Twice Discovered Once Restored

Twice Discovered,

A 1973 SS station wagon timed right and restored right

STORY AND PHOTOS BY AL ROGERS

Cincinnati, Ohio, native Tom Kobman specialized in Corvette restorations for decades, then decided to take on a project far out of his wheelhouse. The change came in 2009, the year in which he purchased a 1962 Buick Invicta Estate Wagon and began a body-off-frame restoration to concours standards.

Upon successfully “day viewing” the 1962 Invicta station wagon, Tom shifted gears, opting to permanently move on from Corvette restorations and into restoring rare station wagons. After the Invicta, Tom found a 1968 Chevrolet Impala station wagon with a factory-installed 396-cid V-8. The car could be had at a reasonable price, but required a body-off restoration. Undaunted, Tom pulled the trigger on the rare bigblock Chevy wagon and it was soon on his rotisserie, getting the complete restoration treatment.

The 396-packing 1968 Impala station wagon may have been relatively rare, but its scarcity couldn’t compare to his next discovery and purchase of a station wagon that is so rare, he never even knew it had been built by Chevrolet. The rst nd

Once Restored

stopped him in his search. When he saw the listing for a 1973 Malibu SS station wagon with a 454, he couldn’t believe his eyes. He said he didn’t know Chevrolet had produced such a vehicle and asked to himself, “Is this for real?”

Tom started digging and discovered that Chevrolet did produce a Super Sport variation of the Chevelle Malibu station wagon, and yes, some of them were equipped with the big-block 454-cid V-8 engine. As he leaned back in his of ce chair, he found himself enticed at the thought of getting into a bidding war over the car. Then reality set in as he thought to himself, “Now’s just not the right time for this — I have to nish the ’68 Impala wagon before taking on another big restoration project.” A second chance

Upon wrapping up the 1968 Chevrolet Impala 396 station wagon restoration in 2015, Tom began looking for his next project. He entered “Station Wagon for sale” in the search bar of his internet browser and scrolled through the rst page of results, but nothing caught his eye. It wasn’t until he came to the third page that he stumbled upon an advertisement that made him pause. The ad was for a 1973 Chevrolet SS 454 offered for sale by Auto Barn Classic Cars’ Concord, N.C.,

TOP: The 1973 Malibu SS in coupe or station wagon form featured a blacked-out grille with “SS” badging.

BELOW: New lower-body striping was a feature of all Malibu SS models in 1973, while “SS” badges returned to the front fenders. The new Turbine I wheels were made of urethane backed by steel and were standard fare on the ’73 SS. location. At rst glance, the car looked identical to the station wagon he discovered on eBay back in 2013. After further reviewing the car, he determined it was, indeed, the same.

He soon learned that, in that 2013 eBay auction, the SS station wagon had been purchased by a buyer in Tennessee, who gave it a minor cosmetic makeover, then contracted Auto Barn Classic Cars to sell it on consignment. Realizing lightning rarely strikes twice, Tom decided to inquire about the wagon. After talking to the salesperson, he and his wife, Cathy, ew to Concord in order to thoroughly inspect the car. On Sept. 15, 2015, Tom and Cathy examined the SS wagon. After seeing it in person, Tom knew it needed a major restoration.

Everything in the advertisement had been pretty accurate — the car was a 40-footer, at best, but in running order. Tom and Cathy were given a ride in the car, but were not allowed to get behind the wheel and drive it themselves. Tom thought that was somewhat peculiar, and he did not immediately agree to purchase it. Purchasing a unicorn

After seeing the SS station wagon in person, Tom and Cathy remained interested, but left Auto Barn Classic Cars without coming to terms on its purchase. They drove to the nearby Concord airport for their return ight to Cincinnati, and while waiting to board the plane, Tom decided that nding another 1973 Malibu SS wagon would be nearly impossible. He called the salesperson and agreed to purchase the station wagon. Something told him this car was extra special, and he shouldn’t let it get away. The car arrived at their shop in Cincinnati two weeks later. Yes, there really was an SS wagon

The 1973 Malibu SS station wagon was produced at General Motors’ Freemont, Calif., assembly plant, then shipped to an unknown dealership in that state. Eventually it ended up in Idaho, and although Tom knows little about his car’s history, he’s able to con rm that it spent most of its life there.

