This is a combination post, to say Hi to everyone and to get some advice on a Maverick I spotted. I've been lurking for about a month and I've found this forum to be unique in the friendliness and collective humor that is displayed here. My first car was a 70 Mav, I6, auto, a/c, and I'd like to have another, especially after seeing all the great Mavericks here. While driving in the North part of the state, I spotted the Maverick in the attached pics. An older gentleman owns the car. He told me the car is a 70 Grabber but he doesn't want to sell it right now, and to ask him later on. He told me he had a stroke 6 months ago and he had a little trouble speaking, but he had a definite twinkle in his eye. Since I live 2 hours away, I asked him how I could contact him - he said to write him a letter, so I guess I'll be writing a letter a month for a while. The right door has been worked and there is some rot at the bottom of both 1/4's but the rust on top did not seem to be too bad. The interior is not in very good shape and I couldn't get the hood up to look at the engine. (He said it was running when parked). My questions are; can you tell if it is indeed a Grabber from the pics and did all the Grabbers have 302's? Also, what would you consider a fair price? Sorry for the long post. I’m not sure how the pic’s are going to turn out, I had to modify them to fit the size limit.
No all Grabbers did not come with 302's the majority of them were I6's, And im not sure about the 70 but I know 71-75 Grabbers had 93 in the Vin# to tell you if it was a Grabber or not, I see Grabber stripes and a Grabber spoiler so It could be a Grabber.
My 70 Grabber has a 200 cu in....Not sure when the 302 cu in was an option. I know they came with sport mirrors, rear spoiler, black interior, Grabber stripes & beauty rims with dog dish hub caps. Some else might be able to elaborate more.
m-dan , as with all mav. /comets they are worth "something". as far as a price for this one it depends on you...do you have tools and a place to work on it...your wrenching skills...check the "cowls" to me that is the main part to look at jmo... if you can get it for a reasonable price it could make a good "parts car".. is it a v8...how long has it set ...all these affect the price. welcome to the board ...frank...
That indeed appears to be a 1970 Grabber. On any car that has sat as long as that one has....be prepared to spend a ton of money on it. All brake and fuel lines would need to be replaced. Complete rebuiold of all components, etc. It all depends on what your experience level is as to how much money it will take. Craig Selvey Keeper of the 1970 Maverick Grabber Registry
If its been sitting in a field you can be sure of two things 1) underbody runst (floorpans,suspension mounts etc.) 2) Mice. Those little guys get everywhere. If they haven't chewed on everything they will leave you a million little packages. They get in the headliner and everywhere else you can imagine. The smell they leave behind is unreal. I stripped the entire interior of my two door with gloves and a respirator and threw it away because there was no chance to save it. It is definitely worth saving, Grabber or not. Just have to be dedicated and ready for anything. Good Luck and
Well, after driving 200 miles yesterday to look at a couple of Mavericks, one was totally ragged out and the other not for sale , I found a 71 2 door to restore and a 72 0r 73 4 door Comet parts car 5 miles from home. I'm not sure of the year models, I took pictures of the door tags, but my cheap digital camera didn't take a clear picure and I can't read it. I'll check the dates in few days. The Comet has a 302 to replace the I6 and bucket seats and both have auto transmissions and a/c. I did body work for 10 years and loved it, I'm looking forward to restoring the 2 door. Not as a show car, but to drive and enjoy. My wife didn't kick me out of the house when I told her she was the proud owner of a Maverick and a Comet today .
Dan, The blue car above does appear to be a true Grabber but you really need to vin to be for sure. In 1970 the 302 was not an option either, only 6 cyl. That doesn't mean it can't have a 302 in it but if it does it must have been changed out at some point. The car looks to be a good restoration project so if you can get it at a decent price I'd say jump on it. Good luck whichever way you go and keep us posted. Thanks for the pics you posted...we all love pics, no matter what they are.
One can't check the VIN for a 1970 Grabber. The only 100% way to verify a 1970 Grabber is with a build sheet. I am not sure if a History 999 report will show it either.
I would question why the back panel is not blacked out ... I thought all 1970 Grabbers had blacked out rear panels ... It looks like the spoiler is blacked out - like it was removed from a true 1970 Grabber ... :confused: I also believe the space between the hood stripe and the pinstripe around it is too wide ... not factory ..
look how straight the bumpers are on that car......dang...i wish i had those ones instead of my POS bumpers... mine are rusted...bent......dented....scratched.....BAD shape....i dont even think they can be repaired
Yeah, my comment was on the bumpers too! They look to have minimal rust on them and they sure do shine pretty!
Dan, I know we're going to the junkyard today... but if your interested in letting me have/buy some of the comet parts let me know.
