This weekend finally marked a significant step in the recovery of our '72 Malibu. The car was purchased by my parents new and was handed down to me in Jr. High. We survived High School together and it got me through College in the deep snow of Northern Idaho.

In High School the motor was built up with 10:1 pistons, a Performer cam, Holley intake, and Edelbrock 600cfm carb. The car isn't an SS or anything out of the ordinary so we will take our time and build it up for fun. I don't foresee it as a frame off simply because it's a basic Malibu and really we don't have the space needed for a full tear down.

Sunday we retrieved it from 9 long years of storage and the restoration begins. We got everything washed down, vacuumed out, removed the four locking lugs (lost the key years ago) and popped the locking gas cap off (key was lost with the lug nut key). To the delight of my neighbors I'm sure, we had it rolled into the garage by mid day and I was off to start shopping through the OPG, NPD, and Ausley's catalogs.

http://72malibu.chambersohana.com/graphics/1stday_home_01.JPG

http://72malibu.chambersohana.com/graphics/1stday_home_02.JPG

http://72malibu.chambersohana.com/graphics/1stday_home_03.JPG

http://72malibu.chambersohana.com/graphics/1stday_home_04.JPG

The plans are big so we'll see how long the money lasts. Now to get the engine started and find a body shop...

Let The Fun Begin!!!!!!!! Welcome:):):)

Welcome, your chevelle look solid! post more pisctures!

Cool, so what are the plans? I can picture it in that color with maybe some white stripes with a hint of pearl added to them, loose the vinyl top, some nice 18 inch wheels, cowl hood, maybe a mild stroker motor and keep that a/c, some buckets and a console on the inside with a semi custom dash oh and drop it down a few inches! I love looking at pics of project car more than done ones. Gets the gears in my head going

Hello and welcome Doug. It's good to see you kept it in the family. Good luck with the project.

You asked, so here is the short list we started to kick off the project. Nothing too extreme, but the list gets longer and more expensive every time I look at it... Let me know what I missed :thumbsup:

Phase I - (Rolling Stock)

Find keys
Flush fuel system
Drain old fuel
Replace gas tank?
Replace fuel line?
Replace fuel pump?
Air/replace tires
Check/replace coolant
Drain/replace oil and oil filter
Clean air cleaner
Rebuild carburetor?
Replace battery tray (Ordered 05/20)
Purchase new battery
Prime oil pump
Check brake fluid
Install new battery
Remove locking lugs
Remove/replace locking gas cap
Hope it will start and run without too many leaksPhase 2 - (Engine/drive-train/under-hood)

Top-end rebuild kit
Lead free heads, roller rockers, cam
New seals throughout lower end
Transmission service
Rear-end service
Check u-joints
Replace drum brakes with disc brakes (4-wheel conversion)
New wheels and tires (Plan for disc brakes)
Front-end suspension kit (MNO)
Fix A/C (MNO)
Fix windshield washer
Evaluate exhaust

Performance headers (MNO)
Larger pipes
Phase 3 - (Body)

Rust removal
Replace lower rear quarter panels
Fix dimple in driver rear quarter panel next to clearance light
Fix crease in passenger door
Strip vinyl top
Repair rust-out areas around rear window and sails
New chrome trim
Straighten rear bumper mount
Straighten driver door hinge/body mount
Re-Chrome bumpers (reproductions may be cheaper)
Fix/replace grill chrome strips
Fix/replace headlight bezels
New rear-view mirrors
New windshield (MNO)
Replace windshield wipers
Weather seal kits
Strip trunk (Remove amps, subs)
Retrieve wheel moldings from attic (OEM – in bags)
New door handles
Paint

Original color w/pearl ghost stripes (?)
Phase 4 - (Interior)

New seat upholstery
Replace headliner?
Seat Belts
Front and Back
Replace carpet and pad (Sound Pads)
Dash cluster

Find Malibu reproduction (haven’t found)
Rebuild with an SS 3-guage reproduction
Dash Pad
Door panels
Lock knobs
Door and window handles?
Window felts/hardware
Dash knobs
Dome light cover
Rear deck upholstery

Remove extra speakers
Arm rests
New steering wheelMajor decisions

Direction for customizations
SS dash conversion?
Shaved door handles? - No
Security system (door pops?)
Stripes or no stripes (ghost strips?)
Wheel/tire styling
Vinyl top?

