72 Ford Maverick Grabber

I bought a 72 Ford Maverick Grabber as a New Year gift to myself. My first car was a Maverick and I've always wanted to get another one. I'm going to keep this car mostly original. Follow the updates over the next couple of months as I bring this car back to road worthy.

[@rons5319]

I like the yellow color scheme on yours. I bought a 72 Grabber in 1973. I paid $2500 and I believe it had about 10,000 miles on it. It was metallic gold with black stripes. The 302 was very growly and powerful for a kid of 17. I earned the money to buy it (down payment) from years of delivering papers, and my dad cosigned for a $2000 loan on it which I paid the payments $79 a month from my part time landscaping job after school. I was very lucky to have a great looking fun car like that at that age, and I can't believe my dad cosigned. Mom did not want him to. Thanks forever Dad! I had many a super fun time in it and many drive in dates that I will never forget. I saw the original Mash when it came out in that car.

[@cburnley73]

Awesome story!

[@robertwest3093]

Your story sounds just like my friends. The years even coincide 😅

[@josemrodriguez372]

Thanks for sharing your Maverick ,I was in the 11th grade in 79 on my way to school and at the traffic light was a grabber blue Maverick who lite those tires, and now at age 61 ,I'm like dude I need a maverick now, thanks again

[@cburnley73]

You were probably 16 then, so 61 is just reversing the numbers. Maybe you'll feel 16 again if you get one.

[@timothywatson8284]

I own a 74 grabber with a 306. C4 transmission. Fun little car

[@fredwilliams9572]

So looking foreward to your updates. May 1972 I purchased my first car. '72 maverick in Graber Blue with white and gold decals, automatic with a 250 six. Had 36 miles on the odometer. I loved that car. Brought my first born home from the hospital in that car. Loved your video. Such good memories. Thanks for your great video.

[@cburnley73]

Thanks! I'm hoping for many new memories.

[@roymorgan5498]

"Congratulations !"Nice car. I would keep the colors.👍

[@cburnley73]

Thanks

[@pl747]

I bought a nice blue 1971 Grabber in 1980 for $100. They had put a huge cam and headers on the 302 and blew the top of one cast piston loose. They had installed an aluminum hi rise and 600 holley double pumper and a Mallory dual point distributor. Also had put 3.90 gears in the rear end. I put screw in studs in the heads and installed a much smaller Crane cam that still had a rough idle. Went back with .030 over forged pistons and sps rod bolts and oil pump drive. I installed a Ford top loader 4 speed in place of the 3 speed. I added power steering. It was a very fun car to drive. I was going to put a mustang air conditioner in it when someone offered me $2000 profit on what I had in it so I sold it. Sometimes I regret that.

[@cburnley73]

Sounds like it was a great build.

[@enriqueoliva6988]

I learned how to drive on my father's Maverick,and pass my DMV driving test on it too.

[@cburnley73]

cool. every Maverick had a story.

[@rodrigotrindade5026]

Great machine. They are quite popular in Brazil. It is like a passion

[@donwarren7983]

Very nice car sir! My first car was also a Maverick. A 1971 with the same 302 and body style. My car was the blue metallic color like what yours was. The nylon teeth of the timing gears went out and the car sat for 15 years until I sold it almost 15 years ago. But just like you, one day I will treat myself to another Maverick to fix up. Looking forward to seeing your ideas get done on your Maverick. A Maverick translates to a wild type of bull I believe.

[@cburnley73]

Great story and I hope you get another one soon. I hope to share another video soon.

[@slchambers1]

Sweet! I owned a 71’ Grabber. Lime green, am/fm radio, heater and 4 speed. I miss that vehicle.

[@frankiebob7345]

First car was a 72 Bright Lime Grabber 4 speed 200 straight six. Kept it for 10 years. Had some great cars but none I loved like that one. I know how you feel Brother!

[@cburnley73]

The glory days are coming back!

[@Montyhugo]

Funny why I came here? I watch the 70s TV series "Family" before I leave for work in the morning (yes a 60 yr old man who watches Family before work) and have been checking out the dad's(Doug)maverick and decided to go to KZbin and see what comes up! Good luck on the project.👍✌️

[@cburnley73]

Interesting. I have never seen that show. I'll have to check it out.

[@dustbat]

I would have enjoyed seeing big rig (portable parking lot) back out of there! Nice find on car.

