Re: 77 malibu classic

by Psychlonic Mon Dec 06, 2010 1:04 pm

High 3s should still keep him under 2000 RPMs on the highway in OD and make launching in first more fun. Very Happy

Better invest in wider tires though haha. I remember when I first put my 700 in, I was running on the old 215 tires that came with it and that thing peeled out in everyone's face no matter how hard I tried not to.
It's got a very tall first gear for something that bolts to a V8, and a pretty small fourth. That's kind of another reason I think a manual/partially manual valve body is the way to go with these things especially on a daily driver though - it's a wide range but only 4 gears. The first to second shift can be a little odd no matter how much TLC you put into the TV cable and governor, and my car wouldn't even think about third until I stomped on it. So having a different valve body could save you gas. Also helpful since that first gear can be hell in snow, and you'd be able to ease out into traffic in second instead.

by The Dude Mon Dec 06, 2010 2:21 pm

I hate to open up a can of worms again....... but a 200-4r trans doesn't have that kind of 1-2 jump. Just saying......

But on with the topic at hand, I recommended the mid 3's just because of the reasons you posted. The 700's first gear is so low, you really wouldn't need to go much deeper than 3.55 for a daily driver. With the 700's .7 OD, the final gear would still be 2.48:1 which is pretty nice for gas mileage. Also with the 700r4's deep first gear, 3.55 rear gears in 1st is about equal to 4.31 rear gears with a TH350.

I guess 3.73 gears would be good if you plan on 28" tires to compensate for the increased diameter though.

by Psychlonic Mon Dec 06, 2010 10:19 pm

I think the biggest consideration is simply if you want that first gear or not when looking at the 700r4 vs the other OD autos available, when it comes down to it. I did. Twisted Evil

Others won't.

by 74Malibu383 Tue Dec 07, 2010 4:23 pm

I can personally attest to the deep first gear. I'm running 4.10's out back and they are too much. With the power I'm making, the deep first gear, and the 4.10's, I can't keep tires on it at all, even if they are 28+". Thinking about going to 3.42's.

by abajc3 Sun Dec 12, 2010 8:06 pm

i would sure love to be able to manually shift from time to time(although automatic rocks!), but only if i had a ratchett shifter. with column shifter it would be a little awkward plus i would be without first gear. but if i decide once in a future for that ratchett shifter, ill need buckets and center console too. and that wont be cheap.

changing the gear ratio seems like a bit more work than i have expected so it will have to wait. looks like im gonna be saving some major dough on the tyres lol

by dragons_lair59 Sun Dec 12, 2010 9:52 pm

they make ratchet shifters for 4 spd autos and just drill out the rivet for the shifter and your good as new

by abajc3 Mon Dec 13, 2010 6:44 am

yes i know, but i currently have bench seat and column shifter so i have no place to fit the ratchett.

by Psychlonic Mon Dec 13, 2010 11:17 am

You could probably make it work, but waiting is probably the best thing to do. Save up and do the whole conversion at once.

You can always get the console you want, install the shifter and just put in some cheap donor bucket seats for now as well. Then it just becomes a matter of waiting until you have the right seats and swapping them out. Of course, just as a rachet shifter isn't as useful without bucket seats, it's also not nearly as useful without having the valve body in.

Just throwing the idea out there, I'm sort stuck at the seat part myself. Torn between swivel buckets and lighter racing seats. I think I read that swivel buckets are 60-something lbs per seat and many comfortable racing seats are between 20 and 30. So you stand to shave over 70lbs off the car by taking 25lbs (and still comfy) racing seats over swivel buckets. Might not be a priority for you, I'm actually aiming for a 3200lbs curb weight while retaining creature comforts. And then there's the behemoth bench or even worse; the power 79 Cutlass split bench that's actually in mine right now. Laughing

If you don't care about shaving all the weight you can though, I say go with swivel buckets. I think they look incredibly sharp, match the existing interior, kind of a neat gimmick few others have, plus everyone and their mom has procar style racing seats these days.

by The Dude Mon Dec 13, 2010 12:07 pm

Psychlonic wrote:You could probably make it work, but waiting is probably the best thing to do. Save up and do the whole conversion at once.

You can always get the console you want, install the shifter and just put in some cheap donor bucket seats for now as well. Then it just becomes a matter of waiting until you have the right seats and swapping them out. Of course, just as a rachet shifter isn't as useful without bucket seats, it's also not nearly as useful without having the valve body in.

Just throwing the idea out there, I'm sort stuck at the seat part myself. Torn between swivel buckets and lighter racing seats. I think I read that swivel buckets are 60-something lbs per seat and many comfortable racing seats are between 20 and 30. So you stand to shave over 70lbs off the car by taking 25lbs (and still comfy) racing seats over swivel buckets. Might not be a priority for you, I'm actually aiming for a 3200lbs curb weight while retaining creature comforts. And then there's the behemoth bench or even worse; the power 79 Cutlass split bench that's actually in mine right now.

