The Iraqi Taxi: The Untold Story of the 25,000 Special Ordered Chevy Malibus

[@PhilipDykshoorn]

l recall as a youth in the summer of '82, roofing a business across a GM dealership in Oshawa, ON, the location of the builder of the '81 Iraqi Malibu. There was tonnes of those Malibu on the lot, and the lineup of the customers was like a grocery store. Customers all lined up, paid for the car and then drove it off the lot. l recall the owner/manager of the GM dealership coming into the business l was roofing at, and he was absolutely amazed that he almost sold the entire lot of Malibu cars (maybe 250 to 300 cars) all in two days. Those were the days (!)

[@SubdivisionAuto]

Wow 250 in a day thats insane. Very cool story how times have changed !

[@saadmarwan2779]

I'm a 19 years old teen from Iraq and who still drive this car my family had it since 1989 and it is still running, but the version I have came with automatic gear.

[@SubdivisionAuto]

Now that is really cool man!

[@Thunderrolls87]

They are well made

[@elbarbudomich.]

The Malibu was assembled here in Venezuela, I in fact had an 81 Mlibu, my first car by the way and in Venzuela it was a fantastic car, amny still have them as a regular daily use car with no issues. It has a 231 V6, 3 speed automatic, with AC, AM/FM radio cassette and just like the iraqi, the rear windows didn´t roll down. In fact the Malibu was the best GM Venezuelan product made since 1946, when we began assembly here and it has been one of the most stolen car as far as the 2000´s.

[@buff4prez]

The specific model in this video was assembled in Canada. The ones that didn't make to Iraq, stayed in Canada.

[@alreynolds7152]

I remember back in the day my grandmother had a Malibu of this time era...She loved it....

[@SubdivisionAuto]

Right on Grandma had good taste! Wonder if she had the 3 speed as well...

[@walterlingard5763]

Worked in a Chev dealer in 81 in the west end of Toronto. We sold a few of these and serviced them as well. In Aug 79, I bought a used 4 door Nova with 40k on it for 5grand, so 6500 was such a good deal for for one of these. We all wanted one but there weren't many available.

[@SubdivisionAuto]

That's pretty cool man. What year Nova did you buy and did you keep it? I'm restoring a 72 as well and filling for this channel the series is entitled Rustorations

[@walterlingard5763]

It was a 78 Nova Custom 4 door, 250 6 cyl, 2 speed power glide trany, AM radio and AC. Bought it from Avis rent a car in Rexdale. Great car drove it everywhere, twice to Alberta and back, but it's long gone. Got married,had kids etc and the salt here in Ontario killed it so I sold it when I started driving company cars. Your 72 sounds cool. Will check out the channel

[@SubdivisionAuto]

@@walterlingard5763 78 are still nice although Im a sucker for the 68-72. Cool story man thanks for sticking around

[@Thunderrolls87]

I love the last rwd Malibu and Elcamino.

[@pijiudu]

I would love to have one of these Iraqi Taxis! In the 1990's I owned a 1980 Chevrolet El Camino with the same powertrain - a 3.8 litre V-6 with a three-speed manual on the floor. For those of you that my be unfamiliar with the El Camino, it was similar to a 2-door 1980 Malibu but with a pickup truck bed on the back. In my opinion, it was the best small truck ever built, with a full frame, nice ride, and a decent sized bed. I wish I still had it. The performance would have been similar the Iraqi Taxi, and I had absolutely no trouble shifting it, or any other problems with the truck.

[@marcgauthier7490]

He's wrong on a few levels! The G bodies 4 doors all had non functioning rear windows! Only the small rear vent window could be opened either by hand or by power! Second, the 229 V6 was standard fare on all Malibu's in '81 so to say it was a special order, it wasn't, only the 3 SPD manual tranny was! They specified 200 km/h speedometer cause with the tall final drive ratio, these cars could actually surpass 200km/h and in the desert they wanted to get an accurate speed! My friend had an Iraqi Malibu in 1989 and he'd show off on hwy 417 in Ottawa Canada in the wee hours his car's top speed!

[@SubdivisionAuto]

Very cool thanks for adding these points. Was just on highway 417 minutes ago but sure would be cool to see Iraqi taxis crusing down it in 89

[@watzonda2b]

When he said the smallest V6 I thought maybe the 200 CID V6....So the 229 CID in this particular car is correct?

[@misters2837]

The G Body wagon also had rear vent windows only....GM Fucking things up to sell A/C...

[@seanh2390]

i recollect it was a 231 v6 but I could be wrong

[@martinliehs2513]

I was a teen in Montreal when the Iraqi government cancelled the order. I recall that there was concern that the tall "desert gearing" would be an issue on the hills in and around Montreal.

