The ̶B̶o̶r̶i̶n̶g̶ Pioneer Malibu

JB Weld on a gas tank leak is about a 50/50 shot of working long term. If it doesn't fail with in a week, its probably going to be OK. That is, until it starts leaking someplace else...

 

I JB Welded my dad's 1972 Chevelle station wagon tank in about 1976. He would buy the cheap gas near Boston, MA harbor when he visited relatives in East Boston. We are guessing that this gas had some salt water contamination.

I bought this car when he traded it in for a new car. Drove it cross country AZ in July of 1979. No air conditioning - I was tougher then. We drove this car until 1982 - We finally became prosperous enough to buy a good used car with air conditioning. The JB Weld patch held all those years.

Russ

 

I've been about 50-50 with JB on gas tanks. This is the repair on the LaSalle he****, where the drain plug hole was ripped out by PO. It held for a long time, I think it was still ok when my brother sold the car about 5 years later.

 

Looks like a two bit fix to me.

 

Original JB Weld and fibergl*** cloth has fixed many a tank for me. Last long time! So does POR 15 with gl*** cloth.

 

I use paper towel soaked in SealAll.

 

I repair holes in fuel tanks with solder - using a propane torch.

Of course the tank needs to be emptied, then I put the exhaust of my old vacuum cleaner into the filler neck and let it run for half an hour or so, and insure there's no smell of gas at all. I leave the vacuum running while doing the repair to take away any fumes developed.

The surface has to be cleaned thoroughly to bare metal then I apply soft solder with acid flux. For bigger holes I put a short piece of thick copper wire to bridge the gap. This repair technique has never failed me.

 

pretty tough on a tank that's covered with rust, though...

 

MaliBOOM!
Cut a couple coils out of the back springs and go for a brisk drive on the highway. One hell of a light show

73-77s get ragged on alot, but the 73/74s are OK, just a bunch or primitive early emissions controls that were really badly executed. Add a few degrees to base timing and a spring/weight kit in the distributor to pep up that smogger.

Suspension wise they arent bad, just too much Herb Adams in them. Swap the front springs for a stiffer rate, install poly sway bar busings, and throw in a -° of static camber and these cars will handle pretty good for their size.

If it has a rear sway bar mounted to rear lower control arms, chuck it.
Thats just a snap oversteer device.

Biggest sin on all the A/G/B bods are all the garbage dampers out there.
Most, if not all, Tenneco shocks blow. Gabriels arent much better either. Twin tube shocks are for the most part hot garbage.
KYBs are OK because they are overdampened and when they get hot they dont completely give up. ~$120 for a set.
Bilstein would be the damper of choice, but thats easily $400 for a correct year malibu set.

I would probably throw S10 600-700lb front springs and S10 Bilstein shocks at it.
5660(600lb/in) moog and B6 Bils ~$200.

 

Can you still get new S10 Bilstein? I thought you could only have them rebuilt it not lucky enough to find nos

 

Someone replaced the shocks in the 70s, they're yellow. The car doesn't wallow too much, so I'm leaving them alone

 

My 53 has shocks from the 60s. They're staying till they need replaced. One they're in great mechanical shape. Two the name is is funny. AC Delco pleasurizers lol

 

Last night I checked they were only $65.
Today they are $82, with that 'price shows up in cart' nonsense.
Thats normal ORLY/Vatozone pricing.

The fraggle rock is going on?

 

Started playing with new weatherstrip today, starting on the p*** side so I'll know how to do it right on the driver side.

 

If actual Bilstein still a good price

 

Yellow shocks are Monroe Matics! They were my favorite shock.

 

I don't mind paying for Bils, but a near $20 price change per, overnight is just disgusting.

Ah my first Cutl*** had these.
One was completely blown out, two were locked up(Kitty-Corner) an the last one seemed to function as a damper, sorta. Took a while as a teen to figure out why the car was a bit catawampus. Replaced those with silver 'Road Warrior' shocks that Monroe made for a few years. For the price the RR shocks were excellent. But they seemed to disappear by the aughts.