[@curtiscriscoe367]

My brother had a car almost the same as this. His car had all black interior though. All stock. My brother in law had a 72 porches 911 with a flat six and a manual. That maverick would smoke him everytime. Love your car

[@cburnley73]

Thank you for the comment. I had a 70' 911T years ago and while it was fun, the Maverick was far better at just about everything other than coolness. The 911 of that era also was really squirrelly and it was easy to get the back loose and end up spinning out. The Maverick you could use the gas pedal to steer the rear around.

[@curtiscriscoe367]

@@cburnley73 I wish I could go back to those days where those cool cars were only a paycheck away. I used to see them on used car lots for 500 bucks

[@bluegizmo1983]

Very nice! My brother and I are building a '71 Maverick right now as well. The car is in good shape already (no rust at all, perfect glass, good interior, etc) and the motor we're building is a 351W (shock towers have already been notched to fit it). The engine is a remanufactured early 70's block that has been bored .060" over with Keith Black 11.2:1 Compression flat top Pistons, AFR 185cc Renegade heads with 58cc chambers, a Howards hydraulic flat tappet cam with .512/.528 lift, 297/305 advertised duration, and a 109 LSA, an Edlebrock Performer RPM Airgap dual plane intake, and a Holley 750 carburetor. For the transmission we've got a manual 3 Speed Toploader. The car also has a Ford 9" rear end. That combo should be making about 450hp to 500hp at the flywheel when we're done.

[@cburnley73]

That is going to be a beast. I wonder if you'll be able to keep the front tires on the ground.

[@bluegizmo1983]

@@cburnley73 lol she's definitely gonna need some chassis stiffening 😁

[@RickENelson]

Good video. My second car in 1976 was a '72 Comet GT with the 302 automatic with bucket seats and floor shifter. First car was a 1962 Mercury Meteor which is a little known Comet/Fairlane size car. It had a 221 V8 and a 3 speed column shifted manual transmission. Love these old Fords.

[@cburnley73]

The Comet was cool. I was always a fan of the hood scoop.

[@ronaldnorris2179]

I know what a Meteor was👍

[@memphistenn77]

Wow awesome find ,I would love to have something like that....

[@cburnley73]

Thanks!

[@mal1465]

I was 13 when my parents divorced and mom got the big ol station wagon. After a few years, she bought a new powder blue Maverick. I used it to go to me senior prom. I liked the car….it looked like a larger version of the Chevy Vega

[@cburnley73]

It sounds like you have some great memories there.

[@ironhead9507]

I had a 74 grabber in 89 it was white and orange with orange interior. Cool car's

[@cburnley73]

Wow! That is a cool color combination. It must have attracted a lot of attention.

[@johnwheeler8964]

❤love the faded yellow beautiful

[@genegoodwin8925]

Most people don't know that the MArverick was the replacement car for the Falcon. I would love to own one today, but I would like to have a 250 in line six cylinder with the auto trans. Ford's six cylinders were some of the toughest engines ever built. My dad had a Maverick grabber wiht the 302 in Grabber blue with black stripes which was pretty popilar back in the day. Thanks for sharing.

[@cburnley73]

The 250 six is a great engine and nearly bullet proof. My first car in high school was a 73 Maverick in blue with a 302/C4 auto. I fell in love with that car and I've wanted another one ever since. 34 years later I finally have another one. I like how rare the Maverick is now. I can go months without seeing one on the road.

[@ronaldnorris2179]

@@cburnley73Can’t remember the last time I saw one.

[@kcav5374]

Always Loved the body style of these cars! My sister bought a blue 1970 Grabber w/ the straight six 170 automatic. PS; I Love a 203 C4. I had a 1968 2V C4 in my 1964 Fairlane, one of my all time favorite cars...

[@cburnley73]

Thanks for you comment. I love hearing the stories.

[@jameslobb5795]

Nice Mavrick, I always liked those

[@cburnley73]

Thanks

[@Doc1855]

I loved the Maverick 2 Dr. If it were me, I’d paint it a canary yellow and put tan interior. You’ve got a fun ride. Congratulations

[@cburnley73]

Already committed to the black with grey piping in the interior. I thought about tan as well. Eventually the paint would be bright yellow with the coral accents.

