If you’re from Palm Bay, Daytona, or Orlando, Florida and you’re into the cruise night scene, you probably have seen this super clean ’79 Malibu owned by Eric Dubois of Palm Bay.
Originally from Rhode Island, Eric bought the Malibu in 1991 and built it to what is is today, a true all-steel low 10-second street car. Ten second cars are not uncommon by today’s standards but this car was built back in the early 1990’s in New England when a fast street car clocked 12-seconds, and this silver Chevy ran high tens with a small block on all motor in those days.
In 2000, Eric decided he wanted to go faster but didn’t want to cut the car up, so he put together a 472 cube big block Chevy with Brodix heads, a solid roller cam, and other go-fast goodies.
He ran the car at a Super Chevy event on a 97-degree day. Through the mufflers and on DOT tires, he clicked off a 10.41 at 130mph. Eric says, “I never really tuned it or jetted the car yet. I know there’s a lot more in it, but I like to drive it and have fun. I used to beat all the guys on the street back when it had the small block and now it’s even faster.”
Eric swears he doesn’t street race anymore since he moved to Florida five years ago. He continued, “There are several tracks near me now and I get to race year ’round if I want.”
The Malibu sports a full custom tweed interior and a tastefully done 10-point cage with swing out bars for safety. Eric’s Malibu is not the fastest car around or the most expensive to build, but it does prove that with the right combination of parts and planning you can have a little of both worlds without sacrificing function. The car is not tubbed either, rolling on Mickey Thompson 28×11.50 tires and weighs in at 3560 with the driver. And yes, all the lights work and windows work fine.