Is This the World’s First LT4-Powered ’78 Malibu?

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In 1978, the General released the fourth-generation Malibu (probably not the fourth-gen that immediately springs to mind). The Malibu, which had been Chevrolet’s best-selling model for years, took the place of the previously-venerable Chevelle, as it was completely dropped from the lineup. When it hit the streets in the late ‘70s, it was available with a top-of-the-line 305 ci small-block V8 producing a whopping 140 horsepower, although you could get the 165-horse 350 if you stepped up to a wagon.

This was a dark time for the force and for Chevrolet-performance enthusiasts everywhere. Gone were the days of great looking muscle cars producing in excess of 400 horse right from the factory; replaced by smog-conscious econoboxes. You had to take “performance” where you could get it.

It’s not a point in Chevrolet history that many of us care to remember and most of us would just as soon forget any Malibu manufactured after 1972, but that is the beautiful part about this hobby, there are people out there that love every year of GM cars imaginable.

This ’78 Chevrolet Malibu is the perfect example of just that. Most would say that originally it has a face only a mother could love, but that’s not how one Illinois man felt. He brought his beloved Malibu to Midwest LSX along with an LT4 and some hopes and dreams of marrying the two.

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“A customer came to me and said, ‘Hey, I just bought a ’78 Malibu and an LT4… a Z06 motor,’” said Josh Ash, co-owner of Midwest LSX. “He just wanted something he could just get in and get out on the high way and drive, but that would still be fast.”

You could hardly guess that beneath the hood of  this late-70s A-body lurks the heart of a monster.

You could hardly guess that beneath the hood of this late-70s A-body lurks the heart of a monster.

And fast it will be. The LT4 debuted in the C7 Z06 a little over a year ago and has been a supercar-killer ever since. With 650 direct-injected, supercharger-fed horsepower, the LT4 is the most powerful production engine that the General has ever bestowed on a road-going vehicle. In the Corvette, it is capable of powering 0-60 sprints in under three seconds. In the Malibu, Ash says he hopes it will power the car into the 9s.

“After he told me what he had, I told him I thought with the right wheels and tires it could go high 9s, and that’s on a five-year warranty,” Ash said. With more than four times the original horsepower one thing is for sure, no matter what it runs, it will run circles around most ’78 Malibus.78lt4malibu_6__1024

The LT4 is backed by a 4L70E four-speed overdrive transmission with the stock torque converter. However, the original flex plate had to be swapped due to the fact that the crate engine comes with a Corvette-specific piece right out of the box. The factory wiring harness and computer is also being utilized and the car has also been relieved of its heating and air conditioning in the pursuit of lightening the platform. All said and done the Malibu should tip the scales in the low 3,000-pound range; on par with a seventh-generation Corvette— if only in weight.

Is this the first LT4-powered Malibu in the country? It’s definitely the first one we’ve ever seen. And we are almost positive that it is the very first modern LT4-powered ’78 Malibu of all time.

Stay tuned for a follow up story in the coming weeks when this beast is up and running.

About the author

Chase Christensen

Chase Christensen hails from Salt Lake City, and grew up around high-performance GM vehicles. He took possession of his very first F-body— an ’86 Trans Am— at the age of 13 and has been wrenching ever since.
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