Howdy all. I've been a lurker for a while. This is my 4th Maverick. Started my driving career in a 70 Grabber with a 200 and a 3 on the tree. I had 2 more after a divorce in the mid 80's made me poor. Wrecked the last one in 88. Forward to 8 years ago, I found my 1 owner (female) Grabber. I was on my way out to Santa Fe NM where I had just moved from there to St. Augustine, Florida. I was in my F-150 going out to pick up the last of my vintage Japanese motorcycle collection I had in storage. On the way out the truck cracked an exhaust manifold and check engine came on. When I got into SF I took it to the local Ford mechanic. upon my arrival to his shop I saw the Grabber sitting out front. Nothing else mattered when I saw the car. Not getting home, or my sick father in the hospital. The car was beautiful. What I wanted the 70 to be when my dad gave it to me minus the V8. I went in and talked about the car with the secretary. Told her some of my Maverick stories. She said it was for sale. She let me look in the car. Zero rust SoCal car that had been in NM since 1990. Always garaged. The only thing wrong with the car was a crappy single stage paint job that looked like the 3rd time it had been painted. Weird. Had the original spare in the trunk. I had to have this car. 5 minutes later the owner came in. we talked and I told her I had Mavericks before. She didn't have the car advertised but was interested in selling it. Told me she was a hippie in the mid 70's and had the car painted in black lacquer with a rainbow type design on the side. She had it painted again when she moved to SF in 1990. Said she turned down 2 people who wanted it. One guy wanted to turn it into a race car. The other to teach his kid how to drive. I had my better half send me a pic of the family maverick in 77. She told me to come over 2 days later on Saturday. The only reason she sold the car was because Santa Fe had a lot of rain and the mice were at plague level. Her Honda car was getting the wiring eaten for the 3rd time. The Maverick had always been garaged in the one car. She knew it had to go. I gave her $4500 and she looked sad. Her dad bought her that car when she started college in 71. I told her I'd love it like she did. 2 weeks ago the car was hit by someone in a hurry making a left. Gutted to say the least. I stop the long winded story and show you my Grabber.
