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I try & remember to take pics as I go.

Alot of these were @ the end of the work just for the glamour shot. I installed/removed those c.members a bunch of times measuring & making sure things were going to work like I wanted.

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I dig the Malibu, too. I need a wagon like that.

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:agree: nice work and attention to detail!

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Sweet Malibu!
I use to have a '78 as my daily driver.

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That car has been in our "family" for about 15 yrs. ScotI's brother had it, I bought it from him and drove it for about 6yrs. My son drove it for a few years and locked the motor up. I took it apart and started to mini-tub/ frame rail notch the rear. I ran into some financial difficulties and Scot bought it from me about 3 yrs ago.

It will get finished by someone eventually.

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awesome build

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Of the multiple 78-81 Malibu's I've owned (3 2drs & 2 Camino's), this one is the cleanest as far as floor-pan rust issues. I still accumulate parts for it when I see something it will eventually need....

Thanks!

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SCOTI, did you cut that bed down or just using that frame?

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The frame was a 68 lwb that I shortened & cut up for the 64 swb body. I've learned over the years of 'not yet completed' projects to not take anything apart until I'm 100% ready to immediately put it back together (some guys can; I can't). Building the replacement rolling chassis also allows me to get some cool photos of the naked drivetrain & chassis (to show off the work that the 45yr old body will be covering up).

If you're asking specifically about the bed floor, it was part of a package deal from an old board member here in Dallas. I bought the entire short fleet bed @ a good price but only wanted the tailgate & steel floor. I re-sold the fleet tubs to FirstGen; the bedsides, front panel, & tailgate to n2billet, & kept the floor for free :) .

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Ahhh, now I understand. I'm the same way about getting everything ready and not stretching it out. I've been looking at bare chassis to build and worry about the truck later. :lol:

This thing is gonna be sweet!

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I missed this one last week I guess...Great write up. Looking forward to more on this one.

Looks Great!

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Not too much from this weekend. I finished welding in the support gussets for the 'inside' leg of the upper shock mount. Since the shocks are 'clocked' when installed, the bolts closest to the frame are close enough to the center of the c.member that they didn't need reinforcement; the bolts closer to the differential pumpkin are farther away from the c.member so I felt it would be best to add some additional support. The plate is 3/16" as are the gussets....

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I also got the gas tank inlet 'patch' & fill nipple ready for welding. I made a template from notebook paper pressed into the depression where the original small blazer inlet nipple was (I cut the original smaller inlet out). I transferred the paper template to poster-board trimming & fitting it as close as possible. I then transferred it again to a piece of 16ga stainless sheet. I hogged the center out on the SS patch to allow the inlet tube to be inserted so it can be welded inside & out.

This will allow the fuel to enter through a stock 2.25" 68 inlet neck (cut off of a 68 in-cab fuel tank) & then transition to a 2" stainless inlet pipe to the tank. I'll route the .500" vent line back up to the 2.25" portion of the inlet neck for maximum venting & tie the remaining 2 vent ports from the tank into a breather....

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A little more progress.... I worked on the bed floor to allow the fuel fill line to 'poke' through for easy, simple access for filling the blazer tank. I know many guys opt for an aftermarket flush mount cap or some sort of OE flip-up gas door assembly, but I wanted to keep it simple.

I cut out the floor 'runner' that's closest to the drivers rear corner of the bed/tailgate area to allow for a flat surface....

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I welded in some steel & cut the remaining runner so that I could form a similar 'slope' where the runner ends (I wanted it comparable to the un-modified floor runners).

A little bit of hammer work, welding, grinding; & then a little more welding & grinding until it looked pretty decent. When that was done, I marked the floor w/various measurements for where my fill tube was going to come through the floor. I tried to set it up so the 'gasket' was just up against the 90° lip the bed floor mounts to....

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Using the reference marks, I cut a hole in that 'just finished' flat surface. I installed an OE tank neck gasket & popped the fill tube in place. I haven't decided if I'll leave it as is or maybe build a 'cover' of some sort.

More than likely, I'll leave it as is since it's simple, clean, & functional....

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Now that that's done, I can finish the pipe that runs from there to the tank. It will be 2.25" @ the fuel fill inlet & neck down to a 2" tank inlet (w/a 2" fuel hose connecting the two pieces).

I've been limited on bed floor progress because I have to store the bed in a corner of the shop to allow room for pedestrian traffic. I had to wait until my buddy could swing by the shop & help move the floor into place. Then, I would have to 'clean-up' earlier than I wanted so we could pull it back off to store so he could get home @ a decent hour.

I needed to figure out a way to move the floor by myself quickly & easily. They say necessity is the mother of invention....

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I like that. Nice and simple and clean. And out of the way if you ever did have anything in the back...

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Works like a charm ;) !

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nice progress bro....

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I like it ..... NICE work.....!

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Very cool dolly set up. Will be easier on the back. Looks great.

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Kind of . . .... They just help get it from 'here to there'. Getting it on/off the frame solo is still a challange (but do-able).

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Any better pictures of the truck itself?

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Just the one's of it on the trailer when we visited the old SOS shop.

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Like the fuel filler SCOTI!

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Thanks!

I cut the stainless tubing for the 'under bed' portion after work today. I had to cut some scrap SS transition pieces to get the 2.25" neck @ the cap & grommet down to the 2" pipe sized for the tank inlet. It was fun trying to keep things nice & square.

Tomorrow, I'll move the bed back on the frame to verify exact dimensions for final fitament of the tube.

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Scoti, I am really diggin your work. Very clean and with lots of thought. Not to mention skills. I look forward to watching this truck come together.

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Cool build......:smoke:

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Thanks guys!

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cool build. love all of the details pics and infor you are giving. This is a nice project, cant wait to see more on it.

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Scoti, I have been waiting for this thread ever since I saw your chassis months ago. I was impressed then and am impressed again now that you put explanations to all of your mods. Projects like yours are very humbling and make me want to sell my junk and take up stamp collecting or something.

That said, why is moving the bed floor hard ? You have a nice forklift there.

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I use that as my lift for the extra frame & the bed floor is being kept out of the way so as not to inhibit 'business as usual'. The forklift can't do both. I'll prob slice up the other frame this week as I'm nearing the end of chassis stuff.

Thanks for the props. I'm striving to do work as nice as yours!

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I feel the need for some photos.....starting to have withdraws!

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I struggled w/the fuel inlet piping over the weekend. I'm going to cheat now & go straight up through the floor so I don't have to worry about it later. Waiting on a couple of parts to have a rolling chassis.....

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nice work!

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dvcawefg

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Subscribed!

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Nice work

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Not much progress as I'm trying to source parts which ultimately effect planning direction....

I picked up the aluminum material that will be used for re-positioning the rear axles center-line back approx 1.5". My plan was to utilize a solid piece of alum but the limited size & amount I needed rendered a significant jump in price. I decided to go w/what was readily available & used some 'drop' material from my local steel yard. One local metal supplier wanted $70+ for what I needed (which I had a few choice words for), so my steel yard let me scour through their alum scrap stack & these 2pcs (.500" x 3" x 21" total) cost me < $7. I'll have to stack them but it really won't impact their function....