'66 Malibu N/SA

Dave Muller · 05-01-2016, 02:14 AM

That last bit of work was done about ten days ago. But today was the first day I felt good enough to put in a reasonably full day in the garage. My son came over to give me a hand putting the front end sheet metal together.

It's amazing how much pushing, pulling, prying and even hammering it takes to get all these bolts to line up, but it finally came together. The alignment is still off, as I couldn't find the shims. I'll get some new ones and tighten everything up in a few days. On the other hand I was able to greatly improve the left door alignment, so I think that will work out okay.

Tomorrow I think I'll just do some more sanding and buffing on the paint. It still needs a lot of work. Then I'll get into the fuel lines and regulator next. Maybe mounting the seats will follow.

Hopefully I can figure out how the headlight buckets and grill attach. This car was a basket case, and I've never seen them together. But the exploded view in the body assembly book I have should help.

HandOverFist · 05-01-2016, 05:23 AM

Hope you get feeling better soon Dave...I've been fighting respiratory problems this year also and it's been tough.

Do you mind me asking who's alternator bracket you used? I may need one as well for the '67 shortly. I had to assemble my front-end by myself and know exactly what you mean with the fighting lol. The grille on my '67 attaches underneath the fender...it appears on a '66 it bolts in on the exterior which should make it a bit easier.

Bob Gullett · 05-01-2016, 09:11 AM

Looks like the Eastcoast kit. 2407
http://www.ecae.com/alt-kits.html

Dave Muller · 05-01-2016, 10:26 AM

Yes, it's East Coast Electric.

HandOverFist · 05-01-2016, 10:33 AM

Do you remember the kit # Dave?

Dave Muller · 05-01-2016, 11:59 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by HandOverFist

Do you remember the kit # Dave?

I didn't actually buy the kit, I think the kit had some minor hardware I didn't need and cost more than the total of the parts I did buy. Here's what I got (Summit part numbers here):

ECA-2025 Alternator
ECA-2233 Bracket
ECA-2251 Pulley
ECA-15265 Belt

While the belt they specifiy does work, it's really a little short. I bought a 15270 from the local auto parts and it's perfect. I'll keep the short one as a spare, it'll work in a pinch.

Bob Gullett · 05-01-2016, 12:08 PM

2407

Jeff Stout · 05-01-2016, 12:57 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Dave Muller

That last bit of work was done about ten days ago. But today was the first day I felt good enough to put in a reasonably full day in the garage. My son came over to give me a hand putting the front end sheet metal together.

It's amazing how much pushing, pulling, prying and even hammering it takes to get all these bolts to line up, but it finally came together. The alignment is still off, as I couldn't find the shims. I'll get some new ones and tighten everything up in a few days. On the other hand I was able to greatly improve the left door alignment, so I think that will work out okay.

Tomorrow I think I'll just do some more sanding and buffing on the paint. It still needs a lot of work. Then I'll get into the fuel lines and regulator next. Maybe mounting the seats will follow.

Hopefully I can figure out how the headlight buckets and grill attach. This car was a basket case, and I've never seen them together. But the exploded view in the body assembly book I have should help.

I surprised to see harbor freight sells a container full of body shims. All different sizes.

Dave Muller · 05-02-2016, 02:23 PM

What would a race car build be without a few glitches?

This one is pretty trivial. I decided yesterday that it's finally time to install all four Pro-Stars and get rid of the junk tires and wheels the car has been on. But then I found this oddity. This is like "Sesame Street".

"One of these things is different from the rest, one of these things doesn't belong."

I know it's a little blurry but if your eyes are sharp you might notice a 1/2" lug nut among the 7/16" ones. Summit is shipping out a new set.

A bigger issue is the line lock. It seemed like the master cylinder would be way out in the clear, but it turned out to be a lot closer to the inner fender than I thought:

So the next task is to relocate the solenoid to the inside.

Dave Muller · 05-02-2016, 05:38 PM

The fix seems pretty straight-forward. I moved the mounting plate over...

And mounted the solenoid right back up:

From here I have to swap around the 90 degree fitting and bend the brake lines a bit. I might have to replace one of them altogether. But it looks like this will be okay after all.