Just my 2 cents. Lose the vinyl top, Get SS hood, new wheels, maybe add wheel openning trim and maybe shave the emblems,especially if your gonna shave the door handles. SS dash is nice but takes a bit of doing. The car looks like a fairly solid start,definately better than my recently acquired 72'. please keep us posted with updates

Just my 2 cents. Lose the vinyl top, Get SS hood, new wheels, maybe add wheel openning trim and maybe shave the emblems,especially if your gonna shave the door handles. SS dash is nice but takes a bit of doing. The car looks like a fairly solid start,definately better than my recently acquired 72'. please keep us posted with updates I pretty sure we aren't going to shave the door handles and I plan to add fresh emblems. The 350's were stolen in college so I will need to source them. I have a fresh set of in-the-package wheel openning trim pieces still in the GM wrappers we will install after body and paint. If I can clean up the dash, we will keep it with the malibu sweep spedo and install a new DIN radio. I'd love to put a SS cowl hood on, but I'm not a fan of the 'tribute' feel/look. If this were a true SS, then I'd definitely approach things differently. If it's real, hook it up, if not, make the best of what you've got and have fun with it. Of course this is subject to change if I come across a cowl hood...

-Doug

Looks like a nice solid start. Keep us updated on the progress.

Good Deal!!! Like the '72's. BTW I like the vinyl top.

Good Deal!!! Like the '72's. BTW I like the vinyl top.We plan to put a new black vinyl top on. It's one of the things that makes the car a little different from 90% of the other chevelle's out there. They are a little more maintenance to keep them looking good, but for now, we like the look...

Doug, Wow you have a big list. That will keep you busy for a while. I would do the thing first that allow you to get it back on the road and then work on some of the other items. You probably will have to replace the master cylinder and drain all of the brake fluid, but you might want to replace all of the brake lines since it has been sitting so long. Moisture most likely got into the lines, and I have heard of the lines failing after people start to drive them again. Use your OEM bumper, the reproduction ones are not that great. Speaking from experence you will be suprise just how much everything will cost. Take it slow and enjoy you car, it looks like you have a great car to work with.
Good luck and keep us posted.
Ray

Doug,
Hey, that reminds me of my first car. You will have to check out my photo gallery to see a picture.

Doug,
Hey, that reminds me of my first car. You will have to check out my photo gallery to see a picture.Troy - Thanks for the pictures. Your old '72 Malibu could be a sister down to the dark stripe along the bottom. It does look good with an SS hood! I might need to get over the whole drive it how you bought it block in my head.

The weather doesn't look good for the weekend and my wife will be doing report cards, so when I get back from Portland tonight (Nikon workshop) I should have a few days to try and get the car started. First I need to drain off the fuel that's been sitting for 9 years and try to flush the fuel system.

Here is the plan for the weekend;

Drain old fuel
Flush fuel lines
Full LOF
Pull and clean the plugs, cap, rotor
Lube the cyliner heads/walls
Install new battery (new tray won't be here unit Wednesday
Turn the motor over with plugs removed the prime the oil pump and carb
Check for leaks
Replace the plugs
Roll the car into the drive way (not the garage for first start)
Turn the key with a fire extinguisher at the ready...

The key is to get the car rolling under it's own power. I don't know how many more times my wife and neighbor are going to want to push.

-Doug

Welcome!!

Hey John,

Did you put 2" drop spindles on the front end of your Chevelle?

http://www.chevelles.com/showroom/data/500/medium/Chevelle_53.jpg

Yes :yes: but it is droped a total of 3 1/2" in front.

