I had a '70 Maverick a few years back, but was offered too much money for it and had to sell. Now I'm in the market for another, but I'm not sure if I necessarily should hunt down a Grabber or not. One problem is that I don't know how to verify if it is authentic. Are the Grabbers worth substantially more? I will be modifying it, so I don't know if the extra cost is worth it. I will be installing a V8, most likely the Cleveland in my garage, but maybe another. Other than mounts do the factory V8 cars have changes? Springs, sway bars, shocks, rear, tranny upgrades? Sorry for alll the questions, but I just found the site. I will search through the archives to brush up, but I may have a very good deal on my hands and would really appreciate any opinions as soon as you guys read this. Mike
Geardog; I don't think the Grabber cars were identified in any particular way on the vin. Craig Selvey and Charlie Ping are the resident experts on this stuff, and may be able to help. I do know that the Grabber was only an appearance package, and came on any and all of the engine/trans combinations. I have a '69.5 car, and it was a 170 poverty car. I made all the aforementioned mods and I love the car. I would get it if it is a good deal and make it yours and enjoy it. Just my $.02. Earl
'70 Grabbers had the regular hood ('71 and '72 had the Grabber hood) stripe package and a spoiler on the trunk. I believe they also came with only black interiors. '71 - '75 Grabbers are easy to identify as the VIN has "93" as the body code. V8 Mavericks have the heavy duty suspension, radiator and the the V8 C4 transmission has more "bands" than the I6 C4 transmission. If you are going to install the Cleaveland, you will have to cut/modify the shock towers so I dont think it is worth paying extra for a Grabber. My .02....... Good luck!!!
More stuff.... Stefan is correct, with the vin and the black interior and the stripes/hoods/spoilers. Here is more info about how exactly to identify them. Ways to distinguish the Grabbers from the standard bodys: The stamped number under the doors (bottom of rocker panels) should say "62D" if it is a Grabber (62A, if standard), and in the vin number, the third and fourth digits are the body code as well. They are different in the vin than on the rocker, however. If it is a true Grabber, the 3rd and 4th numbers will be 93 (91 for standard) Hope this helps you. And, yes, GENERALLY Grabbers are worth more. -Corbin
Keep in mind, that the grabber was just an appearance option. Unfortunetly, our Mavericks do not tend to turn over a whole lot of value...Yet, so I really wouldn't worry about finding a grabber, especially since you are modifying-not restoring. Your best bet is to find a v8 powered 71-73 model or so, and then you can add that grabber look if you want. A better option than a clevland motor would be to stroke out a 302 to 347, good luck, keep us updated.
Jeremy is correct. If modifing is your desire, I would recommend getting a non Grabber to do so with. The Grabbers seem to be appreciated more unmolested. Just a thought. -Corbin
Sounds like I spoke too soon. Thanks, Stephan, for the info on the Grabber options. Sorry if I caused any confusion, Earl
Yeah......Mine has an Orange interior, Hmmm it's been awhile I can't think of anything else to say......
When I mentioned black interiors, I was refering to the 70 Maverick Grabber. Did '70 Grabbers only come with a black interior?