05-01-2016, 02:14 AM	#1
Dave Muller Member Join Date: Apr 2014 Location: Mesa, AZ Posts: 497 Likes: 162 Liked 223 Times in 73 Posts	Re: '66 Malibu N/SA That last bit of work was done about ten days ago. But today was the first day I felt good enough to put in a reasonably full day in the garage. My son came over to give me a hand putting the front end sheet metal together. It's amazing how much pushing, pulling, prying and even hammering it takes to get all these bolts to line up, but it finally came together. The alignment is still off, as I couldn't find the shims. I'll get some new ones and tighten everything up in a few days. On the other hand I was able to greatly improve the left door alignment, so I think that will work out okay. Tomorrow I think I'll just do some more sanding and buffing on the paint. It still needs a lot of work. Then I'll get into the fuel lines and regulator next. Maybe mounting the seats will follow. Hopefully I can figure out how the headlight buckets and grill attach. This car was a basket case, and I've never seen them together. But the exploded view in the body assembly book I have should help. Last edited by Dave Muller; 07-08-2017 at 01:30 AM.

05-01-2016, 05:23 AM	#2
HandOverFist VIP Member Join Date: Oct 2013 Location: Gulf Breeze, FL Posts: 1,651 Likes: 8 Liked 33 Times in 16 Posts	Re: '66 Malibu N/SA Hope you get feeling better soon Dave...I've been fighting respiratory problems this year also and it's been tough. Do you mind me asking who's alternator bracket you used? I may need one as well for the '67 shortly. I had to assemble my front-end by myself and know exactly what you mean with the fighting lol. The grille on my '67 attaches underneath the fender...it appears on a '66 it bolts in on the exterior which should make it a bit easier. __________________ Rich Taylor I/SA - 321

05-01-2016, 09:11 AM	#3
Bob Gullett VIP Member Join Date: Mar 2002 Posts: 1,107 Likes: 58 Liked 510 Times in 117 Posts	Re: '66 Malibu N/SA Looks like the Eastcoast kit. 2407 http://www.ecae.com/alt-kits.html __________________ 68 Chevy11 327 F/S

05-01-2016, 10:26 AM	#4
Dave Muller Member Join Date: Apr 2014 Location: Mesa, AZ Posts: 497 Likes: 162 Liked 223 Times in 73 Posts	Re: '66 Malibu N/SA Yes, it's East Coast Electric.

05-01-2016, 10:33 AM	#5
HandOverFist VIP Member Join Date: Oct 2013 Location: Gulf Breeze, FL Posts: 1,651 Likes: 8 Liked 33 Times in 16 Posts	Re: '66 Malibu N/SA Do you remember the kit # Dave? __________________ Rich Taylor I/SA - 321

05-01-2016, 12:08 PM	#7
Bob Gullett VIP Member Join Date: Mar 2002 Posts: 1,107 Likes: 58 Liked 510 Times in 117 Posts	Re: '66 Malibu N/SA 2407 __________________ 68 Chevy11 327 F/S

05-02-2016, 02:23 PM	#9
Dave Muller Member Join Date: Apr 2014 Location: Mesa, AZ Posts: 497 Likes: 162 Liked 223 Times in 73 Posts	Re: '66 Malibu N/SA What would a race car build be without a few glitches? This one is pretty trivial. I decided yesterday that it's finally time to install all four Pro-Stars and get rid of the junk tires and wheels the car has been on. But then I found this oddity. This is like "Sesame Street". "One of these things is different from the rest, one of these things doesn't belong." I know it's a little blurry but if your eyes are sharp you might notice a 1/2" lug nut among the 7/16" ones. Summit is shipping out a new set. A bigger issue is the line lock. It seemed like the master cylinder would be way out in the clear, but it turned out to be a lot closer to the inner fender than I thought: So the next task is to relocate the solenoid to the inside. Last edited by Dave Muller; 07-09-2017 at 12:56 PM.

05-02-2016, 05:38 PM	#10
Dave Muller Member Join Date: Apr 2014 Location: Mesa, AZ Posts: 497 Likes: 162 Liked 223 Times in 73 Posts	Re: '66 Malibu N/SA The fix seems pretty straight-forward. I moved the mounting plate over... And mounted the solenoid right back up: From here I have to swap around the 90 degree fitting and bend the brake lines a bit. I might have to replace one of them altogether. But it looks like this will be okay after all. Last edited by Dave Muller; 07-08-2017 at 12:16 PM.

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