Here’s another fine example of “When enough is just right, too much is perfect!” The early ’80s were not a kind time for domestic automobile performance. As focus bored in on improved fuel economy, on top of continuing emission control regulations, there wasn’t a lot of hope to be had for seat-of-the-pants go-fast antics. As the ’80s wore on, things started to improve a bit with cars like the Buick Grand National, IROC-Z28, 5.0 Liter Mustang LX/GT and maybe a few others but the early ’80s provided slim pickings; you had to go pretty much your own way. And that’s exactly what we have here, a 1982 Chevrolet Malibu station wagon that may look like 1982 but that’s about where the comparison ends. It is located in Mars Hill, Tennessee and available here on craigslist for $14,500. Thanks to Pat L. for this very exciting tip!
The best you could do in ’82 under the hood of a Chevy Malibu was a tepid 5.0 liter V8. Most examples had less willing motivational power and made due with a V6 of even less significance. SS models, big engines, four-speed manual transmissions had gone the way of the passenger pigeon though the actual body styles for the Malibu harkened back to the boxy, light-weight shapes from ’64-’65. So, what happens when you take the old boxy style body and install old boxy style power? You get this uber ’82 station wagon.
First up is the engine room where you will find a fuel-injected 454 CI big-block V8. No silly carburetors here, go for the gold. The engine has a .030 overbore and a crane cam. The seller doesn’t state how it actually runs but you have to believe it can approach lift-off with that moose under the hood. The excitement continues through the drivetrain with a 700R 4, four-speed automatic transmission and a 3.42, limited-slip differential. This Malibu even has A/C via the employment of an old-style GM Frigidaire A-6 compressor. Get this baby rolling and it has the anchor to stop it in the form of drilled and slotted disc brakes equipped with carbon brake pads.
The interior of this wagon is all-new, according to the seller and it looks it. Good to know because GM couldn’t have done much worse of a job with their interior fabrics and plastics at this stage. The stuff just falls apart. The interior of this wagon is beautiful, typically restrained but in very nice, clean condition. Of interest is the seller’s reference to the power rear vent windows. GM was on such a cheap trip in the early ’80s that the rear windows in their G body sedans and station wagons didn’t roll down, they were fixed in place so an opening rear vent window is all you got. My cousin bought a Malibu station wagon in ’82 and didn’t realize the no-roll down dilemma until he got the car home. Imagine if you bought one without A/C…….
The exterior is slick! A boring factory color repaint really enhances this Malibu’s sleeper vibe. The seller has gone to great lengths to up the appearance game on this wagon by tucking both the front and rear bumpers. The sheet metal is straight and well-aligned with no evidence of crash damage or corrosion. The Chevrolet rally wheels complete the picture.
This wagon is a bomb! I wish the seller had gone into detail as to how this wagon performs – there is just so much to it that it has to be a real “sit down, strap in and hold on” experience. So, what do you do with a beast like this? I wouldn’t advocate traffic light to traffic light street shenanigans but I have to believe this Chevy would make a great grocery getter or a carpool car, don’t you think?
That ‘ll push you back in the seat.
It definitely will, my neighbor has one just like this with a healthy 383 small block, and it puts you in your seat quite nicely. Those brake pads are awesome, that what I put on my Mustang gt.
Looks like a very well done installation. You don’t need to shout to the world that you are fast. A walk around video would be nice.
a new plain jane honda/toyota likely faster:( I see tons of drag car adds that never list 1/4 mile time………maybe they are slow? lol
carpool? NO
454 eats the gas
I’m sure that the owner would be happy to bet you cash that it is.
The drag racing angle isn’t in the sellers ad, it was introduce by the author of the write up on this site.
Steve R
Yeah and older Honda’s and 2JZ Toyota’s are way faster. My son has clipped off low 11’s in a mostly stock SRT4 with two other people in the car. It was at a test and tune/car meet messing around. Has the slip. It is just a driver.
His built B16 Civic is much faster then the SRT4 on the street however he has never taken it down the strip. I have beat on both and happen to know.
If that isn’t enough A local guy with an S2K with a K series is currently in the 7’s in the quarter.
Pretty safe bet Tony Premo or anyone else this guys money would get taken by rice. Never assume imports with fart cans are no go. You may get embarrassed.
The bad part about that is you’d be driving a honda/toyauto. Ok for you I guess.
