Hello everyone. I am new to this site and am intersted in purchasing a malibu to build for street/strip use. Any info on the good and bad to look for in these cars when shopping around would be appreciated
Thanks,
Drew
Thanks,
Drew
Malibu good and bad
- Thread starter slowmaro305
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Hi Drew and welcome to the forum.....as any G body owner will tell you when looking at a G body take a good look at the rear rails. They have a tendancy of rusting out behind the real wheel. Other than that I don't think G bodies are any worse than any other car. I always like to see a vehicle with the original paint so any rust isn't hidden by body filler and a quick paint job. if you building your a motor for your project then I guess the drive train isn't an issue. Any info your looking for is in the forum and you'll find there are alot of members who can give you advise on just about anything.... 
Good advice. If you're in the rust belt. Check the rear wheel wells both inside, and inside the trunk as it rusts through there, and if its on the floor of the trunk chances are the rails could be bad. Check the floors, specifically around the trans crossmember. If you're dealing with a dumbass, check the body mounts and say they're shot. If you're looking to not make anymore than 300horse, check what rear is in there. Most likely a 7.5" 10 bolt with an open diff, and 2 series however. GU# will be what gear is in it. www.oldsgmail.com you can find what is what there. G80 is posi. Watch for weatherstripping, around the windows, if they're cracked and the bottoms of the doors are rusted, its probably a good bet that they're rusting from the inside out pretty bad. Watch out for vinyl tops, when I took mine off it was fine, but watch out if there is any rust anywhere there because that sheetmetal is veryy thin.
Depends on how much work/money you want to put into the car, as to the inheirent flaws, like a cracked dash, sagging headliner, faded upholstery. Water leaks can be a PITA.
All things that can be fixed, just more money. Some parts are getting harder to come by, but there is a few places starting to make repro parts. The usual parts, brakes, engine, transmission, etc are all readily available, and fairly cheap.
The body style lend itself to a nice street rod. I have seen some done up very nice. You can fit in most of the SB chevy engines into them without a major hassle. I always liked the look of them, even back when they first came out...gawd I must be getting old :wink:
All things that can be fixed, just more money. Some parts are getting harder to come by, but there is a few places starting to make repro parts. The usual parts, brakes, engine, transmission, etc are all readily available, and fairly cheap.
The body style lend itself to a nice street rod. I have seen some done up very nice. You can fit in most of the SB chevy engines into them without a major hassle. I always liked the look of them, even back when they first came out...gawd I must be getting old
:wink:I have another question. Did some years/models come with a floor shifter or were they all column shift?
Some Malibu's came with 4 and 3 speeds but they were sold out of Canada I believe. There maybe some still around
i think he was referring to automatic cars, and yes some came fact. with buckets console and floor shifter.
the 3 speed standard cars were called iraqi taxis. 3.8 v6, saginaw transmission, air conditioning, and a 200 kilometer per hour speedometer with NO miles on it. they were also 4 doors.
most of the 4 speed swaps were donated from these cars. i have had four or five of them, my first was the first car i bought myself. best $200. i ever spent.
the 3 speed standard cars were called iraqi taxis. 3.8 v6, saginaw transmission, air conditioning, and a 200 kilometer per hour speedometer with NO miles on it. they were also 4 doors.
most of the 4 speed swaps were donated from these cars. i have had four or five of them, my first was the first car i bought myself. best $200. i ever spent.
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