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Spied: Jason Carter’s Bad Ass, Twin Turbo, ’78 Malibu at DMC Racing


Spied: Jason Carter’s Bad Ass, Twin Turbo, ’78 Malibu at DMC Racing

Small tire drag cars tend not to live the longest or easiest of lives. Shoving all that power down to the ground on a little 10.5 or 10.5W tire can be really tricky for both tuning and driving. Many times each season we find or are tipped off to collections of photos showing destroyed cars that are virtually new. Jason’s Carter’s Malibu, which is undergoing work at DMC Racing is a historic exception to the rule. 

This is a car that has honestly been there and done that in a myriad of configurations. The biggest win thus far for the 1978 Malibu came with Job Spetter behind the wheel and a little 388ci turbocharged small block under the hood. All the way back in 2000, Spetter wheeled the car to a win at the infamous Orlando World Street Nationals in the Pure Street 10.5 class. He knocked over John Gullet in the final on a hole shot, running 7.709/181 to Gullet’s charging 7.706/184 lap. 

The car sported small block power through the end of the 2009 season. That motor had twin 88mm turbos feeding it. The 88s are the largest allowable turbochargers in the NMCA’s Super Street category, which allows racers to bolt a 10.5W tire to the back of the car.

The Malibu was short on space under the hood for the engine, turbos, and all the assorted plumbing, so the blowers were literally hanging out in the breeze, poking through two hood reliefs on either side of the cowl hood scoop on the car. They were in roughly the same place when Carter put a 550 ci big block Chevy in the car to start 2010.

The car is at DMC Racing in Halifax, Massachusetts to have those turbos moved to their new location and to have all the associated fabrication work included in that process done.

That new location is dead ahead of the motor, a place that they fit now because Carter had the front fenders of the car stretched by about a foot ahead of the front wheels. That added space allowed the DMC Racing crew to get them under the hood and move their nearly 100lbs in total weight ahead of the engine and right out into the nose of the car. Known as a bit of a wheelstander, this added weight up front should help keep the nose from heading too far towards the moon. The car is driven by DMC fabricator Eric Laferriere.  

This is one killer piece and we look forward to following it through testing and next year on the NMCA trail. Check the photos below of a Malibu with some serious small tire racing history! The dudes at DMC are doing this one proud!

Jason Carter 1978 Malibu Job Spetter

Jason Carter 1978 Malibu Job Spetter

Jason Carter 1978 Malibu Job Spetter

Jason Carter 1978 Malibu Job Spetter

Jason Carter 1978 Malibu Job Spetter  

Jason Carter 1978 Malibu Job Spetter 

 

 


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