A stock SRT4 quarter mile is around 14 sec. Getting to the low 11’s on something “mostly stock” means either dialing up boost to unsustainable nowhere near stock levels or heavy modifications to do it consistently. Secondly, any front drive fart can Honda or Toyota like a Civic you mentioned will never beat this rear wheel wagon for the same money. This is governed by the law of physics. The s2000 you mentioned can, because it’s light and rear wheel drive. I’m sure that owner spent 10 times what this wagon owner spent and continues to spend to send an s2000 down the 1/4 in 7 seconds
A 454 F.I. eats Hondas and Toyotas especially in a lightweight wagon like this. Had a 79 Pontiac wagon like this with the awful gutless 14 mpg 305. Foot constantly trying to get it going and up mountain passes Hondas and Toyotas were passing me. Love this wagon
Must be a new fad/brainwash deal going around. Hear it in my area now and then as well. ALL new off the showroom floor 4 cylinder Civics, Corollas, Fiestas, etc. are faster 0-60, 1/4 mile, and top speed than anything that has ever been made, and they really do mean anything. These folks claim them to be faster than all the new muscle cars, Bullitt Mustang, Dodge Hellcat, Camaro 1LE, C8 Corvette, and so on. Funny because I
have driven several of these small cars, and I don’t find them to be these fire breathing powerhouses that the rice fans are claiming. I also happen to know someone with a new Bullitt Mustang, and find it funny how none of these guys want to run against him, despite his offer of $3,000 cash to whoever can beat him with a stock version of any of these cars.
Sweat sleeper !
Nothing wrong with that at all 427 Turbojet/Member I am proud of it.
Almost all the die hard GM guys especially former ones are driving Honda’s and Toyota’s today. There is a reason. R-E-L-I-A-B-I-L-I-T-Y
Pretty soon GM will go the way of the Do Do Bird with Mary at the helm. We won’t have to worry about it. Already happening before our eyes.
GM had profits of $6.58 billion in 2019, suggesting it may not happen as soon as you think.
Steve R
I was in GM dealership service management for 35+ years. I handled warranty claims for most of those years, was privy to cost per vehicle serviced for most makes of cars, foreign and domestic. ( Our ownership had lots of dealerships) Warranty cost per vehicle serviced was pretty comparable across the board. Customer pay cost per vehicle serviced was typically substantially higher with foreign makes, those manufactures usually had a more rigorous required maintenance schedule. Yes, GM had some “isms”, failures that were relatively common, but in talking to our group’s service and fixed ops managers, so did all manufacturers. It’s kind of like fake news, the full story isn’t always apparent. Having said all that, I will stand with US companies. Honda/Toyota can claim “built in the US” all they want, but where does the money go? We handed the electronics business to them years ago, I hope we don’t hand the auto industry to them as well.
427Turbojet we handed a lot more then electronics to the Far East. Most of North America’s manufacturing has moved to China, Taiwan, India, Bangladesh, Pakistan and any other number of third world countries. Today’s consumers are all about price instead of quality .
“Almost all the die hard GM guys especially former ones are driving Honda’s and Toyota’s today. There is a reason. R-E-L-I-A-B-I-L-I-T-Y” says “AMCFAN”! LOL!
Since you are an “AMCFAN”, I guess you are speaking from experience! No wonder you like Hondas and Toyotas!
Nothing is perfect in this world, but GM quality is as good as anything out there these days, and who else makes anything equal to the C8 Corvette for the price? Same thing for the performance cars from Ford and Chrysler, not perfect, but who the hell would want to drive a Honda or Toyota? Trucks? Same thing. Yes, if you want to drive an econobox, then a Honda or Toyota is your car! I’d rather have a Cadillac CTSV!
Oh well, so much for that R-E-L-I-A-B-L-I-T-Y argument………
Toyota Recalls 3.2 Million Vehicles Worldwide Over Fuel Pump Problem March 4, 2020
https://money.usnews.com/investing/news/articles/2020-03-04/toyota-boost-size-of-us-fuel-pump-recall-by-11-million-vehicles
Honda Recalls Nearly 876,000 Cars, Minivans, and SUVs to Replace Defective Airbags January 22, 2020
https://www.consumerreports.org/car-recalls-defects/honda-recalls-cars-minivans-suvs-for-airbag-replacement/
SRT4 “stock” from the factory is 14s for a reason. They were set up soft. It was called warranty. Doesn’t take much to make power. His is a stock block and internals running an upgraded turbo and BOV and a cold air intake with a three inch exhaust and front mount intercooler. Has factory LSD (in 2004) The axles are performance units. It is one of his drivers.
Honda’s are cheap to build and almost anyone can plug a laptop and tune it. There is software available to do it. You can get anything for them. It has spent time on the dyno. The B Series DOHC without spray is 472 at the wheel running slicks. This is mostly still a show car and was displayed at SEMA. It is a very nice car.
