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Words: Tommy Parry
Shawn picked up this pristine Malibu back in the mid-nineties while stationed in Georgia. The third Malibu he’d owned, this particular car was in such good shape it ended up replacing the car for which it was originally supposed to provide parts. Soon, Shawn had made it the object of his attention and swapped over a slew of new parts.
Knowing that G-Body frames are prone to rust, he grabbed a replacement and restored it to the best of his abilities: cleaning, improving the welds, deburring and smoothing the frame. Once he’d added a set of reinforcing braces, which wrap around to support the rear lower control arm mounts, he had quite a pretty piece on his hands.
Then came a selection of new parts to improve the footwork. Stainless brake lines, braided stainless brake hoses, Blazer spindles, Brembo rotors, Ridetech front a-arms and HQ coilovers made up that short but enticing list. With a steady supply of Coors helping him put in long hours throughout the night, he put together his suspension.
Those libations would come in useful, as swapping the old body onto the new frame gave his back a beating. The persistent pain encouraged him to take a trip to the doctor, who informed him of a herniated disc. Frustrated by the news, he found his day was only made better by discovering a few patches of rust in the right rear wheel well. At least he caught them in time.
After a frustrating year spent dealing with his back, he returned to the Malibu with newfound vigor. His first task was to fix some rot underneath the car. In order to clean the undercarriage, he had to cut out and replace the crossmember in front of the rear tires.
Once the corrosion was cleared, he turned his attention to the motor. The 350 received a set of Vortec heads, Comp Cams retainers and LS6 springs. He also used 1.6-ratio roller rockers, a new Edelbrock intake, a new serpentine belt setup and coated headers. Mated to a Muncie M21 transmission and onto a built, Grand National 8.5" rear end with a Detroit Tru-Trac posi, this package provides more than enough thrust to get the Malibu recognized on the road course.
To make good use of the power, he shod the car in a set of Vision Torques measuring 18x9.5”.
Shawn then buttoned up the brake lines, bled the brake system, hooked up the clutch linkage and enjoyed the car moving under its own power for the first time in two years. Within a few weeks, Shawn attended a track day at Pineview Run where, among a flock of tuned M3s and Porsches, the Malibu was assumed to be the slowest car out there.
“As I left, one of the track workers stopped me and mentioned how everyone thought I was going to hold them up, yet I was right on the instructor's bumper and they couldn't keep up with me. Kinda gave me the warm fuzzies!” he said. That would be a fitting end to a wonderful build, but fortunately, there’s more in store for this understated Malibu. To keep an eye on Shawn’s thread, you can view it here.