[@s.garabet1677]

The Iraqi model was such a frankenstein, but that didn't stop some people from modding it even more. I remember a neighbor using Toyota Crown power window parts, and even managed to install the AC from the 1982 Crown. My dad had a blue one, which remains the only manual transmission car I've ever driven. EDIT: I can confirm the 2nd story;'s details to an extent. Saddam gave them to lower ranking officers during the war, but not necessarily the families AFAIK. The higher ranking ones typically got Toyota Crowns. He handed out a lot of the 82 models.

[@SubdivisionAuto]

Very cool thanks for adding

[@daiichidoku]

i think they started with police package malibus (i drove one as a taxi 1987) substituting the driveline for the iraqi spec

[@kevinbarrett9615]

I sold these in 85 at Golden Mile Motors in Scarborough. We called them Iraqibues , I remember them as bare bones with heavy duty AC and that wacky 3 speed manual, tough sell !

[@SubdivisionAuto]

hah tough sell I bet. You probably didnt expect them still being relevant in the 2020s Im sure! Cool history. There are a few of them in town and people who own them are diehards they live them.

[@misters2837]

Having passed out from heat exhaustion in the back seat of a G-Body wagon, those stupid little windows were ALL that opened so they could sell A/C which a good portion of Malibus DID have... The one I was in had the 231 Buick V6 (I believe that was a California/Emissions spec thing, as it was a rust free car in Minnesota) The car had A/C but wasn't functioning properly, or at all!

[@SubdivisionAuto]

Now that is a wild story, unreal. Thanks for sharing sounds like a pretty awful experience but hey at least you get to share it with the world. Such a bizarre design

[@taur86466]

ALL 4 door A/G bodies '78-87 did NOT have rear windows that rolled down and had opening rear vents(some power).The 229 Chevy V-6 was NOT a old design at the time.

[@wyman36]

I believe it. One time I was driving around Payson, Arizona and I saw an '81 parked at an auto parts store. Right after that, I saw a '79 drive by me in the opposite direction.

[@alial-ramahi5657]

I'm iraqi originally myself and moved to the UK in '82 and those Malibus were given to military officers from a certain rank, so yes the 3rd story is the right one and they're actually alright cars and the iraqi government were making excuses not to buy that much as they wanted to spend the money on the Iraq Iran war.

[@SubdivisionAuto]

Very cool thanks for adding this

[@ramcharger154]

Allegorythm gold ✨️ love learning obscure details and such 😂great video ❤

[@SubdivisionAuto]

I know eh? Love it

[@howardkeil1526]

Cool didn't know about these. 229 v6 was based off the SBC v8 with 2 less cylinders and much smaller bore. Like a 4.3 262. 229 was common then and replaced the straight 6 250. Used in rear wheel drives only. Probably shorter motor fit in these smaller engine bays. Saginaw transmissions are all great transmissions. All these GM G body cars were made by the millions back then with every GM division and all the GM downsized engines 307 301 etc etc and 200 and 350 trans back then . I loved them as 40 years ago worked at a large used auto parts dismantler and without torches or destruction using air tools and a houist could remove the front end body work (front end assy), pull the engine and trans in 30 minutes in a shop, I pulled soooo many. Only cut was radiator hoses, trans lines and PS lines.

[@wackowacko8931]

The reason that the shift pattern on your car is incorrect is because someone installed the shift levers and/or rods incorrectly. Usually when the pattern is upside down, it is because the shift levers on the transmission have been flipped up or down depending on the original configuration. If the shift pattern is flipped side to side, it is because the shift rods are going to the wrong shift levers.

[@daveallen8824]

actually, the shift pattern is perfectly normal for a 3 speed. There were not that many 3 speeds on the floor, but shen it was ordered, this is the way it was. If you look at the normal cnfiguation for these, the shifter was on the column and reverse wss toward you and up - exacly the same as this, turned sideways.

[@SubdivisionAuto]

That is true the 3 on the three transmissions had the same pattern. Its only odd because 4 speeds were much more popular and desirable so you dont hear about the 3's as much. But they were around widely just a little boring so not a topic of conversation.

