Thread: 1965 Chevelle Malibu - The new "family" hot rod.

Cooling "module" is done. Cold Case 66-67 direct fit radiator. Custom shroud. Dual 600 watt C7 Z06 Corvette brushless Spal fans. Should keep things cool under any condition.

The weather is starting to cool down here. It's classic car daily driving season. Time for this non ac car to put some miles on. Before I pile the whole family in and make a trip across town, I want to make some "reliability" upgrades. First step was to drop in a HEI distributor. Pretty easy upgrade. Just needed to run one "key on" 12v wire. Fired right up once I got the rotor pointed in the right direction.

I also plan to switch over to a 4bbl carb and intake. Which means I will lose my oil filler tube in the intake. Which means I had to switch to later style valve covers. Gave me a chance to teach my youngest the fine art of spray painting.



I'm very happy with the finished result for $20 junkyard valve covers and $10 worth of paint. I also switched out the leaking steel fuel line for a section of -6an. That was all just spare parts I had on the shelf. The plug wire routing isn't great, but this is all only temporary till the LS goes in.



I'm getting the fuel system put together. I went with a Tanks Inc. setup with a Walboro 450 pump. Not being satisfied with the fuel "hat" supplied by Tanks Inc., I made my own. The one supplied by them had a very small (3/16" by eye) cross drilled hole for the feed fitting. Mine is full flow -8an and easily upgradable to a 525 pump if/when the time comes. Just wafting on the high pressure hose clamps.

Originally Posted by FordMan77

She did a good job on those covers, and has some PPE on as well. Good job!

Thanks! Yup. I'll roll the dice on some safety stuff from time to time for myself, but not my kid.

Originally Posted by HighOctaneRacing

Nice snag! Not too many people what to give classics up anymore.

100%. Especially with the EPA regulations getting more and more restrictive. I foresee a future where the only way to play will be if you have a vehicle that is smog exempt.

4 barrel upgrade complete! I have probably less than $150 into the whole swap. $100 for the carb, $50 for miscellaneous (gaskets, fluids...), and $0 for the intake. HUGE improvement over that 2 jet. I mean, it's not a racecar now or anything. It's still just a stock 283, but the cold start and drivability are much improved. Not to mention the weight savings of the aluminum intake over the old iron one.







What's next before the turbo LS...? I'm strongly considering a 700r4. I have a known good core that I could freshen up for next to nothing. Highway speeds and a lockup converter might get me to put off the swap another year.