Wow... was that 38 years ago? Iraqi Malibus

MC · Canadian Poncho Superstar!

Wow... was that 38 years ago? Iraqi Malibus

timbuk · Canadian Poncho Superstar!

where are they all now lol

Greaser · Canadian Poncho Superstar!

I was working at the GM Transmission plant in Windsor when they became available to employees.

$6,000 bucks for one. I never bought one then, but when I moved to Calgary in 1990, I was looking for a second car

and found one for sale for $600. I have to admit it was a great car for the money. After I sold it some 3 years later,

I spotted it eventually in Pick N Pull. Only seen one other a couple of years later, a white one, the owner took great care of it....never seen another since,

not even in Pick n Pull.

-G

CdnGMfan · Canadian Poncho Superstar!

I remember seeing it on the news that GM had all these 1981 Malibus that Iraq had reneged on & GM brought back to Canada. They had to retrofit with emission controls. I do remember seeing many around as they were going cheap. I even heard of one guy buying 2 because they were cheap & he could preserve one. In 1983 I pulled up beside a persimmon-coloured one on my motorcycle and looked inside to see a manual floor shift. I was surprised because I thought 1980 was the final year for the 3-on-the-floor Malibu. Right then & there I became interested in these little taxis. Today you don't see any around. There used to be a light blue one on my street but they moved away 12 years ago. Another belonged to a coworker and I asked him about selling it to me. He said he promised it to his son. I later learned the son died a few years later in a diabetic coma.

The colours when new that I have witnessed were light blue metallic (most popular), silver, jade green, green-gold, burgundy, persimmon and I think a brown one. Base hubcaps, 229 V6, 3-speed, power steering & brakes, a/c, bumper guards & strips. I believe they were am/fm stereo equipped.

I do have a set of driver-quality aluminum hubcaps for one.

beaumontguru · Canadian Poncho Superstar!

I had one for about 6 months, was really cool and unique. i kind of wish i still had it. i do have 2 transmisions from those cars, with the floor shifter and all.

long stroke · Canadian Poncho Superstar!

On the surface, it really seems like a bit of a joke. The biggest joke is that these iraqi's actually had standards. Especially back then in the 80's................ spare me the B.S. confuse

DonSSDD · Canadian Poncho Superstar!

There was also a loaded 1985 Caprice intended for Iraq and then sold in Canada, 4 door, 350, even had a graphic equalizer stereo.

Pontiacanada · A Poncho Legend!

There was a few of these put into service as Canadian Government cars. We got them in as surplus once they reached the end of their lifespan at Crown Assets in the '90s.

You got to drive them at their inception Mark, and I got to drive them towards their life's end. They were fun to drive.

Pontiacanada · A Poncho Legend!

DonSSDD wrote:
There was also a loaded 1985 Caprice intended for Iraq and then sold in Canada, 4 door, 350, even had a graphic equalizer stereo.

Saddam ordered this one. wink

Canadian Poncho · A Poncho Legend!

Quite the debacle. I saw a few wagons in that sea of four door sedans. One of those would have been cool with the 3 speed manual.

beaumontguru · Canadian Poncho Superstar!

Canadian Poncho wrote:
Quite the debacle. I saw a few wagons in that sea of four door sedans. One of those would have been cool with the 3 speed manual.

Ya, i noticed that too. I had no idea there was wagons too, first i have ever seen of that. Now that would be wild to own one of those!!!!

Prefectca · Poncho Master!

Canadian Poncho wrote:
Quite the debacle. I saw a few wagons in that sea of four door sedans. One of those would have been cool with the 3 speed manual.

When I worked at Speedy Muffler in the eighties I did brake work on a Malibu wagon that was a three speed manual. The master cylinder was bad and the car had manual brakes. I ended up ordering from the dealer by vin because the parts aftermarket didnt have a listing for an 81 Malibu with manual brakes. The dealer said the vin came up as an Iraq car.

Paul

-- Edited by Prefectca on Thursday 20th of February 2020 10:37:10 AM

CdnGMfan · Canadian Poncho Superstar!

Prefectca wrote:
Canadian Poncho wrote:
Quite the debacle. I saw a few wagons in that sea of four door sedans. One of those would have been cool with the 3 speed manual.
When I worked at Speedy Muffler in the eighties I did brake work on a Malibu wagon that was a three speed manual. The master cylinder was bad and the car had manual brakes. I ended up ordering from the dealer by vin because the parts aftermarket didnt have a listing for an 81 Malibu with manual brakes. The dealer said the vin came up as an Iraq car.

Paul

-- Edited by Prefectca on Thursday 20th of February 2020 10:37:10 AM

That is unexpected, as Chevelle wagons starting in 1970 came standard with power front disks (except Nomads), then from '73 on were all power. 3-speeds on the wagons were still available with the V6 in 1981. Wheel covers were supposedly standard on the Malibu wagons in 1981 but I remember a new '83 Malibu wagon with the base aluminum dogdish caps.

I've never (knowingly) seen a wagon version of the Iraqi Taxi but then I never knew enough to look for them.

Prefectca · Poncho Master!