[@hideralmosawi1606]

Still until now seeing it on the roads in my country the iraq

[@SubdivisionAuto]

That's pretty cool

[@duanesgarage6294]

I owned one years ago, great car. I own an 79 Malibu 2dr now.🇨🇦

[@SubdivisionAuto]

Good stuff man of your a Chevy fan we got tons of them filmed on this channel. Chevelles novas etc. thanks for watching enjoy that 79

[@olikat8]

Reminds me of the beige, '76 Valiant I have. Not a slant 6, a V8 with HD cooling, handling package, sure-grip axle, and a passenger door rear view mirror. No cloth interior, AM radio, no AC, 2-speed wipers and nothing much else

[@SubdivisionAuto]

If only cars were that simple nowadays I would kill for a simpler vehicle. I drive a 22 Bronco and as nice as if is the electronics are a pain. Had. 2013 BMW and in 3 years 25k in repairs. No thanks I'll take an old car anyday. Building a 72 nova on this channel as we speak on our 2nd show Rustorations to be my daily. Thanks for watching and commenting 76 valiants were nice cars

[@Stevie_G]

My first car when I was 16. Bought with 180k already on it Tough as nails When pushed 1st 50kmh 2nd 100kmh 3rd drop the hammer and disappear ! She wasn’t fast in a quarter mile but over 120kmh it would start to pull And with the suspension, it out cornered other malibu’s and Lemans at the time. No problem keeping up to the 305 8’s back in the day. Great first car. Would love to own one again !

[@SubdivisionAuto]

Wow pretty cool Steve thanks for sharing!

[@Cutlass_Rudd]

they pop up on kijiji from time to time. Most of them back in the day either got V8 + 4 speed swapped or had all the manual stuff harvested for other G bodies

[@willmont8258]

I'm surprised you guys never saw that type 3 speed before. That was the most common 3 speed shift pattern for American/Canadian made cars from GM, Ford, and Chrysler made right up until about 1980. That H pattern was also used for the 3 speed column shifts for vans and pickups. Every domestic car with the 3 speed used that pattern. The early Ford Fairmont had that type shift pattern too. By the end of the 1970s, domestic car manufactures went with mostly automatics for mid sized cars, and those that still had the manual went with a 4 speed overdrive, but after 1980-81, there were few manual shifts in small to mid sized cars like the Chevy Malibu, Ford Fairmont or Chrysler K-cars. Only the sub-compacts with 4 cylinders and front wheel drive like the Plymouth Horizon/Dodge Omni still had manual shifts as the most common trans.

[@SubdivisionAuto]

Good insight thanks for adding. Yeah not seeing that was more of a case of being new to this at the time. This was a few years back I was just starting out since then seeing a whole bunch of cars and setups. We are nearing our 50th episode I think this one was around 12 ish. But yeah as a kid growing up for me in the 90s at least 5 speed was what I was used to. Or auto 4 speed so a 3 to a guy in his mid 30s was new. But that's the whole idea of the show is to learn and teach the younger gen. Having people like yourself comment and add insight helps a lot I really appreciate it. Thanks for watching you should maybe check out a newer episode (maybe the 64 Chevelle ) and let me know what you think. This episode was still rough in terms of production and my horrible on camera presence

[@willmont8258]

@@SubdivisionAuto I am 59 years old, so I remember those cars from the 1960s and 70s with the 3 speed column or flood shift. Most of us of my age had that type shifter in our first cars as teenagers. I have had many manual shifts over the decades, and I love those older 3 speed column and floor shifts matched up with an old inline 6 cylinder or V6. I love that 4 door Malibu you have with that 3 speed on the floor. The only thing I would like more would be to have front bucket seats. The first thing I would do when I got a another car in my early years was to go to a auto junkyard and find a good pair of buckets out of a newer model of the same color interior and swap out the front bench with the buckets. Even the 4 door models were much better with front buckets instead of the bench seat. I never liked a front bench seat, and I always thought it made more sense to have front buckets even in the 4 door sedans. How often did anyone need to put 6 people in their car? Never in my case.

[@wyman36]

I used to have an '81 Malibu sedan myself in the early '90s. I had the 229 V6 and automatic on the column. I wish I still had it.

[@SubdivisionAuto]

They are still floating around I am sure you could find one if you look brother. You only live once gotta live! Plus they arnt horribly expensive like some classic cars (chevelles, chargers etc.)

[@donmarciano2092]

I am from iraq, I am in love with this car I had off white 1981 malibu , it was stolen in Baghdad in 2004, I put a prize 3 times the car value to anyone to tell me where I can find it, it was stolen one week after I finished restoring it, never find it since then, now I have 2012 silver Ltz which I never want to sell although I can buy a Toyota but I just can’t let it go .

[@ulrichschnell2331]

My "79 Malibu had 3.3 liter (200 c.u.) V-6 engine with a 3-speed manual transmission. The 200 c.u. engine was a 283 v-8 engine with 2 cylinders chopped off. The engine was rock solid and never broke down, can't say the same for the transmission.

[@SubdivisionAuto]

Yeah the transmission is for sure somewhat of a joke but that's pretty cool about the engine. The idea of a 3 speed manual is a joke in itself because you're always between gears....

