubiquitous Auto Meter monster tach keeps track of the 351, alo Liveried in '92 Pontiac Sunbird Teal, the body is stone stock. Only a cowl hood from U.S. Body Source and a set of Weld Pro Star wheels with 26x11.5 rear M/Ts (15x4s up front and 15x8s out back, halted by stock drum brakes) give anything away-just how we like it. Weighing only 3,000 pounds, the Maverick bodystyle is the perfect starting point for a nasty street/strip Ford-maybe even better than a 5.0 'Stang.Liveried in '92 Pontiac Sunbird Teal, the body is stone stock. Only a cowl hood from U.S. Do you need radical suspension pieces to go 10s? Not this time. Travis does the deal with six-cylinder springs in front and Lakewood 90/10 shocks. Out back are similar basics in the form of stock leaf springs and Lakewood 50/50 shocks. A pair of Lakewood slapper bars and subframe connectors are the only widgets to help the 4.10:1-geared 9-inch rearend put power to pavement. The safety and structure-stiffening factors are handled by an 8-point steel 'cage.Do you need radical suspension pieces to go 10s? Not this time. Travis does the deal with Motivation comes from an 0.030-over 351W. The block, crank, and rods are standard 351W bits that move forged TRW domed pistons. Sealed with a pair of ported and milled '66 289 heads, the compression is 13.5:1 in the 48cc combustion chambers. The short-block assembly rides on Sealed Power bearings and houses a nice-n-rowdy Lunati solid cam with a 0.638/0.662 lift and 303/313 degrees of advertised duration; at 0.050, the duration is 264/274 degrees. The valves are 1.94/1.60 Manley stainless and topped with Crane valvesprings and retainers. Up above is an Edelbrock Victor Jr. with a BG Fuel Systems 850 carb. An NOS Big Shot nitrous setup uses 175hp jets. Two fuel pumps-a Holley Black Max and a BG 280-feed 116-octane juice to the stout Windsor. An MSD coil and ignition box spark a Ford electronic distributor with mechanical advance and send fire to Motorcraft BSF42C plugs. Full-length 1 1/2-inch headers connect to two-chamber Flowmaster mufflers. Behind the motor is a manual-valvebody C4 with a Continental 10-inch torque converter that gives a 3,500-rpm stall. By Miles Cook Enjoyed this Post? Subscribe to our RSS Feed, or use your favorite social media to recommend us to friends and colleagues!
