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Cheap Chevelle Malibu Project

1965 Chevrolet Chevelle Malibu

This 1965 Chevelle is going to need a lot of work, but for the price, seems like a good deal. The body looks straight for the most part and if the rust isn’t too bad, one could just focus on getting it back on the road. The original 283 is included with the car, but the seller is also throwing in a 350 crate engine. So, the next owner could restore the car back to original or go more of a hot rod route with the 350 and some bolt-on upgrades. Either way, this Malibu looks like fun. It’s located in Medford, Oregon and is listed here on eBay for $3,000.

Chevelle Trunk

There’s a lot of junk in that trunk! Parts have been haphazardly thrown back there and that’s never a good thing. Many of the parts needed to install one of those engines are back there, but good luck figuring out which bolts go where. It really does pay off when you bag and label everything before throwing them in to the trunk. Perhaps this guy wouldn’t be selling if he had thought to do that…

Malibu Trim

Even with the low asking price, the limited photos make this one a hard sell. The seller claims that there isn’t much rust and that the body is straight, but it’s hard to tell what’s really going on here. More detailed photos of the problems areas, interior and engine bay would make this one a lot easier to swallow. Still, with the prices of everything “classic” on their way up this might be a fun project for a Bowtie boy. What do you think?

Comments

  1. Avatar Frankie

    I just love it when they take off parts and throw them in the trunk like that.

    Like 0
  2. Avatar RayT

    It has been a while since that 350 saw a crate, I’d say…but that doesn’t bother me as much as the corrosion on the fender splash pans and the parts piled in the trunk. Wonder how long this sat before the current seller put it to sleep for six years?

    Perhaps someone should write a book about “car dismantling for dummies.” Might save a few potentially nice rides from ending up one small step from the crusher.

    Like 1
  3. Avatar JW

    OH come on guys, it’s a grown ups jigsaw puzzle. a set of manuals will tell you where everything goes and what is missing. I bought one of my 67 GTOs as a basket case, more like a truck bed case which it took 2 truck loads of parts to piece back together and with a 400 motor out of a 70 GTO I was laying rubber in a month. I would want to personally inspect the body first before laying any cash down but with the price of 60’s classic cars 3K doesn’t sound to awfully bad.

    Like 0
  4. Avatar joeinthousandoaks

    Pretty light on the photos but looks like a great find to do a full restomod treatment. If it were close to home I would buy.

    Like 0
  5. Avatar Greg

    Even if this car was free it wouldn’t be cheap. You could sink $30,000 into it only to have a $20,000 car

    Like 0
  6. Avatar Blindmarc

    For three grand you couldn’t really get hurt on this. You could part it out for that.

    Like 0
  7. Avatar Mike

    I bought a car like this with everything either thrown in the trunk, backseat or in a cardboard boxes. After I got it home and sorted out the stuff, I discovered I had parts that did not even belong to the car, and a lot of missing parts. The funniest part about it the owner through in an extra motor for the cost, I did not have the heart to tell the guy that the motor did not even belong to the manufacture of the car. I bought a Ford and the motor was a GM. But I took it and put in in a different project I was working on.

    Like 0
  8. Avatar Van

    These cars are so simple it doesn’t the much to get it on the road.
    The work is in making it a car we want to drive.
    A hot wire from the starter to the coil will have you burning rubber.
    I need AC, lights, good brakes, etc.

    Like 0
    • Avatar grant

      Why would you hot wire the starter to the coil? From the battery to the coil would make sense….

      Like 1
  9. Avatar Dolphin Member

    We see basket cases on BF where lots of parts are off the car and in boxes, the trunk, the back seat, the front seat, the attic, or even in actual baskets.

    Some of these cars go from one owner to the next, disassembled and with some parts lost and other parts added along the way. The added parts might or might not be from the right manufacturer, as Mike said.

    I have never bought a car like that because I have little patience for sorting out other peoples’ messes. I also have little confidence in my own ability to sort out other peoples’ messes by getting every nut, bolt, fastener, and part back exactly where they should be within my lifetime.

    OTOH, I have enjoyed every non-disassembled, whole car that I ever bought, even if I had to restore it before I could drive it on the road. It helps to have a good supply of zip-loc plastic bags on hand. It’s also best to know your own abilities and limitations beforehand, even if a car has a B-I-N price of only $3K.

    Like 0
  10. Avatar Tim

    Come on people ….it’s a 65 Chevelle , not a Bugatti …..that thing would be fun to put back together !

    Like 1
    • Avatar Rocco

      I agree with you Tim.
      I’m a Ford guy, but the ’65 Chevelle was always my favorite looking. I’d buy it if it was close to Florida and get it running reliable and drive it.

      Like 0
  11. Avatar JW454

    I bought a ’66 Impala once that had both a 283 and a 327 mostly disassembled and the parts were all in the trunk. The 283 block was still in the car so, I bought a gasket set, sorted out the parts and 8 hours later, I drove it out of the sellers garage and drove it home. It can be done. Maybe not in this case but, these were easy cars to work on.

    Like 0
  12. Avatar Mark S

    I’d have to agree with the guys that say it is a simple car. One of the big attractions to the bow tie is the interchangeability of them. No other auto maker did that as well as the general. Should be easy as pie to sort this thing out.

    Like 0
  13. Avatar Robert White

    $3k is a great deal and I would go for this if I was in the market. It’s a good mid size for the money and working SBs go for $500-$700. This is a get-it-out-of-here deal and is being given away for next to nothing IMHO.

    Bob

    Like 0
  14. Avatar Kenneth Connelly

    IF I were younger it wouldn’t be a problem. At least not for me. My health stops me. Somebody can make it a runner again.

    Like 0
  15. Avatar Roger Sellars

    The part of the car you can see looks pretty good. I wonder what the inside looks like and is the dash all there. I’m not worried about it being taken apart because that’s what you do if you’re going to restore it. Does anyone know if it’s still for sale. Thanks

    Like 0

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