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 15x12 forgings (M/T ET Street 315/60R Drag Radial & 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 10-1/4-inch disc and a 4 piston caliper at front and an 11 3/8-inch disc and 4-pot caliper on the back. They work perfectly during normal street driving.
INSIDE
The coolest thing about this car is the bald-face lie interior. There’s not a hint of hink anywhere. Look, there’s nothing to see: skinny 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 (trans brake, line lock, 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 offers sports no comfort and convenience.
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 has produced a 9.32/147 on nuts and a tire-spinning 9.96/159 on juice. KT recorded the best reaction time at the ’07 Hot Rod Pump Gas Drags with an astounding .006 seconds!
