[Beige80]

Check it out..
Picked up a low mile all original.. minus the wheels.and hood 😊. 1983 wagon.. all original down to the wingnut on the air cleaner.. the seller also gave me the original wheels and tires and hood.
63xxx miles.. I am the 3rd owner.
305/th350/2:43 gear
The plan is to go thru the brakes.. fuel system.. suspension and a new set of tires.charge the air conditioning.. it blows cool not cold.. yet..😎. get it legal and safe to drive. Unsure if it will be a big inch small block or LS swap ..
Input is welcome..
Oh yeah.. we put a hot battery on it and some gas it fired right up.drive it home 7 miles. tags went out in 2015
Shout out to Minoridertim for helping me out.

 

[Beige80]

What a find! Good luck. I think you will find it has 2.41 gear. Same thing. Might have R12 in it.
Tom

Thanks for the correction.. already have a spare Rearend with 3:08 waiting to go in😎

 

[Beige80]

I bought a brand new 1983 Chevy Malibu wagon in 1983 . It had the 229 cu.in. V6 -2 barrel with automatic & it was loaded with options . Had trouble with the lockup converter , it banged real loud when it engaged . Other than that it was good , got 24 mpg on a long coast to coast road trip . I wish I'd got a V8 I would hae kept it longer , only kept it 5 years , wish I wooda kept it longer .

I’m looking forward to getting it on the road..legally..
It is optioned strange.. power locks but no power windows or cruise control.. odd..

 

[Beige80]

That's a great find & cool car. You could have a lot of fun with it. I can hardly wait to ride in it, the next time I'm out your way

Looking forward to it brother..
About the same date in 2023 is the goal as of now.😎🏁

 

[Beige80]

Wagons Rock!! And I second your thoughts for dropping in an LS motor - they are inexpensive, abundant and run well forever. Especially the Gen 3 motors without DOD / AFM. Let me know and I will box a PCM for you that is at least semi-tuned to the point that it'll start and run without throwing strange check engine light codes.

I can tune a Gen 3 PCM (1999-2006 or so) for free and as long as you are not putting in a radical camshaft or new intake manifold, it should run pretty good. These devices are very inexpensive in the yards around here and I . . . simply . . . can't . . . walk . . . away . . . from one at the JY. Especially when somebody else has already done the work to make it easy for me to finish grabbing.

I think, at last count, I had nine Gen 3 PCM's in my stash around here, ready to go. Yes, I have a bit of a hoarding problem.

Rick

Thanks. It will be some time but when I get ready I’ll definitely give you a shout. The deal is in our hot rods.. all money comes from side work,, hustling ..ect so no real money comes from household account. So it takes a little longer.. I hope to run the stock 305 for a year or so while saving 💵.

 

[Beige80]

I HOPE YOU GOT THE WINDSHIELD MOLDINGS! THEY ARE SPECIFIC TO THE WAGON as well as the glass.

Nope.. I wasn’t really concerned because we have several sets for a 5th gen Elcamino.. 😢

 

[Beige80]

Today’s update.. we swapped out the computer controlled distributor for a new msd street fire. New plugs, wires, cap and rotor. Runs 100% better. It starts with just a bump of the key. Shout out to Minoridertim for the extra hand.
#longroof
#scoredaniceride
#youlikeit

 

[Beige80]

Windshield and moldings from a 4dr sedan will work - El Camino and 2dr sedan have a laid back window while the wagon and sedan do not

Thanks for the reply.

 

[Beige80]

Todays update. It’s legal and on the road. New tires, new rear overload shocks. Still needs some tinkering but happy overall.

 

[Beige80]

Saturdays update.. got the oil and filter changed and thought I’d drive it a little further. Made it about 3 miles and it died.. starts back up after siting a few minutes.. same thing .. runs a bit and dies.. made it back home and removed the fuel filter and it was so clogged up I could barely blow thru it. Put it back together and now the float is stuck.. I have one from minoridertim Elcamino I am going to try. Oh and the A/C compressor is froze up 😢 I’ll update y’all later. Thanks for following…😎🏁

 

[Beige80]

Yea, neglect and no maintenance by previous owners bite us every time. You and Tim will have all of this solved in no time.

Rick

Thanks sir.. I swapped carburetor after church still runs and dies.. I’m thinking the pick up screen is clogged or lots of trash in tank.. probably just have to bite the bullet and drop the tank down for investigation.

 

[Beige80]

It's not fun, but pays off in the long run

This is what’s coming out of the fuel filter.. yuk

 

[Beige80]

Well the tank is gonna have to come out. If y’all are done laughing at my mess, I’d appreciate the extra help. I’ll even buy some frozen pizza from the dollar store for Cyberray 😂
Pics to follow😎

 

[Beige80]

Todays shenanigans..
Minoridertim came over and helped me get all the lights working as they should. We changed every light except the high beams and license plate light. Also put in another set of spark plugs and changed one burnt spark plug wire. It runs good but we discovered that the distributor has a short at the connector for the coil. So I’ll get a new one after church and then maybe it’ll stay running. 🙏

 

[Beige80]

Today’s update.
Swapped in a new distributor. Fixed the dying issue but soon as you drive it, it starts acting like it is out of gas. I guess I’ll attempt to get as much gas out as possible and drop the tank. Pics and updates in a few days. Thanks for following along. 😎🏁 Oh and then starter went out after the test drive. Was trying to refire and it checked out.. 😂.. it’s only money 💴

 

[Beige80]

Hardest part about dropping a tank is getting the fill pipe out, since it has to come out on an angle, without dumping the tank off the jack.

I have it way up in the air on Jack stands. Sprayed strap bolts with PB Blaster, went to take fuel lines off and the 3/8 supply line was really soft in the middle,, about 8” In length. I had a good replacement hose so I put it in its place. Now the starter is gone bad so I can’t crank it 😂 to see if it’s any better.

 

[Beige80]

Hardest part about dropping a tank is getting the fill pipe out, since it has to come out on an angle, without dumping the tank off the jack.

 

[Beige80]

I'm confident, you got this!

If I don’t figure it out pretty quick it’ll be for sale!

 

[Beige80]

I’ll take it.😁

Sounds great sitting still
New fuel pump
New distributor new cap rotor wires 2 different sets of plugs added a extra fuel filter before fuel pump replace squishy fuel line changed carburetor
Still won’t make it around the block..
Guess I’ll drop the tank and see what’s going on there… it is very frustrating.

 

[Beige80]

Strap a gas can to the front of the car and run a hose to the pump. That will tell you what direction to go.You could strap one to the rear and come off you fuel line to the tank to eliminate that also.
Tom

I think I found the problem. This is a diesel can and this brown junk is what’s coming out of the tank. I bought a in line electric transfer pump and put it down by the fuel pump on the block and this is what came out. Tank coming out Saturday morning 😎