The Malibu: She is a beauty

We know the Malibu became its own model in 1978, but where did it begin? The Chevelle Malibu was a step up from the base model Chevelle 300 and offered more options. From 1964-’77 the Chevelle Malibu could be found in Sport Coupe, Convertible, 4-door sedan, 6-passenger, and 3-seat wagon. Which model would you choose to restore?

For OPGI customer Gabriela Marin of Anaheim, California, restoring a 1969 Chevelle Malibu wasn’t just her choice, but more so her destiny. You see, the Malibu was purchased back in 1979 by Gabbi’s father who had just returned to California from Chicago. Recently selling his beloved Glacier Blue Malibu, he was desperately seeking a replacement. With his eyes peeled, he spotted a ’69 LeMans Blue 307 Malibu with a black vinyl top in the parking lot of a grocery store in Long Beach, CA. Negotiating the seller down from $1300 to $950, he used much of what he had to secure the car, even his lucky $2 bills.

The Malibu was Gabbi’s ride home from the hospital in 1986. The Malibu quickly became her father’s image. He was well-known and respected in the community. Growing up in a rough neighborhood, riding in her father’s car made Gabbi feel safe. Father to 3 girls, Gabbi was his youngest and the only one of his girls he could count on to help bleed the brakes, hold tools, make sure the lights were working, wash the car, etc.

Her Father did his best to keep the car on the road, but eventually trips to OPGI, or as it was known at the time ‘Chevelle Classics,’ became a thing of the past, priorities had changed, and funds for the Malibu were a little low so most work he would do himself. Despite being driven daily for 40 years, having no garage for it, and being exposed to the elements, it still ran and drove when it was finally passed down to Gabbi in April 2019. Seeing pages circled or cut from an OPGI catalog over the years, and knowing how bad her father wanted to restore the Malibu, she had to do right by the car and him.

Proud of the car’s heritage, Gabbi wanted to let that shine through, 307 badges and all. Making it into something it’s not was never an option for her, she wanted a stock-looking Chevelle. Finding someone who felt the same way was quite difficult until Gabbi found Pete Wittenberg; the man behind the one-man shop: Pete’s Rod & Custom in Anaheim. He patiently heard Gabbi and her husband Rod out, saw their vision, and put together a plan that eventually turned into a complete frame-off restoration.

The final build consisted of a GM performance crate LS3 6.2L, 4L60E transmission, Holley EFI Terminator X Max engine management, Wilwood disc brakes, Ridetech coil-over suspension, custom exhaust with Magnaflow mufflers, powder-coated chassis, all-new stainless steel brake lines, and Dakota Digital dash. When the project was coming to a close, as excited as Gabbi and Rod were to have a really killer sleeper, they curiously asked about paint and body referrals and took Pete up on a referral he recommended highly: Sergio Salazar from Mr. Old Habits Hot Rods in La Habra. 

Spotting two beautiful Chevelles when she walked into Sergio’s shop she knew he was THE guy. Extremely knowledgeable and super patient as well, Sergio listened as Gabbi and Rod discussed their vision and shared their inspiration (above). As the restoration project neared its end, Gabbi was most shocked finally seeing the car in its completed PPG’s Granada Gold paint job with a brand new fresh vinyl top installed.

Feeling like she had a show winner, the Malibu aka “Sleeping Beauty” was immediately registered for the 2022 Grand National Roadster Show. Diamond Back had just supplied a beautiful set of custom redline tires, American Legend with their classic rally wheel cruisers, the car was close to being complete, but not without those hard-to-source replacement trim pieces, and a vinyl top. Even more difficult during the pandemic but lucky for Gabbi, OPGI was able to come through with those critical pieces to complete the restoration one week before showtime.

The GNRS was the perfect grand reveal opportunity, and Gabbi will never forget watching her father walk in and see his car, a 307 Malibu, displayed on a red carpet completely transformed. “It was definitely a special moment for us all,” Gabbis says.”Sleeping Beauty” took home Best of Class / 1st place for the 1960-1969 Hardtop Sedan category. Attending 9 more shows in 2022, placing in 6, one of them being OPGI’s 40th Anniversary Show! For Gabbi, the entire experience has been incredible, one that she never thought would be possible but here she is making her father proud. 

Proud to be a part of this Chevelle Malibu’s story from ‘Chevelle Classics’ to Original Parts Group, Inc., we hope you enjoyed it.