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My reintroduction

3K views 25 replies 8 participants last post by  !Tommy 
#1 ·
I don't know if I ever made an introduction thread way back when or not, but why not make a new one?

My name is Tommy obviously and I'm a super moderator over at the Chevy Malibu Forum. I ended up trading in my 2011 Malibu for a 2014 Impala Limited because of transmission issues with the Malibu. It was a bit of a sad day since I did so much work to my Malibu. I took a 1LT and literally turned it into an LTZ clone minus rims and automatic climate controls. I also did a color transformation and changed it from the monotone ebony/ebony to cocoa/cashmere. But thanks to it, I got into making a lot of my own changes and repairs without paying others to do it for me. For anyone interested, you can check out my garage here! https://www.chevymalibuforum.com/showcase/tommys-2011-chevrolet-malibu.4242/

I'm not sure I'll ever get that far with the Impala, but I'd like to be able to take care of it and learn a bit about it. I've obviously read up on the rear defrost not working thread and how to fix it. It's amazing how much knowledge there is in communities like this and I'm happy to be able to rejoin this one, even though I'm not leaving my Malibu community. I also own a 2003 Impala as a backup vehicle and since it needs some work, I may be able to learn even more about it as well. Once you work past some of the common bugs, the Impala is an extremely dependable and comfortable ride.
 
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#3 ·
Welcome Tommy!
Got any pics of your rides?
 
#4 ·
Thanks for the warm welcomes! I do have a few pictures but not a whole lot yet. Work and other personal life issues have gotten in the way so I haven't had a chance, along with tons of rain this week! But I did manage to get a few pictures taken. This is outside of Arcadia, Michigan on a lookout point on M-22. I saw a few Michigan people here so I'm wondering if any of them will happen to recognize it. :)

I have since bought the flying Impala logos and installed them on the C-pillars to make it a real Impala again. I will be putting chrome door handle covers on like I did with my Malibu and also putting an all gold pinstripe on the sides instead of the black/gold one that's currently on there. And then off to fix that darn rear window defrost! I will definitely snap of a picture of the burned connector when I go to work on it but I've verified it is burned quite badly so that is why I have no defrost action in the back and having my poor baby outside all the time, it kind of needs it.

And as a big tease, when I went back to the dealer I bought the Impala from for a few things, they had my Malibu parked outside. They discovered the transmission problem but didn't pin it on me and just stated that I "got rid of it just in time". Yeah, I kinda did. :lol:
 

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#5 ·
Thanks for the pics!
I’ve never been TC way, more Cadillac and Charlevoix, and UP of course.
Proud Michigander here :)
 
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#10 ·
Thank you!

I had plans to purchase the 18 inch LTZ rims from another member on the Malibu forums, but then the transmission problem creeped up and that idea was scrapped. My idea wasn't really to change it from stock so much as it was to upconvert a standard 1LT to a 1LZ.
 
#12 ·
Welcome back!

Nice 'Pala!
Thank you kindly, I appreciate it! I'm pretty happy with the 'Pal so far. It came originally with a black and gold pinstripe and I had an all gold version put on today. I know pinstripes aren't very popular with some people but I love gold pinstriping on a white Chevy. I also took the script logo from the dash of a 2000-2005 Impala and put it on the wood grain trim although due to its thickness, I almost think it would look better if the trim was hollowed out some so it could sit further in. I'll have to think of something, but it still looks pretty neat in my opinion. :eek:k3:
 

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#14 ·
Thank you! I think the script is pretty sweet as well. I just don't think it would look "right" on the truck lid but the font is so generic now, since it's basically the same font letting used for all the vehicles. It's the same font used on my Malibu.

I did add the Impala badges! I felt it's not a real Impala without them. I remember when they deleted them around 2010 and thought it was a crock. It was probably just to save a few bucks. Although my bowtie badging in the front is compromised and looks like it has water in it. It looks awful. I'd like to either replace it or repaint the outside of it gold. I know a lot of people opt for black but I prefer to keep mine as factory as possible and gold goes great with white in my opinion. Although to be honest, I wish our limited models had the chrome trim along the bottom of the trunk. I wonder how easy/hard it would be to swap it out.
 
#16 ·
That is sad that the only Impala logo that came stock was the one on the dashboard, considering the commercials when the 8th gen first came on the market. They really used the Impala animal a lot in their commercials so deleting them was like giving it an identity crisis. Bought them used on eBay for like $8, brand new from GM would've been about $80 for both sides. Wasn't doing that, that's for sure!

I think my rear bowtie is fine, but it's the front that looks like garbage. I believe the one on my Malibu was also starting to get a bit of water in it, but it wasn't bad. My 2005 Impala had the gold bowtie, but I didn't like it because it was a gold car with a tan interior. So I decided to paint the bowtie blue like the previous years, mainly because it had cracked a bit on the side so water got in and it looked absolutely horrible and even one from the junkyard was more than I wanted to spend. Held up perfectly until I sold the car. I like to stay as factory as possible, especially if I uptrim the car, like from an LT to an LTZ.

So since you also have an LT, do you know if we have heated mirrors by default or are they plug and play? I still need to fix the rear defrost wire as my connector is burned. I added heated mirrors to my Malibu 1LT (LTZ clone) and I loved them and actually miss their use since my car has to live outside in the weather. I'm still learning a lot about this car but just don't have the time right not to tear things apart like I did with the Malibu.

Oh, and I didn't think my badging was lowered on my model. Are you saying that it would be on the "chrome" piece if that piece existed?
 
#17 · (Edited)
So since you also have an LT, do you know if we have heated mirrors by default or are they plug and play? I still need to fix the rear defrost wire as my connector is burned. I added heated mirrors to my Malibu 1LT (LTZ clone) and I loved them and actually miss their use since my car has to live outside in the weather. I'm still learning a lot about this car but just don't have the time right not to tear things apart like I did with the Malibu.

Oh, and I didn't think my badging was lowered on my model. Are you saying that it would be on the "chrome" piece if that piece existed?
I'm not sure about heated mirrors. I got mine in April, so the snow/ice was long gone. Will be interesting to see.

Yes, that chrome strip on the earlier models is right before the body contours downward a bit, where our badges sit now.
 
#18 ·
Hmm, that's interesting. I'll have to check on that badging as now I can't remember. Hey, since yours is obviously a fleet too, do you have anything that looks like wires cut in the trunk lid loom? When I looked closer, it didn't look like any wiring inside the jackets at all, but something was obviously cut and I have no idea what since everything functions as it should.

I read that heated mirrors are plug and play if they're not already equipped. I haven't verified that but eventually I'm going to take another subscription out to that website to which I can't remember the name of it, but it has all sorts of electrical schematics and whatnot and basically anything and everything you want to know about the car. It would certainly be quite helpful in modifications!
 
#19 ·
Hmm, that's interesting. I'll have to check on that badging as now I can't remember. Hey, since yours is obviously a fleet too, do you have anything that looks like wires cut in the trunk lid loom?
No, not at all.

Attached are pics of an 06-11, then my car. You can clearly see the difference of the badge placement on the trunk lid.
 

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