Finally, pictures of my inherited '72 Grabber

Parts car for sure!!!! The underside is likely gone.

 

If the car is that rusty, you could always find another body and do a "re-body", using everything you can from the Grabber.

 

I encourage you to restore this car!!! (If I don't say that, someone might get upset, again)

 

So my main demon on this car seems to be the rusty body. So, until I get this car up and take a good look underneath, rip up the carpet and look at the floor pan and trunk pan this car's future is up in the air. Even still, I'd have to contend that there is not more rust than car. Living and growing up in northern states (MN, WI, IL), I've definitely seen some nasty rust. This is focused to the areas where I took pictures. Instead of entire panels I might be able to patch in new pieces of sheet metal (I have friends that are much better at welding than I am). I'm a bit of an optimist, and I'm hoping beyond hope that once I get more time to dedicate to this I can find it's workable.

 

You could always find a rust free shell, and cut the parts needed from it, to save your car. As you know, vin swapping is illegal, and never done in in the rust belt

 

thats about 5 times rougher then my stallion and i was told it was un restorable.. but i would have to agree on this one..

 

Anything is restorable depending on how much time, money, and effort you want to sink into it.

Good luck in whatever you decide.

 

If the rust is that bad, I would be more worried about the under carriage. If money is of concern, I would say (If you build a Mav.).....keep the choice parts and do a transplant. If the sentimental value is that great, I would have to look at the structural integrity of the car. It is a uni-body and has no real "frame".

I would love to have found this car with all it has. I IMHO, would put the parts to another car. (finacially speaking of course). Have someone you trust look at the under carriage before you make a decision though. (Would you want your kids in this car with you if you did not......just saying.)


Good luck.

 

i dont see where its gonna cost so much for this. put some hard work in it and sheet metal and a welder dont cost that much. its well worth the time you would put in it if the car means alot to you. you can find all the parts youll need from other cars being parted out in this forum. i say go for it

 

I've said it here on this board before ... Rust is like an iceberg ... there is a lot more lurking where you can't see than where you can.

If you are not a welder ... get a clean body from somewhere else (Arizona seems to have a lot of good, sunbaked cars ... no rust, and no interiors left) and swap your goodies into it.

I have just taught myself to weld this year ... my car is a cherry compared to yours, and I still find what little rust there is on mine almost overwhelming. I will beat this.... just can't believe how long each step takes.

That car that you have there is not one for the inexperienced.... do you want to actually drive it in 2 years or in 10? Start repairing that one and you will frustrate yourself ... get a clean shell, and it is still a pretty big job just to get it done. ... my

 

I would say you have other main demons as well. The fact that the car has SAT for so long is a big demon, especially if you don't have the experience to work on it yourself. Rebuilding a transmission, rebuilding a motor, redoing all the brakes, etc can be expensive if you have to hire the work out.

So very true.....but mainly money. How deep are your pockets?

 

I guess for some of us, that point is a little further then others.

 

I definitely understand those who suggest not to bother with this car. I know that it's going to be a mountain of work. On one hand, it almost doesn't seem as daunting of a task to restore this car because there's no question IF something needs to be done or not, everything HAS to be redone. Tearing it down completely and rebuilding and doing everything right seems kinda fun. Even still, I was looking on ebay this morning and I now realize what you were all saying on what your dollar can buy. It seems that for about $5000 you can get an 80% done car. When I get it up to look at it we'll see where we're at.

Back to that iceberg question....what's the best way for me to (cheaply) find how bad the rust is on some of the body panels? I don't want to be cheap overall on this car, but want to invest as absolutely little as possible until I determine if it's going to sink or swim.

 

I wouldn't worry about the body panels right now. From the pictures I saw...they all need replaced, so that is a given. You need to look under the car at the rear frame rails, and at the torque boxes. also look at the floor boards. Any rust holes in those area and I would say the goose is cooked.

 

If you can poke through an area with a scratch awl, it is rusty and needs to come out.