To date, neither the car’s original build sheet or window sticker has been located. Tom reached out to many resources in the GM and Chevrolet communities in hopes of nding factory documentation for his car, but hasn’t had any luck so far. However, to those who question whether Chevrolet actually built an SS station wagon in 1973, Tom need only open the 1973 Chevrolet Chevelle and 1973 Chevrolet station wagon brochures. On page 10 of the Chevelle brochure, Chevrolet advertises the availability of SS equipment on the Malibu station wagon. On page 16 of its 1973 station wagon brochure, Chevrolet illustrates the SS version of the Malibu station wagon and lists its standard features: a black- nished grille with SS emblem; lefthand remote control and right-hand manual sport mirrors; SS emblems on the fenders, door trim, steering wheel and tailgate; bright roof drip molding; lower body and wheel opening striping keyed to the body color; special instrument cluster; special rear stabilizer; and the new 14x7-inch “metal-look” urethane Turbine I Wheels, which were backed by steel. 1973 would be the rst — and last — model year in which Chevrolet offered the Super Sport station wagon. Estimated production numbers range from 1,200-1,500; at least one source has broken down its production gure to 1,361 built with the 350 V-8 engine and 71 produced with the 454 V-8 engine (the only two engines available in the 1973 SS). According to an independent researcher who tracks these cars, only 12 of the 1973 Chevrolet Malibu SS 454 station wagons are known to have survived.

The new Chevelle and Malibu station wagon body included a new one-piece hatchback tailgate with a xed rear window. The third-row seat was optional and provided room and memories for two more rear-facing occupants. “SS” badging was incorporated in the interior panels of the front doors only.

In 1973, the Turbo-Jet 454 put out 245 net horsepower, and in the Chevelle station wagon line, was available only with the Turbo Hydra-matic automatic transmission; in the 1973 Chevelle/Malibu line, Chevrolet reserved the four-speed manual transmission for coupes only.

This car is equipped with 21 factory options including the SS package, the also rare third-row seat, AM/FM stereo radio, power windows and door locks, air conditioning and the 454 V-8 engine with factory-installed California emissions.

Tom and Cathy’s SS station wagon is further equipped with the Turbo Hydra-matic automatic transmission (the fourspeed was not available in Chevelle/Malibu station wagons during 1973), the 2.73 rear axle and G70-14 Firestone tires. Restoring a rarity

Of cially, Tom’s restoration of the ’73 Malibu SS 454 station wagon began in 2017. A complete, body-off-frame restoration to concours standards was done at the Kobmans’ shop in Cincinnati. The car was disassembled down to its sheet metal shell and its paint was chemically stripped. Tom says he simultaneously disassembled the car and stripped its paint; as the chemical stripper was doing its work on one piece of sheet metal, a non-sheet metal part was removed, bagged or boxed, and tagged. Cathy was on hand to help with the entire process.

After the body was disassembled and chemically stripped, it was inspected for wear and damage, such as rust and dents.

The entire driver’s side quarter panel was replaced, while the passenger side rear quarter panel required a partial panel replacement. Buddy McKnight handled the welding and installation of the quarter panels using newold-stock sheet metal.

Tom and Cathy removed both original front fenders and the passenger side rear door and replaced them with NOS components. The car was then taken to Bob Siegrist, who handled the body and paint work at his private shop.

The Malibu SS station wagon was painted its factory Chamois color with Dark Argent SS stripes using base-clearcoat urethane material.

The frame was stripped clean, repainted and restored with new suspension and rebuilt mechanical components. Most of the electrical system was replaced with the work done at the Kobmans’ shop.

While the car was undergoing body and paint work, the engine was sent out to Tom Sanders for a rebuild. Tom had the

How Chevrolet came to the SS wagon

When most people think of a Chevrolet Super Sport, they think of an Impala SS convertible or a Chevelle SS coupe — not a four-door. However, the very rst Super Sport was originally offered on any 1961 Impala model, and that included the four-door. Chevrolet’s 1961 “The Chevy Impala Super Sport” brochure even illustrated an Impala SS Sport Sedan four-door hardtop on the cover (top illustration).

Unfortunately, there are no known 1961 Impala SS fourdoors known to exist, and that probably explains why Chevrolet didn’t again offer a four-door Super Sport for several years after that rst year the SS was available.