The S2K has a CRV bottom and a Acura head. It is all in the Cams and Turbo. He has money in the car and it is not breaking it. It is keeping it going straight on the high side. Has hit the wall a few times. He is skilled driver and builder. Motor combo is reliable. It is a competition car not for the street.
You can hate it all you want. I am still a muscle car guy and have a pretty bad 70 AMX. Just rolling WITH the times not stuck in them. Newer cars are more fun. Plenty of Import action on Youtube
I don’t think you are getting the main point. You can make 10,000 HP if you want but with front wheel drive, the inertia at launch will throw the weight to the back and lift the front wheels and lose traction. Anything rear wheel or all wheel drive is ultimately better than front wheel drive in drag racing. Certainly a lot cheaper and more reliable to attain your goal. A Dodge Neon isn’t the right platform to start with if you want to race and win.
What would I do with it? Easy, I would take it to the Auto Club Speedway in Fontana, for “Wednesday night lights,” street legal drag racing. Trust me, it’s cheaper than a therapist or battling the bottle, at the watering hole. When you race, you can’t think of anything else and it clears your head.
Amen to that, plus it’s a hell of a lot of fun (as long as you don’t break stuff) lol
Maybe not Steve R. We will most likely bail them out…. again. What will it be? The New New GM?
Lets see where we are at now. No more Holden. China’s market makes 42% of of profit but China and the rest of world are in crisis.
The last Impala rolled off the assembly line last week. Now GM’s focus is spending more on electric vehicles then gas. Personally I do not think America is comfortable with a new electric vehicle made by GM. If you are old school and follow history we are programed to avoid all new of anything from them. For good reason.
GM hasn’t proven they can make and sustain an electric vehicle. Didn’t they end production of the Volt?
Tesla made 367,500 EV’s world wide. 223,000 in the US alone to GM’s Bolt @ 16,400
For those of you that like to disparage GM, you might want open your eyes to this news this from over a month ago, and its not GM.
The Next Recession Can Bankrupt Ford Motor Company
https://www.ccn.com/next-recession-can-bankrupt-ford-motor-company/
Why Bankruptcy Is a Forgone Conclusion for Ford Motor Company
https://www.ccn.com/why-bankruptcy-forgone-conclusion-for-ford-motor-company/
Thank you vintagehotrods. GM just paid out profit share to all of it’s full time employees last week. It’s an annual gift to my family that allows me to maintain a lifestyle (that includes an occasional car restoration or to raise another Tennessee Walker from a foal). General Motors is doing fine. They may have dropped car lines like the Cruze….and I don’t agree that only trucks will rule the roadways in the decades to come…but they are poised to give Rivian a run for their money with the new Hummer EV.
JCA You do have plenty of misconceptions however I do agree on one thing. Rear wheel and all wheel drive applications being the prefered method of racing. We do not live in a perfect world do we?
That methodology doesn’t stop kids today with FWD cars. They are still being modded. They will continue to do so. It is what they have. It is what they can afford.
No one told your grandpa his old Ford or whatever wasn’t optimal to race. He made it that way. It is the spirit of Hot Rodding. Same principle BUT it seems only on this site race cars and cars featured for sale have to be a certain brand or way. Pretty sad.
Oh, and an SRT4 isn’t a Neon They are both FWD. Last I heard one ran 7.90 @188 mph. Maybe someone needs to tell the guy his pulling wheels are in the wrong spot.
“Maybe someone needs to tell the guy his pulling wheels are in the wrong spot.”
Seriously??
A major milestone in street legal car drag racing was achieved last September as Tom Bailey went a 5.998 @ over 250 mph on the final day of Drag Week 2019. This marks the fourth Drag Week title for Bailey and the second in this car, the street legal Pro-Modified “Sick Seconds 2.0” Chevy Camaro.
HOT ROD Drag Week is the event where street/strip cars are driven 1,000-plus miles on public roads during a trip that includes four dragstrips and five races in five days.
If your car has doors, lights, and registration, you can participate in the hardest road trip of all time. The world’s fastest street legal cars have been knocking down 6-second passes for years, but this news is resonating around the world.
Funny thing is I haven’t seen any front wheel drive cars that could do what Tom Bailey’s Camaro just did…………ever!
My boss had one of these (not built, of course) as a company car in the early 80’s. It was so homely I named it ‘Cecil’ and the name stuck.
