97 Malibu.. pushbar?!?

[ElwoodJones]

yes.. I`ve gone for a neo bluesmobile as that monaco deal I had going fell through.. and there seem to be a shortage of good ole Square fronted cars around here.. So i`ll be converting the bad boy 8 cylinder Malibu into a Bluesmobile.. Black and white paint job.. not a problem.. Crapped up stars... not a problem.. " not a police vehicle" airbrush design.. Not a problem... but How do I put a pushbar on this thing!... more importantly.. an accurate one!

HELP!!

EJ

[ChiTownJohn]

dude, I have no idea what that will look like on a malibu but at this point do what ya like, create, The Jim Post site as others have posted here, may help, at the bottom of this page are his dimension's, I worked from his and Travis', mine are wrong but they are mine! just make the suckers how you like them then figure out how to mount them! drill, burn, whatever! look at it and start drillij' if ya have to, you can start gettin into spec's of the bumper but unless you have access to police info for that car just go w/ it!,
later

[JacobSteinAFM]

Holy sh*t! You're actually doing it?! You probably remember that I also own a '97 Malibu, so I'm *very* interested in how this would turn out! Here's that preview pic I made a few months ago for another thread-



Good luck keeping the dashboard littered! Everything on mine keeps falling off.

[Scott]

A Malibu?!? Noooooooooo!

Despite my opinion that it will look terrible and bring shame to us all, the important thing is that you're going to have fun doing it and have fun driving it.

Originally Posted by JacobSteinAFM

Good luck keeping the dashboard littered! Everything on mine keeps falling off.

Hot glue should do the trick.

[JacobSteinAFM]

Originally Posted by Scott

Hot glue should do the trick.

Sure, but that won't get you the sliding-around effect.

[Scott]

Ok, how about hot glue and fishing line? Cut some short lengths of fishing line and hot glue one to each piece of trash. Hot glue the other ends of the fishing line to the dashboard.

Thinner fishing line is better, and "invisible thread" from the craft store is best.

[JacobSteinAFM]

Originally Posted by Scott

Ok, how about hot glue and fishing line? Cut some short lengths of fishing line and hot glue one to each piece of trash. Hot glue the other ends of the fishing line to the dashboard.

Thinner fishing line is better, and "invisible thread" from the craft store is best.

Looks like a job for MacGyver!


Actually, I just noticed that there is a sunken area in front of the windshield defroster vents that might work if you put stuff there.

[ElwoodJones]

ahhh come on scott.. it won`t be thaaat bad...

EJ

[ElwoodJones]

well scott you are certainly entitled to your opinion.. that is true.. but here is a very bad b&W paintshop ob ont he malibu.. it doesn`t look THAT shamefully bad.. but its no Monaco

[ChiTownJohn]

"Fishing Lines" Yeah, until one day of wheelin corners to get the "effect" you end up w/ a tangled mess up there! Ha! I'm laughin' just thinking about some poor guy trying to untangle that crap!

As far as the car, Is what it is, some didnt like my Olds-mobile but when the Monaco is scarce and you want one real bad, you talk yourself into doing it w/ whatever you got, I know! When I'd see that Monaco around I'd go carzy, but he didnt want to sell her so it drove me more nuts, it was like 3 years of that!

So finaly I painted the Old's, may have been a bad Bluesmobile, but it made the Old's look better! If anything I see it as a tribute (than a Replica), and I dont see anything wrong w/ a tribute.

[Steam McQueen]

Originally Posted by ChiTownJohn

If anything I see it as a tribute (than a Replica), and I dont see anything wrong w/ a tribute.

Exactly! And a tribute car you can really drive the piss out of!

I was looking for such a car 20 years ago for one summer's hi-jinx. I got a 1974 4-door American car with a big block V-8. So it was an LTD ... I started to paint it, did the white. Ol' beast didn't live long enough to receive the black, a P-1 and a star. It was never officially "on the road" anyway. Never would have passed a safety check. Fun though.

[Scott]

I'm ok with non-Monaco Bluesmobiles if they look good. John's Oldsmobile looked good as a Bluesmobile. I just have a hard time seeing something like a Malibu as a Bluesmobile. Then again, the Malibu is somewhat similar to the Lumina, which came in a police package. I can think of worse cars to try turning into a Bluesmobile, so to say that a Malibu would be shameful is perhaps an unfair statement. I've always been a fan of the "square-fronted" cars, Bluesmobile or not, so my opinion is heavily biased.

If you want to go through with this, I'll support ya.

[ChiTownJohn]

Yeah I do agree w/ the notion that you could certainly go out and find a old sqaure front ended beater car, It's the best thing to do probably if your going to do it. But I can relate/ understand to wanting to do it w/ anything.

