FEBRUARY 2025: THIS 1966 CHEVELLE MALIBU HAS PASSED THROUGH THREE GENERATIONS

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The humble four-door sedan was built for families who needed more room—not more horsepower.

Very few of them survived a lifetime of heavy service, but there are exceptions to the rule.

The secret to its survival is its history. Ed Cole’s father bought the Chevelle new at Weidner Motors in late 1965 because he wanted something practical for his family. The car became a part of the Cole family’s daily routine until 1974. It was also the Cole’s honeymoon car.

Ed remembers road trips in the car where he and his brother would fight for the rear package shelf because that’s where kids rode in the old days. They’d bundle up in the back seat with blankets and no air bags or seat belts but like Ed said, “Somehow we survived”.      

There was an incident where the Chevelle quit suddenly, and Ed’s dad jumped out to solve the problem. The solution was simple—two-year-old Ed was riding in the front seat, and he figured out how to turn the ignition off.

The Chevelle went into barn hibernation in 1974 when the Cole family bought a new truck with power steering. Ed’s mom made a quick decision and the Chevelle was off the road.

Ed rescued the Chevy in the 1980s after a ten-year hibernation when it became his high school car. He drove it until the late 80s and then the Malibu went into another 20-year hibernation—this time in a garage.

Ed’s son Adam grew up with the car, but it was never a part of his life until a few years ago when he started taking interest in his grandfather’s old Chevelle.

The 283 was stuck so Adam and his buddy tried the oil down the cylinders trick on the 103,000-mile small block and got it running. Adam said the car, “Had no compression when it started, but dumping oil in it got it running pretty good”

The Malibu was in decent shape after nearly 60 years and the sins are obvious. The lower portion of the metal has a few problems, and the passenger fender was replaced years ago after a crash–but the rest of the car is still wearing factory paint.

The interior is surprisingly mint after years of storage, so the mice clearly took no interest in the Chevelle. The interior survived despite the fact it was missing a rear window for twenty years.

Adam and his buddy spent 36 hours on the paint wet sanding and buffing the finish to a point where it looks like a solid survivor.

Adam added 15” mags to the car but he didn’t like how high it sat, so he used 2” drop spindles to get the front end down. He’s surprisingly comfortable behind the wheel of the Chevelle given his age. He also upgraded the Malibu to a dual master cylinder and better brakes.

Adam is very confident behind the wheel of this 60s era car even though he was born many decades after his grandfather bought it in late 1965. He even took his grandmother for a  ride in her honeymoon car just to showcase the deep family roots in the Malibu.    

Ed and Adam have a list of what they’d like to do. The goal is to preserve the originality of the Chevelle, so they want to keep the repairs (and new paint) to a minimum. Ed did mention the possibility of eventually yanking the 283 and putting something with more punch under the hood.

By: Jerry Sutherland

Jerry Sutherland is a veteran automotive writer with a primary focus on the collector car hobby. His work has been published in many outlets and publications, including the National Post, Calgary Herald, Edmonton Journal, Ottawa Citizen, Montreal Gazette, Saskatoon StarPhoenix, Regina Leader-Post,  Vancouver Sun and The Truth About Cars. He is also a regular contributor to Auto Roundup Publications.

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