Car Craft – October 2019

52 CAR CRAFT OCTOBER 2019

W

e’ve been on a G-body kick here at Car

Craft, with multiple project cars and plenty

of features. If you’re not convinced, allow us

to make our case. In the GM world, the 1978–1988 GM

G-body was the last true body-on-frame, rear-wheel-

drive coupe produced, and being budget-friendly family

cars, they’re plentiful. (That’s Chevy Malibu and Monte

Carlo, Buick Regal, Olds Cutlass, and Pontiac Grand

Prix for the youngsters!) Their ubiquity during their

active production years means you can still find them

in barns, garages, and used-car lots throughout the U.S.

They’re midsized with room for a V8, and even though

they often have a worthless 305ci, they’re still easy to

swap. While prices often fluctuate more than the stock

market, you can find affordable Malibus and Regals.

Despite this popularity, manufacturers are

slow to keep up with reproduction parts.

Notwithstanding, Brian Weaver, president

and founder of GBodyParts.com,

took note more than 20 years

ago and began

developing reproduction parts for G-bodies. The

company sells direct through its site and supplies to

aftermarket suppliers. GBodyParts.com remains busy

facilitating orders and developing new parts.

We recently visited the company headquarters, a

former Ford dealership in Bethel, North Carolina. It’s a

pretty large facility, with what Brian refers to as his

“library” of cars. A lot that once featured new Fords

now houses one of the most unique G-body collec-

tions we’ve seen. Inside is a warehouse full of new and

used parts being sold through the company’s website,

along with five working bays where they test-fit parts

and restore cars. Finally, out back, is a junkyard where

GBodyParts.com sells used items and used, wrecked

G-bodies to rebuild and restore others.

While the G-bodies are mostly family cars, GM pro-

duced some lesser-known muscle cars through the

years. Brian has an immense collection of many hard-

to-find models, with the intent of restoring or using for

R&D purposes. Check out Car Craft’s top-six favorites

from Brian’s library!

Searching Through Brian Weaver’s Huge

Collection of G-Bodies for Our Six Favorites

By Jesse Kiser / Photos: Jesse Kiser