Back in 1984, Mark Grimes was working on a project car that he actually finished in 1985. That car was this awesome 1965 Malibu SS that got the Pro Street treatment. What’s more is that he is fortunate enough to still own the car. It’s hard to beleive that the car in the video, shown at the Du Quoin Street Machine Nationals, is almost exactly the same way it was when Mark finished putting it together more than 30 years ago.

When Mark built the Malibu, he installed a blown 427 cubic-inch engine that was equipped with mechanical fuel injection. After years of use, it is still running strong, and remains nearly identical to the original build. In fact, the only significant change has been the addition of electronic fuel injection to replace the older-style mechanical injection. Of course, he does tell us that he has had to replace the occasional bent push rod or thrown rocker arm along the way.

The rear tires on Marks’ Malibu are 33 x 21.5-inch Mickey Thompson drag tires, and the wheels are custom made. Mark made them himself using 16-inch wheels from a Mercedes Benz. Back in 1984, when he was building the car, a 16-inch wheel was huge. Although a 16-inch wheel might not be as impressive today when based exclusively on size, but the quality of Mark’s workmanship helps them continue to stand out against other custom wheels.

For Mark, making it to Du Quoin, was the dream. When standing in front of his car and talking to the camera, he expressed that in a way, being at the event really shows how important this whole project was to him. After years of work, upkeep, and waiting, things have finally paid off. “Du Quoin is it.” Mark says, “I can’t tell you the years of my life I’ve lost trying to make it to Du Quoin with the car.”