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Rough Start: 1976 Chevrolet Malibu Classic – Fresh From A Peel


Rough Start: 1976 Chevrolet Malibu Classic – Fresh From A Peel

So back in the day…wow, a decade ago now, odd to think about!…I was in a love-hate relationship with my 1973 Chevrolet Chevelle. The car itself was awesome to drive…the engine was a howler, the transmission was a champ, the driving experiences were amazing. But the body…yikes. Outside of the fiberglass four-inch hood and the blemish-free bumpers, that car had some rot. I was genuinely shopping for a new body or roller car to swap the powertrain into and circumstances killed that plan entirely, but I digress. I’m a solid supporter of the third-gen GM A-body because they are pretty much equal to the 1977-96 B-body in overall size, the lines are great if you clean up and polish the small edges and find any color that isn’t 1970s beige, and the handling…amazing for a barge that size. I can’t say that enough, ever. They are good enough that I’d own another one. I used to say that I didn’t want to own a car twice, but I keep making exceptions…

And this 1976 Malibu is tempting. While I prefer the looks of the earlier cars front and rear, especially the 1973’s small rear bumper, I can overlook some railroad ties for a car that isn’t a f**king colander. Outside of the situation underneath the vinyl top that has been removed, this bronze beauty is pretty much dead-stock, straight to the hubcaps. There’s some usual age marring, the cracks in the dash pad that aren’t that bad, and the usual plastic fading, but for a starter to build on, dead-stock is perfect. For $4,500 we’d start by figuring out what to do with the roof…repair? re-wrap?….then start planning a serious setup. If it were me I’d start hunting for a 1973 Laguna nose with the turn signals in the grille and a 1973 rear bumper, at least, while seeing what I could do about the rear taillights. That’s my planning, anyways. Maybe you just polish up the paint, re-skin the roof and cram a 502 underhood.

Facebook Marketplace link: 1976 Chevrolet Malibu Classic


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2 thoughts on “Rough Start: 1976 Chevrolet Malibu Classic – Fresh From A Peel

  1. Henrik

    Please dont start talking 1973-77 chevelle’s up. Because everybody Might find out just how good these are and how Nice they drive, and then there will be less of them around for me and my friends at g3gm to buy and enjoy. We are a select group off gearheads that love these, and if they get to popular there will be less to find and Prices will start climping. So no more articles please. But if you would like to see just how cool these can be with a little help feel free to email me and i send you pictures of mine. Or tjek out g3gm.com

  2. jeff

    LOVE these nostalgic 70’s cool cars.. Many fine examples coming forward out of hibernation to show others that the world revolves around many vehicles not just a preceived select few…. Happy to showcase a few of my very low mile Laguna, el camino and a olympic edition…cars

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