Vintage HR Sorry you seem offended but thanks for the update on Drag Week. Been there in person. Met Tom Bailey too (nice guy) I attend many car events throughout the year and planning on having a busy year in 2020. I appreciate ALL cars. Not just one single automaker.
So you are making a comparison of a funny car for the street with an unlimited Big block V8 engine making over 4000 hp. against a FWD 2.4 FWD sub compact car making maybe 1000? You win!
Four cylinder cars are fast and beat V8 cars all the time. Maybe that is hard to compute. They are not the fastest thing in the world DUE TO THEIR SMALL DISPLACEMENT are limited by design. We are talking only 1/2 a V8 .
For anything running 6-7 seconds regardless of brand or engine size is a phonimal feat even a caveman could appreciate. Being that fast one is not better than the other. They should be equals.
Maybe a four cylinder isn’t in the 5 second range now. Give it time. It will. Someone faster will come along. They always do. It only takes a half a second.
Maybe by that time since the major focus on electric power in Detroit Things are a changing. We will see a GM or Ford EV truck/ SUV going down the strip. Making crazy numbers. In 10 years it will be common.
It also won’t matter.
That’s funny! Who was the guy that compared the little four cylinders to the big V-8 in the wagon in this thread? (Hint: avoid mirrors!)
Thank you for pointing out the obvious: “They are not the fastest thing in the world DUE TO THEIR SMALL DISPLACEMENT are limited by design. We are talking only 1/2 a V8 .”
It’s like trying to compare apples to oranges, right? I don’t understand why you would want to do that, so I thought I’d point out the fallacy of your posts (fal·la·cy a mistaken belief, especially one based on unsound argument). I’m not offended, I just enjoy pointing out the obvious!
And Tom Bailey’s Camaro closely resembles a Pro Mod door slammer car, not a funny car. I’m surprised that even after attending several events and with your vast wealth of knowledge, you don’t know the difference.
“I appreciate ALL cars. Not just one single automaker” says the same person that said “Pretty soon GM will go the way of the Do Do Bird with Mary at the helm. We won’t have to worry about it. Already happening before our eyes”, which prompted me to point out that contradiction.
And here it seems like someones upset………..”it seems only on this site race cars and cars featured for sale have to be a certain brand or way. Pretty sad.”
As Will Rogers said – ‘If you find yourself in a hole, stop digging.’
Everyone makes good cars, and bad cars in all different configurations. In fact, I own ten old Fords, three Chevy’s and even a Suzuki! As a hot rodder I believe in “Different strokes for different folks!”
Back in the 80’s in the western suburbs of Minneapolis the Minnetonka PD used 4 door Malibu’s as police cars, dark blue. I always wanted one. This wagon comes close, but why did someone go to all the trouble of putting that mill in there and not do a 4 or 5 speed manual?? So grandma could still drive it? I guess… Great wagon, but it needs a different color, and some nice Torque Thrusts…
If this was built for running down the track for a little bracket racing, then that’s probably why they went with the auto box.
In the early ’80s, I bought a ’79 Malibu 9C1 police car from Minnetrista Mn. ( Next door to Minnetonka) Had been dark blue, repainted white. Black interior with indestructible vinyl buckets, power locks, power windows – including power rear vent wdws, tilt and cruise, very nicely optioned. 350, 350 turbo, locking diff, F41 suspension. Drove it for several years, kids, dogs, using it as a truck, handled all the abuse. I somewhat reluctantly parted it out and put the driveline and suspension in a clean California ’81 ElCamino, sold it to a friend who still loves driving it.
Even with a 4 or 5 speed the 3 zero 5 mill is an underpowered engine especially with the tiny 2 bbl carb. A 4 bbl helps anything and too bad F.I. was a just a couple years away. Chevy failed Corvette owners when the unreliable 3zero5 was put in them.
All the right custom touches on this one …
Personally , it has to be converted to a 2 door but not the cheap weld the back door way
It must be done right ; get the real doors and parts of a junker and get to work
Cause these cars look great as 2 door station wagons
If you look sleeper up in the dictionary there’s probably a picture of this.
Perfect needs nothing else.
Pretty much. I’d personally make it even more sleeper by going back to chrome bumpers and putting on the period correct small hubcaps and rims, which are slightly different, and putting on the original emblems. Other than that, great build!
I had one of these. I think it was a 80 or 81 ? Black with red pinstripes and a red vinyl interior and a set of Cragar mags. Nice wagon except for the crappy V6 which ate a camshaft every year. My wife only remembers it as the wagon that a front wheel fell off one day and left us stranded. Still, nice looking wagon. Should have put a 350 in it :)
I guess that 454 w/ fuel injection was from a 454 90’s truck?
