Do I need a G Body?

Found this in my sleepless craigslist searches this weekend.  Any rust spots I need to check that would make or break a deal?

I figure a G body could be a pretty good entry into the $2019 Challenge CAM class.

Check the frame where the lower trailing arms meet the frame.  That curve where the frame comes down in front of the rear tires gets crusty pretty quick.  Rocker panels will likely be raisin bran.

That thing will easily swallow any GM engine from chevy or BOP.  Even Caddy 500s are an easy swap.  Transmissions too.  All of the automatics (except the heavies like TH400) were available from the factory in G bodies so it's a function of just unbolting the crossmember and moving it fore and aft for the right transmission.  THM 200-4r or 700r4 is a good choice for OD.  TH350 is a good cheap alternative for 3 speeds.  If it comes with the THM200C, don't expect it to shine.  They were not the strongest option.  Swapping transmissions is pretty easy, but get the bellcrank for the shifter for whatever you choose.  If you put a TH350 in where a 200 or 200-4r was, the thows will be really short between detents, vice versa for the other way around.

7.5" rear won't take much torque or traction.  An LS1/T56 swap can punch the ring gear out of the cover if you're not careful.  Only factory 8.5" option is the 442/GN, and they sell for big dollars.

Frame from the kick up in front of the tires back. A lot of those have bumpers held on with hopes and dreams. 

Memories.  I grew up riding around in one of those things.  Moccha brown, V6, 3spd auto.  We had it until I was a teenager, so I did drive it a few times.  Holy hell, the V6 was slower than molasses.  The transmission shifted so slowly, it was like counting Mississippis....

Do it!

Thanks for the info guys. I like the big squareness of these cars.

Sounds like there's another guy that is going to look at it before me. We'll see if that actually happens or not, this is craigslist after all.

Seems like a lot of money for what amounts to a canvas that needs all the old paint scraped off before you create something.  Drivetrain is all trash and the body needs work.  Not the worst thing but at that point you could build off of a lot of other platforms.

I think u could build a good sleeper out of it and if you are concerned about that fender the nice thing is it’s a full frame so u can get another one and replace it. You can go with a th400 or th350 no problems and g bodies came with the 200r4. Th200 were a bit weak in stock trim if put with a v8 but can be built and have been popular with some oval races.

if building say a high reving small block I’d go with an over drive transmission but if building big powerful engine like a big block with plenty of torque etc I’d go with the 400/350 with taller gears. Honestly 3.08 to 3.31 will be great.

I’d like to pay $500, certainly no more than $700.

i bet you could find a two door with the drivetrain already removed for less than $1,200

https://providence.craigslist.org/cto/d/1978-chevy-nova/6726551958.html

https://providence.craigslist.org/cto/d/1979-chevy-el-camino/6728832453.html

By no means would I be paying asking price for that car.  This one might not work out but these cars are definitely on my radar now after looking into them a little more.

In reply to ebonyandivory :

That Camino seems much more worth the gamble.  I'm guessing a late 3rd gen F-body gave up that motor along with things like the airbag equipped steering wheel (which I find extremely weird to see there).  

frenchyd said:

Why?  For what that would cost and the cost of turning it into a race car you can buy a Jaguar with a massive more potential and cool factor.  

Who would have thought! :-)

I agree.. a 4 dr keeps the cash investment lower.  Find a roller, warm over a 350/TH350 and do some parts-bin brake and spring swaps from a junkyard.

Drag race you're pretty good to go.  Handling... um... the short spindles make for horrible camber curves.  There is no really easy way to correct it properly.  B-body spindles will get you 11 or 12" brakes and a good spindle height, but bump steer gets a little nuts.  There are aftermarket spindles (look to the dirt track scene) but they aren't cheap.  You can do it with tall ball joints as well, but they're not much cheaper.

Some of the dirt track guys just go with crazy sway bars and spring rates which makes some oversteer, but prevents the crazy camber on the inside.  The problem is, when the inside lifts (soft springs) it cambers in hardcore.  One solution is to drop it as far as you can to get the upper arm above parallel and stiffen it up to prevent body roll.  It's just hard to find a sweet spot between negative camber (too soft) and over steer (too stiff).

There is also a way to do it with older A-body drum spindles.  There is a kit to bolt on LS1-era F-body rotors and calipers with a cheap bracket conversion.  You'll still have bump steer in its original geometry, but the steering arm is a bolt-on AND it's forged.  So you can fab or buy a different arm to bolt on for correct geometry, OR (since it's forged) you can always heat and bend.

Assuming the seller doesn't load the car up and drag it to the scrapper today I'm going to look at it tomorrow after work with a battery and $500 in my pocket.

Ram50Ron said:

Do I want a G Body?

You absolutely do !!!

For those interested in such things the chassis has autocross potential.  Buddy of mine has built the "Malibeast" out of a '79 two door.  Literally everything has been modded/upgradeed/replaced/customized but good googly moogly it's fun to autocross.  At our season closer sunday he ran FTD and I was 3rd a whole 0.3 seconds back.

I think those Malibus are the last cars GM made that have a hint of the old muscle car design to them. I especially like them in 2 doors, of course.

There are also some 2 door Caprices floating around this world, and those are pretty cool too.

Something about these Malibus makes any of these and the aforementioned Caprices seem like tin can versions of real muscle cars though. I can't place my finger on it though

The Hot Rod Garage guys built a 4 door Malibu not long ago.  Unfortunately the two videos on the build have fallen behind the pay to view window.  https://www.motortrendondemand.com/detail/500hp-ultimate-sleeper-getaway-car-1979-chevy-malibu/0_ngn78nkw/

Any performance or handling parts that can be put on the 2 doors can be used on the 4 doors aswell just like the previous larger a bodies.

Unfortunately the car sold before I could make it out to look at it.  Thank you all for the great info, G Bodies are definitely on my radar now.