It's bullet proof.

I love looking at those RHD pictures! Just can't get enough of the "backwards" (to me) look!!

I also think it has a lot to do with the owner. Who looks after his car with great respect and pride. Good on yea ! Love that valve cover. What manufacture is it ?

Ian K

Just to show the link between McKinnon and Motherwell (Machining Plant) South Africa. 
Motherwell started machining in 1965 but got the castings from McKinnon!
The engine in the Malibu is a 1969 unit cast by McKinnon and machined
at Motherwell South Africa. From there the ZBG code!!!
Z= ZA = South Africa
BG = 1969 to ? 
PS! My floorshift comes from the same donor 1978 vehicle and fitted perfectly with no modifications to the links required!  Engine and Gearbox were Canadian!

South Africa

GMSA were still selling everything under the Chevrolet brand in the late 70s. Up until 1978 (and through that year), GMSA offered two "big" models: the bigger being the Kommando/Constantia/Caprice models based on the Holden HJ series, and the smaller being the "Chevrolet 2500/3800/4100" series, which used the 72-77 Opel Rekord body, but was fitted with locally-manufactured Chevrolet engines (153, 230, and 250-cube to Americans).

GMSA was producing a mishmash of Vauxhall, Opel, and Holden designs and the company decided to concentrate strictly on Opel products. So by late 1978 the Vauxhall Viva derivatives were gone, and both the Holden-based and Rekord-based models would be replaced by local versions of the Opels Rekord, Commodore, and Senator.

The first to appear, in July 1978, was the "Chevrolet Rekord" available in "L" and "GL" trim levels, and powered by a 2.3-litre 90-horsepower (68 kW) four-cylinder engine derived from the big Chevrolet 230/250-cube six. A wagon followed later.

The next model was the "Chevrolet Commodore", which, like its Aussie counterpart, matched the Rekord body with the Senator's long nose. It too came in "L" and "GL" trims and featured either the 3.8-litre 120-hp (88 kW) or 4.1-litre 132-hp (97 kW) Chevrolet units.

During 1979, the "Chevrolet Senator" was launched, using the Opel body, but with the 132-horse 4.1-litre engine matched to an automatic transmission.

GMSA sourced some of its components from Holden, namely body panels.

Those old Chevy-based engines were tough as nails, and could eat up endless highway miles with no stress. They had a reputation among the South African public for being long-lasting and reliable, and it was popular to refit Land Rovers with these torquey units. But the big-block designs had their roots in the early 1960s (local manufacture started in 1965) and were quite thirsty. GM decided to gradually supplant them with imported Opel engines.

For 1981, The Rekords were available with a choice of either the 2-litre Opel cam-in-head unit, or the old 2.3-litre o-h-v Chev motor. Midway through 1982, the Chevrolet Commodore "2.8 GL" was added, using the German base Senator engine with a new five-speed gearbox.

GM retired the old Chevrolet motor for 1983, concentrating solely on the Opel engines. That year, the Senator got a big power boost, when the fuel-injected 3-litre Senator engine was fitted to local models. GMSA had reintroduced the Opel brand in 1980, with the launch of the Kadett, and for 1983, the Opel Ascona replaced the Chevrolet Chevair, which was an Opel Ascona with a Manta front clip. To streamline things, the Rekord, Commodore, and Senator dropped Chevrolet badges in favour of Opel that year

-- Edited by Johann65 on Friday 15th of May 2009 02:32:13 PM

-- Edited by Johann65 on Friday 15th of May 2009 02:47:20 PM

Johann, do you have pictures of those 70's GM of SA models that you mention?

Hey Johann, do you want an aluminum  Clifford 4 barrel intake for that thing along with a set of headers?  I used to run a 292 with this stuff in my 1939 buick but I finally swapped it out for a 327.  I probably will never use it again.  I am keeping my 70 Chev truck with the 250 cid strictly stock because it works just fine like that.

(The only mod I've done to it is to change the the points over to  Pertronix CDI type of igntion and it doesn't show at all.  Runs better too.)

It would be one heck of a conversation piece although I/m not sure how driveable It would be.  When I had the Holley 600 cfm carb on it it was kind of a thirsty beast.

Yeah you're probably right.  I have never sent anything that far so I have no clue.