Hey, I also had a ‘78 Maverick with a 302 in it... What a POS, but you could smoke the tires.
Thing is, old cars like that are a dime a dozen. And with a little work, and not too much of an investment at all, you could trick it out pretty good!
Maybe I’m just jealous cause I can barely afford to keep the tank full in my Impala! (’66 Sedan)