[BrandonHall10]

New project time!

I made the decision a while ago that I needed to build a "family" hotrod. My 3 trucks are cool, but I want to roll with my whole crew. This new potential hotrod had to meet 3 criteria;
1.) Seat 5
2.) Be older than a 1967
3.) Be a GM product

I have been looking on and off for a while when just yesterday this thing popped up on Craigslist. I jumped on it. The car was listed for exactly 38 minutes when I contacted the guy and I was on my way to his house within the hour. We talked for a good 45 minutes about anything and everything. Eventually settled on a price and I handed him crisp $100 bills. The guy was nice enough to deliver it for me today. Here it is, as it sits:

That vintage 60's color!

50k original miles?

For sure the original 283 / Poweglide setup

Always a southwest car. It's insane how solid this thing is

It needs a little maintenance. Been sitting for probably a decade. The left rear wheel cylinder leaks, but that's the only immediate issue. Short term plan is to convert the front brakes to disk. Drum brakes SUCK! Apparently factory '67 or '68 disks are a nearly direct bolt on swap. I'll get that stuff coming soon. Also probably switch to an HEI distributor and ditch the points. Maybe drop on a 4 bbl intake and carb. Depends on if I find something cheap at the swap meet. Beyond that, I plan to drive it just as it is and address any issues as they pop up.

Long term plan is LS swap and turboooooooo! This is the reason I wanted Pre 1967. No emissions!

 

[boyd66k20]

Lucky you. Looks like a great family rig. Welcome to the site as well. Good info here.

 

[Jayhawk500]

👍👍 and a Snap. You hit the jackpot. Congrats. A 350 w/ a Turbo 350 would make a great sleeper.
Dont't paint it, Just clear the patina!

 

[mark f]

Very nice. Congratulations on your new Chevelle.

 

[67_LS1]

I like the engine patina too. That could be a 383 under those original valve covers, etc.

 

[BrandonHall10]

Lucky you. Looks like a great family rig. Welcome to the site as well. Good info here.

Thanks! I have a bunch of questions I need answered.

👍👍 and a Snap. You hit the jackpot. Congrats. A 350 w/ a Turbo 350 would make a great sleeper.
Dont't paint it, Just clear the patina!

Feels like it! My sleeper recipe will be a 4.8/5.3/6.0 with a 4L80e. Definitely no paint.This thing will live in my garage to stop the aging right where it is. I think it's perfect.

Very nice. Congratulations on your new Chevelle.

Thanks! I'm pretty excited.

I like the engine patina too. That could be a 383 under those original valve covers, etc.

I can't believe how original this thing is. Aside from the mismatched battery cables, it's all "factree"

 

[LeoP]

JMHO, the 4L80E will be overkill and I think you'll have to massage or cut the floor, good luck with your car!!

 

[71350SS]

Check to see if the engine mounts have been replaced with newer style with safety latch's.That year Chevelle has a rod style linkage carb that will pull the throttle to WOT if the OE left side motor mount fails suddenly.
Chevy's newer than 68(?) have a throttle cable so that's not an issue for them.But back in the 60's there was a safety recall on the MM's because of unintended acceleration accidents.

 

[busterwivell]

You gonna be shopping the swap meet at Good Guys Scottsdale next weekend?
My 66 has a disc brake swap to 71 Chevelle from the old drums, done over 20 years ago when you could still find that stuff in the junk yards.

 

[BrandonHall10]

JMHO, the 4L80E will be overkill and I think you'll have to massage or cut the floor, good luck with your car!!

For a naturally aspirated build, I would 100% agree. Long term plan involves some forced induction so that 80e is a must for me. Some of the instal "kits" I have been looking at say there's no tunnel modification required. I'm not a huge fan of buying a kit (I'm more of a budget guy), but if it puts things right where they need to be without any cutting, I will shell out the coin. Cross that bridge when I get there I guess. Thanks for the input!

Check to see if the engine mounts have been replaced with newer style with safety latch's.That year Chevelle has a rod style linkage carb that will pull the throttle to WOT if the OE left side motor mount fails suddenly.
Chevy's newer than 68(?) have a throttle cable so that's not an issue for them.But back in the 60's there was a safety recall on the MM's because of unintended acceleration accidents.

