Late 70's Chevy Malibu, can you make them turn?

http://chicago.craigslist.org/chc/cto/1018968928.html

My question is: Can you make them turn? It has been proved that they can do the 1/4 mile pretty good, but can you make them autocross...

I am guessing a pretty fat anti-sway bar front and back, but what else?

I really like th ebody style of these cars and the 350 motor has a lot of potential.

You know, just hinking outloud.

yes - hotchkis i believe makes a complete package for them since it is the same chassis as the grand national and monte SS

Circle track racers make these chassis handle quite well, but usually to turn only one way (still good racing, though). They know which "stock appearing" parts can be used, for mods such as widening the track or adding geometry.

You're still stuck with a relatively heavy car, though.

IIRC, an alt. to the hotchlis would be a global west(?) stage 5 kit. While it is a bit heavy, these can suprise people when properly set up. Kind of like going up against a miata at the strip, only to get smoked because it has an LSx

WOW, there is some pretty cool stuff out there for these cars.

they are the "G" body, correct?

Here is one for sale - Price: $9000.

Specs at: http://www.footstepdesign.com/78_Malibu_CP_Specs.pdf

Photos at: http://picasaweb.google.com/soloracer0/

Video at: youtube.com (search on 'solotworacer')

GOD I feel dirty for liking those cars so much. It's on the list.

If you gut the interior and have some fun with a saw, you should be able to get it well under 3000lbs and that would do wonders for the handling by itself.

Gimp wrote: Here is one for sale - Price: $9000. Specs at: http://www.footstepdesign.com/78_Malibu_CP_Specs.pdf Photos at: http://picasaweb.google.com/soloracer0/ Video at: youtube.com (search on 'solotworacer')

As cool as that car is, I would like something that I could (legally) drive on the street.

that car is pretty damn cool though!

EricM wrote: WOW, there is some pretty cool stuff out there for these cars. they are the "G" body, correct?

iirc, the malibu is an A body, even in 2-door form. the G body designation is specifically the Monte Carlo, Regal, Cutlass, and Grand Prix, all 2-doors. the distinction isn't obvious, so confusion is natural.

this might help make a malibu turngm spindle extender

According to the all knowing, always correct wiki, 78-81 is A body and 82-88 is G body. But from what I have seen, parts are listed as 78-88 A/G body, so it should be interchangable

I plan on bringing one for 2010 challange a 79 2 door my high school car has been in the barn since 04 challange will have to fmv though. It only has 230k mi on it drove it through college and has spent most of last 15 yrs in the barn.

www.speedwaymotors.com

Pantloads of circle-track stuff for metric chassis GM products (G-body cars) and it's dirt cheap.

The even have a NASCAR legal chassis kit for about $7000. Not challenge friendly but add a donor G-body and go racing for under $10,000.

Shawn

Didn't GRM do a story on one of these set up for Auto-X?
I remember the engine, some of the mods, it was dark blue, but I don't recall the body style. Maybe it was a later Camaro....

Black Stig wrote:

I'm sure there's a perfectly reasonable explanation, but it looks funny to me that there's smoke, seemingly, coming out from under the front/middle of the vehicle.

Cool photo, nonetheless! Clem

derekshannon wrote: AWD?

:D <-- indeed!

I don't believe he's full-smoking THAT completely so I'm willing to bet it has something to do with understeer

-Dave

Looks like oversteer and a powerslide. The front right wheel has lots of weight on it, so it's the only one making smoke for the front. Possily a spin?

Yeah...I wondered if it wasn't the end of a spin that just happened to look like a good drift.

So Dave...what's "full smoking?"

I have a few guesses, but it's a new term for me (<--not a drifter)

Clem

I own a '78 Monte Carlo as a toy and daily driver. No matter what you do, short of cutting off the front clip and welding on a better one, these cars will never turn as well as you'd like them to. The best thing I did was a set of tubular upper a arms from Global West and a set of tall spindles off of a 1985 Cadillac. That makes a fantastic difference along with cutting a coil off the front springs and rebuilding the front end with a polyurethane kit. The Cadillac front hubs use the 5 on 5 bolt holes popular with the circle track crowd. Yes, a set of slicks off of a Cup car will bolt right on my car. Many of the front parts from GM cars interchange from 1978 to 1987 or so. Using the Cadillac spindles also gives you bigger brakes.

confuZion3 wrote: Looks like oversteer and a powerslide. The front right wheel has lots of weight on it, so it's the only one making smoke for the front. Possily a spin?

That's what I'm thinking, there's another picture of him recovering from a spin, but I hear he didn't do that bad at that event.

ClemSparks wrote: Yeah...I wondered if it wasn't the end of a spin that just happened to look like a good drift. So Dave...what's "full smoking?" I have a few guesses, but it's a new term for me (<--not a drifter) Clem

LOL! No worries, technically "Full Smoke" is just something I throw around but I've got a few people catching on and using it. I call Full Smoke a condition in which someone, in a drift, has rear tire smoke from the rear of the car all the way up to the A-Pillar. Normally you can't go any further than that, so that's full smoke.

It's hard to achieve, even for the pro guys as you can make a TON of smoke, but unless you've got some CRAZY angle, you will just have the smoke trailing your vehicle.

-Dave

Oil on header from the valve cover breather?

Black Stig wrote:

confuZion3 wrote: Looks like oversteer and a powerslide. The front right wheel has lots of weight on it, so it's the only one making smoke for the front. Possily a spin?

That's what I'm thinking, there's another picture of him recovering from a spin, but I hear he didn't do that bad at that event.

ClemSparks wrote: Yeah...I wondered if it wasn't the end of a spin that just happened to look like a good drift. So Dave...what's "full smoking?" I have a few guesses, but it's a new term for me (<--not a drifter) Clem

LOL! No worries, technically "Full Smoke" is just something I throw around but I've got a few people catching on and using it. I call Full Smoke a condition in which someone, in a drift, has rear tire smoke from the rear of the car all the way up to the A-Pillar. Normally you can't go any further than that, so that's full smoke. It's hard to achieve, even for the pro guys as you can make a TON of smoke, but unless you've got some CRAZY angle, you will just have the smoke trailing your vehicle. -Dave

Good to know I was thinking in the right direction at least.

I need to get my Z28 on the road so Ican try to achieve full smoke! ;)

Clem