Odd the headrests are gone.
Not sure if the rear end can handle the motor, especially if this was a V6 car.
I never heard of power rear vent windows – Is this 1 of the GM 4 door midsizers with rear seat side windows that are fixed/dont roll down cause GM wanted to save money & weight on a regulator inside the door? Dumb! The rear vent window should have been made a little bigger & fixed & a proper manual crank mechanism fitted for the primary glass in the door.
It is what it is and it’s really cool! No changes… put gas in and go.
I love this thing. Would look good sitting next to my 80 Grand LeMans safari wagon i have now. Might even give it a run for it’s money on the track. Lol. These are fun cars with mods like this. With the 700r4 and 3.42s it would be a decent driver car also. Mine has a 488 Pontiac stroker th350 and 3 73s. Not a highway car by any means.
I wish I did that to my 79 Grand LeMans. I liked it except for the 3zero5.
I had one in White. 305 and a 4-speed! A ZZ4 crate motor swap and that wagon was a BLAST to drive!
VIDEO ….please
I love this wagon. I’d drive it just like it is and enjoy doing it. I wouldn’t worry about gas mileage as it’s probably not bad if you drive it properly. I agree with 427Turbojet, I have always driven vehicles from GM, Ford, and Chrysler and most often my friends who called my cars big, old fashioned, and unreliable spent more on their foreign cars than I did on mine. Yes, some of those little cars are peppy now but front wheel drive limits them somewhat in a drag race. I have a Cadillac SRX, 305 HP, with front wheel drive, and if I hit the pedal a little too hard taking off it spins the front tires. Not just for this reason, but my next car will be rear wheel drive.
Back in my street racing days of yore (early 90’s), there was a two door version of the Malibu that ran a 454 on the bottle. It was wicked fast for the time, and the big block fit rather nicely in the engine compartment. Those G bodies can swallow almost any motor thrown at them..
Me, I bracket raced the Olds version of this wagon (bronze with wood grain paneling even) for a couple seasons.
Get ready to shuffle..
I think painted bumpers are going to be our new “red hoses used in the engine compartment” bone of contention– things most of us BF readers don’t like to see on an otherwise great barn find. I had a chance to buy one of these in this color, from a retired old lady into big quilts, in 1992. I was about done with my 90 Beretta GTZ which blew it’s engine a year later. Wish I’d bought the wagon when I had the chance.
This reminds me of my 1964 Chevelle wagon I had, bought two cars for 300 dollars in 1972, A 1964 Chevelle wagon in maroon paint with a running but parts missing 283 powerglide and the other was a white 1964 Chevrolet Impala SS with High output 327 4 bbl and powerglide. The rotor cap had it’s square peg broken off so it would not run! Easy fix The frame was a bit rusty on the SS so I pulled the engine tranny and put it in the wagon…. trashed the ss! (bad idea!)
The Chevelle would get up and dance! Had it for a few years and bought a 65 Caprice and in went the engine tranny again! drove it till the wheels fell off!
Oh for those years again!
Purpose built, flat out screamer. A purpose of putting a big grin on your face.
There’s always someone faster, why not just enjoy the ride.
I am amazed that 454 even fits in it! I love it!
I had a Vortec 454 in a ’99 Chevy C2500 Crew Cab short box that spent most of its 160,000+ miles working hard pulling a 10,000 lb Featherlite 24 ft trailer. All it ever needed was a starter, a fuel pump (probably from running it low on fuel with the 26 gal tank) and regular maintenance.
Love to see these cars loaded with factory options, tilt, cruise, power windows, locks, 4 speaker stereos, etc. There is even a full gauge with tach. instrument cluster available, but the photos in the ad make it hard to tell if this car has that also. Almost never see the loaded ones. Only thing I would change on this one is to go back to chrome bumpers. New owner will be getting a great car with this one.
This will really impress a lot of guys at a local ice cream stand. My only observation is a complete lack of underside pics. Other than that, I wish I could enter the bidding ring.
We had one of these back in the day same year. The rear windows did roll down, but only about 1/2 way due to the rear end cut out. The ad shows power window switches front and rear.
Wow, this one sparked quite a conversation. I may as well chime in. The whole imports are faster, people buy them for reliability,mpg thing obviously has two sides,either way, 10 civics will never have the class of this car,or many other of the big 3, but then again the imports are bought for their longevity etc,etc,etc. Can’t wait until the next reliable,long lasting 1982 import car with an once of beauty pops here on Barn Finds, oh wait………….lol 😁!!!
Very cool wagon