78' Malibu Build

[Wraith]

This is my fourth Malibu and "should" be the best as long as I don't sell it like the others or get distracted by another car.


The last one I built was in 02' and was a 1980 267 car that left my hands with a ZZ4/th350 and nearly everything touched/tweaked and it ran high 12's as a daily.

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 dubbed the Flying Moose 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. :D


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 Malibus 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. Beings I kept the drivetrain intended for the Volvo I should be good.


With these two pictures I said sold, despite a rule against buying primer cars plus buying cars without looking at them, triple strike was pictures of a wet car.




Then went to pick it up wondering the 6 hour drive 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. For first time hot rodder's, do not use a grinder to sand down hood, it was junk lol. Along with the bent trunk and the worst parts were the dash and a rusted passenger floor.




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 only raced this on dirt roads





And then the separation