We saw a lot of awesome rides at this year’s Holley LS Fest in Bowling Green, Kentucky. What makes this event truly unique, is that you get to see a variety of different cars from different backgrounds. There are plenty of cars to be seen and heard at the event ranging from fourth generation Camaros, to even a LS6 powered dragster.

Regardless of horsepower numbers and on-track performance, how can one differentiate themselves from the crowd in a sea of LS powered cars? We caught up with the Jerry Stuteville, the owner of this LS swapped 1978 Malibu, to answer that question.

Every great project begins with a complete restoration from the frame, up.

Stuteville’s objective for the build was to create a comfortable, fun, and reliable corner carving A-body monster. One which was capable of handling the socks off of any road it came across. Stuteville comments with, “I had the opportunity about two years ago to ride along in a friend’s car during an autocross event, and I was hooked immediately. The fun, the handling capabilities, and the drivability was my inspiration for my own car. It was my goal.”

Mindful of what he wanted out of the Malibu, Stuteville inaugurated the build with the initial LS swap. Freshly incorporated was a 6.0 liter iron block from a GM truck and the highly desirable and matching L92 series cylinder heads. An OEM intake manifold from a LS3 engine coordinates the incoming air flowing from a BBK Performance throttle body, and a Texas Speed & Performance camshaft gives this Malibu a vicious exhaust note while increasing the car’s performance on the track at high RPM.

As we mentioned earlier, drivability was another inclusion Stuteville wanted to integrate into the Malibu. Modern amenities like a Vintage Air system and various Dakota Digital interior electronics were essential during the build. He wanted to create a comfortable and modern driving experience. As Stuteville established earlier, corner carving in the occasional autocross event also played an extensive role in the influence of this build. So what better choice for a transmission than a modern, refined, Tremec T56 6-speed manual?

It’s not everyday you see a ’78 Malibu tearing up the autocross, but we’re not complaining at all!

Thanks to the new LS swap power is transferred to the ground reliably by the ever-popular Ford 9-inch solid rear axle, which is accompanied by a RideTech level two air suspension setup. Stuteville comments that air is housed via a custom-built stainless steel air tank, located in the trunk of the car.

Subsidizing handling capabilities even further in the rear-end, Stuteville added a Speedway Engineering rear swaybar. Upgrading to larger diameter and wider Boze aluminum wheels and sticky 335-series Michelin tires in the rear helps to keep the Malibu planted in the corners, while pulling some insane g-force.

Seeing Stuteville’s LS swapped Malibu in person was extremely refreshing. It’s completely different from a typical Malibu of this era that we see, and we think it’s truly an exceptional car. It’s extremely apparent how much time, effort, and resources went into the build, and it shows in the outcome of the build.

We can’t help but think to ourselves: can we be next in line for a ride along?