The 71 Mav Grabber finally made it to me today...

to be really nice, it would have to be completely tore down and everything re-done, as stated. but overall, i dont think that it looks "that" bad. i wouldnt have paid what you did for it but beauty is in the eyes of the beholder.

you can go about it two ways, start tearing it apart in hopes of recovering some of your money or dive in heads first and dont look back. my deciding factor would be how structurally sound the car is..... mainly in the frame rails, torque boxes and cowl vents. if these areas are solid, i wouldnt part it out. just keep in mind, Rome wasnt built in a day keep us posted

 

you dont even wanna get me started on 'building on a budget'

 

Yep. My plans were to either get it Media Blasted or Dipped. Media Blasted was going to cost me $1200. Dipped would cost about $1600 for the entire car.

Once that process is done, I'm told I would have a better idea of the condition and the total cost it would require to repair. I have zero skill in body work, nor do I have room at my house to do any of the work, so I'm going to have to pay someone for everything. The only thing I can manage on my own is the tear down of the interior.

I really wish I had more land and big ass garage to do some on the job training!

 

Thats not so bad by Canadian standards. Would be a complete tear down and dip. Awful lot of time and money for a Mav. if you cant do the work to save cash. That hood looks like the inner front is gone since the outer has holes. The lip is likely really bad on the inside. Salvageable for someone who has time and ability.

 

For a Mav...thats just starting to get "rusty" if the pans rails and TQ boxes are sound...its not a bad foundation...not great either but not bad.I remember what these poor cars looked like after 3 or 4 yrs in buffalo.Glad mine spent a third of its life in the cali dessert.Hasent seen a buffalo winter either.If you havent the skills or cash...yeah...pass it on or part it out. Too bad though...awsome color.

 

Hell these cars were rustier than that up here when I was a teenager. Thats a decent shell around here if like you say the structure is OK. 10 years around our neck of the woods and those cars were junk. I remember lifting those cars on a hoist and watching the fender gaps waiting for the car to fall apart. We used to lift cars a watch the hoist arms go through the floor. Still get the odd car at work like that. Old front wheel drive Chryslers. I just shove the hoist through them and fire them out side as unsafe to lift. Boy do we need yearly inspections. Should be law.

 

Yup 20 years ago it was hard to find a good one around here. "IF" the pans and torque boxes are solid, that that car is worth saving. If it had a title, I'd buy it for $900, and restore it.

 

Amazing what ebay did. North America got a whole lot smaller. 10 + years ago I never expected to see another Mav in my driveway. Just couldnt find a decent one. Now with ebay and the net these cars are re-appearing up here.

 

save yourself the $$$ spend $500 or so and fly out to cali and just buy one that runs and has no rust.

i found this one a few months ago they were asking $1900... to me that was too much but if you paid $900 for what you got then the $1900 is nothing! save the grabber hood and spoiler and call it a day!

 

Don't worry, some day I may be giving you a call to look at a car or two for me, and maybe drop one off at DAS.

 

I've been on this latest project for about 3 years and can tell you that the junkyards around here (Winston-Salem area) have really crushed a lot of good cars in the last 2 years because of the high price for scrap. That being said, there are still some pretty nice Mavs to found in the area that won't cost you a fortune but that you can still drive and enjoy. If it were me, I'd save the car to use as a parts car and hunt for another one that's in better shape. I know because this is exactly what happened to me. I bought a 72 with a 302 and "some" rust that turned out to be rotted floorboards, cowl and fenders. I stopped, parked it and 2 years later found a 77 that had no rust ( dented and banged up ) and used the 72 as my parts car. Good luck to you whichever way you decide to go!
Scott

 

Was watching this one on ebay. Nice car.
http://cgi.ebay.ca/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&ssPageName=STRK:MEWAX:IT&item=270354522058

 

Yo, Derrick!

Are you sure that isn't your car? They look like mirrors you would have borrowed from your tuner buddies!

 

how come all the good priced cars are on the wrong coast? if that comet were in fl it would have a price tag north of $3000. not a bad deal for $1900 from what can be seen.

 

Agreed!!!!!