Maliblu is a 1967 Chevrolet Chevelle SS that got a full Fesler build from the body down in our Phoenix shop. It wears custom matte blue paint (sprayed, not wrapped), Fesler flush-mount glass front and rear, and a fully built, Whipple-supercharged LS that put 805 horsepower to the rear wheels on the dyno. Inside is a full Fesler custom interior with custom power seats, custom door panels, and a custom trunk to match. Just about everything on this car has been touched.
If you were on the rooftop at Desert Diamond last week, you already met it. As the sun went down on the top deck of the parking garage, Maliblu was the car with the hood up and a crowd that kept coming back. This is the full walk-around, front bumper to taillight, for everyone who wasn't there.
Why build a car like this?
Every shop says it knows how a car should be built. A full build is where you have to prove it. There is nothing to hide behind: every decision about paint, glass, power, and interior ends up on one car, parked where anyone can walk up and judge it.
That is what Maliblu is for us. It is the clearest way to show what a Fesler build looks like when nothing is left stock for the sake of saving time.
The paint: custom matte blue, not a wrap
The first thing people ask about is the color, and the second thing they ask is whether it is a wrap. It is not. Maliblu wears a custom matte blue paint job, protected with a clear bra.
Matte paint is a commitment. A gloss finish can be color sanded and polished to fix small flaws. A matte finish cannot be polished without putting shine back into it, so the prep and the spray have to be right the first time. The custom cowl hood adds to the car's stance from the front and gives the whole nose a more aggressive profile. From the side, the stance does the rest of the talking: low, with Schott 19-inch wheels filling the wheel wells and the big brakes showing through the spokes.
Flush-mount glass, front and rear
The second thing people notice is what is missing. There is no chrome trim ring around the windshield or the back glass, and no rubber gasket. Maliblu runs Fesler flush-mount glass, made with our partner Pilkington USA, at both ends of the car. The glass is bonded into the opening so it sits level with the paint.
That is the reason the car reads so clean in person. Light moves across the roof and down the pillars without catching on a single chrome edge. Most people can't say exactly why the car looks smoother than every other '67 on the lot. The glass is most of the answer.
If you are building a 1966 or 1967 hardtop, the same idea is available for your car. Our 1966 to 1967 Chevelle flush-mount glass kit covers the windshield and rear glass, and our Chevelle flush-mount glass guide walks through what the conversion involves.
What's under the hood?
A fully built LS with heads and cam, topped with a Whipple supercharger fed through a custom intake and pulley system. Spent gases leave through headers and a custom exhaust. Cooling comes from an aluminum radiator with dual fans and a blacked-out custom radiator cover, so the engine bay looks as finished as the outside of the car.
On the dyno, the combination put 805 horsepower to the rear wheels. That is measured at the wheels, after the drivetrain has taken its share, not a flywheel estimate.
Power goes through a Tremec six-speed manual. Three pedals in a car at this level tell you what it was built to do.
Suspension, brakes, and wheels
805 horsepower is only useful if the rest of the car can handle it. Maliblu rides on a Hotchkis suspension setup with a Currie rear end. Stopping duty goes to Fesler-branded 14-inch Baer brakes, tucked behind Schott 19-inch wheels wrapped in Toyo tires.
None of these parts is the headline on its own. Together they are the difference between a car that looks right in photos and a car that holds up when you walk all the way around it.
Inside: a full Fesler custom interior
Open the driver's door and the first thing you see is the name. Maliblu is lit in script across the dash.
Everything around it is a full Fesler custom interior, built in our Phoenix shop. The custom seats are powered and diamond stitched. A Pioneer large screen sits in a custom console. The driver gets Ididit steering, a Sparco wheel, and Dakota Digital gauges. Ron Francis wiring runs behind the dash, and a Kicker and Morel sound system makes sure the cabin can keep up with the exhaust. A thin line of blue light runs across the dash and out into the doors.
The door panels
That line of light carries straight through the door panels. They are custom, shaped for this car instead of adapted to it, with a textured insert and the pull built into the panel.
A door panel is the first thing your hand finds when you get in and the last thing it leaves when you get out. It is also the part most builds treat as an afterthought. On Maliblu the door panels got the same attention as the engine, because that is the standard we hold every interior to.
Building a '66 or '67 of your own? Our 1966 to 1967 Chevelle fiberglass door panels, dash overlay, and kick panels are made in America by Fesler, and they are where a lot of Chevelle interiors start.
The trunk
A lot of builds run out of ideas at the trunk lid. Open this one and the name shows up again, lit on the underside of the lid: Maliblu by Fesler.
The trunk is fully custom. Three square subwoofers sit framed in light, and lit diamond grilles fill both sides. Nobody needs a trunk finished like this. That is exactly why we did it.
Where the name comes from
By the time you have walked all the way around the car, you have seen the name three times. It is lit across the dash, it glows on the trunk lid, and it sits in black script on the rear quarter, right beside the taillight.
Chevy called it a Malibu. We added the blue.
Maliblu build sheet
| Year and model | 1967 Chevrolet Chevelle SS |
|---|---|
| Build type | Full Fesler build, from the body down |
| Power | 805 hp to the rear wheels |
| Engine | Fully built LS with heads and cam, Whipple supercharger |
| Induction | Custom intake and pulley system |
| Exhaust | Headers and custom exhaust |
| Cooling | Aluminum radiator, dual fans, blacked-out custom radiator cover |
| Transmission | Tremec six-speed manual |
| Rear end | Currie |
| Suspension | Hotchkis |
| Brakes | Fesler-branded 14-inch Baer |
| Wheels and tires | Schott 19-inch wheels, Toyo tires |
| Paint | Custom matte blue paint (not a wrap), clear bra |
| Body | Custom cowl hood |
| Glass | Fesler flush-mount glass, front and rear, made with Pilkington USA |
| Interior | Full Fesler custom interior, custom door panels, custom front and rear seats |
| Driver controls | Ididit steering, Sparco wheel, Dakota Digital gauges |
| Console | Custom console with a Pioneer large screen |
| Audio | Kicker and Morel |
| Trunk | Custom Fesler trunk with lighting throughout |
| Wiring | Ron Francis |
Frequently asked questions
Is the paint on Maliblu a wrap?
No. Maliblu wears a custom matte blue paint job, protected with a clear bra.
How much horsepower does Maliblu make?
805 horsepower to the rear wheels, measured on the dyno, from a fully built LS with a Whipple supercharger.
What glass is on Maliblu?
Fesler flush-mount glass, front and rear, made with our partner Pilkington USA. The glass sits level with the paint with no chrome trim and no rubber gasket.
Can I get the same flush-mount glass for my 1966 or 1967 Chevelle?
Yes. Our 1966 to 1967 Chevelle flush-mount glass kit is sold as a front and rear kit or as either piece on its own. If your car is anything other than a two-door hardtop, call us at 480-748-2000 before you order so we can confirm the right glass for your body.
Does Fesler build complete cars and custom interiors?
Yes. Along with the parts we ship, we do custom interiors and full builds in our Phoenix shop. The best way to start is a phone call at 480-748-2000 with photos of where your car is right now.
See every photo
These are the highlights. The full Maliblu build page has every photo, from the engine bay to the finished interior. And if you want to see our builds in person, we will be at Dino's Git Down at State Farm Stadium in Glendale, November 13 and 14.
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