1969 Chevrolet Malibu - Small Green

With fresh bearings, and a resleeved number-five bore, English added a set of 200cc runner Dart Iron Eagle heads with 2.02/1.60 valves. A Lunati solid flat-tappet cam (243/251 @ .050, .518/.530 lift) orchestrates COMP Hi-Tech pushrods and Pro Magnum 1.6 roller rockers. An MSD billet E-Curve distributor allows English to select from preset advance curves, and it's aided by a Blaster 2 coil, Taylor wires and Autolite plugs. Exhaust is handled by Dynomax 1 5/8-inch headers, 2.5-inch collectors, Spintech mufflers and custom 2.5-inch side-exit pipes.

The sleeper vibe of the 307-badged car was very important to preserve, so induction hardware and dress-up appointments were critical. Shunning the popular eye-candy look of a double-pumper, English turned to the stone reliable Quadrajet, and the Q-jet massaging skills of Sean Murphy. ("I have arguably the most modified Quadrajet on the road," says English.) The Sean Murphy Stage 2 Q-jet sits on an Edelbrock Performer RPM Q-jet intake and the entire deal is painted Chevy red to look as near stock as possible. On the chassis dyno, the .040-over 350 cranked out 345 rwhp at 6,200 rpm and 346 lb-ft of torque at 5,500 rpm. On pump gas, the combo is strong enough to propel the 3,800-lb A-body to 12.80s at over 104 mph in the quarter-mile.

Paying top dollar for the car back in 1990 did pay some dividends. For one, the Frost green paint job (which was 10 years old at the time) was in great shape, as were the underlying body panels. The interior was also in good shape and English tells us the headliner, carpet, dash and door panels are all original. The couch cushions, however, had a date with the couch, so a pair of super comfortable Pro-Car Ralley 2000 seats got the nod, as did a pair of aftermarket three-point seat belts. All the trim and chrome is factory original, but English did refurbish the weatherstripping and added some Dynamat X-Treme to the doors and sail panels. Some modest Autometer gauges also found their way inside.

Altogether, English has just under $19,000 in his Malibu, including the cost of the car. It runs 12s on pump gas without a power-adder, it carves up the autocross, it handles the rigors of highway driving, but most of all, it follows the simple ethic of "do everything well without costing a ton." We like it so much, we plan on lifting some of this Malibu's tricks for our own '68 Chevelle project, which we just picked up.

After having the car for 16 years and getting the Malibu as close to perfect as he can afford, English has decided to sell his pride and joy-or maybe not. "It's time to move on to something else, maybe a Porsche 928 with an LS1," says English. "However, I still have several more upgrades in mind if by chance I don't find a good home for it." Our guess is that some worthy member of Team Chevelle will come to the rescue. How about it guys?