The balls problem for some states and you Canadian guys is thier friggin' safety check crap. Granted someone had asked about my olds being road worthy, which she was mechanicaly. But if they got prob's w/ floppin' qaurter panels or huge rust holes in door's I would have been done.

I had a ball joint go on me once right after I got off the highway, so when I had that '79 Ford, '78 olds and now the monaco, I ask my bud to check all those bushings, balljoints, arms and such to make sure. Friggin got new calipers on the monaco too! Only 30 bucks each!

It aint here in Chi' yet but's its coming for sure, they like BS to take more money, I had to register that old Ford outta Chicago to get around the EPA, I would have had to get rid of the car, I drove that thing for 7 yrs, And I still miss it. Luckily the '78 Olds didnt have to do as tough a check, so she'd make it. And the Monaco, no thanks to some B$#%$! in the EPA office, doesnt seem for now to have to go.
oh well, talk later

[JacobSteinAFM]

ElwoodJones, you have my full support. If there's anything you want to talk about, I'm here. I don't know a lot about cars, but the Malibu has been in my family for 10 years, so I have had plenty of experience living with one.

I very much doubt that you'll find a place to mount the pushbars. The Malibu has never been used as a police car (that I know of) including Luminas- which I thought was quite odd seeing police car versions of them in BB2000. I've always thought that they ran out of Crown Vics and Caprices so they had to use what they could find.

And I agree with ChiTownJohn- you may have to find someone to somehow weld on the pushbars for you.

[ElwoodJones]

JStein, you ahve the same car... you know what a monster it is.. This puppy can move!.. and the engine after ten years now... hums and sounds just like the monaco when it runs down the nazi's.. it aint the look that matters.. its the spirit... the Monaco had it.. The crown vic didn`t( for me anyway) but this car has it.. and just like the monaco.. when you watch it drive.. ( yes.. i have!) it looks like a beast.. as for welding on pushbars... that don`t seem to be a problem.. i got a family friend who is a good mechanic.. he`ll do it for nothing... i already asked

EJ

[Steam McQueen]

If there ever was a BB3, it would stand to reason that it might be a Chevy.

1st movie - Dodge
2nd movie - Ford
3rd movie ? - Chev ?

I'd say do it! And at night ... when there's nobody around ... drive on the sidewalk!

[ChiTownJohn]

LMAO! unreal

[Scott]

The most likely cars for a third movie would be:
- Chevrolet Caprice (probably '96)
- Chevrolet Impala
- Ford Crown Victoria (newer than the one in BB2K)

The new Dodge police car won't be a likely candidate until it's been around for a few years. Elwood buys former police cars. Tons of Caprice cars have been retired already, but some departments still have them so it's not impossible yet. Some Impalas and newer Crown Victorias have been retired already, at least around here. The city of Abbotsford uses retired Crown Victorias for their Citizens' Patrol (volunteer group of cop wanna-bes; my cousin knows one guy who thinks he is a real cop and the real cops hate him for it). Pictures on the web site if anybody wants to see the cars: http://www.abbotsfordpolice.org/citizenspatrol/

Once upon a time I actually saw a Lumina with police markings going down the freeway, so it's not just in the movies.

[JacobSteinAFM]

EJones, I took a look under the "Beast" (heh, I think that's what I'll call it that from now on ) and I noticed that there are two screws under the front bumper that may be possible to mount the pushbars on. They're above the fog lamp sockets and both located under the license plate, on the left and right sides. Of course, I don't know if those would be suitable for pushbars or not.

Originally Posted by Scott

Once upon a time I actually saw a Lumina with police markings going down the freeway, so it's not just in the movies.

As the movie was filmed in Canada, I'm sure that's where they got the Luminas from.

[ElwoodJones]

Hmm... i`ll have to get under it tomorrow and look for those.. they seem like they are in a pretty reinforced spot..but it is always better to check

[ChiTownJohn]

For the last 9 years my cars were the 2 '70's beater cars, late last year I finaly had to let the Old's go, Not only did I love them but as far as the city I preferred to have those cars, you know w/ all the BS a city does to a nice car.

But I got a used '99 Crown Vic, Ex cop car and a P71! (interceptor, Nice!) It may have been a Chicago copper car, but not positive It was originaly white and has blue interior. And I love this car now man! Plenty fast, far better on gas than the other 2 boats, and its a real ex cop car, I love it! I got the spot, an old unity yet!, from the junk yard for 10 bucks, put it in easy, everything was still there, but now I want a set of 16" Setina push bars for her, I I'd rather get used cause a site sells them new for 160 bucks I beleive. Maybe as Scott said If your model car was used by police, you can just buy a set of those or the Rhino ones, but the Setina resemble more what you may want.

john

[ElwoodJones]

anyone have a link to the more classic Bluesmobile bumpers?