1980 Chevy Malibu Classic
Corey Hewitt, Winston-Salem, NC
Best E.T.: 8.53/85.1 (eighth-mile)
One man's junk is another man's treasure sums this build up nicely. After an uncle rear-ended another car and caused more damage than the Malibu was worth, he gave it to 15-year-old Corey Hewitt to fix for his first car. As luck would have it, another friend gave him a wagon with perfect sheetmetal. Corey didn't even know what a Malibu was before that, but he knew he had his first car for free.
After swapping sheetmetal and doing a little bodywork, Corey had it sprayed black and drove it all through high school, to work, prom, and date nights with his then girlfriend Karen. The summer before college, Corey built a budget 383 using everything possible from the original 305, and swapped the 2.42 cogs for 3.42s and an Eaton posi. It continued daily duties and 250-mile trips from his college to see Karen, but the new power also got Corey interested in drag racing and a little canyon carving with the local Euro tuner cars.
It's hard to beat a simple...
It's hard to beat a simple 383 for a reliable and torquey hot rod engine. The 305 heads are definitely costing power, but the combo delivers 17 mpg on the highway, and Corey says it will easily keep up with SS Camaros and Mustang GTs and roast the tires at will.
By senior year, the amateur bodywork was starting to show, so with the help of Karen, a 10-day makeover was performed during spring break, and the Malibu was dowsed in '79 GM Medium Green. The striking color garnered a good cash offer that almost ended up in a sale, but the potential purchaser never called back after his shark fishing trip. Perhaps it was a sign.
Currently, Corey is a physics graduate student at Wake Forest University, and the Malibu is still his one and only car, and it's still making 250-mile trips every weekend to visit his wife, Karen, while she finishes her degree as well. Sure, he'd like to be wrenching and improving the Malibu again, but for now, he's just enjoying driving a unique rod that's only cost him one starter in the past seven years. "I didn't know what a Malibu was when I got it, but you can bet it has turned into my most beloved vehicle," Corey says. "I will hold onto this car for a long time."
As much as we love the older...
As much as we love the older stuff, there's just something about mid to late '70s GM interiors that makes them perfect drivers; they walk the line between muscle car and late-model sedan comfort. Maybe that's why Corey's happily been behind that wheel for nine years now.
| WHERE THE MONEY WENT |
| '80 Chevy Malibu: |
free |
| Paint and body: |
$750 |
| Interior: |
$469 |
| Weatherstrip: |
$350 |
| Wheels: |
$800 |
| Tires: |
$480 |
| Engine block: |
$100 |
| Pistons: |
$80 |
| Crank |
$212 |
| Valvetrain: |
$250 |
| Carb: |
$50 |
| Exhaust: |
$375 |
| Radiator: |
$300 |
| Trans: |
$1,100 |
| Differential: |
$100 |
| Shocks: |
$130 |
| Brakes: |
$150 |
| Shifter: |
$100 |
| Fluids: |
$200 |
| Misc.: |
$200 |
| Total: |
$6,196 |
| BY THE NUMBERS |
| '80 CHEVY MALIBU |
| Corey Hewitt, 24 • Winston-Salem, NC |
| Total cost to build: $6,196 |
| ENGINE |
| Type: |
Chevy 383 small-block |
| Block: |
stock GM |
| Oiling: |
stock pump and pan |
| Rotating assembly: |
Eagle stroker crank, stock rods, |
|
Federal Mogul 10.5:1 pistons |
| Cylinder heads: |
Dart 305 heads, Summit Racing valves |
| Camshaft: |
Crane Cams, unknown specs |
| Valvetrain: |
Harland Sharp, 1.6:1 rockers, |
|
Crower pushrods, |
|
Summit Racing springs |
| Induction: |
Power Plus intake manifold, |
|
custom built Holley 700-cfm carb |
| Ignition: |
MSD 6TN box, distributor, and Blaster coil, |
|
ACCEL plug wires |
| Exhaust: |
Schoenefeld headers, Pypes 3-inch X-pipe |
| Cooling: |
stock water pump; Summit Racing radiator |
| Output: |
untested |
| Built by: |
owner and father |
| DRIVETRAIN |
| Transmission: |
GM 700-R4 and 2,000-stall |
|
Summit Racing converter; |
|
B&M shifter |
| Rear axle: |
GM 7.5-inch 10-bolt rearend, |
|
3.42:1 gears, Eaton posi differential |
| CHASSIS |
| Front suspension: |
stock with cut stock springs and |
|
Competition Engineering shocks, |
|
Suspension Techniques sway bar |
| Rear suspension: |
Moog rear springs, KYB shocks, |
|
Suspension Techniques sway bar |
| Brakes: |
Wilwood 12-inch rotors, four-piston calipers, front; |
|
11-inch rotors and four-piston calipers, rear |
| Rolling Stock |
| Wheels: |
American Racing Torq Thrust II 15x7, front; 15x8, rear |
| Tires: |
BFGoodrich 225/50R16, front; 255/50R16, rear |