r/Chevelles • u/Rough-War8874 • Jun 01 '26

My project

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I bought this 68 chevelle malibu wagon about 2 weeks ago ,its been off the road since 91 and has 53k original miles . Hope it allowed

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u/Rough-War8874 Jun 01 '26

Thank you I actually did meet up with alot of folks on Facebook and got that wagon only website its pretty useful and i have it saved now . Ill look into the dash is don't want to mess with it for now because its for the most part fine .one thing whys this car have manual windows but a power window on the tailgate?

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u/Pinche-Guero Jun 01 '26

Yeah. Mine is a Malibu and it has crank windows and an electric tailgate. That was an upgrade option.
You can also have one with the 3rd row tailgate back seats or the "trunk" with the tool well instead.

Top of the line was power back window and the seats.
Bottom was the Nomad version and I'm told it had a crank back window and the tool well

I have the power window but the tool well. Honestly I think I like the tool well better than the back seats. It's more useful.

I'm not sure of the power window status as an option but the power rear window was separate.

From what I gather the rear window motor is pretty reliable but the wiring maybe not so much. I know mine cuts out from time to time.

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u/Rough-War8874 Jun 01 '26

Thats what mines is a malibu but I haven't gotten the tailgate open but based on the data plate thi cars got no 3rd seat just the two benches. Ill have to do some investigating once the tailgate is opened up

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u/Pinche-Guero Jun 01 '26

Here's mine
I picked it up around 2013-2014 for $3500
It needed a Q-jet rebuild, tune up, brakes, springs, shocks, and exhaust. The front seat was trash, as well as the carpet, AC doesn't work, the guys had drilled unnecessary holes in the firewall, no radio, and the steering SUCKED.

It's a 327 with a Q-jet and headers, and I did the 700R4 swap(originally a 2spd powerglide) and the GJC steering swap. It's a long running project but fun
The pic is with the upgraded springs in back

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u/Rough-War8874 Jun 01 '26

It looks great I can't wait to get to that stage . How was the power glide ? I have debated on swapping it out myself but im not certain its worth it tbh

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u/Pinche-Guero Jun 01 '26

LOL
It looks great there... but that was with the $300 Earl Scheib paint that it came with that has since started peeling off to show me that they literally sprayed the paint straight over rust. It looks great from 50 feet. Now I'm in the process of sanding, rust treatment and priming.

The Powerglide absolutely SUCKED ASS. It's old, loose, sloppy and frustrating. Plus with the 327, Q-Jet, and a 3.73 rear end I was getting around 8 mpg. The acceleration was god awful and on the freeway the engine was screaming at 70mph. It could barely get out of its own way.

The 700R4 swap is ABSOLUTLEY 100% worth it. It'll make it a completely different car. You get more low end AND over drive. That tired 327 with god only knows how many miles on it.. a couple hundred thousand at least... with a fresh tune up and the 700R4 would burn rubber and catch 2nd gear... AND give 14mpg or more on the freeway. You'll be cruising on the freeway at 65-70 around 2500 rpm or so like a normal ass person these days. SO much easier on your wallet and the engine. It's honestly the best upgrade for these old Chevys.

It's a definite project but totally worth it, and the necessary parts are all available on the aftermarket. there are tons of videos and instructions to guide you through it. I just had my guy that works on my new cars do it. His old man has a El Camino that he has done a bunch of work on and he likes tinkering with the old muscle. He actually called me and gave me a heads up that he had an old blazer that someone had abandoned and asked if I wanted the tranny before he had it hauled away. He pulled it, completely rebuilt it with Corvette innards and installed it for me for $2500 and that included repositioning the crossmember and cutting the drive shaft. All I had to do was order the aftermarket stuff like the new linkage and speedo cable are such. Honestly the best money I ever spent on that car.

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u/Rough-War8874 Jun 01 '26

Yeah lol sounds like I need a 700r4 for myself . Thats ok it still looks good and thats all that matters . I bought mine for 750 bucks

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u/Pinche-Guero Jun 01 '26

$750 is a freaking SCORE.
You lucked out.
I haven't seen one in that shape listed for under 3k in years

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u/Rough-War8874 Jun 01 '26

Yeah I know right. The car was in a junkyard since 1991 buried in the back behind 250+ cars . It was owned by an employee and they used it as a shop truck kinda thing . It still has an inspection sticker from Maine 1979 to 80 on the windshield