72 chevelle malibu

i have recently found a 1972 chevelle malibu with a rebuilt transmission, and 41,000 miles on it. It needs a paint job and some interior work but other than that i can trust it to go state to state. How much am i getting it for you ask, just the meager price of $500. i couldn't believe it when he told me, i thought he was joking i even tried to get him to charge more he said that's all he wanted. i realized he didn't care, considering the fact that he has a 68 chevelle convertible (cherry red black racing stripes) and a 69 nova with a 400 c.i. engine and a 4 speed. so i said ok im buying it in a few days and i was simply wondering what i could do to get the most out of it.

moderate specs:
350 cubic inch engine
automatic (newly rebuilt transmission)

i love what this guy did to his
http://www.chevyhiperformance.com/featuredvehicles/148_0411_chev/index.html

i haven't had time to take pics but this is what it looks like http://xs34.xs.to/pics/05255/black67ss026.jpg
this is what it's gonna look like:
http://www.autoseekandsell.com/userimages/Pict0013.JPG

Best $500 anyone can spend. Since you are asking for suggestions, try to keep the car as close to original as possible. They seem to be worth more that way. Look for the build sheet, it's a small rectagular sheet of card-paper that is found either under the seat springs or under the gas tank. This build sheet listed all the specs and options that the car originally had. It'll be a great start to knowing what you should be aiming for when you decide to spend money on this. Learn as much as you can about '72 velles before you start taking it apart. There is a ton of information out there, and since you are in LA, there are a lot of owners you should talk to as well. Go to a car show, find a 72 and chances are the owner(s) will bend over backwards to help you out. If this car really has 41K miles, and it can be proven, you have one h*ll of a find there! If it really has 141K, even that is a once in a lifetime deal. Welcome to the forum, and keep us posted on the progress.

well this is my first car, im 15 and i live in southern indiana not l.a. i just listed that as l.a. i didn't think anyone would look it up sry. thanks for gratification on the car and yes it really does have 40,000 miles on it. my brother is 30 and works on cars he had plenty of races when he was my age (that's why mom's so scared) he has access to alot of parts at very cheap prices though I was thinking of suping it up a little instead of keeping it stock i figured i'd still keep the engine, id drop a 4 barrel carb in it, turbo charge it and a couple of other little tricks and after me and him talked im pretty sure im gonna go with cherry red and black racing stripes something bold. yes i know my age that kind of power is a little risky but this is my first attempt (guided by my experienced brother) at actually doing something to a car i've read books, diagrams, various muscle car websites, and learned from my very car influenced family but i've never done that much work on a car this my chance and if im working on it i'd like to call it my own. Though the gas consumption increase from a turbocharger and a 4 barrel carb (stock is 2 barrell) is quite a bit but im willing to pay up plus im getting my dad's dodge neon it's pretty nice (for a car that replaced the dodge omni :iceslolan) the point is it's easy on gas (and handles nice). which means ill have a work horse and a show horse (with alot of horses under hood, sry couldn't help it).

Anyways it looks like you've got a 68 chevelle what's it got tell me the story and link me a couple of pics

Anyways it looks like you've got a 68 chevelle what's it got tell me the story and link me a couple of pics


OK, here it is, but I want anyone looking at this to know that it DOES NOT get driven in the snow. I just took it out to take photos for the insurance company appraisal. It's got a '71 396/402, Holley 750, TH400, posi 3.55 rear.

Good luck with your acquisition. Get ready to spend money and have fun relative to each other. Hook up with a girl whose father owns an auto parts store. :wink:

http://i27.photobucket.com/albums/c187/highlandlake/chevellesignaturepic.jpg

1st off, turbo's are for GNX's or ricers. A 4 bbl carb will get better mileage than a 2 bbl as long as you keep your foot out of it (hard to do when driving a muscle car). For what you'd spend on a turbo kit (:puke: ), you could re-do the motor with a nice cam and other internal go-fast goodies, making it sound tough and rumbly like a muscle car should.

I'm thinking Rich is right. That engine will not like any kind of boost without some serious rework.

As suggested, you'll do far better keeping it as stock as possible. That doesn't mean you can't have some fun with the engine, beef the transmission, improve the driveline, and still maintain a stock appearance. However, if it really does have only 40K on the clock, you have a collector, and should seriously consider going as factory stock as possible for maximum value, unlike this '72:

http://72.19.213.157/files/72Chevelle.jpg

thats a pretty good suggestion bowtie i've really thought about keeping it stock, im not sure at the moment i gave up on turbocharging about 5 days ago when i sat down with a couple of my bros buddies (theyd get a real kick out of this forum...unless they're already on it?) talked to them asked them about the chevelles they used to have and whether they'd turbo charge every answer was a flat out no. said if i wanted something that would give it a good power to weight increase i should at the most go with nitrous and to keep on the outside as stock as possible and to probably go with an edelbrock carburetor (they said more "user friendly" than a holley) and some other advice along the lines of what rich said. thanks for the input anymore would be greatly apreciated tell me what you would to this car if it was yours. be generous

thanks for the input anymore would be greatly apreciated tell me what you would to this car if it was yours. be generous

What was the original color of the car? Read the trim cowl tag and de-code it to find out what options it had. Look for the build sheet too. Sounds unanimous - keep it as stock looking as possible.

BTW, I didn't mean to sound like an a$$, but turboing a musclecar is just wrong. I'm glad others agreed with me. The price you're paying for that car is almost criminal. I hope you take your time and make it look nice. Selling my '70 Malibu (300hp 350, 12-bolt, auto, pw, pl, front disc brakes, tilt, etc...)was the biggest mistake involving a car I've ever made.