1981 MALIBU IRAQI TAXI - TELL ME WHAT YOU THINK!

[crooklin]

whatsup guys?! im brand new to the site...

so i just got a new car to add to my malibu fleet,

1981 malibu 4 door, its a 3 speed manual, the story is that 25k were made and 13k sent to iraq to use as taxi's but saddam hussein decided to pull out after recieving half and the rest stayed in canada where they were assembled, they have a few special features such as the 3 speed on the floor, the back windows dont open, and a tweed fabric bench seat, i paid 1800 for the car in northern ontario, iv been looking for one for a few years, real happy to have one now!

anyways,

check out the pics

i need help on figuring out a new color, some wheels and what engine to throw inside her
and anything else you might have in mind for some ideas!
if you have seen any other 4 door malibus then post em up id love to see them!

what do you guys think????????????????????????????

 

[O. D. Showtime]

Welcome to the site! Malibu looks to be in pretty nice shape!

I'm out on the Prairies in SK. I know where there are 6 Iraqi taxis sitting out here and I've pulled parts from a couple of others that have long been crushed. Still see quite a few 4 doors around here yet. I recently parted out an 81 4 door Malibu.

 

[clean8485]

Hello, and welcome to the site. You'll find lots of good people here, and lots of information. If you don't mind me asking, whereabouts are you located?
Judging by the photos that you've posted, you have found a pretty decent car. I've had 3 of these cars in the past 20 years or so. I have one now, and I'm trying to figure out how to fix it up as well. Just so you know, the glass in the rear doors was fixed on all '78-'83 Malibu 4 doors and wagons. The '81 and up 4 door cars had the small vent windows that could be opened, as did the wagons.
Basically, its up to you how you go about fixing up the car. The bellhousing on the existing 229 V6 will bolt right up to the earlier small block and big block Chev V8s, although if you're looking at installing a high horsepower engine, a scattersheild would probably be a wise choice. The 3 speed transmission will work too, but once again, probably not the best choice behind an engine with more power. The stock bellhousing will accept most older GM 4 speed and some of the 5 speed trannys, or you can go aftermarket. The clutch linkage is mechanical, and if you're looking at a V8 swap with headers, be sure to check for interferance between the headers and clutch linkage. Some header manufacturers do make headers to clear the mechanical clutch linkage.
As for the rest of the car, pretty much the sky is the limit, in terms of modifications. Most, if not all of the better steering and suspension pieces from the later G body cars (Monte SS, Buick GN, Olds 442, etc) should fit with no problems. As for the interior, pretty much the same story. If you want to upgrade from the bench seat to buckets, you'll need to install the center floor mounting brackets for bucket seats. Same for a console.
Hope this helps. Keep us up to date with your progress. Good Luck!

 

[clean8485]

Just saw your post in the other thread. I'm up north of Oshawa. I'm not very good at posting photos. All of the Iraqi cars were usually light colours (beige, silver, light blue, etc). The one I have now is light blue. The first one I had was silver, and the other one I had was kind of a cream colour, similiar to yours.

 

[mymontess]

Hello & welcome from a fellow Torontonian.
This is a great site with lots of knowledgeable folks, also an excellent resource for parts.
Malibu looks like a good score, seems pretty rust free.
One of the greatest things about G bodies IMO is the interchangeability. These cars will accept pretty much any GM V8 (or V6), trans, rearend (obviously width will vary), etc. Interior & suspension components are interchangeable across all G bodies.The only problem is donor cars / parts are getting hard to find.
Keep us posted on your progress.
Rod

 

[Doug213xrj]

Welcome from West Michigan. What Im thinking, Ok 396 4sp.

Doug

 

[Longroof79]

Welcome aboard!
I knew Jeff (clean8485) would see your post and respond....lol!! Nice clean Malibu, and your perfect candidate for a sleeper build.

 

[Kennybill]

I'd paint it up like a yellow cab and call it the Baghdad Bu.

 

[Longroof79]

You could also give it the "plain clothes" 9C1 police look.

 

[crooklin]

Ayyyyyy thanks for the warm welcome

So I picked her up today guys, she made it 3 hours to my house (it hit the 625,000 km mark on the way) no insurance and fake plates w/ a suspended license but I got her home that's all that matters.

Thanks for the ideas guys keep em coming! I'm excited to get this baby lookin good