It’s alive!
Classic Chevys are some of the coolest old-school muscle cars left on the collector car market with high horsepower V8 engines and iconic styling. One of the most famous cars of this type is the Chevrolet Malibu which is best known for its more luxurious cousin, the Chevelle. This particular example is a Malibu 350, which sports a 350 cubic inch Chevy V8 engine and a two-barrel carburetor making some pretty good power. Nowadays, the car is in the restoration process to put it back on the road, but, of course, it hasn't been all sunshine and rainbows. One of the more painful modifications includes switching over the brakes from drums to discs.
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The front was a pretty easy swap, as all that was really needed was a set of spindles, calipers, and pads. However, the rear proved significantly more complex, and when all was said and done, the brakes still didn't work. This apparently had a lot to do with the brake booster, which was the only original braking part that was not replaced. However, after fixing that up, the car stopped just fine, which is necessary for a road-legal car to be declared safe. That was the goal for this car, which is why the builder chose to fix some other minor issues before taking it out for its first drive in 32 years.
It sounds like a beaten-up tractor upon firing up the old engine, just barely scraping by with what little life it has left in it. This is likely due to some tuning issues and its rustic exhaust system contributing to a disturbing sound. Eventually, as the car continues to drive around, those problems fade into the rearview mirror. Finally, the Malibu has almost everything it needs to get back on the road with a bright future of continued restoration ahead. Next on the car's to-do list will likely be fixing the front fender damage, but until then, we're glad to see this car back on the open road once again.
