The majority of classic Chevelles that we see here at Barn Finds usually either have a V8 under the hood or fresh air where a V8 used to be. That’s what makes this 1972 Chevelle Malibu barn find a refreshing change. Its engine bay features its original six, and the owner has returned it to a roadworthy state. This rust-free classic needs a new home, so the owner has listed it for sale here on eBay. The Malibu is located in Ontario, New York, and spirited bidding has pushed the price to $18,000. The reserve has been met, so a new home is only days away for this beauty.
A lot of the history of this Malibu is unknown. It seems that it received a repaint in its original Ascot Blue in around 1996, and I believe it was parked in a barn after the work was completed. Beyond the repaint, I don’t think that this car has received much cosmetic work. The Black vinyl top is tidy, but it shows enough deterioration to suggest that it might be original. The vinyl isn’t bad, and I believe that some conditioning might have it presenting at its best once again. I’ve seen people have success with vinyl using the type of polish that is generally used on fiberglass boats. It’s easy to find, inexpensive, and the results can be surprising. The paint still holds a great shine after 25-years, with only a few marks and bubbles visible. The panels are straight, and there is no evidence of any rust issues. The owner supplies photos of the Malibu’s underside, and apart from a sprinkling of surface corrosion, it all appears to be rock solid. The trim and chrome are in excellent order, and the same is true of the glass. The Chevy rolls on a set of tidy Rally wheels, and these suit the vehicle’s character perfectly.
We’ve now reached the point where we realize that this Malibu is different from many of the cars we have featured over the years here at Barn Finds. The Chevelle is a numbers-matching car, but its engine bay features a 250ci six-cylinder engine, a 2-speed Powerglide transmission, and power steering. Those specifications don’t make this a muscle car but suggest that the original owner didn’t want to expend too much energy behind the wheel. With 110hp on tap, the journey down the ¼ mile is always going to be a leisurely affair. In fact, the owner will need to put aside at least 20.9 seconds for that occasion. That doesn’t make it a fast car by any stretch of the imagination, and there will be many readers who would consider swapping a V8 into that space. However, I will provide an argument against that move later in this article. Whether or not the six ticks the boxes for you, the news remains positive. The owner coaxed the car back to life once it emerged from hiding, and it is said to run and drive very well. He advises changing the tires before any serious journeys are attempted. The current tires are dated 1996 and are showing signs of rot. That sounds like a fair call to me.
When we open the doors and look around inside, we find what is almost certainly this Chevelle’s weak point. The interior looks serviceable, but it needs some time and money spent on it if its presentation is to match the exterior. The carpet is badly faded, and the next owner will probably want to change this. Replacements are readily available, and $160 will secure a good set. There is also a tiny crack beginning to develop in the dash pad. Because this hasn’t progressed far, it could be a candidate for being repaired rather than replaced. It is an option that would be worth exploring. I think that the buyer might also need to budget for a set of seat covers. The passenger-side front seat has some weird fading and marks, and the top of the back seat shows signs of sun-rotting. Both problems look beyond repair, so a new set of covers will be the best answer. That means that the buyer will need to find around $560 for a complete set of covers. The wheel has a couple of large cracks, so the buyer will have to choose between repair and replacement. I’m betting they go with the latter option. This will add a further $300 to the total, but the interior would then look pretty smart with all of this work complete.
This 1972 Chevrolet Chevelle Malibu is a tidy survivor, but it could raise an interesting question for potential buyers to consider. Chevrolet produced an impressive 212,388 examples of the Malibu 2-Door Sport Coupe during the 1972 model year. Those equipped with a six under the hood were in the minority, with a mere 4,790 buyers following that path. Today, most enthusiasts focus on V8-equipped examples, and little thought is given to their less muscular siblings. Slotting an eight into the engine bay of this car would not be difficult, and I’m sure that we have readers formulating those plans as we speak. However, leaving the Malibu untouched would make it a classic that would attract attention at a Cars & Coffee. So, does rarity trump power in your books, or is there nothing as great as a big V8?
My opinion, if you want a V8, find one that’s already been swapped. It’s refreshing to see a nice simple numbers-matching car that represented a different time in American motoring.
Refreshing to see an original 6 cylinder car. Much better than having a fake SS. Keep it original and drive it.
I agree with you SO much! I really hate to see cars like this butchered by someone who wants to drop a bigger engine into the engine bay.
I fail to see what would need to be butchered on this Chevelle to enable fitting a small block or a big block into the engine bay.
I think just for fun, though I don’t know how expensive it would be, I would build up that 250. I have seen this done with some Fords online and they had really impressive HP gains. There is a YouTube video of a 250 in a guy’s garage that supposedly has 500 HP. I question that though. This is a nice looking car. Do the interior and massage that 250!