If you don't care about shaving all the weight you can though, I say go with swivel buckets. I think they look incredibly sharp, match the existing interior, kind of a neat gimmick few others have, plus everyone and their mom has procar style racing seats these days.

WOW! We are thinking alike. I'm aiming for 3200 myself but have such a nice comfy bench seat that I can't hardly let go of it. OTOH, I have a nice set of Eclipse buckets that onlt weigh about 25lbs each just sitting in the garage ready to go in.

Gonna reference Jonny O one more time so you can see that a bench seat & shifter is possible. Read the comment he wrote below the pic, lol.

jonny o wrote:

Keep your console, I like mine better... and I can still screw in the front seat.

by abajc3 Mon Dec 13, 2010 2:56 pm

hmm, interesting idea! will have to think about that! as for doing certain activities in this car i had found out the embarrasing way that although very appealing, this car is far from ideal given the circumstances that its quite exotic in my area. you see, it doesnt matter where you park/hide the car, it always attracts a lot of atention and 75% of the people want too see it up close and look at the interior and stuff. i supopose you can see where im aiming at with this story lol Very Happy

by abajc3 Fri Feb 04, 2011 2:34 pm

here is the video i promised

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g44ZgpZHX2s

dont mind the friend hollaring, hes used to 4 bangers:)

by Pdawgie Fri Feb 04, 2011 4:19 pm

Another thing to maybe think about is your statement on a MSD Dist. You really don't need that, an HEI with a hop-up kit in it, has excellent performance, is very dependable and easy on the wallet. A hop-up kit includes a new module, coil and vacuum advance and works very well with the small blocks. With the kit your HEI will wind the rpm's like it should. I run this set up in all my chevy's because of the dependability.

by abajc3 Fri Feb 04, 2011 4:27 pm

i already got the MSD streetfire (the cheap chinese one) and the difference is very noticable. although the previous tistributor had a lot of play in the weight pins and it was rusty a bit. i bought it for 120$, and im quite satisfied for now. i need different springs though, with stock ones it dies a little as you rev it. but the bottom end torque and driveability is awesome

by abajc3 Sun Mar 06, 2011 12:06 pm

went to visit a friend today, and he has such a perfect driveway that i just couldnt resist.

the cameraman sure did get his share of dust Very Happy

by Limey SE Sun Mar 06, 2011 12:39 pm

very nice buddy you darn rebel LOL

by abajc3 Sun Mar 06, 2011 5:47 pm

you know how they say, ride it like you stole it:) im not trying to destroy it or anything, but im not babyin it either. the paintjob is some home made mess anyhow, so its not like the gravel could cause any damage. but it sure puts a big smile on my face:)

by Limey SE Sun Mar 06, 2011 7:15 pm

and thats what its all about brother they dont like dont watch video fair warning

by Leike Sun Mar 06, 2011 7:43 pm

Nice video's you've made:lol:, i invited you as friend on You-tube !

by abajc3 Mon Mar 07, 2011 6:58 pm

Leike wrote:Nice video's you've made:lol:, i invited you as friend on You-tube !

thanks! i cant see your friend request request. but im not very active on youtube anyhow. i prefer facebook for anything but videos, feel free to add me there if you have an account.

by Leike Tue Mar 08, 2011 2:52 am

I found you on facebook....

by abajc3 Sun Apr 17, 2011 6:09 pm

https://www.facebook.com/video/?encoding#!/video/video.php?v=1815641563990¬if_t=video_processed

thats what i call a good sunday morning:) took our family friend to church and after that we had a little fun:)

by Limey SE Sun Apr 17, 2011 6:35 pm

I seen this buddy looks like fun

by Mcarlo77 Sun Apr 17, 2011 6:45 pm

Hey, that little Teo does a nice job driving that big Chevelle! Brings back memories of my dad letting me sit on his lap and steer his big 'ol Olds around the country roads in Iowa.

by abajc3 Sun Apr 17, 2011 6:49 pm

yeah, he got the feel for it very fast, i didnt have much correcting to do.

i remember steering my uncles old renault once, those are the things you just dont forget. gotta love living in the country too, you just cant do that in a city

by abajc3 Fri Jun 22, 2012 11:41 am

ok so the plans for the malibu have changed once again. i got a good deal on a 93 corvette lt1/4l60 combo. only thing missing so far is an ecu unit. i am having a bit of trouble finding one for a decent price (i remember seeing them on ebay for around 150$, now they are all around 300$). i have a lot of school related work at the moment, but i hope i can start pulling the old engine sometime in the beginning of july.

if anyone has any information that might help me, i would appreciate if you shared them with us.

by Sponsored content