[@ulrichschnell2331]

@@SubdivisionAuto Yeah I put a four-speed from a Vega in it later and that worked really well.

[@shredfest30]

I had an 81 Malibu wagon that also had the 200 V6 in it.. It would tak 45 min before the inside of the car was warm in the winter.. I also saw a Monte Carlo optioned as a 200 3sp manual.. Strange times

[@ulrichschnell2331]

@@shredfest30 El Stripo's, no luxury, right!🥶

[@pdennis93]

The regular malibu rear windows were fixed too. All 4 door and wagon a/g bodies from 78-87 were. It was for increased hip room..that's why there's a huge recess in the rear door panels.

[@lawrenceoliver9813]

Chevy made you pay extra for roll down rear windows. I had a base US Malibu wagon that was the same way.

[@SubdivisionAuto]

That makes sense but I guess for a taxi no roll down windows were ideal. Thanks for the info!

[@stepheng3667]

No, roll down rear windows were not available as an option on any of the G body 4 doors from 78-83. Some bean counter wanted to save money and also they thought it would entice buyers to choose air conditioning.

[@CRXJDM88]

A guy I work with told me his dad back in 81 bought an Iraqi taxi Malibu brand new in Oshawa it was white there was only 2 at the lot tan and a white one he never new it was a taxi until he look at the speedometer and notice the 200 I remember my buddy tell me his dad payed 6500$ out the door

[@SubdivisionAuto]

Very cool

[@ibuti01]

My dad had a wagon Malibu with the 3 speed manual probably one of the most rare configurations of the Iraqi taxis. It's the car I learned to drive in. Bought it when we were living in the Yukon and drove it to Québec when we moved. The salt killed the body in just a few years, got rid of it in 1993. From what I recall it was very reliable until the road salt of Quebec and Ontario just ate it to death.

[@SubdivisionAuto]

Yeah really suchs about the salt it eats cars way before their time :(

[@hendo337]

I'm guessing the cars were built to 9C1 police package specs with the suspension, brakes, cooling system and speedometer. Then they used the awful 229 V6 which was a 305 sbc missing 2 cylinders and the only way that it wasn't dreadfully slow, more efficient and cost less was by using the saganaw 3 speed manual transmission. The manual transmission also meant that the cars would be more reliable, easier to service by simply changing the clutch, unlike an automatic the manual transmission didn't produce heat as a by product of it's operation which would be a problem in the desert. If the battery died they could push start it and because the engine was so weak it would not be able to break the transmission. The TH200 transmission which was used with the small engines was known for being highly unreliable. I think it's kind if a shame they didn't build them all with LM1 4 bbl 350 SBCs from the 9C1 package which didn't require catalytic converters in Canada at that time making 250-270hp with a properly tuned Rochester Quadrajet through true dual exhaust and a Borg Warner Super T-10 4 speed manual transmission, preferably with wide ratios so the axle could be tall in the 2.41-3.08 range allowing high speed cruising at low rpms. If I ever found one of those cars in decent shape I would definitely want to swap in a 350-434ci SBC or a 5.3/6.0/6.2 LS and either a wide ratio Muncie M20 or a T-56 from an F-body. When I was a kid my Uncle had an early 80s El Camino that was beige like that and looked exactly the same except it had a truck bed on the back instead or 4 doors. I wish I could have bought it but, it was traded in 2001 for a Dodge Dakota. From 1978 to the early 80s those cars were called A-body and later became the G body. I would be excited to find a 9C1 Malibu, which funny enough a bunch of decommissioned police 9C1 Malibus were used by the Joker's henchmen in the 1989 Batman movie all painted up purple and yellow, or another semi legendary budget package Malibu sold in the American South called the M-80 Malibu which was a 2 door 305 V8 that had few luxuries and a number of performance upgrades. Tony Angelo on Hot Rod Garage did a build a long while back where they took a poverty spec 4 door Malubu and put a 6L LS engine and 6 speed manual in the car with suspension upgrades and so on to be the ultimate "sleeper wheelman bank job" car. Decent video, I think your editor is over doing it a little bit, the conversations don't feel natural and relaxed, it's edited up like a reality tv show which always has been a style that is derided by real car guys for being contrived and overly clipped. I keep expecting someone to start ranting about how they're "gonna lose the shop" any second. 😂

[@SubdivisionAuto]

Haha I was expecting someone to lose the shop. That is hilarious you are right about that I hate the over done tv shows but I am still guilty for editing it that way too. This was a pretty early episode so I was horrible on camera too. We have come a long way since this you should check out the 64 Chevelle episode that came out not long ago and let me know. But yeah guilty. The t56 combo works great for sure I am personally doing that with an LS in my personal 72 Nova (filming that series for the channel as well). But yes auto trans in the desert not the best so even that 3 speed was better. I do remember that Malibu's in batman that's hilarious. Thanks for the insightful comment !

[@retired815]

I own an 81 3 speed and installed a Muncie 4speed which was an easy swap back in the day.

[@s.garabet1677]

That's amazing. Still runs well?

[@cbobscountrybunker2312]

Gm had a bunch of 3 speed trans left over. I bought mine used with 377000 km , the v6 and 3 speed wouldn't die.

[@SubdivisionAuto]

Nice!

[@cbobscountrybunker2312]

It also had a hitch on it but i cut it off. I will be up loading some malibu build videos to my channel soon. It is turning into a sleeper, no ls sticking with the old sbc.

[@garypiont6114]

Outstanding background story. Thanks.

[@SubdivisionAuto]

Glad you liked it Gary. If you liked this one we got lots of other episodes on this channel.

[@hydraulics]

The 229 in marine applications made 185hp. The only difference was camshaft (edelbrock edl-2112 still available) and a qjet/manifold. So you could almost double the power in s few hours of wrenching. I have the 185hp version in my 18' boat. Pulls my fat butt up on a slalom ski no problem.

[@79tazman]

I use to have one of them cars back in the early 90's it was blue on blue and it was gutless but the price was right at 500 bucks was the 3.8 V6 with a 3 spd on the floor bench seat the rear windows did not go down and only a little vent window and the car did not have carpet it had the rubber matting like you see in cop cars or trucks. I always had issues with the shiftier linkages they would lock up and would have to pull over jack the car up and unhook the linkage and get it unlocked and hook it back up I did that for a whole summer till I put a v8 and automatic in it out of a square body pickup.

[@cbobscountrybunker2312]

I have one , i have worked on 5 in my life that i didn't own. They should have made them all yellow lol

[@SubdivisionAuto]

Pretty unique look seems fitting for sure

[@johnjando7860]

Actually the taxis in Iraq are all white with orange fenders and quarters. Both of my parents were born there and my grandfather drove a 1956 Fairlane as a taxi in Iraq. I actually have a great picture of him with it too. I wish I had a chance to meet him though. He passed away when my father was only 13. My grandfather drove himself to the hospital (while having a heart attack) in his 3 on the tree Fairlane taxi and made it. Unfortunately they were not able to save him.

[@SubdivisionAuto]

@@johnjando7860 Wow thats an insane story. Guys sounds like he was tough as nails. Can't beat the old generation! Thanks for sharing the story hold onto that photo forever.

[@johnjando7860]

@@SubdivisionAuto Thank you! He absolutely was tough as nails! He was also a Deacon in our St. George Assyrian church of the East in Northern Iraq( near Baghdad). I am told that he was a very kind hardworking man. I also wanted to mention things about what was going on during that year you mentioned relating to the Malibu. I’m going to actually talk to my father for a more accurate description from what I recall. But my father’s older brother’s (3 older brothers. They all served in the military during the Iraq and Iran conflict. The oldest brother who also was a deacon has since passed). All of the men in Iraq that finished school at the time were required to serve in the military otherwise they would not be given their diploma. So my uncles pretty much told my dad (the youngest brother) to GTFO of there or they would give him a good beating lol (obviously out of love and wanting him to not have to go through and see what they had to). So he moved to Greece and eventually after working and saving money moved to the United States. In the end, by the grace of God all of my family from my fathers side made it out of there alive and most of us live in the US. However I have some family in Germany, Sweden, etc… I’ll get a more accurate representation of what happened during the late 70’s to early 80’s from them and report back. Thanks for the response and kind words. I just found your channel and immediately subscribed before finishing the video or subscribing. I will definitely continue to view your content! God Bless! 🇺🇸

[@WanderingCactus]

I might be able to give a few answers about these cars here, since I'm old, my first cars were used cars in the late 80s, so 70s and 80s stuff, and I was always fascinated by cars, so... The windows in the back didn't go all the way down not for safety reasons, but because there wasn't enough room in the lower part of the door for the regulator or glass, note that the door goes around the rear wheels. These doors are interesting, I had them in my 84 Olds Cutlass Ciera which is a badge engineered Chevy Celebrity, formerly the Malibu, I'm guessing to differentiate the two, since in the Celebrity/Malibu, the vent was fixed and the window rolled down. What were Canada's emissions laws at that time? Here in the US, catalytic convertors were required, and they took away a lot of power, so the numbers you mentioned were common. The smaller older motor might've been used because GM could offer it cheaper, especially if'n they had a bunch left over, and Iraq probably didn't require convertors, freeing up a lot of power, in fact it likely made the same or more power and better fuel economy. Automatic transmissions of the day weren't very reliable, the big culprit was heat, and with these going to Iraq... The transmission pattern wasn't all that uncommon for a three speed, there was more variety in those, though by 1980 most cars were running a four speed, which makes this one weird, maybe like the engine, the transmission was something old that GM had kicking around. Now for a guess on my part, and that these weren't going to be taxis, but police cars. Think about it, back then cab drivers weren't really worth the luxury of AC, plus those windows, combine them with child safety locks, and the rear seat passengers are getting out until you let them. And the variety of colours? A taxi company might have three, airport, city and interstate, but that's rare, these rather mundane colours are the kind of thing you want if'n you want to blend in, just like a police force would want.

[@SubdivisionAuto]

Thanks for the insight Cactus

[@seanh2390]

hey my uncle in Toronto got one of these when they were new! it was gold also … I remember he got a really good deal on it.

[@SubdivisionAuto]

Oh yeah I hear of people got insane deals on these just because of what they were. A steal of a deal for sure and here we are talking about them 40+ years later!

[@scario64]

Love the Malibu`s had a wagon once...very cool

[@SubdivisionAuto]

No kidding I didnt know they made them in wagons.. learn something new everyday. Just finished scanning your Nova images cant wait to film this badboy next.

[@tomcat630]

1964-77 Chevelles had wagons available ans shared parts with El Caminos. Then 78-83 were all Malibu, not Chevelle anymore, and yes wagons offered. 2024 is last year for FWD Malibus.

[@MrBrianLL]

That body style's back windows didn't roll down on any of them, they just had the small vent window. It was nothing special to these "Iraqi Taxi".

[@saadalizzi]

This is one of 2 cars which were given to Iraqi military officers. The other car was a Toyota Crown super saloon. The cars were given to any officer of the rank Brigadier general and above. Living in a military neighborhood, I used to see a lot of them driving around, in fact I learned to drive in one of those. Later in 1989 Iraq imported Canadian made Chevy celebrity and Oldsmobile. The later had a number of flags including the Iraqi flag on the side fender. Those Canadian Oldsmobile are different from American ones that it has a one solid back stop light instead of the 3 sections back lights.

[@SubdivisionAuto]

Very cool thanks for sharing the history, to hear from someone who was around it at the time!

[@jpotter2086]

Woof. I had an '82 Buick Skyhawk once for a short while. 3rd in a series of sad cars from the '80s. I do not miss those days!

[@1977KoolKat]

The shift pattern is the same like my '77 C10 three on the tree.

[@79tazman]

I live in southwestern Ontario and before I bought it a guy I know bought it from a junkyard used car lot and he was going to run it as a winter beater but he did not like that transmission because it was hard to shift and the back windows did not roll down and stuff and I did some work on another car he had and he offered to sell me the car for 500 bucks and the labor on his other car so that's how I ended up with the car that was back in 1994 or 95 it needed body work on the bottom of the doors that was it the interior was like new and it was a dark blue on blue interior.

[@IowaBudgetRCBashers]

Reverse up to the left is standard 3 speed manual shift pattern. Nothing strange about that

[@googleusergp]

Not correct with some of the information. This is an "A" body, it wouldn't become a "G" body until 1982 when the GM front wheel drive "A" body cars (Celebrity and related vehicles) took the "A" moniker and GM made the RWD "A" body a "G" body in 1982. Also, all of these rear windows on these vehicles did not go up and down, and this was done by design. GM realized a few things: #1 was that they could advertise wider hip room because the door panel would be trimmer because of the lack of a window regulator and related parts and #2 it would help sell a very profitable option: air conditioning. Think about how it would be in a sales transaction: Customer: "You know Bob, I think I'm going to skip AC. It's quite expensive". Bob the salesman: "You know Mr. Smith, I'd suggest you get it. Those back windows don't roll down. Going to get mighty hot in there. The $600 you spend on AC is going to be well worth it." Customer: "You know what Bob, you're right. Check it off on the order sheet...." So, GM "encouraged" the sale of air conditioning on these cars which was still optional. The three speed manual transmission is a Saginaw unit. As I recall, the way it went down was that the order was for the cheapest and smallest engine (a 229 CID Chevrolet V6 in 1981, also likely without Computer Command Control (C-3)), with the heaviest duty cooling system (extra capacity cooling), AM-FM cassette radios, air conditioning, cloth seating and a manual transmission. As the "A" body was a flexible platform with a dizzying array of permutations of options, it could easily be done from parts off the shelf. I would agree that most if not all were assembled in GM's Oshawa Ontario, Canada assembly plant which reopened in 2021 after it closed in 2019.

[@michaels.ramsey7803]

American Malibu 4 door G body back windows don't roll down either bro. Malibu wagons either.

[@SubdivisionAuto]

Interesting guess it was a thing

[@tomcat630]

Same with Buick, Olds and Pontiac RWD G body versions. However, the FWD A body Celebrity and its clones had roll down windows.

[@leinad5243]

Friends Dad had one..they were sent back ...that car was light green

[@moosekoot6331]

Rode in one with a guy who was a cop. He joked it went faster in reverse than forward. It had a 3 speed on the floor with bench seat.

[@SubdivisionAuto]

Thats actually pretty funny 🤣

[@ShaundiS-f3y]

Where can i meet this guy, i too drive my old 1996 Fleetwood Daily, and is my workhorse. i wanna see the Iraquabu IRL so bad cause i wanna mod my fleetwood into a rugged vehicule -- i'll honk if i see u in Ottawa on my next trip :)

[@SubdivisionAuto]

Not sure he floats around ottawa but you will see him driving around downtown

[@tedhewitson823]

My uncle owned 1 of these. I remember him driving ir

[@rideshareog]

The rear windows on all 4 door Malibu didn't roll down because there wasn't room inside door. The vents were supposed to suffice.

[@SubdivisionAuto]

Interesting good to know the physical reason. Thanks for adding that

[@ibrahim-chevelleMalibuman]

Fun fact we had factory issue with the clutch work in this car I didn't worked quiet good I have one great condition Cortez silver i swapped the transmission to TH350 culmin shifter other than that I changed the wheel's though into magnum steel rally wheels. I wanna do V8 I think Malibu would be great within V8 she is awesome 😎 still running like a champ 🏆🥇❤❤

[@SubdivisionAuto]

Awesome man sounds great. Glad you are enjoying it cheers!

[@ibrahim-chevelleMalibuman]

@@SubdivisionAuto thanks man I love the G body Malibu it's awesome car . I would love to own 2 door landau too the US version

[@stevebyrne4235]

Mine was burgundy, drove it till the body rotted out; none of this class of body had functional rear windows for this model year.

[@SubdivisionAuto]

@@stevebyrne4235 good to know thanks Steve. Do you miss that car?

[@LDCoronel1]

Do American made Malibu's roll the back windows down? Here in Venezuela the Malibu were made from 78 to 84 and none of them roll the back windows down

[@SubdivisionAuto]

Yeah some did but you had to pay extra for it

[@LDCoronel1]

@@SubdivisionAuto I mean as a factory option. At least here they don't but i've seen ones that do roll them down and even have power windows in aftermarket kits

[@JohnStamper-rb9rg]

Oversize the rings? What about the pistons? He talks about oversizing the "rings" like thats gonna give it any power

[@SubdivisionAuto]

I don't even think it's worth it and whatever he did or thought of doing is minimal. He's swapping the engine this summer you will see a follow up of this car on this channel one day .

[@benwright6330]

.. Malibu was a basic cut down version of the Caprice at that point in time. ..mini Caprice

[@permanentwaves4621]

I had a 229 cid in a 1980 Monza. In that little car, it was a punchy little engine.

[@suburbanator91]

Quick little correction. When these cars were made this size in 1978, it was still being called the A-body. It was not called the G-body until 1982. It was so much the same that, YES, you can safely say that a '78 to '81 A-body & an '82 to '88 G-body is the same thing. ¿Why did GM do that? I couldn't tell you, but, then again, nothing GM did in the late 70's/ early 80's made any effing sense whatsoever!

[@SubdivisionAuto]

No kidding I didnt know that thanks for adding! Its like them brining the Chevelle and Novas to Canada and naming them Acadian and Beaumonts. They did some pretty wild things. But I do know why they did that it was for tax/tarrif purposes. But good to know about the G body.

[@tomcat630]

Why? GM brought out FWD A bodies in 1982, and were supposed to replace the RWD A. But gas was cheap, and RWD was still in demand, do renamed the RWD A to G, and all called "G" today to cover 1978-88, for aftermarket parts.

[@suburbanator91]

@@tomcat630 THanks man. For years & years I could never get the answer to that question. THat does make sense now.

[@hickeyskustomresto]

My friend and I picked up a blue one from Ottawa Canada in the early 90's because we needed the engine. Before pulling it we took it out on a tear and ran the living hell out of it. It was so much fun to beat on I'd always hoped to get another one. Lol Good times. We were 16 at the time. Many earlier 80's gm g bodies had non functional rear windows

[@SubdivisionAuto]

Those are the best memories for sure. But I'm sure you like those Mopars in your profile better !

