Owner

Name
Bryan Flattem

Home Town
Minneapolis, MN
 

Vehicle

Year, Make & Model
1972 Chevrolet Chevelle Malibu

How long have you owned this vehicle?
since 2000

Where/how did you find this vehicle
This was originally my wife's aunt's car. She had it in high school and parked it in the 1980s when she bought an early Mustang. It sat next to a garage in St. Paul until she was forced to have it moved. I never knew she had it until she asked me to help her figure out a sale price for an old Chevy she had. When I pulled up, it was sitting next to a little single car garage under a blue plastic tarp. The tires were cracked and rotted, but everything seemed complete. She said she would start it every so often, but it didn't start that day. We agreed on a fair offer of $1800 and I went back with a friend and some tools, spare wheels, and a tow dolly to drag it home. After changing all the fluids and throwing a simple tune-up at it, she fired up!

Any projects planned for this vehicle in the future?
Nothing short term for now, but it will get the body and paint work done eventually.

Has this vehicle won any awards?
A few website "car of the month" features, but nothing fancy. It's not a show car.

Have you raced it? If so, where and when?
It was on the track once, broke the throttle cable a couple times. The times weren't representative of what I think it can run in the 1/4. I'll just say it's faster than 14s and slower than 10s.

Power Train

Engine size and Horsepower
5.7L a little over 400hp

Tell us about any engine modifications
1999 5.7L factory 4 bolt block, factory Vortec heads, GM's HOT cam kit, Holley Stealth Ram manifold, GM Typhoon throttle body, Flowtech Afterburner headers, 1995 Chev truck factory serpentine belt system adapted to this setup, lots of Camaro and Corvette sensors, brackets, etc. Reprogrammed chip and a Corsica computer.

Transmission Type and Modifications
1992 Chev truck 700R4, new servo, some interal mods, computer controlled lockup

Rear axle ratio and modifications
1969 Chevelle 12 bolt case, Eaton 4.10 posi

Suspension

Front
PST poly kit, mostly stock except for a big Helwig sway bar

Rear
Southside Machine upper and lower control arms, Helwig sway bar, KYB adjustable shocks

Brakes
converted to front disc, factory drums in back

Other

Wheels and Tires
Original 1970's American Racing Torque-Thrusts 15x8, 15x10. Dayton Daytona tires

Tell us about the vehicle's unique options or features, either factory or aftermarket
I took a basically optioned Malibu and converted it to front disc brakes, swapped in a Monte Carlo gauge style dash, added a floor console and converted a factory shifter to work the overdrive trans, swapped in a 1970 Chevelle interior and ProCar seats (black interior since the pic was taken), converted to multiport EFI using as many factory GM parts as I could short of the manifold, fuel rail, and pump. The cooling system is covered by a AC Delco factory aluminum radiator from a mid-80s Caprice and the fan and motor setup is from a Chevy Venture Van. I can't afford or have the skill for a beautiful show car, but I'm a resourceful scrounger and have had lots of help from friends and my car club. The body is still original, but the vinyl top was removed and it was painted red and white back in the late 1970's. It has some chips and dings, and is beat up from the tarp, but it's a good solid car.

Tell Us More
I couldn't have finished any project (or even attempted some) without help from my friend Chris Pittman.