I will definitely look into that. Thanks for the heads up!

You gonna be shopping the swap meet at Good Guys Scottsdale next weekend?
My 66 has a disc brake swap to 71 Chevelle from the old drums, done over 20 years ago when you could still find that stuff in the junk yards.

Probably not. I spend most of my spare time in the garage. I build 4L60e's as a side hustle and that keeps me pretty busy. Pays for all this stuff though, so that's nice!


So it looks like this thing might come together quicker than I had planned. I sold my V8 S10 for near asking price yesterday, so this build is already funded. Earlier in the day I got my title, tags and insurance for the Malibu. My custom plate was even available. I stumbled into a 5.3 for dirt cheap, and I already had an 80e on the shelf from a trade I had done a while ago. I'm going to start squirreling away parts and pieces as they become available. Things are just falling into place.

 

[Hotwire]

Good luck on the build, I did damn near the same exact thing you're doing except NA and T56. My build thread is in my signature. Literally sold a LS swapped blazer to fund this project!

I'll be following along and hopefully can help with some questions.

 

[Lineman]

Love the paint and interior color. As I got older and have a family of my own I realize how cool these 4 doors are.

 

[BrandonHall10]

Good luck on the build, I did damn near the same exact thing you're doing except NA and T56. My build thread is in my signature. Literally sold a LS swapped blazer to fund this project!

I'll be following along and hopefully can help with some questions.

Ha! That's hilarious! Great minds think alike?

I'm sure I'll have some questions.

Love the paint and interior color. As I got older and have a family of my own I realize how cool these 4 doors are.

100%. Family comes first, but if I can mix family with hot rods, all the better!

Been putting in some time on this thing. In the last few days I've replaced;

All 4 wheel cylinders
Battery hold down
Both battery cables
Fuel pump
Driveshaft seal
And rebuilt the carb.

I ordered a full front power disk brake conversion kit from CPP through Summit, but that wasn't supposed to ship till 2-2022. This is why I even bothered to replace the front wheel cylinders. I also ordered a new master cylinder since it leaks like a sieve. A day after I ordered the master, I got a shipping notification for the brake kit. That should be here tomorrow. Shrug. Anyhow, that will be the next project. Then maybe I can start driving this thing.

Oh, I got my custom plate the other day too:

 

[Capt Casey]

Maybe others will think it's an EV conversion!

 

[BrandonHall10]

Maybe others will think it's an EV conversion!

Maybe I can get an "Alternative Fuel Vehicle" tax credit if I run it on E-85. Haha!

Found out today that the car does for sure fit in the garage. Barely, but it does.

Just in time too. First major project got dropped off today. Early Christmas! Let's see how long it takes for this instal...

 

[Capt Casey]

Merry Christmas and take care when opening your gifts to you!
Glad it fit was there any real doubt...no way there is always a way to make things fit when you need to!
Enjoy and I am envious of the weather in your pics!

 

[BrandonHall10]

Enjoy and I am envious of the weather in your pics!

Thanks! Yeah, it's pretty nice right now. Check back in with me in August. LOL

Disk brake kit is on. Instal was pretty straight forward. The only things not in the kit that I purchased separately were the prop valve bleeder tool and the brass distribution tee. Shipping on that took FOREVER. Anyway, the brakes work, but the pedal is soft. I think there's still air in there somewhere. Going to try the vacuum bleeder and hope for the best.

 

[MikeN]

Check your rubber flex hoses, ESPECIALLY the one over the rear differential housing.

 

[BrandonHall10]

Great minds think alike! I figured since the system was going to be open anyway, I would go ahead and replace that rear flex hose. That was the only original, or not brand new, piece of rubber in the entire brake system. So that's new.

Anyhow, took another crack at bleeding and all is well now. I think I let air into the master for the fronts. The angle that master sits on is insane and the port it draws from is right up front.

 

[BrandonHall10]

This is normal, right? This is fine.

Probably not, but it does explain the loud bang and immediate wheel lock up last time I drove it. I put new rear shoes and hardware on today. Now every consumable part of the brake system is new. The only original parts are the pedal and hard lines.