Thread: 1965 Chevelle Malibu - The new "family" hot rod.

Cooling "module" is done. Cold Case 66-67 direct fit radiator. Custom shroud. Dual 600 watt C7 Z06 Corvette brushless Spal fans. Should keep things cool under any condition.

The weather is starting to cool down here. It's classic car daily driving season. Time for this non ac car to put some miles on. Before I pile the whole family in and make a trip across town, I want to make some "reliability" upgrades. First step was to drop in a HEI distributor. Pretty easy upgrade. Just needed to run one "key on" 12v wire. Fired right up once I got the rotor pointed in the right direction.

I also plan to switch over to a 4bbl carb and intake. Which means I will lose my oil filler tube in the intake. Which means I had to switch to later style valve covers. Gave me a chance to teach my youngest the fine art of spray painting.



I'm very happy with the finished result for $20 junkyard valve covers and $10 worth of paint. I also switched out the leaking steel fuel line for a section of -6an. That was all just spare parts I had on the shelf. The plug wire routing isn't great, but this is all only temporary till the LS goes in.



I'm getting the fuel system put together. I went with a Tanks Inc. setup with a Walboro 450 pump. Not being satisfied with the fuel "hat" supplied by Tanks Inc., I made my own. The one supplied by them had a very small (3/16" by eye) cross drilled hole for the feed fitting. Mine is full flow -8an and easily upgradable to a 525 pump if/when the time comes. Just wafting on the high pressure hose clamps.

Originally Posted by FordMan77

She did a good job on those covers, and has some PPE on as well. Good job!

Thanks! Yup. I'll roll the dice on some safety stuff from time to time for myself, but not my kid.

Originally Posted by HighOctaneRacing

Nice snag! Not too many people what to give classics up anymore.

100%. Especially with the EPA regulations getting more and more restrictive. I foresee a future where the only way to play will be if you have a vehicle that is smog exempt.

4 barrel upgrade complete! I have probably less than $150 into the whole swap. $100 for the carb, $50 for miscellaneous (gaskets, fluids...), and $0 for the intake. HUGE improvement over that 2 jet. I mean, it's not a racecar now or anything. It's still just a stock 283, but the cold start and drivability are much improved. Not to mention the weight savings of the aluminum intake over the old iron one.







What's next before the turbo LS...? I'm strongly considering a 700r4. I have a known good core that I could freshen up for next to nothing. Highway speeds and a lockup converter might get me to put off the swap another year.

Literally the only thing I've done since the last update is put gas in it. I've been busy with other things...



No complaints though. I like the extra money!

that parts cleaner is working over time i see.

Originally Posted by Scottydoggs

that parts cleaner is working over time i see.

100%. Best investment ever. I keep reinvesting back into the business too. I recently purchased a new rubber air hose, rubber garden hose and all metal spray nozzle. Anything to save me hassle because that saves me TIME. Speaking of saving time... Just today I got my preset torque wrenches. There are only 3 critical torque values on a 60e and these wrenches cover 2 of them. The pan being the 3rd (way less critical), and I can get pretty dang close with my 1/4" speed wrench. No more cranking the handle on that Craftsman inch lb wrench. Just grab and go!

Hit the scales today. #3500 on the nose with a 1/2 tank of fuel, some tools in the trunk and me in the seat. I regret not getting weights on my V8 S-10. I'm a little more methodical this time.

I'm just about done with my LQ4 S-10 build. mine is a 1982 and doesn't have heat or air conditioning or any of those components. I know they aren't exactly the same but I'll share a weight when I get one. it will be several weeks. mine doesn't have a gas tank either, just a 10 gallon fuel cell. the previous owner said it was 3,000 lbs with him in it and he had a SBC 350.

edit for added info: I weighed the truck today and it came in at 3190

I took a break from the transmissions the last couple months. It's getting pretty hot here, I'm a little burned out, but mostly because... I got a 2002 GMC Yukon DIRT cheap that needed a "little" work.

It was supposed to just need a transmission and be good to go. In the last 6 weeks I've done:

Custom "Level 1" 2wd 4L60e (Built by yours truly)
Tru-cool LPD 29000 BTU trans cooler
Trans fluid flush (obviously)
Head lights
Marker lights
Fog lights
Front hub/bearing
Had the IPC rebuilt
Had the EBCM rebuilt
Throttle body gasket
Valve cover gaskets
Intake manifold gaskets
Valley cover gasket
Knock sensors (+harness)
Oil pressure sensor
Air filter
Fuel pump
Fuel filter
Spark plugs
Plug wires
Catch can
Oil change
Brake fluid flush
Differential fluid change
Cooling system flush
Rear heat delete (still has AC)
Window tint
Cabin air temp sensor
LED all interior and puddle lights
Fuel pressure reg vacuum line
Blend door actuator (front)
Mode door actuator (rear)
Suspension bump stops
Window regulators (x2)
Shift lever (for tow/haul mode switch)
Wheel / lug nut cover
3rd brake light
Serpentine (and ac) belt
Upper & lower radiator hose
Serp belt tensioner (x2)
Serp belt idler
Key fobs
Battery terminals
Hatch lift struts
Glass lift struts
Pressure wash engine
Buff paint
Added fuel pressure gauge
And put a fire extinguisher in the console


I believe the radiator and water pump were fairly new when I got it.


Still need to do:
Power steering fluid flush
Radio light bulbs

A lot of nickel and dime stuff. I don't think it was necessarily "rode hard and put away wet." It's still cosmetically in decent shape. I think someone just neglected ALL the regular maintenance. That's what I'm doing now. I want it to be 100% before we really start putting miles on it.

no dod bs on them gmt 800's. my 05 tahoe has the 5.3. none of that bs is in the engine.

these trucks ride so nice too, congrats. lot of em way past 300k too.

Originally Posted by FordMan77

Sounds like it'll be brand new once that's covered. Nice snag. No AFM on those either. 5.3 Vortec?

Man, you're not kidding. I'm ready to just drive it instead of working on it all the time. Yes sir. 5.3... AND because it's the L59 (flex fuel) it's actually rated a few HP more than the LM7.

Originally Posted by Scottydoggs

no dod bs on them gmt 800's. my 05 tahoe has the 5.3. none of that bs is in the engine.

these trucks ride so nice too, congrats. lot of em way past 300k too.

I couldn't be happier. Even with all the work I had to do. So far, the whole family loves it.

mines got that 3 rd row seating, that i never use, got em folded up 100% of the time, or pulled out to haul crap around.

Shared album - Scott R - Google Photos

use of the 3rd row is only good for small kids. no leg room. but i do have the small monitor/dvd and vid game player on the roof. Shared album - Scott R - Google Photos

Malibu progress! Jakes performance Stage 5 kit coming together.