I inherited a 1981 Chevy Malibu 4dr Sedan 3.8L V6 with roughly 148k miles, the frame is rusty but not rotting and it's been about 2-3 years since it last ran. I was wondering if it was worth the time and money to get it running again?
how much time and money does it need?
I would have to change all the liquids: oil, transmission fluid, brake fluid, engine coolant. Change the brake pads, rebuild or buy a new carburetor, and change the transmission pan gasket and filter.
rebuild the carb and see if the thing will even run. That's probably about as far as I would go.
I should have been a tad more detailed in my description which is my bad, I am new to all of this. I'm not sure if you can post videos but If so I will. The Malibu actually runs pretty fine (I got it to start up again like yesterday) of course it burns oil because it's old but it turns on just fine. The main issue that I am having is that the transmission pan gasket has worn away and is leaking transmission fluid, but when I fill the transmission up with more fluid it drives and shifts pretty well. Again I'm sorry if I wasn't as specific as I could be with the initial post.
best way to share video is upload to youtube and post link here.
The cost of fluids/gaskets/filters is trivial, so if that's all it needs then go for it. You can make it a spare car to have around, or even sell for a fiver. Hope you don't plan to drive it every day though.
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If you sentimentally really want it to run like a dream go ahead. But add more info please. If it costs upwards of 10 grand to fix, no, just junk it.
Frame rust? You should replace the frame and I don’t think it will pass the inspection if you need it to drive.
Malibu is a unibody sedan. There is no frame.
Junk the car. Not worth it unless you are emotionally attached to it.