For 1962, the Impala SS returned, but could only be had as a Sport Coupe or convertible. The Super Sport was then added to the one-year-old Chevy II compact in 1963, and in 1964, the brand-new mid-size Chevelle line included the Malibu SS — all available as either Sport Coupes or convertibles only. Both SS models joined the Impala SS, which was likewise available only as a Sport Coupe or convertible.

In 1969, the Impala SS saw its swan song. The Chevy II eventually became solely labeled a Nova, and a Nova SS two-door remained available well into the 1970s. For the Chevelle/Malibu, one of the most famous Chevys to carry the racy SS monicker, the end came in 1973. That year, Chevrolet introduced a completely redesigned mid-size Chevelle/Malibu line with new Colonade roof styling, and with it, the new Laguna version of the Chevelle.

The Laguna model of Chevelle came amidst high insurance premiums for performance cars and strict emissionsreducing mandates by the government, both of which pushed manufacturers to focus on automotive experiences other than horsepower, such as luxury and European car-inspired handling. As the top-of-the-line 1973 Chevelle, the Laguna received a urethane front bumper cover that was color-keyed to the body, and a matching color-keyed rear bumper that was otherwise the standard Chevelle type. Although Chevrolet still offered a six-cylinder and a 307-cid V-8 in the mid-size line for 1973, only the 350 or 454 V-8s were available in the top-line Laguna. All Chevelle/Malibu body types were available in the Laguna line: coupe, sedan and station wagon.

Working up the chain toward the 1973 Laguna, the base mid-size Chevrolet was the Chevelle Deluxe, then the slightly upscale Malibu, which was bested by the performance-oriented Malibu SS, the latter being just below the top-line Laguna. In addition to being offered as a station wagon (bottom illustration), the 1973 Malibu SS was also offered as a Sport Coupe, a perennial favorite in the Chevelle/Malibu line (with its 1973 redesign, there was no longer a mid-size Malibu or Chevelle convertible). For 1974, Chevrolet shuf ed the mid-size Chevelle/ Malibu line again and the Laguna completely replaced the Malibu SS. Available only as a Sport Coupe, the Laguna for 1974 became the Laguna Type S-3 and wore a restyled color-keyed urethane front bumper cover. If there was any question that the Laguna Type S-3 had replaced the Malibu SS, one need only look at the Laguna S-3’s lower body stripes, which were directly borrowed from the 1973 Malibu SS, and the “S” in “S-3,” which was of the same font used in the 1973 Malibu SS. Although there was no longer a Chevelle or Malibu SS after 1973, a Chevellebased El Camino SS trudged on through the 1970s and into the 1980s, the period in which the Monte Carlo SS returned. Chevrolet occasionally rekindled the SS monicker thereafter, the most notable example being the black 1994-’96 Impala SS sedan, but few of the subsequent SS models (Trailblazers, Cobalts, etc.) could compare to those from Detroit’s original muscle car heyday.

The “SS” badge may look out of the place on a station wagon tailgate, but it belongs there. There may be a Chevelle script on the tailgate, but Chevrolet referred to its mid-size Super Sport as the Malibu SS in 1973.

Continued from page 36. transmission and rear end rebuilt locally and installed them at his shop.

Tom considers himself a “purist restorer,” meaning he likes his cars restored to how they were built at the factory. He stayed true to that philosophy on the 1973 Malibu SS station wagon restoration and was very careful to restore all of its features to how they worked and appeared when the car rolled off the assembly line. He used more than 160 new-old-stock parts during the ’73 SS station wagon’s restoration. However, Tom notes the most challenging part of the restoration was trying to correct design, assembly and installation issues with those NOS parts, which didn’t always t well. Showing a unicorn

The restoration was completed in 2021, about four years after it was started. During the process, Tom and Cathy had to work through the COVID-19 pandemic and other unexpected issues. Yet they stayed the course, and the result is an award-winning 1973 Chevrolet Malibu SS station wagon that is considered to be one of the best examples on the planet. It received major awards from the Antique Automobile Club of America (AACA) and the Muscle Car and Corvette Nationals (MCACN) in 2021 and 2022. Anyone who’s familiar with MCACN knows it takes a special muscle car to get invited twice, let alone two years in a row.

When this 1973 Malibu SS station wagon appears in public, most people stand back, then walk around it for a while. After studying it, they sometimes ask, “Did GM really produce this?” Tom proudly informs them that, yes, it’s real, and it was produced during the 1973 model year only.

“Rarely do I encounter a person who really knows what it is, and that it’s the real deal.”

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