Are you ambitious? Maybe you have a vision deeper than others? Perhaps you own a body shop? All would be good qualifiers for this project. This 1970 Chevrolet Malibu was sent in by a Barn Finds reader who found it here on eBay in Everest, Kansas. It looks like the reserve has been met after 32 bids have pushed the current bid price to $3,200.
While the 1970 Malibu was the middle point of the second generation, it was a 1-year only “look”. The design was significantly restyled from 1969 and 1971 ushered in front and rear end changes. Nearly 500,000 Malibus and Chevelles were built for the 1970 model year. The Malibu 2-door coupe was the runaway favorite as they accounted for 301,878 of the nearly half-million of all styles.
I don’t know if the pictures tell the whole story, but it looks like they tell enough of the story for you to know what you’re getting into with this Malibu. Quarters are rusty, fenders are rusty, floors and trunk are roached. Maybe this one isn’t as bad as it looks, as the seller points out some “good”: solid roof, frame, and rockers and no rust around the rear glass. It was originally equipped with a vinyl roof and appears to have left the factory painted in a burgundy color. Original wheel covers are still in place.
The interior hasn’t fared much better. There’s a white bench seat with missing headrests and a white back seat that don’t match the door panels as I believe they would’ve from the factory. All other surfaces are black, so I don’t know which one is the correct interior color. The dash is cracked and warped, the steering wheel is cracked, and door panels are tattered.
Under the hood, you’ll see a blank canvas. This Malibu was originally equipped with a 307 cubic-inch V8, column-shifted automatic transmission, power steering, and air-conditioning. All of those components are long gone, so you’re given the freedom of a fresh start.
While I fall into a little bit of the first and second qualifiers I opened with, I’ve always wanted to take a sweaty looking car, do no cosmetic restoration, but install a screaming drivetrain to make it run like a scalded dog. This looks like a great candidate for such a project.
Much higher and it’ll be a money pit…it’s pretty rough is an understatement!
BTW, the title says it’s a 68…
obviously it’s a 1970
Mental mix-up when typing the title. It’s described as a 1970 throughout the entire article. Title now fixed. Thanks for the heads-up.
Being a 1970 its true that the afermarket makes nearly every part needed to restore this one. The problem is you’d need them all….and then some.
Yeah, at least it’s recognizable as a 1970 Malibu. But $3200 for this engineless wreck? I guess if it was a 1968-70 Charger, it would be bid to maybe 5 times that. Can’t believe anyone would pay more than $1000 for this.
$1,000 is generous.
This “thing” was picked over & stripped to the bones. There’s nothing left to salvage.
Besides needing all new sheet metal, floorboards, a complete interior, 5 tires, a complete brake system, fuel lines & tank, wheels, a new wiring harness, a complete drivetrain, it might be an easy fix…
…not.
On the plus side, the bumpers & other brightwork look to be in good shape. Not to mention it comes with “original” hubcaps.
Dynacorn sells 70 Chevelle coupe bodies for $18,000, including shipping. That’s a good start.
There are some details here I really like – the fender-crown moldings that are absent on an SS are just so 1970 but the transition between those moldings and the vinyl top is kind of clumsy. Put that with the fact that $3200 should put you in a solid runner of a ’70 Chevelle post sedan, maybe even a 4 door hardtop which would have a less awkward C-pillar than either this vinyl-top car or a 4 door post and I’d say this isn’t worth the Two-Door Tax.
At first glance it reminded me of a 70 I picked up about 20 years ago for $60 (sixty), but mine had zero rust, needed 1 quarter panel repair and some door ding repair. It was advertised as needing engine work and had a leaky trans. It was sitting over a lake of trans fluid, and had an annoying miss-fire. I paid the $60, drove it home, replaced the trans pan gasket, threw a set of plugs in it, and let my mother-in-law drive it for 2 years. I yanked the 350/350TH drivetrain, sold the headlight surrounds for $50, and gave the rest to a friend.
Poor old 70. Would be ready for the crusher a few years back. Prices for these old wrecks scare me. The market seems way overpriced.
$3,2000 ??????????????? I guess the 77 Trans Am sitting in my yard. All rusted down .With all matching number and drive train is worth $10,000. hahahaha When is people gonna wake up????
Years ago we could pick up Chevelles just like this one for 50 -100 bucks and we’d chop them up for stock cars . Considering how many Chevlles were racing at just our local track and multiply that with all the tracks in the country its no wonder they are bringing in big money now.
What u got here is a frame. That’s it, Dynacorn sells the body complete for 18,000 needs a nice 454, white bucket seat interior, black dash, entire suspension, paint, wiring, and a big labor bill, go buy one for 65,000 all done, you will save money
Well it did have A/C!!!
SOLD for $3,700.
Why?