I remember that Malibu wagon had a stamped sheet metal bracket/spacer between the firewall and master cylinder to make up the space of the missing brake booster. The master cylinder may have been the same as the power brake one, but without a listing in a parts catalogue I called the dealer. I also worked on a Chevy Impala that had a resonator in place of the catalytic converter. The emission sticker under the hood said non-catalyst/ export. I had to order from the dealer and it was an Arab Emirates car. How it ended up in Ontario is anybodys guess. I think it was also a 1981 car.

Paul

MC · Canadian Poncho Superstar!

Thanks for your thoughts and stories. It was an interesting time in my personal history, but also GM of Canada's.

Here is what I can remember, 38 years after the fact:

- The sedans that I moved around were all 3-speed manuals, but the wagons were all automatics.

- I recall talking to one of the mechanics at Autoport who was preparing them to be shipped to the dealers. He told me they were changing all of the clutches because they were lighter duty than the ones intended for the Canadian market - I'm not sure how much truth there was to that, but that's what I remember.

- The suspension of the Iraqi cars seemed to be softer/mushier than other G-bodies of the era that I drove.

- I recall other guys commenting that the radios were of better quality than usual - I didn't pay much attention to them so I can't really say, but they did seem to sound pretty good. I was more of a gearhead than an audiophile at the time.

- I remember some of the guys mentioning that they did good burnouts in first gear - I tried it once and noticed the V6s to be torquier than I thought they would be, but didn't want to abuse the cars as they were going to a customer at some point (plus I didn't want to lose my job) - others were not so protective of them...

- After sitting for over a year there were a lot of dead batteries and some stuck brakes. I got into a few of them that just wouldn't turn over, so they had a couple of guys running around in a van to boost them. I got into one and tried to move it but the brakes were stuck - after several tries to get it moving I gave up when I could smell burning clutch...

- The van rides to go from compound to compound were something I wouldn't want to experience again. They were slant six Dodges with benches down each side of the van to move the drivers around. I swear those vans accumulated 100 miles of wear for each mile they were driven. It wasn't unusual for one of us to end up on the floor, having slipped off the seat during one of the Dukes of Hazzard maneuvers that were pulled. We were just kids, though, we didn't care - it was actually kind of fun to hold on and go for a wild ride... it was a little hard on the back, though, when you would bounce up off your seat and come slamming back down again.

- After they were on sale, I recall seeing a lot of them on the roads around here - or maybe I kept seeing the same ones over and over...

- I seem to recall that the wagons had full wheel covers, but I'm not sure where that memory comes from as I believe none of them had wheel covers on them at the lot - can't remember for sure. Maybe it was that the sedans had body coloured wheels and the wagons had black?

It was a time that I'll probably always remember. That sea of identical cars with chrome shining in sun was a sight to behold.

Canadian Poncho · A Poncho Legend!

One of my earliest experiences working at Eastown Chev/Olds in London was the big recall on the Malibu's. The rear wheel cylinder's would "twist" causing a loss of back brakes and a very spongy brake pedal. I believe the backing plates needed to be replaced. I do remember the campaign # (recalls were called "Campaigns"). It was 6A16. I think it was just cars from Ontario and Quebec that were affected. There was an earlier recall in the maritime's for the same issue.

I remember back then you had to call an 800 number and use the touch tone pad on the phone to enter the VIN of a car to see if there was a recall on it. This old lady sounding computer voice would come back with "NO CAMPAIGNS ON RECORD" or "ONE CAMPAIGN ON RECORD... SIX AYE ONE SIX"

Good times!

ARCADIAN · Poncho Master!

I bought a running manual trans one for the modest sum of $75 and used the frame and modified it for the front clip of my Acadian (same front tread width)

Canadian Poncho · A Poncho Legend!

Someone in Prince Albert is parting one:

https://www.kijiji.ca/v-engines-and-engine-parts/prince-albert/parting-81-malibu-iraqi-taxi/1467508920

CDN2PLS2 · Uber Guru

I had a Gold one And a Blue one.I thought they were great cars,had straight pipe from converter to the bumper,sounded like a grand national.

ABC123 · Uber Guru

You have to wonder if this was one of them,

https://www.kijiji.ca/v-classic-cars/moncton/1981-chevrolet-malibu/1488639112

DonSSDD · Canadian Poncho Superstar!

MC, were you still there when the yard was full of new rusty Ladas?

long stroke · Canadian Poncho Superstar!

DonSSDD wrote:
MC, were you still there when the yard was full of new rusty Ladas?

I wonder what was worse, a LADA or a TRABANT. Both cars built under communist rule. My guess is that they were equal garbage.

timbuk · Canadian Poncho Superstar!

who was that reporter peter mansbridge?

beaumontguru · Canadian Poncho Superstar!

When you see one driving, usually the dead giveaway is the bumper guards, they all had front and rear guards. so if you see one with guards, it should require a closer inspection for the manual trans. They also all had A/C with tinted glass, and they all had the AM/FM stereo with tape deck. they also have a higher Kph speedo. IF all those things check out, then its a genuine Iraqibu.

Pontiacanada · A Poncho Legend!

Canadian Poncho wrote:
Someone in Prince Albert is parting one:
https://www.kijiji.ca/v-engines-and-engine-parts/prince-albert/parting-81-malibu-iraqi-taxi/1467508920

That's the same colour Government surplus Malibu we used to get in for public auction all the time. All light blue.:

Iraqi Taxi.JPG