Darrin Windell's 1964 Chevrolet Malibu Wagon
Let’s face it, it’s really difficult build a vehicle that stands out from the rest. Many people try their hands at it with wild mods and most of the times it doesn’t quite pan out the way they expected, which can often lead to criticism. However, an ingenuous way around all of this is to simply build something that is different than the rest.
For Darrin Windell and Christine Phenix, they weren’t exactly looking for this car when they came across it. The two of them are A-body fanatics and have a few in their collection including a ’65 Chevelle, ’66 Chevelle SS and ’67 El Camino SS. Darrin’s passion for vintage classics started with his father who was always in the garage working on his cars and showing them off at Hot August Nights and several Goodguys events during the ‘80s. Many lessons were learned in the garage and Darrin is very fond of the memories he made with his father while underneath the cars.
With a passion for hot rods and muscle cars instilled at a young age, Darrin had the dream of building numerous vehicles and keeping them in a collection. As life went on, Darrin found himself building a successful Audio/Video, IT and security business for residential and commercial purposes and it has afforded him the ability to seek out his automotive fantasies. In doing so, he and his wife Cristine Phenix opened their own shop called D&C Classic Garage in their hometown of Sparks, NV. This is no personal backyard hobby either as it’s housed in a full commercial shop with even six employees, all lead by the help of Mike Ronning.
With the shared dream of owning a horde of cars, Darrin and Christine are always on the hunt for the next great project. One day while searching for cars on Craigslist, they came upon this ’64 Chevy Malibu wagon. Since these cars are more uncommon, this one caught their attention as they knew it would stand out from everything else. When Darrin inquired about it, he found out that the posting was placed by the owner’s nephew. Basically, the elderly lady that owned it had no use for it as her husband had passed and all their five kids they raise around the car were full grown adults.
After a short interview with the nephew and some pleading that the car would remain in good hands, he was able to purchase it. Not wanting to betray the wishes of the previous owner, Darrin and Christine simply enjoyed the car as is with its 283ci small block with three-on-the-tree shifter. However, they pulled it into the shop one day to spruce up the paint and bring back the luster. Well as the familiar story goes, one thing led to another, and it became a frame-off build.
Starting with the powertrain, they chose a 383ci small block stroker engine from BluePrint Engines to give it more power but retain a classic feel. This was backed by a 700R4 transmission to utilize an overdrive gear in combination with a Currie 9-inch rear end. To knock off a few inches off the height, the team installed a QA1 coil-over suspension system, which also makes the car handle like a modern street beast.
Other than these major mods, Darrin and Christine didn’t stray too far from the original look of the car. Their team matched the Meadow Green paint but added some extra crispness to make it snap in the sun. All the original bright work was rechromed, polished, and anodized to replicate the way it would have look when it rolled off the lot. One improvement the team made was the addition of custom aluminum trim on the roof for an extra little touch. Then a set of 17×8-inch U.S. Mags Rambler wheels with low pro rubber were attached to complete the exterior.
On the inside, the original Parchment white upholstery was spotless but no longer fit the look Darrin and Christine were after. Instead, they had JD Auto and Trim recover the doors in black vinyl and the seats in black leather with added bowties. The original column was adapted to the auto trans, and Dakota Digital gauges replaced the originals. For entertainment on the road, a RetroSound head unit with JL Audio speakers was added.
Though Darrin and Christine had their team upgrade this Malibu wagon a bit, it does stay true to the feel of the original version of this amazing car. There’s no flames running down the sides or engine pushing through the hood that would make the previous owner cringe. Just some good old-fashioned mods to make it more enjoyable. It has also become the star of the collection too as many people are drawn to this rare gem of a car. You just don’t see these wagons that often and it’s great to see this one done right.