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Home-Built Hero: Dan Maybee’s ’66 Chevelle Malibu

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In our eyes, Dan’s Malibu is every bit as cool as a Super Sport.

Dan Maybee has always been a fan of anything from the General, but he also told us that although first car was of the GM variety, it didn’t carry a Bow-Tie emblem. His first car was actually a ‘67 Olds 442. That is still a very cool first car as far as we’re concerned. That was a “few” years ago, and he was a young 16 years old. He paid a $400 for that car, and according to Dan, “I thought it looked almost identical to a Chevelle.”

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A 327 cubic-inch small-block is a reliable performer, and the updated factory air conditioning makes it even cooler.

For many of us, our first car is a distant memory, and Dan’s is no exception to this disappointing realization. In Dan’s case, there have been many other cars throughout the years following the Olds, and when when we asked him why he chose this particular ’66 Chevelle, he let us know, “I knew a lot about this car because a friend of mine was building it for his terminally-ill wife, Kathy. Dan went on to say, “My buddy built a mild, 327 cubic-inch engine, and topped it with an Edelbrock [3] intake and a Holley [4] carburetor.

15682156_1406950595996055_4435894_o [5]He then backed that up with a Turbo 400 automatic, to make it easy and reliable so Kathy could drive it without having any issues. It’s Marina Blue, and retains the factory air conditioning.” Unfortunately, circumstances changed, and that is how Dan gained ownership. He affirmed, “I know what that car meant to Ray, and I told him one time that if he ever decided to sell it, I would like to have first crack at it. A short six months later he asked me if I was still interested, and here I am now, the proud owner of a ‘66 Chevelle Malibu.”

This car is still, “’just’ a Malibu” as Dan puts it. He is also happy that his friend didn’t paint the car red, instead covering it in popular shade of blue. Although the car is a Malibu, there are a few Super Sport upgrades that Dan added, as he told us, “I did however steal a couple of styling ques from the SS, like painting the grille and the rear panel between the taillights black.”

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Inside, there is an Ididit [7] steering column, and the addition of a Super Sport dash adds all the factory gauges. Dan did also add a few mechanical gauges, because as he said, “Let’s face it, the old gauges are 50 years old, and I know firsthand that once you hit 50 years old, stuff doesn’t always work so well.”

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Although not technically correct for a Malibu, adding the black to the area between the taillights does enhance the look of this cruiser.

Do you want to read about more Home-Built Heros? All you need to do is click here [9]. If you own a Home-Built Hero, we want to hear about it. Since we’ve started the series, we have received more than a few candidates, but we still want to see more – we can never get enough. If you want to see more cars built by you the readers, send us a few pictures of your car showing the engine, interior, and exterior, along with all of the pertinent information, and we’ll make you Internet famous. You can send your submissions to [email protected] [10].