We all have a car that we dream of one day owning. That one special car that keeps us up at night, thinking about all the ways we’d mod it and how cool we would look cruising down the highway. Such is the life of the gearhead. One particular car enthusiast by the name of Daniel Swan fulfilled that dream with his 1969 Chevy Chevelle Malibu. He didn’t have to do much dreaming though as he managed to get his hands on this brilliant car as a young boy.
At 11 years old he had inherited a paper route from his brother and had already started putting some money aside. One day on his route he spotted a beat-up, rusted away 69’ Chevelle. The car had been stripped and abused and was little more than a shell. Daniel came back with his dad, located the owner, and walked away with the muscle car for a steal at 300 dollars.
This Chevy Chevelle spent the next couple of years sitting around until Daniel was about 17 when he started working on it. He spent the next 22 years crafting and fine-tuning this beast of a car until finally he was satisfied and dubbed it the ‘Malibeast’.
The Looks
Swan has spent a lot of time and effort ensuring that the classic look and feel of the car was preserved, classifying it a resto-mod. All of his hard work is incredibly evident, even just going off of its looks alone.
At first glance, this 1969 Chevelle Malibeast is absolutely extraordinary. The ashen grey paint over black primer gives it this metallic finish which is really showcased in the light. The car is raised slightly in the rear, giving the impression that it is stalking prey, ready to pounce at a moment’s notice.
Some of the exterior trim has been removed, but Daniel has held on to the quintessential chrome bumpers that really help showcase this car as a classic. This beastly body all sits on top of chrome 17-inch Billet Specialties Street Lites, which pair with the bumpers to round off the prototypical muscle car look.
A lot of the interior is factory, with stock Chevelle bucket seats, console, and interior trim. Much of the actual instruments have been modernized, however, with a new air conditioner head, some Dakota digital gauges, and a polished black Billet Specialties steering unit. The cherry on the top in the interior, however, is the slotted shifter with blue masking tape under it showing the shift pattern in magic marker, along with the words “BURN RUBBER”.
The Guts
Under the hood, the engine bay is just as immaculate as the rest of the car. Daniel had a 6.0 liter LS engine in mind from the start of the build, displacing 370 cubic inches. The LS has beautiful ported and polished cylinder heads along with a slew of other new parts including a LS6 intake and a forged crank.
The Chevelle is fuel injected, sitting with a Holley Sniper, and has WISECO Pistons at the heart of the engine. There are a few other elements as well, such as the chrome break booster and reservoir as well as a modern air-conditioning compressor, but what Daniel is really excited about is his newly added supercharger for that essential boost.
This engine works with a six-speed transmission and, at latest test, generates close to 600 WHP and 640 lb.-ft of torque, limiting out at 6,700 rpm. What is really incredible about it though is the absolutely eardrum-bursting sound that it generates.
Fitted with a Black Widow Race Venom exhaust, even idling the Malibeast really lives up to its name, with a low, guttural growl. That’s nothing compared to when it really gets going though, with a roar that could burn fear into the bravest men, complimented beautifully by the whine of his new supercharger.
Going back to those 17-inch chrome wheels, the Malibeast is fitted with disc brakes with the difficult job of keeping all that power in check. The car is decked out with Viking coilovers to try and tame the fiend and give it some tighter handling as well as adjustable suspension.
The Man Behind the Build
Daniel got his love of cars, and his love for Chevys, the Chevelle in particular, from his dad. He grew up going with his dad to car shows and helping his dad in the garage. The two cars that his father had that really spoke to him though were the two Chevelle Malibu’s that his dad owned, one a '64 and the other a '69.
Daniel has worked on a couple different classic car builds, which he showcases on his Instagram, with three different builds being Chevelles. One of these classics he worked on with the intent of giving to his father. He got his '64 Chevelle wanting to restore it, recreating his dad’s favourite car, so that they could cruise around together. Unfortunately, he passed away before Daniel could give it to him. This didn’t stop him though, and he has recently finished the build as a beater for his family to have fun in.
The Malibeast took him over two decades to complete, with Daniel claiming to have even funneled some extra college load money for parts. All the time really shows in the car though, with a stunning look and some incredible power under the hood. All in all, this '69 Chevelle is one of a kind. Daniel has done a great deal to transform this car and make his dreams a reality, from a 300-dollar piece of scrap to an adorned beast on the road. The story behind the Malibeast is one of triumph and one that will inspire many aspiring gearheads to come.