You don’t see many four-door Chevelles, and you definitely don’t see them with massive 315-width tires stuffed under all four corners. Shawn Davis from AutotopiaLA just featured Brian’s 1967 four-door Chevy Malibu, a homebuilt autocross machine that’s all function and zero fluff. The best part for many old-school fans? It’s powered by a carbureted big-block, not another LS.
A Big-Block Heart And A Split Personality
Brian’s car is a masterclass in making a heavy car handle. He built the 468 big-block himself and topped it with a Holley 950 carb that he painstakingly tuned for autocross. It’s backed by a Muncie M22 Rock Crusher four-speed, but the real magic is the Gear Vendors overdrive behind it. It lets him split gears on the track and cruise comfortably on the freeway, a trick that helps this nearly 4,000-pound beast get a surprising 14 miles per gallon.
A Four-Door Chevy Malibu Built For Grip
To keep the car from twisting into a pretzel, Brian swapped the flimsy stock frame for a fully boxed one from an El Camino. Fitting those huge 315 tires on the four-door Chevy Malibu took some serious work. He had to flare the front fenders out by four inches and stretch the rear quarters to make room. The 18×11-inch steelie wheels are custom, too. Brian bought smaller wheels, cut the centers out, and had a shop widen them to get the perfect fit.
A Purpose-Built Driver, Not A Show Car
This Chevelle is the exact opposite of a trailer queen, and that’s what Shawn Davis loved about it. “I like how you can tell it’s purpose-built. Like, it’s not in the realm of a show car,” Shawn said. The car wears the same paint it had when Brian bought it back in 2000, and it still has drum brakes in the rear. It’s a car that gets driven hard, broken, and fixed in the garage, just like a real hot rod should be.
Why The Four-Door Matters
The fact that it’s a four-door makes the whole build even cooler. “This is the other part I like. Nobody does a four-door,” Shawn commented. It’s a refreshing sight in a sea of two-door muscle cars. Brian built his four-door Chevy Malibu for one reason: to drive and enjoy it, and that’s a philosophy every gearhead can get behind.