[@Doc1855]

@@cburnley73 Sounds like it’ll be beautiful when you get it finished. Do a video after you’ve got it finished, please

[@warren2255777]

I love those and the Ford Pinto ❤️

[@cburnley73]

yes

[@seH2i]

Hell yeah, nice acquisition. 👌

[@cburnley73]

Thanks!

[@seH2i]

@@cburnley73 You're welcome sir. Looking forward to future updates.

[@Turbocat77]

Maverick looks great!

[@cburnley73]

Thanks

[@birkettaustin]

what a great lookin car! enjoy!

[@cburnley73]

Thanks!

[@garyantill242]

One of my favorite cars

[@cburnley73]

Mine too... An amazing underdog!

[@switchfoot8702]

Love it, looks and sounds amazing!

[@cburnley73]

Thanks

[@MichaelandCathy1999]

I owned a ‘72 4 dr with a 302/5 liter, C4. I did some work on it, put true dual exhaust to turn downs just behind the diff,had the manifold off and did a good cleaning of the intake ports and rebuilt the 2bbl. Dropped the trans and had a shift kit installed. Was going to change the differential to get a better ratio ( 2.46 to 3.23 ) but sold it before I could. A real sleeper in my town, fooled a few guys. 👍🇨🇦

[@cburnley73]

That is close to what I did with my first Maverick. It would have been nice to have overdrive for freeway driving... Maybe I can do something on this one in the future. Others are recommending moving to a 5-speed.

[@sergeantmasson3669]

I/we have a '71 Ford Maverick Grabber that was a 302. It now has a 351w HO Ford Motorsports crate engine. C6 A/T, 9" Ford rear with 3:70 Detroit Locker gears from a '69 Mustang Mach 1 and 4 wheel disc brakes from a wrecked '78 Lincoln Versailles. 1965 Ford Thunderbird sequential taillights and a '69 Mustang rear spoiler as well as 15x7 Magnum 500 wheels. The car is dark Bronze with black 3M reflective exterior stipes with black leather interior, factory A/C and P/S. Also fabricated power windows setup using parts from a Ford Elite. The car had 47 k miles on it when I/we bought it in 1981. It was totally rust free and still is.

[@cburnley73]

That is great that you have been able to do so much to your car and have been able to keep it all these years. My first Maverick was in 1989 and I wish I still had it.

[@ramcharger1978]

I would keep the original color. It looks great.

[@sergeantmasson3669]

Over many years, I've restored/built 18 of these Maverick/Comet cars. None newer than 1972. 3 had 250 6 cylinder engines.

[@cburnley73]

Wow! That is quite few. I have owned probably a dozen Mustangs, but this is only my second Maverick. Mavericks are much harder to find these days.

[@reb1050]

I have owned a Ford Mustang that had a 200 in line six cylinder and it was great. Later, I had a Maverick Grabber with the 250 engine. The car was fine, but the engine was a lemon. I have never had a car for such a short period of time. I sold it within a year of buying it.

[@cburnley73]

Usually the Ford i250s are bulletproof. I had a 67 Mustang with that engine and it always had something wrong too. Today, we can just about modernize everything though.

[@jeremyrios433]

Very nice man!! Love it! Have fun with it😂

[@cburnley73]

Thanks! 👍

[@Wooley689]

My sister had a Maverick, my grandmother had a comet and my sisters boyfriend back then had the Comet GT yellow like this with a 302. Always wanted one myself. Hard to find now.

[@treborretsnom6186]

Do everything you can to NOT paint it...👍 It's fantastic

[@cburnley73]

You're the third person to suggest not painting it. I guess you like the patina look.

[@garykreitz2428]

A close friend of mine bought a1973 Maverick grabber black and yellow 302 3 speed that was a nice car we did alot of ripping around in that car

[@cburnley73]

Kids don't rip around much anymore. I guess they can't take passengers until they're 18. Gov getting in the way of fun.

[@jerryblake4088]

Runs great 👍 👌 👏 🙌 😀

[@cburnley73]

Thanks 👍

[@deanhummel7946]

Nice Make a great little hot rod 🖒

[@cburnley73]

Indeed

[@martinleslie1721]

I had a blue Maverick with black stripes in similar fashion to your yellow and brown. I knew it would look great when you buffed it out congrats

[@cburnley73]

Thank you!

