1980 malibu LS swap project

[lt4malibu]

figure'd id bring this back for a little update:

last month i had the bodyshop fix the only spot of rust on the car. came out good considering the car has 32year old laquer paint and matching it proved a little tricky.

old piece cut out

new piece in, primed, painted and in the booth getting some clear with a flattening agent to try and match the "dullness" or patina of the old faded paint.

all done

also got a set of steel wheels, not sure how i feel about the look - i ran them for about a week and have since swapped the centerlines back on

now im currently working on gathering parts to get the a/c system working which is proving to be a little bit of a challenge. ill post how that goes when its finally blowing cold air

 

[80malibucoup]

What do you need for your A/C????

 

[lt4malibu]

not really sure yet, i have the malibu AC box, camaro convdenser/compressor - somehow need to make them work together.

 

[LIVE4RDO]

What size are the steelies? Want to sell them?

 

[pmgm]

Hello, Nice build.. I wanted to know if you can post pics on these.
mods..
-relocated the battery to the trunk
-mounted the battery cut-off switch
and post the part # for the throttle cable
Also when you do your A/C please post lots of pics..

Thanks

 

[lt4malibu]

Hello, Nice build.. I wanted to know if you can post pics on these.
mods..
-relocated the battery to the trunk
-mounted the battery cut-off switch
and post the part # for the throttle cable
Also when you do your A/C please post lots of pics..

Thanks

battery is in the spare tire well, switch is under the rear bumper

i used a throttle cable from a 98-2002 f-body without traction control(cant find the part number) and i made the cable shorter inside the car by crimping on a ferrule that you would use on steel cables to join them together or loop them(get em at homedepot or a hardware store.

 

[79loserbluebu]

Where did you find a passenger chrome mirror for the car? I've been watching eBay like a hawk and nothing has popped up.

Also I'll keep checking back on this thread, I'm in the same exact boat with the AC using the same mounts, and compressor from the same vehicle. I test fit the bracket and compressor and it's pretty tight to the frame. My dad looked online and found a 98-02 F-body V6 ac line may be what I need, there is maybe 2" from the back of the compressor to the frame so the V8 F-body line won't work, it'll need to come off the side of the block and up

 

[lt4malibu]

Where did you find a passenger chrome mirror for the car? I've been watching eBay like a hawk and nothing has popped up.

Also I'll keep checking back on this thread, I'm in the same exact boat with the AC using the same mounts, and compressor from the same vehicle. I test fit the bracket and compressor and it's pretty tight to the frame. My dad looked online and found a 98-02 F-body V6 ac line may be what I need, there is maybe 2" from the back of the compressor to the frame so the V8 F-body line won't work, it'll need to come off the side of the block and up

mirrors actually came off a late 80's cutlass in the local junkyard. theyre not as tall as a malibu chrome mirror but i think they look ok.

as far as the a/c:
i called BRP last week to ask them what ac line they use on the f-body compressor (since it says right on their website that the F-body compressor works with NO MODIFICATION) - they basically told me i need to use a truck compressor because the suction and discharge lines are on the top ](*,) well the truck stuff sits 3/8 of an inch further forward than the car accessories ](*,) ](*,) ](*,)

 

[79loserbluebu]

I know exactly how you feel with that company. I thought I read somewhere that the truck and car compressors are the same dimensions, its the brackets that are different. Did they tell you by chance what line is recommended?

 

[lt4malibu]

I know exactly how you feel with that company. I thought I read somewhere that the truck and car compressors are the same dimensions, its the brackets that are different. Did they tell you by chance what line is recommended?

when i called he started to say something about some vintage air fittings and cutting them... and i just gave up. im picking up a trailblazer ss compressor this weekend and i may also grab a c/k truck compressor so ill let you know. i have plenty of ideas but we'll see what actually works.