Tech Notes
Who: Harry Trout
What: An ice-cold '80 Chevrolet Malibu wagon
Where: Chilly Brooklyn Center, Minnesota.
Engine: It's a big-block, and we love it. Wouldn't it have been cool if you could have ordered one this way in 1980? This engine is a fresh, 0.030-over, four-bolt main 454 with a forged Scat Superlight stroker crank. Eagle H-beam rods and JE 10.0:1 pistons fill out the reciprocating assembly. The Cam Motion camshaft specs at 252/261 duration with 0.615/0.605 lift. Manley pushrods and Comp Pro Magnum 1.7:1 rocker arms actuate the Ferrea Competition Plus intake and exhaust valves. The cylinder heads are Dart Iron Eagles that have been ported "quite a bit," according to Harry. An Edelbrock Victor Jr. intake manifold is topped with a Proform 950-cfm carb that is fed by an Edelbrock fuel pump drawing from a 16-gallon fuel cell. Brooke Erickson of Extreme Engines in Farmington, Minnesota, machined and assembled this brute. On the dyno, it made 650 hp at 6,400 rpm and 599 lb-ft at 4,800.
Transmission: For a short time, Harry had a Turbo 350 behind that engine. By short, we mean that it failed almost immediately. No worries, he had a willing TH400 from an '88 Chevy 1-ton van ready to go. With billet internals and a manual valvebody, this trans is up to the job of spitting out torque. A PTC torque converter and Rossler transbrake will be good for wheels-up launches.
Rearend: Billet yokes, solid 1310 u-joints, and a custom chrome-moly driveshaft from AA Driveline get that torque to a Dana 60 rear axle. With 4.10:1 gears and Strange axles, clouds of tire smoke are just a fact of life.
Exhaust: "The car is loud," Harry tells us, sounding almost apologetic. He said he draws a lot of attention from the law enforcement community wherever he goes. No need to apologize to us, Harry. We'd give you the keys to the city. His big-block soundtrack is amplified by Hooker Super Comp headers and Aero Chamber mufflers in a 31/2-inch exhaust system that ends in turndowns under the car.
Paint/Body: The Malibu was in excellent shape when he bought it, so Harry didn't need to mess with a lengthy restoration. All the original sheetmetal is intact, save for the Harwood fiberglass cowl-induction hood. A local paint shop added the ghost flames, and Harry decided to leave it alone after that. "I didn't want a crazy paintjob. I like white cars-like we had when I was a kid." Inside, the car looks mostly stock, too-well, except for the 8.5-second certified rollcage, racing buckets, missing rear seats, and larger-than-stock wheelhouses, that is. But we'd argue that this should have been the stock interior.
Suspension/Brakes: The front is stock. Ladder bars and a Panhard bar hold up the rear. Wilwood discs are under those rear tires.
Wheels/Tires: Weld Draglite wheels are on all four corners. They measure 15x5 up front and a whopping 15x14 out back. The tires are MT Sportsman, sized 26x7.5 and 33x19.5 respectively.
Thanks: Harry wanted to thank his nephew, Tyler Ricker. He couldn't have finished the car without his help.