The 250 responds very well to mods, and hop-up parts for Chev’s I-6 have been easily available for decades from Clifford and Offy+++. I had a 250 rebuilt with some go-fast goodies some 20years back and yes your run-of-the-mill moderate SBC will offer more bang for your buck, however I totally agree the cool factor of a mod’d six is worth the effort. I-6s usually aren’t found of RPMs so forget about high HP #s for a reliable street vehicle. Much safer to build it for torque, which an I-6 like the 250 can be built to produce lots of.
From my experience with sixes it isn’t necessarily the engine itself that puts a damper on performance but rather the transmission. Too much energy gets lost when coupled to an auto. With just the base 3spd and the right gears even a bone stock 250 should make a fully usable power plant with very decent MPG for a 50year Malibu
My little sister has a somewhat similar 1970 Malibu locked away in her garage, tho her’s is a V8, has a nice white/black interior, and is painted a nice dark green with a black vinyl roof. Seeing this example, a few hundred miles from her is already at $18K might make day. Nice car to drive but age and condition is the selling feature of these lo-performance models.
Amazes me that sellers advertise a car for crazy money but don’t consider cleaning the carpet or fixing the “minor” little issues. I have worked driving cars to stage during Mecum auctions and you would be surprised how many expensive cars come to sale with no gas or a bad battery.
Beautiful survivor, but I find one thing very odd. This six cylinder Malibu has SS parking light /turn signal lenses. Malibus has amber lenses in 70&72, SS cars has clear lens/amber bulb set up. 🤷♂️
No reason to keep that 6-cyl in this car. So many power upgrade options that could be done for as little as 5k.Doubling that HP would help greatly… Underpowered cars are not fun to drive at all.
An excellent EV candidate. IC engines are extremely inefficient and slow!
Yes and my Challenger Redeye is proof to how inefficient those IC engines have become.
🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣
Yeah, I wanna drive around with all those EMFs polluting the universe. Gasoline powered engine ARE safer on the environment than those battery powered polluters
To answer the question rarity does not trump power by itself, not really at all. It just so happens most performance models were the rare sellers back then, if you look at the numbers. Theres also the question of whether or not a car was rare or just really undesirable. The question of why, maybe that fits better. Nice family car here, managed to avoid us awful gear head types, circle track racers and so forth. Clean.
Drive train would be drained of all fluids, and used as an anchor , or if one chooses, 2 anchors, then the bench seat would be dumpster art, along with the steering column, and the dash cluster, showing the remnants of the power glide selector, then we would find a nice 402, cause it’s a 72, and a nice 700 R4, console buckets, new vinyl top and vintage air, now it’s a party
Clean the interior and fix the minor issues and just drive it.
Spending a lot to increase its performance might be a very questionable issue.
Nice clean classic but I can’t lie, every time I drive it I’d wish I had a V8 and I don’t mean the kind u drink!!
18 grand for a 6 too who’d a thought we’d ever see that day!?
Reading the comments above you quickly realize who the knuckleheads are who watch reality shows and as such favor stupid “upgrades” done to pieces of automotive history.
The rest of us know what these cars were when new and believe they should stay that way…its only stock once and stock never goes out of style or never depreciates. We are just keepers of the treasures of the past so that the future owners can know what the cars originally were like.
For those that say “tear this out” and “replace/mod that” then maybe stay off Barn Finds and go to some of the “lesser” sites to find “projects” by other knuckleheads who thought the same way you do. Maybe you can finish their failed projects.
But leave the stock classics to the classic car caretakers.
Eric I think you need a good lesson on how to make remarks on a public forum. Calling people knuckleheads for there opinion on a car is just uncalled for. Keep your remarks about the car.
I had a few cars with the Chevy six. I always found that engine to be very dependable. I just wish that lubricants were better in the mid – late sixties.
The car is just as beautiful as the day she was born, and rolled off the assembly line! I can see both sides of the discussion keep or save the 6 cyl engine. For the sake of argument, I would stay middle ground and maintain the car as is, with the engine swap if necessary. You have the original engine and tranny which can be returned back to the car when required, and also be able to enjoy the Need for Speed until that time arrives! Oh and I have 2 of these beauties, 68 SS and 70 SS, both kept original!
Once that 6 cylinder motor and powerglide is removed for any V8 or later transmission very few would ever want to go back and replace the original ones. That numbers matching 6 cylinder and two speed transmission is not an asset to most people. The car’s rust free body and excellent condition is the only asset. Leave it alone and let the people who desire an original low option car to bid it up. The 20.9 quarter says it all to me.
I really like this chevy,yes its slow, but I would leave it as is!,much more “real”,than the plasticky 80 z28 that will probably sell for more.
Rat engine, 4 gear, 60 in the rear. Springs, sway bars, big brakes. Cage, buckets, steering column, and find the gauge package. Modern rubber and you have a car that will be worth driving.
The six and powerglide, well if you got 200.00 for it you would be lucky. Or use them for a genset.