Car: 1967 Malibu
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I purchased my one previous owner '67 Bolero Red Malibu 283 4 speed in 1968 from Bob MacDonald's Chev/Olds in Halifax NS for $2800.00.
I drove the Malibu as my daily driver until 1977 or '78. At that time my wife and I moved from the city to the country to begin building our new house. We put the Chevelle on the "back burner" with the thought that one day I would get busy and restore it to its original "glory".
Over the next years many other things took priority over the Malibu tucked safely in storage. We built a house, a garage, landscaping etc. and really had little time or money to think about restoring a car. After the garage was completed I moved the '67 there, thinking it would be safe and would not deteriorate any further. I, however, was sadly mistaken! When I finally had the time and the funds to have a close look at what was needed, the condition of the Malibu was far worse than when I had safely "tucked" it away. I discovered that storing it on a newly poured cement floor was not the thing to do. It was damp in the garage and with no heat the Malibu had rusted quite badly. Around 1986 I started to seriously consider what to do with my Malibu. It was very rusty and I don't think that I would have started the restoration if the car did not have so much sentimental value to my wife of thirty-one years and myself. It was the car we had before we were married!
I did a frame off restoration; it took over 800 hours and many dollars to bring the Malibu to what it is today. I got parts for it from as far away as New Mexico. I really think the search for parts was the most interesting of the whole project. I met a lot of interesting people along the way!
My restoration work was completed and the Malibu was ready for the road in late 1989. We still enjoy taking "her" for drives and attending a few of the local shows in our area. We purchased a 1997 Malibu, however, it does not compare at all with the bright red '67! I don't think I'll keep the '97 to restore.
This car came from the factory equipped with the following
- A51 Front bucket seats
- D55 Floor Console
- M20 Four Speed Transmission
- N40 Power Steering
- P01 Wheel Trim Cover
- P58 7.35-14 W/Wall Hwt Tire
- U63 Radio - Pushbutton