Here some better pics. It only has 2" drop spindles from a place called Fat Mans. I bought it as the car is in the pic. A member on this site did all the paint and body on the car and sold it to the guy I bought it from. That guy lowered the car. It is soon to have Air Ride on it. It is tooo low when we put the 2 kids,wife,coolers, ect... in it.

http://i103.photobucket.com/albums/m143/sg5492/IMG_2181.jpg

http://i103.photobucket.com/albums/m143/sg5492/IMG_2180.jpg

http://i103.photobucket.com/albums/m143/sg5492/IMG_2183.jpg

Thanks John... Looks good!

Still running drums or converted to disc? Once we get the car running (hopefully this weekend) I'd like to find a kit for a full disc conversion. The only problem will be if we go with bigger discs and need different wheels for clearance. I want to hold of on wheels until we get most of the body back in shape. It's the whole chicken or egg thing...

Thanks

SSBC front disc brake kit on front, drums in rear.

The list of upgrades seems to grow every day, but we are making head-way. Monday we had a few hours so here's what we got out of the way;

Drained the fuel tank
Primed and flushed the fuel lines
Replaced the fuel filter O-rings and filter
Pulled the plugs and fogged the cylinders
Changed the oil and filter
Turned the motor over to verify oil pressure (without plugs)
Gapped and installed new plugs
Installed the battery (new tray arrived from NPD yesterday - need to install)
Fired up the stereo (wow have my tasted changed in audio quality!)
Loaded 3 gallons of fresh 93 octane fuel into the tank.

I tried starting the engine and got pretty far once the fuel system primed, but it looks like the floats are stuck or the seats are blowing by. When the fuel pump surges fuel into the bowl, gas shoots about 3 inches high out of the secondary metering rod ports on top of the carb. I could contain a VERY rich rough idle for a few seconds, but wouldn't call it running yet.

Last night I picked up a carb kit (Edelbrock 600cfm), accelerator pump, new floats, and fresh fuel line to rebuild the fuel delivery and carb.

Getting closer...

Reminds me of the 72 I owned 28 years ago. Beauty! Just bought a 1972 SS 402 in need of work, but it runs good! But 37 years and 12 of them in storage is a slow start.

I've got a 70 with white paint, black stripes, and a black vinyl top. The black top really goes well with the stripes so I would urge you to keep yours. Mine also is a malibu but did come with bucket seats, A/C, and a floor shifter. I found an original GM SS hood and now the car looks pretty good. The new hood does compliment the body lines so I hope you will give it some thought. You mentioned tribute, I say have fun with it, nobody says you have to clone it out!

I've got a 70 with white paint, black stripes, and a black vinyl top. The black top really goes well with the stripes so I would urge you to keep yours. Mine also is a malibu but did come with bucket seats, A/C, and a floor shifter. I found an original GM SS hood and now the car looks pretty good. The new hood does compliment the body lines so I hope you will give it some thought. You mentioned tribute, I say have fun with it, nobody says you have to clone it out!
Great input... I started talking with Clint at Ace Auto Customs and went through their shop. Really nice guy and from the projects I saw, does some good work. We talked quite a bit about my project and he offered a number of options depending on our budget and the direction we want to take. The plan would be to strip everything down, deliver the chassis and dismantled body to the shop. Once the body was pulled from the frame, we would bring the frame home, tear it down and re-deliver it for sand blast and powder coating. We would then reassemble and deliver a rolling chassis with the rebuilt motor, tranny, and disc conversion.

If I can find an original SS hood, I think that's they way we would go. Our flat hood has a crease from a sticky hinge and over zealous gas attendant back in ’72. My ultimate would be a working cowl hood, but a stock SS or new stock SS hood would be good enough. I haven’t heard how the quality is on the Goodmark hoods.

I’ve been stripping all the extra junk from the high school days like extra fuel pumps, alarm system, 3-amplifiers, a pair of 12” subs and 8 other speakers throughout the interior. This weekend, I’ll strip the rest of the trunk and liner to make sure there isn’t any trapped rust. After that, it’s all about cash flow. It’s tough to do the engine, tranny, rear-end and body work all at the same time so I will need to break it up.

Any pictures you can share of your white ’70?

Thanks,

Doug