Third Time's The Charm
pg 3

With roughly 1,000 lb-ft of torque, the car could easily pull just one gear, but for the sake of expediency, KT enjoys a lightweight 2-gear as per a JW Performance Ultra-Glide (1.76, 1.00:1). A Precision Industries 9-inch converter heads up the torque posse and kicks it out with a 4,200 stall speed. Tranny fluid is cooled through a Moroso heat exchanger. A Mark Williams 4130 steel driveshaft twists the gaff to the Moser 9-inch aluminum center section fitted with a M-W pinion support, 3.60:1 gears on a M-W lightweight spool, and Moser gun-drilled 35-spline axle shafts.

CHASSIS

Kevin weaved an eight-point rollcage throughout and painted it the same color as the body to camouflage it from the wandering eye. The form of the mini-tub rear suspension changed drastically. With no room left for coil springs or conventional shock absorbers, KT posted Strange double adjustable coilovers.

He located the 48-inch-wide axlehousing with Dick Miller’s Heim-end control arms; the lower arms have a diagonal brace attached to the axle to void all lateral motion. A Wolf Racecraft (San Antonio, Texas) anti-sway bar pivots above the housing. At the Malibu’s leading edge, TRZ tubular upper and lower control arms, Flaming River rack steering, and Strange double adjustable coilover shocks.

WHEELS & BRAKES

Thompson lopped off about 100 pounds of unsprung steel when he switched (oh, it wasn’t without a fight, though) to flyweight Weld Alumastar 15x4 (Goodyear 28x4.5) and 15x10 forgings (M/T ET Street 315/60R Drag Radial and 29.0x10.5W on 15x12). Now he’s seen the error of his way. He gave the ’Bu better brakes, too. Strictly drag-race oriented, the Aerospace Components disc brake package puts a 101/4-inch disc and a four-piston caliper at front and an 113/8-inch disc and 4-pot caliper on the back. They work perfectly during normal street driving.

INSIDE

The really neat thing about this car is the bald-faced-lie interior. Look, there’s nothing to see: skinny-steering SS steering wheel, no tach, no shift light, no ratchet shifter, no driver wearing a backwards baseball cap. Stealth prep to the max: There are a lot of fibs hiding behind the glovebox door (Auto Meter tach, gauges, and, various control boxes) and even more haunting the heater controls (transbrake, Line-Loc, cooling, data logger, parking brake, and bottle heaters). The only things out of the ordinary are the JAZ buckets that McCutchen upholstered in Sandlewood. A Spartan to the end, the ’Bu sports no C&C equipment whatsoever.

BODY

A sleeper is for always. Save for the minimal fiberglass cowl hood, the Malibu’s metal is untouched. Sandlewood dreams? I doubt it! Gee, let’s watch the grass grow. On the other hand, what could be stealthier than this piece of cream cheese, huh, I ask you?

PERFORMANCE

The new combo had not been certified. These numbers are for the 580ci combination: 760 lb-ft of torque at 6,535 and 980 hp at 7,000 rpm (780 hp rear wheel).