72' Grabber Restoration with Sub-Projects

I decided I wanted a Maverick again, around 2 years ago...and so I set about looking for a good candidate to buy. I had owned two of them years ago, when I still lived in Illinois, and like so many others, drove them for awhile, and eventually sold them, as life rolled on.

My first one was a 1972 Maverick, dark green color, and had an I-6/200, with column shift, black interior, with bench seats.

My second one, was a 1973 Grabber, White, with Orange Grabber stripes, and the Orange halo vinyl roof. It had an I-6/250, with factory floor shift, Orange and Black Interior, with factory bucket seats. I loved the color combos on this Grabber. When it was cleaned up, it looked awesome inside and out. I only wish it had had the 302 instead of the 6 cyl.

Anyway...so after looking all over for the right candidate, I found a 1972 Maverick Grabber for sale in Phoenix, Arizona, and bought it for around $ 1000. It was an original, Grabber, no rust, with the Phoenix, Arizona region code, with the I-6/200, Bright Blue in and out, with column shift, and 4 lug wheels, and Factory A/C. The paint has been baked off pretty badly due to being in the Arizona sun for 40 years.

I set a goal for myself of doing a full restoration on this car, and shooting for around 5 years from start to finish. If it takes me longer, that is okay, because I enjoy everything about the challenge. It gives me something to do between work, and a few other hobbies that I have, and it also allows me to share the learning with my son. It has been a great experience to join this forum, and to learn so much about these cars, from others.

I have been collecting parts for the last 2 years, and I'm now at a point where I can start doing sub-projects, before I get to the point of tearing the Grabber completely apart and doing body work. I will progress as my budget allows, and just have fun with it.

What I envision for this car is NOT a daily driver, but one to drive occasionally on the weekends. I would love to buy another Maverick eventually for a daily driver. It would also be nice to have another to use for reference, when I get to the more complex areas of the build. For this car, I plan on having a 302 stroked to 347, with high performance components, 4 barrel intake, factory automatic floor shift, transmission rebuilt for higher HP, 3/00 rear-end rebuilt for posi-trac with 3:55 gears. It will also get the Doug Thorly headers, Cal-tracs, Factory A/C, Power Steering, and Power front disc Brakes.

The color combination is the only thing I'm not revealing yet. I can say that it is NOT going to be painted back to its original color of Bright Blue. It's also not going to be painted Black, Red, Green, Orange, Yellow, or White. The only hint I will give is that it will not be what I consider an "exotic color". It will be a Ford color, and another hint I will give is that it will require me to buy two sets of 72' Grabber stripes, in order to have the look that I want. The only stripes will be factory 72' Grabber stripes/decals. I want the car to have its own look, while respecting the designs of others...and I have not seen anyone yet, that has the color combination that I have picked out. It took me forever to figure out an original paint scheme, because you guys have already picked so many of the awesome color combinations.

First Sub-Project up: Seat Restoration.

- Roger

 

Seat Restoration - First the Seat Rails

Supplies I used for the Seat Rails Restoration: (non media-blasting method)
- 5 Gallons of Laqcuer Thinner (bought at local Paint supply, cheaper than Home Depot)
- 1 Gallon of Prep & Etch Phosphoric (Home Depot)
- 1 Can of Eastwood Black Self Etching Primer (Eastwood) (used 1 but bought 2...you can never have enough of this stuff!)
- 1 Can of either Rustolium # 7777 Black Satin Spray Paint, or Krylon # 1613 Black Satin Spray Paint (7777 at Home Depot, 1613 at GlobalIndustrial.com or Toolup.com)
- Lithium Grease Paste (Home Depot)
- Pair of long Chemical rated gloves (Home Depot)
- Nylon Scrub Brush (Home Depot)
- 2 5 gallon plastic buckets (HOme Depot)
- Fine wire-wheel brush for cordless drill
Here's what the seat rails looked like before restoring them:



Step 1: I soaked the seat rails in 5 gallons of Laqcuer Thinner for 30 minutes. Make sure to wear Chemical Rated gloves, and to work in a well ventilated area. Make sure to wear proper protective gear for your situation.
Step 2: You can soak the parts longer, but I was able to scrub most of the paint off the parts, with a nylon brush, with a little bit of elbow grease.
Step 3: Next, I soaked the parts in 1 gallon of undiluted Phosporic Prep & Etch for 30 minutes, and scrubbed the rest of the Paint off. The Prep & Etch Removed all remaining surface rust and gave the seat rails/parts a bare metal look:




Step 4: After soaking and cleaning with Prep & Etch, then rinse all the parts off in a bucket of water. Wait for the parts to completely dry before priming.
Step 5: I used a Fine wire-wheel brush on a cordless drill to detail a couple of troublesome spots before priming.
Step 6: After masking off the bolts and plastic/bakelite handles on the seat adjusters, I sprayed the Eastwood Black Self Etching Primer straight onto the bare metal parts. I sprayed 2 coats and let dry for 2 hours. I didn't worry about overspray getting into the area where the bearings are. Just make sure not to spray directly into that part of the rails.
Step 7: I experimented on the final coat of paint, by spraying one part with Krylon 1613 Satin Black, and another with Rustolium 7777 Satin Black. They looked nearly Identical, and I ended up finishing the rails/parts with the Rustolium 7777. Make sure to either hang the parts with a wire hook while drying, or carefully lean them against a single point until dry.
Step 8: I let the final paint dry for 5 days, and then I applied some Lithium Grease paste to the part of the track that the bearings roll in. I moved the rails back and forth a few times, and then wiped off a small amount of excess grease.
Here's what the seat rails looked like after the final coat of paint:





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****And if anyone is looking for some of this hard to find Hardware:

*Some of the 67'-70' Mustangs and Torino/Cougars used some of the same "bell shaped" and larger style seat track spacers.

As far as the "Bell Shaped" seat track spacers...

West Coast Classic Cougar sells used "bell shaped" ones:

(* Factory P/N C6OZ-6362016-A, and they have alot more info on them)
http://www2.cougarpartscatalog.com/seatextender.html



The larger type Spacer on some of the 67'-70' Mustangs and Torino/Cougars:


West Coast Classic Cougars also sell reproduction seat adjuster knobs, for the high back buckets:
http://www2.cougarpartscatalog.com/65a-6261753-21.html



Here is an expired ebay listing that also had the bell shaped spacers:
http://www.ebay.com/itm/67-1968-196...D&orig_cvip=true&rt=nc&_trksid=p2047675.l2557


And the late 60's Barracuda's and Dart's used a SIMILAR BUT NOT EXACT seat track, to the Mav/Comet high back bucket tracks:



Up Next...The Seats and Seat Covers! ...

 

Looking good... but to be correct I believe the springs wernt painted from factory?? or were they? I can't remember now

 

Thanks! These springs did appear to be painted black from the factory. If you look close in the before shot, you can see it.

 

Very Nice!! I can't wait to see some more pictures!!

 

Good work Roger. Must feel nice to finally get started. taking it one project at a time is the way to go. And whats with the big tease with the paint? Now I'm going to have to wait 5 or more years to know the answer. I am very impatient so hurry it up a little.

 

Awesome thread...I will be following closely. I have 2 sets of tracks to try this on. Thanks for sharing!

 

Gotta love it when an old part looks new again

 

Thanks for all the compliments guys!

My seat covers will be coming back from Fred Carello Upholstery soon, and I already have my supply list ready to bang those out, (which includes the plastic hinge covers, hog rings, etc)...so I will update this thread with a step by step on those in the near future.

Also, I would like to do the sub-projects on my rear-end, and transmission within the next few months or so, but we'll see.

A bit of info on the seat covers first though:

I will be covinging 2 front high-back buckets 71' seats, in the Black corinth vinyl, with (new old stock) of the factory Black "Diamond" pattern Comfortweave Inserts.

The back seats will look the same, except the shape of the seat pattern will be for a 1972 back seat, that has the sides that allow for the "side panel seat belt retractor bulge".

Fred also supplies rechromed seat emblems, that will go in the front bucket backs.

I will re-post an (*updated) old thread I did on finding a 2nd supplier of OEM Comfortweave, for any of those that will be doing this type of resto, and hasn't seen it yet, on the next post.

* I figured out, along with some of our other members on here recently, that Ford actually put more than one style of Comfortweave in the Mavericks/Comets in 1971, for the same trim code. There was a "diamond" pattern comfortweave (I believe used exclusively on the Mavericks/Comets in 71', and a "Mustang" style comfortweave also used in the Mavericks/Comets in 71'.

here's a link to that thread where we talk about it:

http://www.maverick.to/mmb/showthread.php?t=76358

 

Great News! - 2nd NOS/OEM Comfortweave Supplier Found !!!

I would like to thank Craig Selvey, Dan Hines, and Fred Carello for their input, pictures, and help in deciphering this information. - Roger

Until now, I am pretty sure most of us only knew that SMS Auto Fabrics, was our only supplier for NOS/OEM Maverick/Comet Comfortweave
knitted Vinyls, for re-upholstering our deluxe seats.

After doing alot of research on comfortweave, and with the help of others, I was able to learn more about the stuff. I searched and
searched...then bingo! I located a second company in the United States that has stock of some of the colors.

This Company is "Original Auto Interiors", and they are located in Columbus Michigan (full info below). You will have to call or email
them to see if they have stock of your particular trim color, but I know they have stock of black comfortweave, like in Craig Selvey's,
Dan Hines', and my 71' seats.

I want to say that I had sample swatches sent to me from BOTH SMS Auto Fabrics, and Original Auto Interiors, and BOTH companies were
very polite, and nice to deal with. I am endorsing these two companies equally, as I am thrilled that we have yet another company
supplying us with this dwindling, and rare material. I only did this search because I was afraid the last of the material would die out before I had a chance to do my restoration, and I wanted to give myself, and others a safety net, for doing factory style restorations for our Fords.

