Mark Stielow's New '64 Malibu Project CarLet's get right to it: the big bulk of the work on most of my project cars goes into modifying the chassis parts to get the vehicle to sit and work the way I want. But, because this is my first GM A-body project (I've done lots of Camaros and a few Mustangs early on) and every one I talk to says that the chassis stuff has already been sorted out by the aftermarket, I'm going for a bolt-on approach on the Malitude.
So far, they're right! All the parts look great and have bolted right up. It's also a good feeling to work with companies like Hotchkis Performance that can supply a matched set of springs and sway bars. When your car does hit the street, you know it will be predictable. That takes a lot of time, trouble, and testing to do and it's great to see that they've run slalom, braking, and road tests for us.
Before we go too far, let's get up to speed on related projects and specs. On this Malibu with attitude that we're calling "Malitude," the only wild card so far has been the minitub treatment that we did to make room for 315/35R17 Yokohama tires in the rear. In last month's issue, we accomplished this by moving the inner wheelhouse inboard by two inches on each side and by relocating the frame and chassis points by the same. With careful planning and a good metal supplier, this was also a no-brainer. These changes above in no way affect the compatibility with available brakes or suspension components-for once, this car has stuff you can buy! We had to make some minor changes to make some parts match for the minitubs, but if you're happy with the tire sizes that fit on a stock Malibu, everything bolts up.
When we got this car it was an abandoned project with boxes of new, used, and junk parts. One of the items that was junk and needed to be replaced was the steering column. Before companies like Ididt came along, your only option to replace the column-shift column was to find a used one. The Ididit column looks great and is another great time-saver-here you can move on to something else rather than finding a manual column that needs rebuilding.
The brakes we've used here have become a standard in the industry, the Baer Racing Grand Touring Plus system. They aren't just to look cool between the wheels, either. These four-piston calipers and 13-inch rotors provide all of the stopping power that this car could need short of a trip to the Nurburgring. The Baer components are all top-notch and also bolted right on with no modifications.
Original Parts Group stocks almost all of these parts for a great one-stop shopping point for both restoration parts and performance parts. They understand that there are people who like to have a 100 percent stock vehicle and some like us who like to change things around to make it a little better. As the two enthusiasts begin to cross behavioral paths, OPG has learned to offer aftermarket parts that truly offer performance gains, yet don't require modifications to install. Are you getting our drift here? Sometimes, wild takes too much time. Follow along as we slide this stuff onto Malitude and get oh-so-close to getting on the road.