Going nuts with a Sawzall...

So, for the first time in a long time, I spent a couple of hours working on my '74 Grabber today.

To begin with, this past Thursday, I spent some time putting a rear end back under the car, then hooked a chain to it and drug it out of the tangle of weeds, vines, and small trees that had began to take it over since I parked it up on cement blocks in a back corner of one of my grandpa's fields back in December of 2005. This picture was taken in September of 2007. Add one more spring and summer to that, and the car was nearly completely engulfed in briers and vines. Unfortunately at some point during the past three years, some idiot came along and took one of the traction bars that was inside the car, and put it through the previously nice, uncracked windshield. The interior of the car has been open to the elements for over a year. So it was kind of like a mini swamp inside the car at first. Nice. Only some sight surface rust here and there started in the trunk, nothing too bad.

Anyway, I decided to put the car up on my grandpa's old car trailer, just so I have a relatively flat surface to work on it, and I can easily move it around.

Then I got acquainted with my new Sawzall.











Sorry for the crappy pics, all I had was my cell phone and it was starting to get dark. It took me 30 minutes to cut that much of the car up. I stopped there, because things were starting to get flimsy, so I need to add a little bracing here and there. I'll say, it is immensely fun cutting up a car. It's very interesting to see how the body is put together, too.

I'm going to continue until I have all the firewall up to the bottom of the cowl, the torque boxes and the front half of the floor pan removed. Then it will be decision time. I'm either going to remove that entire section from one of my parts cars and weld it back into this body, or I have been thinking about getting some square tubing and building a full frame of sorts under this car. I don't know yet. If all else fails, I'll just cut the perfect roof and quarter panels off of it and scrap it once and for all.

 

Mmmmmmm traction bars....

 

I took my sawzall to the last car I parted out (`72 v-8 4 door) I decided that NO useable parts were going to the junkyard like on some I had parted out a few years ago. I cut EVERYTHING I could Imagine ever needing out of that thing and Man was it fun! When the when the guy junk yard showed up to pick up what was left ,he just laughed and couldn`t believe his eyes at how "dis-mantled" it was!

 

wow, cant believe ur fixing it but hey.... go for it! one more saved

 

Be interesting to see before and after pics when it's finished. Good luck.

 

A previous owner thought they were needed with a stock 250 6 cylinder. If you want them, you can have them. I don't have any of the attaching hardware anymore. Probably stuff you could find at a hardware store though. They are Lakewood traction bars, were originally chrome, but just rusty now. Would need sand blasted and painted.

Me either! This is definitely way more then I ever thought I would try to take on, with any other car I wouldn't even bother. This was my first Maverick though, lots of good times were had in this car in high school. You could give me all the nice show quality Mavs in the world, but I would still rather have this car back the way it was.

 

need any parts for it? id be glad to donate some wheet metal or w/e to the cause if u need it. i have a '74 as well that still has a few good parts on it (ie. inner fender, frame rails, etc)

 

Does that '74 have good front floor pans and torque boxes? If so, I'd be interested in chopping like the whole front of the body off...

If not, then I think I can make do with what I have on hand. I have a '76 body that has good floors, torque boxes and frame rails, just has a rusted out battery tray area. Only thing is, it has the damn catalytic hump on the floor pan. That's why I would really rather find an earlier car. I've also got another '76 that is a total rust bucket, but it has flawless fender aprons, even the battery tray is perfect.

 

All this sounds like alot of fun and the pictures are cool too. Lots of work but good luck with your project.

 

Man, there are few tools as cool as a sawzall.

Once I get started with one, I need to be shot with a tranquilizer gun from a distance to get me to drop it.

 

yup, mine has good floors and torque boxes. the worst thing about the body was the rear quarters. the rest of the car is in good shape

 

I know what you mean I get ahold of a tranquilizer gun and I cant put it down until I drop a few people from a distance with it

 

Why not just cut it at the windsheild posts and then say somewhere in the door jamb behind the torque boxes, then weld it back together? I've seen body shops do it that way....

 

Now that's too funny!

 

I thought about that. The damage is further reaching then that. The entire transmission tunnel was warped and shifted around, as is most of the right front floor pan. If I were to do it that way, I would need to cut it at the rear of the door jams just in front of the rear torque boxes. The cowl is bent slightly, as is the right side rocker area. But, I think once I get most of the floor removed, it will be easy to straighten that area, just using measurements off one of my other cars and making sure everything is squared back up.

I really have no idea if I will be successful in fixing this car. But, I contacted literally dozens of shops a couple of years ago trying to get professional help fixing the car, no such luck. Even shops that did extensive body work like this to classic Mustangs didn't want to touch it. The alternative is the car will just sit until there is nothing left of it. Can't hurt it anymore by at least trying.