1978 Malibu Project, 4th times a charm

[Wraith]

Thought I'd start a thread as I'm not chronicling this build anywhere else. This is my fourth Malibu and "should" be the best as long as I don't sell it like the others.

The last one I built was in 03' and was a 1980 267 car that left my hands with a ZZ4/th350 and nearly everything touched and tweaked. This was the day I sold it.

Fast forward several years and more than a several cars I decided to pick up another G body after building a Volvo 242 that was destined for a 5.3/4L60 swap and chickening out as it was too clean to chop up.

Before

After

I have a weird thing for boxy cars. 😀

So I set out to find another Malibu which proved to be easier said than done and after looking at several overpriced, no title, and abused Malibu's I had friends tell me about a 1978 Malibu that was sitting in the middle of nowhere that could be had for $750 if I didn't want the engine and trans.

With this picture I said sold, despite a rule against buying primer cars.

Then went to pick it up wondering if I had lost my mind, luckily it looked solid all over, not beat or chopped even though it was a "race" car.

I drug it back home and stripped it down to see what I had gotten into. Do not use a grinder to sand down hood, it was junk along with the bent trunk and the worst part was the dash and a rusted passenger floor.

 

[Wraith]

Next came the fun of taking the entire car apart and cleaning it up, I may have slight OCD when it comes to this.

Dash did not make it out alive

Pretty sure they drag raced this on dirt roads

And then the separation

The cleaning begins using wire brushes and a 4" grinder with a wire brush cup.

And por15 plus paint

 

[Wraith]

Further strippage of the body in preparation for body and paint

A few new parts. Speedway motors boxed rear arms with spherical bushings for the top, poly for all the others.

All new stainless brake lines and braided stainless soft lines

Parts not shot is all new Moog front suspension goodies, Global West delrin bushings, Grand Nat fuel tank and Racetronix walbro with sending unit, plus much more.

 

[Wraith]

That leaves me here, starting mock up for a 2003 5.3/4L60E with a pared down wiring harness extended to put the computer in the car, plus a smoothed truck intake.

I see a lot of swaps done with the truck, CTSV, or MAST pans but one thing they are lacking is appreciable baffling for the oil pickup, I went with the Autokraft pan.

Can't find my pic of the baffles but they look like this

For good or bad I decided to fab my own mounts so the body goes back on and this is where it sits now.

 

[Kwik_Cutty88]

looks good so far man, good luck with it. Can i ask what the wheel/tire combo was on the first Malibu?

 

[Kansas Bu Wagon]

Subscribed!

 

[N3M3S1S]

Love it! Can't wait to see more.

 

[Wraith]

looks good so far man, good luck with it. Can i ask what the wheel/tire combo was on the first Malibu?

Wheel Vintiques 17" chrome rallyes, 8's with 245/45 and 9's with 275/45 and short caps.

 

[Wraith]

Subscribed!

You'd probably like this if there was a build thread, my dad's daily for the last seven years. Just a 290hp crate engine, big sway bars, 3.73 Monte SS posi, and a few other goodies.

 

[Wraith]

Next up, try to fit my exhaust manifold collection before ordering headers. I have the stock truck manifolds along with a pair of 2010 Camaro manifolds I picked up but with matched pairs they don't work, mis-matched, maybe.
Camaro driver's side

Truck passenger side

Should work okay, really don't want to pop for headers as I plan to go turbo down the road.

More parts came in too! Bel-Tech drop spindles, new rotors, calipers, bearings, seals, ARP 3" studs, and UB Machine A-arms for taller C10 upper ball joints.

Also dropped off parts at the sandblaster's plus all the stock hardware at the plater's.