 

New ghetto cruiser for the win. Always an adventure when a new vehicle makes its way to your house.

 

I'm looking at how to turn the Malibu into a pioneer wagon, to go on the Oregon Trail

Took the interior out of the car, so I can see where to cut and how to build the new stuff. I have the beginning of a plan, I'll post a few sketches eventually. I'd like to keep an open area behind the seat, below the "bed", with an access door on the side. So I can store all my **** on the trip. The bed height will be the same as the hump over the rear axle. And I'd also like to see about being able to sleep in the wagon part, for that full pioneer experience.

Yes, I know I'm an idiot, but someone's got to do it!

(wide angle view of the inside)

 

Do I push the "LIKE" or the "WTF" ****on - Russ

 

Sounds like another @squirrel adventure. I’m signed up. You know you’re having more fun than the law allows!
Dan

 

Continuing my tradition of donating a small bit of "stuff" - Can you use this lantern?

Originally from the Buck Wood estate sale - There is no one left to remember...

Russ

 

I'd say a lot of that depends on if the original driver's position is going to remain.
If the roof and seat remain the same, the seat base limits rear door access under the bed.
Might want to weld up the rear doors if the roof above is off. Maybe tie the b pillars together, but with a rear curve to fit driver seat.
If the 'bed' extends forward to the carpet in the pic, you could do a seat base in the front of it, but would need to tilt up the column and probably mod the pedals. You'd end up looking over the windshield then.

https://storage.googleapis.com/ddnletdqvvpuie/covered-wagon-oxford-mi.html

 

The seat needs to stay where it is, which means that the back of the cab has to be behind it, which means I have to use about 10" or so of the rear door skins, and also make a "filler" panel to replace the front part of the rear door gl***. I have that mostly figured out already, I just didn't describe it yet.

I think I'll put some steel square tube across between the top behind the pillars, and two more running from this down to the floor, either side of the rear window. The front of the bed support will connect to these vertical tubes.

 

I am unclear as to exactly what you are trying to do with the car so this comment may not apply ... when I was in high school a friend had a late 60's Biscayne 4-door that he turned into a "Biscamino" by welding the rear doors shut and chopping off the upper half of the rear of the body and forming a panel that accepted a rear window. It looked good (near as I remember), basically what GM would have done if they made a Camino out of a Biscayne.

 

This won't look good, but that's basically what I'm doing with it. There's a LeMons Rally in May called the Oregon Fail Rally, where we get to take the route that folks took to migrate west in wagons in the mid 1800s. I'm making a stupid looking sort of oxen drawn wagon out of a ****py Malibu, so I'll get extra stupid points, and to have some fun with some other crazy people.

 

Hey @TrailerTrashToo
If the mighty Squirrel doesn't want that cool baby Dietz lantern, I will be glad to send you a check to cover the cost of shipping it to me so that it can take its place on my fuselage with the other lanterns that are on it.
It will be a**** other cool cl***ic vintage lanterns.
Thanks from Dennis.

​

 

Dennis, Jim p***ed on this lantern, it is yours. I'll send it in a USPS flat rate box and you can donate the postage cost to your favorite charity.

Might be a few days, I'm jumping through some orifices at the moment.

PM to follow.

Russ

 

Thank you very much Russ.
I replied to your PM.
I will make sure that the lantern pays tribute to your friend Buck Wood, and I will post pictures of it when its hung on the fuselage!

I will make sure that the cost of the postage will be given to someone that really can use it and that will appreciate it!

Good on you Russ!
Thanks from Dennis.

 

The old Malibu converted into a covered wagon, sounds stupid enough to be fun! You planning on fake horses in front of the covered wagon?

There was a stage couch vehicle posted in the "just wrong" thread a few days ago. I think some conduit tack welded to the Malibu body, cover with a large gray HF tarp, and flame cut horses welded to the front fenders would be easier...