Hey all. My name is Rob. I am an avid car mechanic and I love stripping used cars down and flipping them for easy money. I normally work on hondas (I know, shoot me), but I started on my mechanical journey with good old G-bodys and 350 small blocks. I learned to use a wrench before I could spell my name correctly and this wagon was the first car I worked on. I learned how to even drive in this thing. It was my grandfather's originally and it was given to my dad. Years later, I saved it from an auction due to unpaid storage fees (sigh). This car has huge amounts of sentimental value for not just me, but a lot of people in my life. I wish to turn this car into a fully restored running beast of metal and gasoline. I haven't done a restoration thread before, but I really want to track this one. Hopefully I keep up with it and many of you get interested!
Now for the car.....It's a 1982 malibu classic station wagon. Original engine was taken out by my dad ages ago and a cursed 350 was put into it. This 350 was converted to a 383 by my uncle (who is a master mechanic and was called the 'small block guy' in the 80's haha) Anyway, that engine ate itself due to a worn bearing on the crankshaft....was later repaired...and then the transmission later fell apart and led it to sit for years. My dad and mom split up when I was a senior in high school and he ended up putting the wagon at a storage location while he bounced around in his life. I left for the service shortly after and sometime a year ago found out he wasn't paying the storage bill and was just going to let it get auctioned off instead of paying his bill. I said f that, drove to philly from south carolina, payed the bill and got it towed back to SC. Now I am stationed in VA and she is finally on my list for restoration. I hope you guys can give me any advice I need and hopefully help me track down hard to find parts (like weather strips) bleh.
Now for the plans: She is getting a 350 small block. I'll be constructing the engine myself, but I am still doing research on everything I will be buying to make it. I am probably going to go with vortec heads and will definitely be dropping a 'madmax' style supercharger on it. The car was repainted some time in it's life from the brown stock color to it's current green metallic color. I'll be getting it repainted again after the body work is done, but I'll keep the green color still. For the suspension, It'll be getting an air bag treatment. one of the other members on this forum has a bagged wagon and it gave me a huge inspiration. I've got many ideas in my head for the interior, but I have to get it running first! Pictures to come soon.....thanks for reading!
Now for the car.....It's a 1982 malibu classic station wagon. Original engine was taken out by my dad ages ago and a cursed 350 was put into it. This 350 was converted to a 383 by my uncle (who is a master mechanic and was called the 'small block guy' in the 80's haha) Anyway, that engine ate itself due to a worn bearing on the crankshaft....was later repaired...and then the transmission later fell apart and led it to sit for years. My dad and mom split up when I was a senior in high school and he ended up putting the wagon at a storage location while he bounced around in his life. I left for the service shortly after and sometime a year ago found out he wasn't paying the storage bill and was just going to let it get auctioned off instead of paying his bill. I said f that, drove to philly from south carolina, payed the bill and got it towed back to SC. Now I am stationed in VA and she is finally on my list for restoration. I hope you guys can give me any advice I need and hopefully help me track down hard to find parts (like weather strips) bleh.
Now for the plans: She is getting a 350 small block. I'll be constructing the engine myself, but I am still doing research on everything I will be buying to make it. I am probably going to go with vortec heads and will definitely be dropping a 'madmax' style supercharger on it. The car was repainted some time in it's life from the brown stock color to it's current green metallic color. I'll be getting it repainted again after the body work is done, but I'll keep the green color still. For the suspension, It'll be getting an air bag treatment. one of the other members on this forum has a bagged wagon and it gave me a huge inspiration. I've got many ideas in my head for the interior, but I have to get it running first! Pictures to come soon.....thanks for reading!
