1979 Malibu "Mean Machine"

[STINEY]

The box is quite likely an S10 manual box swapped into the G-body, its a common and simple swap.

That said, perhaps the box was not tightened securely? And when the suspension lifts on acceleration the arm is moving because the box is loose, perhaps getting caught up in the frame or something, preventing steering movement until the suspension unloads again?

Might be something as simple as replacing or tightening a bolt?

[Mbroyles2013]

I hadn't even had that though enter my mind as possible. I'll have to look into that.

[Deaf Bob]

Look for witness marks on the shaft and arm where it touches stuff..

[Loren]

...and maybe a really rotten motor mount...

[Mbroyles2013]

I saw som other posting their prices paid for things so I'm gonna do that as well, help me track my spend on the project.
So far I've got 800 bucks in he car, a free bulb from the car shop net door, and a five dollar socket. So not bad so far but I'm about the start bringing in the motor parts to get it quite a bit heftier

[Stewzer55]

Looks like you've got a pretty fun project there, only being in it $800 isn't bad at all, especially for what you have.

[Mbroyles2013]

Sorry for the delay everyone, I was out of town handling some family business. Figured out the transmission was shot, it didn't want to shift out of first gear. So I bought a new one, or new to me either way, rebuilt with a Borg Warner rebuild kit, all hardened internals, and a b&m shift kit. I'll have some pictures of the exhaust system in a bit, but needless to say it was a bitch. All the bolts rusted up, had to take off the headers to get to the trans and actually drop it. Then had something go haywire with my distributor cap and it started grounding against it.
After several shocks trying to figure it out, we replaced the cap and the coil with hei stuff and it runs like a dream now, shifts really well too.

[Mbroyles2013]

Another delay, working on closing on our house, so it will be just a bit before anything more happens, but I am in the process of removing all the plasti-dip. Got it off the hood and started taking it off of the wheels. I'll have brushed aluminum instead of black soon. Pictures to follow, still no luck on figuring out why the steering locks up going left. Motor mounts are fine, no rub marks. Going to replace with power steering soon either way.