[@jerryblake4088]

Piece of art 🎨 ✨️ 👌 💖 💕

[@cburnley73]

Thanks

[@richardbarkley9909]

I like the original color scheme! Sure don't see many that color. The interior id a unique color too. Have you run a Marti-Report on it yet?

[@willmm4745]

Nice car

[@cburnley73]

Thanks

[@smavtmb2196]

Very cool 👍 My first car was a 74 Maverick and now have an early 70 or (69.5) It's has a 200 inline 6cyl and 3speed manual transmission that I converted to floor shift. I plan to update many things and have collected many parts over a few years, but unfortunately I have nowhere to work on the car. Mavericks are unique and have fantastic potential. Camaro or Mustangs are nice but they are everywhere.

[@cburnley73]

When I was a teenager I worked on the street. Swapped engines, transmissions, ... I'm sure the neighbors hated me. I hope you find a place to get it done.

[@smavtmb2196]

@@cburnley73 I appreciate the moral support. Unfortunately it's impossible where I live to work on a car on the street beyond swapping a battery or wheel. This is due many factors such as a parking laws. Vehicles must be road worthy and have insurance to be on parked on the street. They must also be moved every 3 days or you get ticketed and eventually towed away. Here in Vancouver BC and surrounding areas is one of the most expensive real-estate markets in the world. People wont put up with anyone bringing down their property value with eye sores like working on a car on the street. The property values have lead to an affordable housing crisis. It costs me 68% of my income just to rent a 1 bedroom basement suit. So no garage. Here a single person needs to be wealthy just to afford a rental home with a garage let alone buy one. I love Vancouver it's beautiful but I might need to move somewhere alot cheaper. Thats hard though all my family is here. Yes that was alot of complaining but I'm not giving up.

[@lessharratt8719]

Congrats. Beauty.

[@cburnley73]

Thank you!

[@thereallantesh]

I've always been a Chevy guy, but there is something I really love about the early '70s Maverick. I'd love to take one for a spin.

[@cburnley73]

The Maverick does have a small resemblance to the 67-68 Camaro in my opinion so I could see that.

[@thereallantesh]

@@cburnley73 I agree. It definitely does.

[@jimmysexton4201]

Lucky guy, awsome ride

[@cburnley73]

Thank you!

[@scottkovacs7634]

I'd love to have one of these, I had three of them matter of fact the first one I owned was a grabber my second one was a blue and white grabber both three speed's third was a250 straight 6 three on the floor

[@cburnley73]

This one is an automatic... I may put a T5 five speed on the floor. I'm going to drive it a bit before making too many changes.

[@williamgreen1489]

Great ride! My first cars were Mavericks and now i have higher dollar cars they don't mean as much as my Mavericks did. I'm looking for another right now.

[@cburnley73]

Well said!

[@billjackson1317]

Highland green 👌

[@cburnley73]

Love that color

[@zacariasblanco9738]

Shelby version of the maverick were sold in Mexico i think it was just an appearance package not sure but i remember had the shelby emblems

[@CavemanCBB]

Although I love those old Ford 2 barrel carbs. (I mean, I rebuilt one once on my picnic table, in the dark, while drinking a beer and it worked just fine.) However, modern gasoline doesn't work as well in those carburated engines. But,,, a fuel injected 5.0 out of a late 80's Mustang is almost a drop in !!! And, it would have a overdrive transmission behind it! Something to think about.

[@cburnley73]

I was thinking about throttle body fuel injection. If anything, it gets rid of the gas smell in the cabin.

[@jimhawko1312]

My Mom bought a new 71 Grabber / red with black and yellow accents. Black interior with AC. The hood stripe was solid. I thought the differentiation between 71 and 72 was that the 72 had a split stripe. Ours had an 8 too!

[@cburnley73]

I think the 71 and 72 color choices were the same other than the Olympic Sprint version which was one year only. There were some wild choices though I'd say.

[@anthonycassata5152]

I’m hoping your going to keep those rims.

[@RevnRev]

Nice…any updates

[@williamdavis4809]

Seen several of these totaled growing up

[@cburnley73]

Unfortunately they aren't the safest vehicles. They basically crumble when hit.

[@robertwest3093]

I’m surprised seeing a lot of Mavericks with the factory engine still there. Even the air cleaner is there. Most other cars from that era have chrome this and that

[@cburnley73]

Not that many people hot rodded them out like they did with the Mustangs. There seem to be a lot of survivors out there. The popularity of the Maverick seems to be increasing now.

