Photo: Facebook Marketplace Mosheim, TN
The Malaise era of the American auto industry spared hardly a soul after the 1973 oil crisis laid waste to the muscle car breed. It turned everything into oversized, underpowered, bloated walruses on wheels. But maybe no single model of an automobile was as savagely affected by emissions restrictions and the resulting dip in power as the fourth-generation Chevy Malibu. Especially when you remember what the previous models used to be like. Well, would a big, thumping Cummins diesel solve some of those problems? After seeing this diesel Malibu Wagon, we're betting on the answer being a yes.
This particular custom Maliubu diesel swap comes to us via a Facebook marketplace advertisement from Mosheim, Tennessee, about an hour east as the crow flies from Knoxville. According to the accompanying literature, this engine swap was done in-house by this rig's current seller. It consists of a Cummins 6BT 12-valve diesel engine most famous for its use in Dodge Ram pickup trucks from the late 1980s through the late 1990s. In its day, the 6BT was beloved for being the last diesel pickup in production that didn't need to pre-warm its glow plugs during cold starts on account of its indirect fueling system. It's a nice touch by 1990s standards, but there's way more on offer here than just that.
After a little DIY, this Cummins 6BT is sporting its fair share of aftermarket goodies like 100 hp injectors, 4K Governor springs, and 60-lb valve springs for that little touch of extra grunt and toughness out of an engine known for hauling cargo for hundreds of thousands of miles relatively trouble-free even while completely bone stock. In its unmodified form, Cummins 6BTs jetted between 160 and 215 horsepower to the wheels and between 400 and 440 lb-ft of torque depending on the model year of the vehicle it's placed in.
There's no telling how much more this particular machine's making today, but the betting person in us says it's considerably more than the day it was placed inside this Malibu Wagon. More to the point, perhaps nowhere else on Earth can you roll coal down a rural back road with Cripple Creek playing in the stereo, all while Malaise Era brown leather and proverbial ship's captain steering wheel sets you in a vibe unlike any you're liable to find behind the wheel of any other automobile. It's crude, it's obscene, and it's downright wonderful to watch people's heads turn as this diesel-powered brick on wheels powers down main roads.
The price for it all? Well, that'll be $18,500 before taxes and fees. Although the advertisement said, they'd accept a trade for a Polaris RZR 1000 instead. After testing one of those recently, we can see why that's an acceptable trade.
After a little DIY, this Cummins 6BT is sporting its fair share of aftermarket goodies like 100 hp injectors, 4K Governor springs, and 60-lb valve springs for that little touch of extra grunt and toughness out of an engine known for hauling cargo for hundreds of thousands of miles relatively trouble-free even while completely bone stock. In its unmodified form, Cummins 6BTs jetted between 160 and 215 horsepower to the wheels and between 400 and 440 lb-ft of torque depending on the model year of the vehicle it's placed in.
There's no telling how much more this particular machine's making today, but the betting person in us says it's considerably more than the day it was placed inside this Malibu Wagon. More to the point, perhaps nowhere else on Earth can you roll coal down a rural back road with Cripple Creek playing in the stereo, all while Malaise Era brown leather and proverbial ship's captain steering wheel sets you in a vibe unlike any you're liable to find behind the wheel of any other automobile. It's crude, it's obscene, and it's downright wonderful to watch people's heads turn as this diesel-powered brick on wheels powers down main roads.
The price for it all? Well, that'll be $18,500 before taxes and fees. Although the advertisement said, they'd accept a trade for a Polaris RZR 1000 instead. After testing one of those recently, we can see why that's an acceptable trade.
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