Message | Very nice car. I special ordered a '68 Chevelle Malibu wagon with 396, 4 on the floor, heavy duty everything (suspension, clutch, electrical, radiator - some of these were manditory options with the 396) and an economy rear axle and bucket seats. The dealer made me put $1000 down (almost 1/3rd of the price of the car) since he thought noone else would want such a beast.I was not going to drag race it, but I was going to pull a two horse trailer. My buddy who had a hardtop with a low geared rear axle never used first gear at all, but I used it all the time and skipped second or third, when the road was level and the horses were not attached. It died in a fire when it was only 5 years old, drug affected mechanic rebuilt the fuel system, it sprayed gas all over the engine, and the local volunteer department got there after it was totally engulfed in flame. A speed shop bought the wreck from the insurace co. for the engine and tranny so the engine lived on. But by l973 rust had gotten to the car, and it was on the way to being bascially unrepairable body and frame wise. So I am on web, many years later, looking at Chevelles for sale which is how I came across your great car. Now, "just like it came from the factory" today can mean a cometically perfect car, but back then, it was rare - mine had 7 real "factory defects" mostly body and paint, and some loose bolts when "dealer prep" meant tightening every bolt they could get at, which good dealers did. |