[ratt69ss]

Here's a shot of the belly after the second time I removed the body:



Cleaning begins:





Sanded the EDP off and applied the Epoxy primer:





Applied rubberized undercoating after seam sealing the gaps :







Stripped the frame and pressure washed it. Off to get blasted and powder coated:



Got the frame back and started install the control arms:

 

[ratt69ss]

Another shot of the powder coated frame:



Needed all this added weight plus my wife and me sitting on the frame to get the big block springs to compress far enough to get the spindle bolt on! as you can see I'm adding front disk brakes. Actually adding all four wheel disk brakes:



Once I got the front suspension installed along with new stainless brake and fuel lines, it was time for the body to go back on. I wrapped the frame in plastic wrap first:







Body back on frame and aligned. :



I put the body back on the frame without the rear end installed as I was waiting to get the 12 bolt back from powder coating. Here's the bare housing after I got it back:



New bushings installed. Rebuild begins. Re-using the same gears(3.31) I replaced the pinion bearing and placed it in the housing.:



Outer bearing packed with grease:




Installed the pinion seal and yoke. Now the fun part setting the bearing preload. :

 

[Terry]

Very nice work. Thanks for sharing!

 

[ratt69ss]

Checking the pattern on the ring gear. I also rebuilt the Posi using new clutches and tightened up the Posi following Tom's differential video that is posted as a sticky in the trans/ driveline forum on this awesome site. I got all my parts from Tom as well.



Everything checked out good so I installed the new axle bearings/ seals and these new Moser street axles along with 1/2-20 studs.:



With the cover installed.:



You can see that I have the factory rear boxed control arms along with the extra braces for heavy duty suspension. I boxed in the upper control arms and sent them all out to be powdercoated. Once I got them back I installed the poly bushings. Here you can see the upper control arms installed using new bolts:



Rear end installed with new springs and KYB shocks. I know people will say why didn't you use a girdle on the rear end? Because I just like the look of the chrome rear end cover "glowing" out from underneath a Chevelle! The car will have a Big Block with no more than 500 HP a the crank:



Here the rear of the car with the bumper installed but not complete straight yet.:



Getting the trunk to bumper gap right.:



With help from Tom Richter, I think I got that nice straight line and proper gap. At least it's getting closer:





http://s918.photobucket.com/user/ratt69ss/media/1970 Chevelle Restoration/S7301701.jpg.html

 

[ratt69ss]

Here are pictures of some of the panel gaps and some finish work:









I bought two original fenders and got rid of the green ones you saw earlier. These aren't perfect and have had some shoddy work done to them at the lower section. Huge welds then a large amount of bondo covering the welds. They didn't even grind the welds down at all. Oh well I fix correctly. Anyway, I did a test fit of the front end.

The hood is just laying on there:



Passenger side fender sticking up at the extension. Anyone know how to fix this?:





I have since taken the front end back off to re-check the frame to body alignment using dowels inserted in the 3 alignment holes on the driver's side. A slight adjustment was needed.

Keep in mind that this is entirely a weekend build so the progress has been slow to say the least. Stay tuned More to follow. :thumbsup:

 

[Chevycollecter]

Great job. I love watching a build come together.

 

[NickeyChevelle]

As a father I am at a loss for words. As a gearhead I can say way CQQL! :hurray:

 

[Les Saville]

Amazing!:thumbsup:

 

[shadowgray396]

You have done a lot of work on the car. Awesome job.

 

[70SSTHUMPER]

Well Chuck, gotta admit- "your gonna know every inch of this car when you get it done". Not to be out of line here but what do you expect to pay for a Malibu in that shape in your area? I admire you for your willingness to tackle a project like this.

You have been through much worse, guess this is a piece of cake really. Best Regards to you Friend. Keep em comin'.

 

[Proc]

"Wow" is the only word I can come up with. You have an amazing passion for producing quality! I know what you mean (recently lost my sister) about turning your focus on a project during such a trying time.. It is it's own form of therapy. Regardless, excellent job!

 

[floyd66]

"Mind you I have never did any bodywork or welding prior to this car."

Come on now...

fascinating build. You certainly have talent. Thanks for the pictures.

 

[RSS@1970SS396]

Great story. Thank you for sharing.

 

[Second_chance_SS]

Stunning....your patience, attention to detail and persistence on getting it right are an inspiration.

As a therapy and tribute to your daughter, the car is priceless. Let no one say it wasn't worth the investment.

 

[Professor_SS]

"Mind you I have never did any bodywork or welding prior to this car."

Come on now...

fascinating build. You certainly have talent. Thanks for the pictures.

yea I'm surprised as well. ya gotta have a wheel barrow of money at the very least

nice job, as good if not better than any pro shops work

 

[ratt69ss]

Thank you all for the kind words. It is true that I had no prior body work or welding experience before taking on this project. What I did do is a lot of reading/ researching on this site, looking at other build threads for reference/ idea's like Tom's awesome 70 convertible build. Which helped me solve problems along the way or at least got me thinking of other ways to get the job done.

So, I really need to say thanks to all of you who share your builds and expertise on this site. The knowledge that you all have is simply amazing.

70SSthumper, you asked what do I expect to pay for a Malibu in my area... in the current condition or when I bought it in 2008?

I purchased the car for $700.00 I believe ($500.00 to much LOL). I have over $11,000 in it right now. That's about $2000 or so a year I spend on it.
My budget is...whatever it takes to complete it the way I want it done. My plan is to paint the car myself, which will be my first time painting a car.

 

[Becker]

My plan is to paint the car myself, which will be my first time painting a car.

You are one gutsy guy and I really like that "Can Do" attitude.

Of course the lessons you learn along the way will be priceless.

 

[shadowgray396]

You are one gutsy guy and I really like that "Can Do" attitude.

Of course the lessons you learn along the way will be priceless.

Well said. I did most of my car and never had done one before. I didn't have the rust you had. Only some small minor issues on the body. I also used Tom's build as a guide line when I did my car and had a short cut on my computor to find it faster. I think I spent more time researching then building the car at times. You should be proud of all that you have achieved on this build. :thumbsup::thumbsup:

 

[454s4ever]

Chuck, first of all, Let me express my deepest sympathy for the loss of your daughter.
Secondly, God bless you for saving a car that most would write off as not worth the effort. You are an inspiration for all of us. You have done a great job restoring this car. Amazing work!
I myself am finishing up my second "basket case" (72 album) and am getting ready to start a third.
I am looking forwared to seeing more progress pictures and the finished car. Good luck and God Bless.

 

[droptop396]

Very inspirational in so many ways (really you have no idea).
Amazing work. There really are no words for the loss you have been through.
You have made the saying: "Where there's will there's a way" come to life.
You're making me feel ashamed for parting out way nicer cars than the 70 Chevelle you've started with.

Thanks for sharing. :beers: