I thought I would do a thread on My 79 Euro bu. This Malibu is built for the European market. some of the euro changes are: the Metric Only speedometer unlike the Canadian cars that have both Kilometers and miles on the speedo the euro cars only got kilometers, the tail lights have amber lenses for the turn indicators, the front parking/turn indicators have two bulbs and the lense is split in two portions half being white that is a running/parking light when the lights are on and the other half is amber and is strictly a turn indicator. The head lights are a clear lense composite with H4 bulbs.
I first got the car about 9 years ago
The car was fairly straight and clean, the frame was clean and rust free. there was some minor rust and it took me about a week to weld in new metal where ever I found rust.
I aslo took this time to add all the F41 braces and some of the other G body frame and body braces, I even welded in the Grand Prix/ Monte SS rear seat brace. I can say that with all them braces on this Malibu it feels nice and tight with out all the normal squeaks and rattles one would expect in a 30 year old car.
I then started to do the body work and spent hours making her straight and better than factory
Painted her with a custom blended 2004 BMW metal flake silver that I added some silver pearl to help bring the silver to life.
I then started on the interior, I had thought of going with buckets and factory console and floor shift, but I already have that in my 80 malibu classic landau coupe, and I had done that mod in one of my Roadmaster wagons so I left it a bench seat car. I used the front bench out of a 83 Buick Regal cause I like the center armrest better than the Malibu's the rear seat needed a bit more than the simple seat they come with so I searched out all the A/G bodies I that I could find in the local junk yards and did not find any with a center armrest, I then discovered that GM never made an A/G body with a center armrest in the back seat! so I took my rear seat back appart and grafted in the center armrest out of a early 80's Buick Riviera and while I had the rear seat back apart I then added head rests from the front seats. I feel that with the simple mod of the rear center armrest and factory head rests to the back seat that the interior has a more euro touring car feel.
Since I wasn't going to use the center console I used the front ashtray box off the console and used that to house the gages, I used the gage mounting plate from a first generation VW GTI since it's gages are angled to face the driver and I like that look more than simply mounting the gages flat. I've also took the GTI's door pockets with integrated speaker housing since they fit perfectly in the lower door panel in the carpeted area on the A/G body.( I know this would not work for the Grand Prix) I hand stitched the black vinyl upolstry in the factory malibu pattern so it looks faotory and correct and upolstered the interior myself.
I first got the car about 9 years ago
The car was fairly straight and clean, the frame was clean and rust free. there was some minor rust and it took me about a week to weld in new metal where ever I found rust.
I aslo took this time to add all the F41 braces and some of the other G body frame and body braces, I even welded in the Grand Prix/ Monte SS rear seat brace. I can say that with all them braces on this Malibu it feels nice and tight with out all the normal squeaks and rattles one would expect in a 30 year old car.
I then started to do the body work and spent hours making her straight and better than factory
Painted her with a custom blended 2004 BMW metal flake silver that I added some silver pearl to help bring the silver to life.
I then started on the interior, I had thought of going with buckets and factory console and floor shift, but I already have that in my 80 malibu classic landau coupe, and I had done that mod in one of my Roadmaster wagons so I left it a bench seat car. I used the front bench out of a 83 Buick Regal cause I like the center armrest better than the Malibu's the rear seat needed a bit more than the simple seat they come with so I searched out all the A/G bodies I that I could find in the local junk yards and did not find any with a center armrest, I then discovered that GM never made an A/G body with a center armrest in the back seat! so I took my rear seat back appart and grafted in the center armrest out of a early 80's Buick Riviera and while I had the rear seat back apart I then added head rests from the front seats. I feel that with the simple mod of the rear center armrest and factory head rests to the back seat that the interior has a more euro touring car feel.
Since I wasn't going to use the center console I used the front ashtray box off the console and used that to house the gages, I used the gage mounting plate from a first generation VW GTI since it's gages are angled to face the driver and I like that look more than simply mounting the gages flat. I've also took the GTI's door pockets with integrated speaker housing since they fit perfectly in the lower door panel in the carpeted area on the A/G body.( I know this would not work for the Grand Prix) I hand stitched the black vinyl upolstry in the factory malibu pattern so it looks faotory and correct and upolstered the interior myself.
