Shaved Shock Towers

The Mad Scientist regularly reminds me of Tim Allen in the television show Home Improvement. He is always looking for "More Power". However, in his 1970 Maverick's current state we are planning on dropping in a Small Block Ford 302. However, with the inclination of "more power" the Mad Scientist became interested in what it would take to put and even larger motor into his Maverick. After a little tinkering on the internet and seeing what other maverick owners have done to their cars in Brazil, the Mad Scientist came up with a plan. "If it is in the way cut it out". Which eventually lead to shaving the shock towers.

(Interesting fact: A Ford Maverick was known for being small enough to provide an additional 18" of parking space during its time. A 1984 Mercury Carpi is only a hair larger than a Ford Maverick. A 1984 Mercury Capri has an additional 10" of motor clearance over the Ford Maverick.)

Below is the process the Mad Scientist used to shave the shock towers of his 1970 Ford Maverick in order to utilize the parts he had on hand, and make room for a larger block in the future.

Step One

The first step required that we mark the shock tower for cutting so that we would not interfere with mounting locations of the shock or A-arm, but at the same time giving us as much room as physically possible.

(note: The stamped steel of the shock tower was exceptionally easy to cut through.)

Step Two

The second step required that we simply start cutting away at the shock tower. We made our initially cuts shallow so as not to unintentionally cut something of importance.

Step Three

The Mad Scientist picked up two pieces of steel diamond plate at the local hardware store and hammered a curve into them so that they could be used to re-box and reinforce the shock towers.

(note: Diamond plate is much stronger than the stamped steel we cut away)

Step Four

Step four required that we simply weld the steel diamond plate into the cut away shock tower cavities. For those that do not already know welding sheilds are important and you should never look directly into welding light.

Step Five

Step five rouds up the entire process as we simply ground down the welds where needed, cleaned up the surrounding area, and sprayed the newly shaved shock towers with a fresh coat of paint in order to prevent oxidation.

Before, During, & After

Before

 During

After

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