Back in the spring of '94, I got the urge for a hot rod. I didn't have much $ at the time (college) and my home grown Saleen (primary transpo) was in an insurance dispute for some shotty body work. Which left me in NEED of reliable transpo for a few months. I couldn't bring myself to get an Econo bucket, especially going from a Saleen and in College! So, I headed down to the corner store to pick up a Classic Car Trader (no net back then). I only had a few hundred bucks, MAYBE $2k with good 'ol mom, but I knew she'd never go for "another damn hot rod." Here I am flipping through the black and white photo filled rag searching for THE CAR. Then I saw it, a '71 "Grabber" and knew instantly that was THE CAR. They were asking more than I had, but oh wait mom! It's a MAVERICK! She'll go for that. Those are grocery getters, right? I decide to give the guy a call figuring mom is sold on a Maverick. Whew, He still had it... I go out there to check it out and haggle a bit. The Bad... A shotty paint job go waaay south on it in the Texas Sun. Weak Brakes, bleed, pads, lines, etc.. Still worked, but soft! Weak fornt end, bad alignment, and a few decaying bushings Expired tags and inspection Overall nothing serious from a daily driver aspect The Good... A fresh decked out 302. cams, heads, 4bbl, intake, etc A fresh C4, shift kit, Hurst and converter SHINY Cragar 5 stars (very hot rim back then) Traction bars, but hwy gearing and no posi. Decent 85 Stang interior swap, with new carpet, headliner, etc No RUST ANYWHERE, but a little bad bondo on the roof Oh, I guess you figured out it ran like a rapped ape... I haggled the guy down to $1600. Off to mom's house I went. Just as I suspected, she coughed up the cash for a "Grocery getter" without a fight. I went back, beat on him a bit more, and walked away with it for $1400! Just as suspected I rode it around for a few months, got the Saleen back in order, and pretty much there the Mav sat. Mom, bought a new house in the fall, so I drove the Maverick over and parked it on the side behind a gate in the back yard. Life went on, I moved around a lot, the Maverick still rotting away at Mom's. She hated it! She still hates it! Someday, she'll see the light I couldn't part with it, people would offer, but I couldn't do it. I have plans for it, you know? So, a few months ago mom went on a cruise. Me being the good son I am, decide it is time to something about the poor 'ol Mav rotting away in her back yard. Since she would be gone for a few days, I could surprise her and work in peace! First order was to fire her up... I got a new battery poured some Marvel Mystery in the cylinders and oil topped off the radiator, oil, and trans Filled the carb with cleaner hooked up a gas can and pump I looked at my buddy, climbed in the Mav, and hit the starter, ROAR! IT FIRED RIGHT UP!!! Yep, after sitting for 8 years it fired right up! Yes, I didn't change a fluid, plug, wire, nothing! NADA! Since then, I have had to rebuild the brakes, replace the gas tank, rebuild the front end, and some other misc stuff. Nothing more, I'd drive her anywhere! She still isn't pretty, but it's coming! Anyhow, I hope someone enjoys this long-winded tale, I think I have... The Mav, is now known as Christine, I think she deserves that title? Oh ya, she not only strives to breath, but also tries to fix her dents and minor mechanical hickies herself True shit, I've seen her do it many times...
The pictures are not optimized for the web. I pulled them straight from my camera on a lower res setting. Since it has been so long since I have used dial up, I posted the CURRENT pics in another thread. Hopefully this will help the bandwidth challenged, if it is even needed??? Christine Mad Max style
Hmm, Did the prior owner paint it blue? The car has the grabber spoiler and hood, but all grabbers had a blacked out tail-light panel. If you post your vin the people on the board can tell you for sure.
Yes he sure did. He did a real crap job with prep and bondo. It's a real grabber, it even has the marks under the door. Also, the door jams had the original Grabber paint and striping on the inner door lip. I wasn't sure on any of this when I bought it 10 years ago, but thanks to these great sites, I have verified it.
Good Story! Man, I need a Mom like that. If I had a car as nice as a Saleen and went to my parents for money I think I'd get an evil look Of course that's the same look I get when I ask for tuition money lol.
THX Ohhhh trust me there were plenty of evil looks and words. Hell, I still get one everytime she sees the mav. The Saleen was a homegrown. I took a 91LX 4 banger theft recovery, and converted it into a Saleen. Essentially what Saleen used to do back in the Fox days. It was pretty inexpensive. Honestly, I got into it for the price of a NEW LX! To boot, the 4 banger vin gave cheap Insurance rates Man, I miss the LX mustangs... Used to be such a bang for the buck. I think that is what draws me to the MAV, it can be a sleeper, economy, sportster, dragster, or FAMILY SEDAN (beat that mustang)!!! All for a hell of a deal! Who gives a piss about resale value, if you don't have much into it? Personally I care more about out of pocket expense and SPH.