[@paulomontero12]

Wow!

[@cburnley73]

Thanks

[@jhondermendoza3910]

first change, manual transmission, put it a borg warner T5

[@cburnley73]

I have a T5 in the garage... it might just happen. :)

[@johnmcmullen456]

@@cburnley73 definitely would like to see a T5 conversion

[@charlessagide9287]

My first car was the comet version 5.0 manual it was a fast car

[@cburnley73]

Cool... did you have the GT with the hood scoop?

[@jorgepereiragomes8810]

muito lindo queria pra mim percebe se que esta original em perfeição

[@cburnley73]

É completamente original, mas preciso atualizar porque muitas das áreas estão começando a se deteriorar.

[@jorgepereiragomes8810]

@@cburnley73 Nossa você respondeu ... então já somos amigos de tão longe ... de onde você está , você consegue ver o vídeo triste do meu Ford Maverick ??? no KZbin " Maverick em Lágrimas " Meu filho de 29 anos me deu de presente para restaurar e infelizmente após se suicidou ... O meu Deus como dói que saudades dele

[@willthetrill4849]

I've always wanted to buy a 1972 Maverick Grabber inline 6 to make into a 1 of none car. I want to make it into a Grabber with the R code 275 horsepower 351HO Cleveland, 4 speed manual trans, and a 3.25:1 traction lok rear end. The goal is to make it look as authentic as possible. I would buy 2 more Mavericks after I'm done with this 1 of none build. I also want to make a 1970 Ford Maverick Grabber Boss 302, and a 1971 Ford Maverick Grabber Boss 351. Three of these cars would be monsters. i understand Ford didn't wanna make a muscular Maverick because they feared it would've killed the mustang, but the maverick would've defeated the 340 Dodge Demon and Plymouth Duster and even the Nova SS350

[@cburnley73]

I agree... Those would be awesome. In my opinion after 1970, the Mustang got big and ugly. The Maverick was lighter and would have likely eaten into more sales. In the 80s you could buy a used Maverick for a few hundred dollars. They are still pretty inexpensive compared to the Mustang so I think you should build all those. :)

[@michaeljankowski8036]

Buff the paint,polish up the cragars safety check it out and cruise it.

[@cburnley73]

After the interior gets done, I was going to swap out the front brakes and replace a few worn suspension parts. I'll see if it buffs out..

[@thekinarbo]

When is the last time you saw a chevy chevette on the road? I don't think I've seen one in almost 30 years. It's been about as long since I've seen a maverick.

[@cburnley73]

True, but Mavericks are 1000X more desirable than a Chevette.

[@thekinarbo]

@@cburnley73 My point is that there are some models that just aren't seen anymore, my point was not that mavericks or chevettes are better than the other. I see old mustangs and '57 Chevy Bel Airs and other popular models. Chevettes, mavericks, AMC Ambassador SSTs, (my first POS car), and other models I just don't see anymore.

[@cburnley73]

I'm in agreement. I think I misinterpreted your comment.

[@tombryant1104]

Niceun' Stop by Maverick/Comet forums.

[@cburnley73]

Which one are you referring to?

[@thekinarbo]

I'd upgrade the brakes to all new parts, master cylinder, lines, rotors on all 4 wheels, the works. Gotta be able to stop.

[@cburnley73]

Just ordered a set of front disks... that will be coming up.

[@paultynan8705]

NICE I HAD A GRABBER let it go on trade in 400 bucks! uhhhhg

[@cburnley73]

My first one was stolen and stripped. The impound yard had it but wanted me to pay far too much to get what was left out so I let it go. That was a sad day.

[@frankrizzo2157]

had one thos ran it hard

[@cburnley73]

Isn't that the only way? ;)

[@mireyasalas5372]

It is on sale??$$$$

[@cburnley73]

no

[@TheWhitetailrancher]

I had one of these, Possibly the worst car I ever owned

[@cburnley73]

It is one of the simplest cars ever made. Easy to repair and nothing extra to break. :)

[@bzamski17]

Super cool car but that has to be the ugliest color scheme and interior ever. The original owner had to be colorblind 😅

[@cburnley73]

Fair enough!

[@Thirdgen83]

Original is boring. And those wheels and exhaust system are already not original.

[@cburnley73]

Agreed! There is a delicate balance of what remains classic and what is new IMHO.