1974 Maverick != Performance in 1974

When you think 1974 Ford Maverick, you're forgiven if performance is not the first thing that comes to mind. 

While it's true that you could still option Mavericks with a small block 302 cubic inch V8 in 1974, it's also true that by 1974, formerly proud and powerful engines like the 302 were entirely strangled by emerging emissions regulations of the time.  Detroit hadn't yet been successful in cracking the horsepower cheat codes for them.

In stock form, even the V8 motors coming out of Detroit at that time were anything but performance-oriented fire breathers.

1974 Maverick != Economy in 1974

While performance wasn't to be expected from a 1974 Ford Maverick, what about fuel economy? 

Was the Maverick a poster child for fuel economy? 

Uh, not exactly.

While it's true that the Maverick was technically Ford's initial answer to compact fuel-sipping import rivals from Datsun, Toyota, and (later) Honda, I'm not sure the Maverick ever enjoyed the same perception as its Japanese counterparts did in fuel efficiency terms either.

1974 Maverick + ThunderHead289 = Performance in 2020

Although the 1974 Maverick probably did not equal performance in 1974, let's fast forward to 2020.  

Why 2020, you ask? 


Well, in May of 2020, Luke Finley (aka ThunderHead289 on YouTube) announced via a YouTube video that he had purchased yet another trailer park cream puff - this time a 1974 Ford Maverick.

Make no mistake though: fans of Luke Finley's YouTube channel were not surprised to see that he bought yet another clapped out beater to use and abuse.  Nor were fans surprised to see the Maverick's first break down documented.  Nor were they surprised to see him grow attached to a car he once swore he'd just use the good parts (i.e. the cylinder heads and transmission) from.  
What might have been slightly surprising, though, was how much performance this 1974 Ford Maverick actually put down.  Finley apparently was at least a little proud, too - I mean the Maverick became his burnout-laced intro video after all. 

But can you blame him?  Equipped with a 302cid Ford V8 that is topped off with aluminum heads and a 4-speed Ford Toploader, the Maverick, when equipped with the Holley carburetor, was genuinely quick.

On top of that, how about the idle quality he achieved on the Holley?  Finley, aka Uncle Luke, dialed in his Holley carburetor's air fuel ratio (AFR) to be within the proper stoichiometric mixture with a little bit of help from his self-designed controlled vacuum leak "cheater device."


You read that right, by the way - Finley designed and engineered the device himself using his electromechanical knowledge in conjunction with his programming and automation skillsets.  The end result?  The 302 has an idle the envy of fuel injected modern cars and the closest thing to a perfect AFR on the wideband you'll achieve on a carbureted engine.

While Finley designed the carb cheater device for one purpose, times have changed.  Little did Finley or his fans know - at the time - just how quickly the conversation would change from a novel carb cheater device that smoothed out AFR into a device that would catalyze fierce debates about the veracity of not only this device - but also the carburetor it would soon be attached to.

1974 Maverick + ThunderHead289 = Economy in 2022

Although the 1974 Maverick did not equal economy in 1974, let's fast forward to 2022 this time.  

Why 2022, you ask?

Well, just before May of 2022 rolled around, Luke Finley announced via a YouTube video that his Maverick had just achieved over 40 miles per gallon.  Wait, 40 miles per gallon?  In a V8 Maverick?
Was this an April Fools' Joke?  Well, actually - it kind of was.  (More on that later.)  But, the real news here is that automotive enthusiasts across the Internet were suddenly interested in the project from the engineer in Iowa who had done what many had claimed to be impossible: over 40 miles per gallon from a V8 designed over 50 years ago.

So the obvious question is this: how exactly did he do it? 

And the answer lies with that same carb cheater controlled vacuum leak device referenced before, but this time it was paired up with a fairly - ahem - restrictive lawn mower carburetor. 

You read that right: a lawn mower carburetor.

But why?

In case you're reading this in the future (or you've just resurfaced from your pandemic bunker and you're completely unaware of anything going on in the world), 2022 has been marked by historically high oil prices and inflation. 

That doesn't fall on Uncle Luke, at least.  But, in any case, people have been searching for ways to make their cars more fuel efficient to cope with increasingly high gas prices coupled with rising prices of essentially everything else at the same time.

If this all feels a bit too much like 1973, that might be because of that gas line you just sat in at Costco.

But, for Finley, there's very little nostalgia going on.  For one thing, Finley didn't live through 1973 gas lines.  (Neither did the author of this article - thank you very much!)

No, Finley didn't do this to make a fuel sipper - this is actually more of a spiteful uncle project.

Is this real life?

Even though many of the uninformed Internet pundits originally tried to dismiss a lawn mower carburetor on a 302 V8 as clever video editing and an Internet hoax, the answer is: yes - this is real life, and this really did happen.

What's perhaps the most amusing part of this whole story is that Uncle Luke did this, at least in part, in response to an April Fool's joke - essentially out of spite because Internet and YouTube naysayers told him he couldn't do it. 

You know what happens when you tell an engineer they can't do something ... ?  Yep.

While this author never doubted the veracity of Finley running his Maverick on a lawn mower carburetor, Finley completely silenced all doubters by running the Hot Rod Power Tour 2022 in the Maverick on the lawn mower carburetor.  People could look at the carburetor and hear the engine run in person.  Conspiracy theories debunked onsite.

But the Hot Rod Power Tour also proved one other thing - it answered the original query of this article.

Yes - the run on the dyno machine by Uncle Luke ultimately proves, for certain, that the spite of Uncle Luke is mower powerful.  Granted, some might argue - and rightfully so - so is the engine. 

Don't worry, the Dad Jokes go on for days - and you poor saps are the test dummies since my son arrives later this month.  (And that's actually not a joke - my second child is arriving soon!)

But, no, I won't post the horsepower figures of the V8 with lawn mower carburetor.

Get off my lawn first.

Also, pay Uncle Luke some respect and watch the video at the bottom of this page already.  

Geesh.  Kids these days.  (And watch his other videos, too, while you're at it ... )