This car looks a little rough, but… no, scratch that, it looks a lot rough. But, this 1974 Chevrolet Chevelle Malibu Classic Estate Wagon would be a good parts car for anyone who may be restoring one. Did I just say that out loud? This project wagon can be found here on eBay in Fort Worth, Texas. The bid is just over $225 and there is no reserve.
I initially got really excited when I saw this car, maybe too excited. Not because I’ve ever had a Malibu Classic wagon or my parents had one or anything, but just because of how loaded this car is. Including, according to the seller, having a 454 V8! It turns out that the seller put 12345678910 as the VIN (sigh) so there’s no way to decode it, and the badge on the leading edge of the front fender says 400. So much for it having a 454, unless it was changed which is highly unlikely.
Top-of-the-line-engine aside, this car is pretty loaded, especially for a Chevrolet. Technically, this could be/would be considered a Chevelle Malibu but for this exercise, we’re just referring to it as a Malibu Classic. The Laguna would be for those with sporting intentions and the Malibu Classic would be the top trim level for the Chevelle in this era. The era of fairly-freshly-required 5 mph bumpers which really detract from an otherwise decent design.
GAAAA! Ok, it’s a little dirty and disheveled in there, but power windows and power locks in a Malibu? Nice. Is that leather, dirty leather, on those seats? If this were a 454 it would be fun to drop an SBC in there.. I mean, to drop a 5-speed manual in this car, fix the interior and drive it as it looks now. Well, maybe wash it first. They say that these are swivel bucket seats? Cool.
Here’s the spider and possibly snake-encrusted engine, be it a 454 or a 400, who knows, the seller doesn’t even know according to the fender badges. There’s about a 50 hp difference so a 454 would really be nice. It’s one messy engine and not just from dirt and dust but what an embarrassing mess of hoses! Did we really accept this from car manufacturers in this era? Good grief. At least now they cover all of that ridiculous junk up with a plastic cover so we can complain about seeing a big plastic cover instead of complaining about seeing a mess of hoses. Well, they do say that it was running good when it was parked many years ago. Any thoughts on this almost-loaded Estate wagon?
As my German Shepherd dog wold say to another dog (this one) “Rough! Rough!”
Current bid $232-that’d buy a lot of Milk Bones, and would probably be much more appreciated.
That is definitely a big block in there
I never knew you could order a bucket seats option on those
Might get more for scrap..might not
looks like a big block to me
Big block. If.it closervice to home I’d own it. Rare optioned car.
Man those 5 mph bumpers ruined the the looks of so many cars back then
If this car had no big rear bumper, it would have no rear tail lights.
Since the fenders say “400”, that’s likely a 402 big block. 74 was the last year you could order a big block, and they were available across the whole Chevelle line.
There were two 400’s offered, a small block and a big block. When ordered with a 2bbl, you got the small block 400, and if you ordered the 4bbl version, you got the 402 big blocks.
74 was the first year the swivel buckets were offered in 4 doors and wagons, but they only came in vinyl, not leather.
The 1974 400 was a Small Block Chevy. The 402 big block (LS3) was discontinued after the 1972 model year.
That’s why this is so odd. If the motor was swapped out, it was years ago by the looks of it. If the fender badges were swapped out, why?
1975 was the last year you could get a big block in an A body. It was a 454 only. I have one. A 1975 El Camino that I ordered, bought new, and still have.
It’s rough but being from Texas, I bet it is solid enough to restore…Not that I would! It does have some cool options & the big block, whether original or not, ups the cool factor. If it stays under $500.00, the engine core alone is worth it.
It’s not a lost cause & there is hope. Yeah, that’s a B.B. Probably a 402.
Likely not. Did you read anything written above?
Would you ever recover what you’d have to put in it. Just the rust/crust or whatever on the carb and what it went through, let alone the foul interior, could suck up some big money. Yes a 4 or 5 speed would make it fun though….after all the smog crap was removed, if allowed, to pass emissions?
When I had just gotten my license, my father bought one of these – a few year old ’75 – as the family hauler.
It was the first car we ever had with cruise control, so of course I had to try it out. I would take the car on windy roads, set the speed, and it would accelerate at the wrong times. Kinda stupid when thinking about it now, but we all had a blast doing it.
” This listing was ended by the seller because there was an error in the listing”