I took a photo of 3 of the same type of black comfortweaves, laid together for comparison. These three include my original 71 Grabber seat, the SMS swatch sample, and the Original Auto Interior swatch sample. This is what I noticed:

1. They are basically the exact same material.
2. They are made of individual woven strands of grey and black.
3. If you strip, any of the 3 samples, with a wire cutter, you will find tiny white nylon strands inside of each individual
comfortweave strand. This told me the two NOS samples were factory correct, even on the inside.
4. The Original Auto Interior sample has a more vibrant color of black under normal light, and under a camera flash, as you can see if
you look closely at the pictures. This is most likely due to variations in original runs, or possibly the way they were stored. No UV protectant or teflon spray has been applied to any of these materials. All of these materials are over 30 years old plus.
5. For any of those that have never seen black comfortweave in person, it looks black from a distance, and as you zoom in it looks like Dan's photo. It also takes on a grayish look with a flash camera picture.



There were 4 Maverick/Comet 1971 (Diamond Pattern) Deluxe Knitted/Woven Vinyl Comfortweave Inteior Trim Code Colors: (Detroit Book Cross-Reference and photo shown below)

Mav/Comet - 8A - Black - Deluxe Woven Vinyl Bucket - Number 1162 in pictured Detroit Book. (*in some cases 1227 in the Mustang row)
Mav/Comet - 8B - Medium Blue - Deluxe Woven Vinyl Bucket - Number 1159 in pictured Detroit Book.
Mav/Comet - 8E - Vermilion - Deluxe Woven Vinyl Bucket - Number 1160 in pictured Detroit Book.
Mav/Comet - 8Y - Gray Gold - Deluxe Woven Vinyl Bucket - Number 1161 in pictured Detroit Book.
--------------------------
The Mustang Comfortweave cross-reference (bottom row in Detroit Body Book swatch page) is as follows: (letter trim codes vary by year)
Mustang - Black - Comfortweave - Number 1227 in pictured Detroit Book.
Mustang - Medium Green - Comfortweave - Number 1231 in pictured Detroit Book.
Mustang - Red/Vermilion - Comfortweave - Number 1228 in pictured Detroit Book.
Mustang - Medium Ginger - Comfortweave - Number 1230 in pictured Detroit Book.
Mustang - White - Comfortweave - Number 1229 in pictured Detroit Book.
* The Mustange style comfortweaves were also used in the 71' Mavericks/Comets, but it seems the "diamond" pattern comfortweave was more common in the Mavericks/Comets of 1971.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Below is pictured a page from a Detroit Body book. Two of the best resources for information on Factory Fabric is:
Detroit Body
http://www.detroitbodyproducts.com/

and Edward B. De Leo, Inc.
http://www.deleoco.com/ebdl/index.php?page=home


---------------------------
I want to thank Dan Hines for posting the first really really zoomed in picture of the black comfortweave material. This is what made
me more curious about it:



I want to thank Craig Selvey for answering numerous questions about the material, and for the extra pictures he took for me. Craig's
pictures show that, as most of you already know, that the deluxe comfortweave on the seats, and the deluxe pattern on the door panels
are not the same thing. The deluxe weave door panels are a "basketweave" design that is embossed into the vinyl.




I want to thank Fred Carello for all of his emails and help about re-upholstering my seats with this material. Fred is the one who is making the seat covers for my car. His work looks amazing! (see below)

Here is a great example of another member's seat covers by Fred Carello:



----------------------------------
OEM/NOS Comfortweave suppliers for Maverick/Comet/Mustangs/etc (check supply):


Original Auto Interiors
7869 Trumble Rd.
Columbus, MI 48063
Phone 586-727-2486
http://www.originalauto.com/
-------------------------------
SMS Auto Fabrics
350 South Redwood St.
Canby, OR 97013
Phone 503-263-3535
http://www.smsautofabrics.com/

 

Ryan...I will try to speed it up a little bit! :Handshake I meant 5 years from when I bought the car...so it would be great if I could finish it within 3 years now.

I know that if I had all the money now...I believe I could knock this baby out in 1 year (couldn't we all?).

One thing that I'm learning is that there are many great companies located right here in the Phoenix valley, that are related to the car restoration business, and have been in buiness for a long time...some right here in Tempe!

I'm looking forward to the Cruise on Central!

 

What a well written thread. Cant wait to see more write up on this one.

 

Roger,

Great job on the seat tracks. Glad you are happy with the parts.

I will be following your thread and stealing your procedures for restoring parts.

Rick

PS. I have the power brake set-up complete, if you don't have it yet. PM me when ready.

 

Thanks Rick! God Bless TEXAS!!!

For those of you that don't know...Rick is one of the best in the parts game...and has helped many people with restoration parts.

I hope you are able to get time for your own cars!

...and I do have the complete factory power front brake setup from a 77 Maverick...I haven't did the conversion yet...so if I am missing any details when I do...I will let you know.

I am actually thinking about doing the brake conversion BEFORE I do the complete teardown later...and then taking it back out for the engine bay paint/body work.

 

Thanks Darren....I love your Mav!!!