[@hickeyskustomresto]

@@SubdivisionAuto maybe lol. I'll work on or paint anything with steel bumpers. Being a car nut never goes away

[@SubdivisionAuto]

@@hickeyskustomresto indeed it's good fun. I'm building a nova that's the other series on this channel it's good times.

[@jacobje125]

What is the name of the Arabic song that starts at 1:50 ?

[@stevemino142]

great cars i remember being the reason for them going to iraq was because they didnt conform to the then emission regulations in the US they were fine in canada though... had an iraqi mobile malibu with a 229 3.8 litre V6 3 speed manual column shift no AC 6200 cdn in the fall of 1981

[@SubdivisionAuto]

Very cool Steve good to know. Wish we could still get cars here in Canada that cheap I dont feel the wages have gone up quite as much. 6200 man thats crazy. Thanks for adding in hope to see you around in some of the other videos.

[@mustafaalrawi5087]

they gave it to iraqi army officers my uncle had one

[@Hillbillypunk]

My f150 has 270,000 + miles on it, and i only know it's that high cause I witnessed the odometer going from 99,999 to zero, two times.

[@SubdivisionAuto]

Nice what year the ol fords were nice

[@Hillbillypunk]

@@SubdivisionAuto it's an '89, has the 300 straight six, 4x4, 5-speed, super cab short bed. My dad actually bought it new!

[@SubdivisionAuto]

@@Hillbillypunk Oh wow prime years for those trucks! Good stuff man

[@martinliehs2513]

You have to give some credit to Saddam Hussein's purchasing agent for spec'ing out the Iraqibus with a very astute choice of options.

[@WPGinterceptor460Interceptor]

had one of these.. was a 3 Speed standard and a 267 V6 I believe

[@hendo337]

The 267 V8 was probably worse than the 229, if anything it just had more pumping losses and it only made 10-15hp more. The only thing to do with either car would be to find a 350 or 400 sbc, a Muncie M20 and a 8.5" 10 bolt to swap in. I could see doing a Pontiac 400, Buick 350/400/430/455 or Olds 350 if a BOP 4 speed was easier to find, at that time there weren't as many dirt cheap SBC parts so it wasn't much difference to build any brand engine, the Buicks had a definte weight advantage and the Pontiac 400/428/455 was much more durable than a 400sbc, much lighter and smaller than a 396/402/427/454 BBC.

[@billdursa4976]

267 was a V-8

[@WPGinterceptor460Interceptor]

@@billdursa4976 what was the next one down V6? 260? im gettin old now, memory is goin

[@tomcat630]

@@WPGinterceptor460Interceptor Olds sold a 260 V8. Replaced by 307,

[@WPGinterceptor460Interceptor]

@@tomcat630 this was def a V6.. 240?

[@danielowens4089]

I have a 81 buick century limited version of this.

[@williamhelms9942]

Hussein should've ordered them as police cars, and then he would've had taxi cabs after they'd've been retired from service! lol! 🤣

[@NickFortier]

I hVe the drivetra8n from one of these in my 78

[@SubdivisionAuto]

Right on man I can't believe how many people love these things it's a pretty cool following. But they were nice simple cars

[@the_kombinator]

Hah I daily a Hyundai Pony from April to November :D

[@ulrichschnell2331]

One other thing about my Malibu it only had 90 horsepower, but got 30 mpg at a steady 55mph.

[@SubdivisionAuto]

Thats unreal fuel economy my Bronco does a horrendous 17! So 30 is amazing very cool fact thanks for sharing

[@AhmedsatCat44-ur6sj]

اليوم عدنا جارجر 2019 و 2022 تكسي انت ضايج ع هاي

[@hank-s4t]

'81 305 auto...fun as fk!!!

[@SubdivisionAuto]

No kidding eh I am always amazed how much people love these cars. But then again I love Cherokees they're square boring and plain. But they drive great. Probably the same idea for this. Stuff is just too complicated and luxurious these days nothing like the rawness of an old ride

[@abdelkrimabdel503]

to help canada Economy

[@DavidMack-ch6dj]

The Iraqibu,,

[@SubdivisionAuto]

Hilarious eh

[@مروانجلالابراهيممحمد]

Irag taxi 🚖

[@tuck6464]

A 1/2 hour video on one the most boring GM products ever made. That's impressive.

[@SubdivisionAuto]

Haha good comment made me laugh! you arnt wrong! Thanks for the compliment

[@phuryusstylesphuryustyles2273]

Is the 83 considerd Iraqi taxi