1982 Chevy Malibu Wagon Hotchkis TVS Extreme Kit Install - Chevelle

1982 Chevy Malibu Wagon Hotchkis TVS Extreme Kit Install Slalom Racing

1982 Chevy Malibu Wagon Hotchkis TVS Extreme Kit Install Stock Suspension Setup

And here's our starting point: vintage 1982 worn out Malibu suspension. Aside for the obvious aesthetic shortcomings, it also rode bad and had sketchy handling.

And here's our starting point: vintage 1982 worn out Malibu suspension. Aside for the obvi

Rodney Dangerfield couldn't get it, Aretha Frankin had to spell it, and Brittany Spears is struggling to get it back. It's called respect. It's also something guys who own wagons seem to miss out on ... a little. As an owner of an '82 Malibu wagon I know this firsthand. Yeah, I know they are commonly referred to as grocery getters, but I sort of like that term. Maybe it's because of all the cool, vintage drag race Stockers I used to see back in the day.

But in today's world of building cars, having that grocery getter handle corners just as good as the coupe it's modeled after isn't a problem thanks to companies like Hotchkis Performance. Their TVS Extreme kit for G-bodies is tuned and ready to go. It basically bolts up to our Malibu Wagon pretty much the same way it would on a coupe or its El Camino cousin.

1982 Chevy Malibu Wagon Hotchkis TVS Extreme Kit Install Old Bump Stops

Part of the problem was that the wagon was riding on what was left of the bump stops. We also found several other parts, like the sway bar endlinks, were pretty much toast from over 28 years of active duty.

Part of the problem was that the wagon was riding on what was left of the bump stops. We a

We picked up the car a few months ago with the idea of having a wagon for us editorial guys to haul a bunch of timing and photo equipment to photo shoots and car test days. When we purchased the car, we knew the existing suspension was, for the most part, original and it would need new shocks and springs at the minimum. But once we got around to ordering up the new parts, we figured it would be cool to go with a total sport suspension system and turn our work wagon into a hot handler.

We called the folks at Hotchkis and told them what we had in mind for this car, and after the chuckling on the other end of the line finally subsided, they realized we were serious. Actually they loved the idea of bolting their kit up to our wagon. They're pretty familiar with our driving habits so they knew the TVS Extreme G-body kit would be perfect for what we had in mind. They also suggested we go with the rear airbag kit since we'll be loading the car with some pretty heavy equipment. We also went ahead and ordered up new shocks since the ones that came on the ride were toast. They may even have been original equipment. Seriously, the ride was incredibly bad, unless you like bouncing four extra times over speed bumps.

1982 Chevy Malibu Wagon Hotchkis TVS Extreme Kit Install Removing Stock Springs

No need to bore you with a blow-by-blow recount of how we pulled the old junk off. We do want to remind you to take care when pulling the spring since the stored energy is more than enough to ruin your whole day.

No need to bore you with a blow-by-blow recount of how we pulled the old junk off. We do w

With the new suspension parts bolted up, the fact that the stock steering had a wicked flat spot became painfully obvious, so before hitting the track, we called up the crew at CPP (Classic Performance Products) and ordered up a new steering box. After all, new suspension will only perform as good as the car's steering ability.

Needless to say, after all the new suspension goodies and steering box were bolted up, we couldn't wait to test out the new parts. So we packed up our gear and took the car to our testing facility at the old El Toro Marine Base in Irvine, California. We hammered it through our 420-foot slalom course and 200-foot skid pad and couldn't believe the handling improvement. It's also important to point out that the Hotchkis Sport Suspension is tuned for every day driving as well as aggressive cornering, so we didn't give up any ride comfort on city streets and highways.

All in all, we were quite surprised at how well the car held up through the rigorous testing. Not that we doubted the strength and ability of the Hotchkis suspension components, but the fact that we were running some no-name-brand 380 treadwear tires on front and non-matching 200 tread wear rubber on the rear, was a testament to the quality of the suspension components. And it was all done on 15x6-inch wheels up front and 15x7s out back.

1982 Chevy Malibu Wagon Hotchkis TVS Extreme Kit Install Hotchkis Springs

Here you can see the shiny new Hotchkis coil spring next to the ravaged stocker. One reason for the bad ride was that someone had lowered the wagon by heating up the stock coils. This is a bad idea on so many levels.

Here you can see the shiny new Hotchkis coil spring next to the ravaged stocker. One reaso

Of course that got us to thinking, 'what if we had 18-inch wheels with more accommodating rubber on this thing?' Well, that's another story for another test day, but I'm sure that will happen soon.

So the bottom line here; don't be disrespecting the wagon. And even though our extra long G-body hauls around a bunch of camera equipment, it can also haul around corners with the best of 'em.

Here's the Hotchkis TVS Extreme kit for our Malibu (PN 89009). In addition to the kit, we also opted for their airbag kit and a set of Bilstein shocks. The kit comes with all the hardware necessary, but if you need replacement parts, like tie rods, be sure to pick them up from your local parts house.
Here's the Hotchkis TVS Extreme kit for our Malibu (PN 89009). In addition to the kit, we
Cory Bedortha, of Hotchkis, got busy putting the new stuff in place by installing the new bump stop on the control arm and sliding the upgraded coil spring in place. A large pry bar helped "pop" the spring into the pocket.
Cory Bedortha, of Hotchkis, got busy putting the new stuff in place by installing the new
With the coil in place and the control arm re-attached to the spindle, we then slid in the new HPS-1000 Bilstein shocks. These shocks have been tuned by Hotchkis to specifically work with their suspension components.
With the coil in place and the control arm re-attached to the spindle, we then slid in the

Included in the kit are new tie rod links. These replace the flimsy stockers and won't deform under heavy lateral gyrations.
Included in the kit are new tie rod links. These replace the flimsy stockers and won't def
The last step was to put the new 1 3/8-inch Extreme hollow sway bar in place. We really like the design of Hotchkis' bushing blocks since the extra gussets really add to their strength.
The last step was to put the new 1 3/8-inch Extreme hollow sway bar in place. We really li
Here's our starting point for the rear suspension. Nothing was broken, just old and worn out.
Here's our starting point for the rear suspension. Nothing was broken, just old and worn o

It doesn't take a rocket scientist to see that the new Hotchkis lower trailing arm is way stronger than the stamped steel stockers, and this equates to better traction and reduced wheel hop. Plus, the polyurethane bushings are greaseable, unlike the original versions.
It doesn't take a rocket scientist to see that the new Hotchkis lower trailing arm is way
With the rearend supported by a jack, we pulled the old trailing arms and installed the new ones.
With the rearend supported by a jack, we pulled the old trailing arms and installed the ne
Installing the new bushings for the upper trailing arms was the toughest part of the whole deal. The old ones were knocked out with a BFH (big freaking hammer) and we installed the new ones using this slick tool sold by Hotchkis. If you don't have the tool, you'll need the BFH again, but you need to be careful not to damage the bushing while you're "persuading" into place.
Installing the new bushings for the upper trailing arms was the toughest part of the whole

1982 Chevy Malibu Wagon Hotchkis TVS Extreme Kit Install Bushings Instlled

And here's what the bushings should look like when fully in place. This will help to ensure stable handling with much less slop than the stock bushings could ever deliver.

And here's what the bushings should look like when fully in place. This will help to ensur

Now we don't mind if you refer to our little wagon as a grocery getter, but all we ask is that you do so with a little respect. You never know, we might have to unload our camera gear and show you what this thing will do on the autocross. We're pretty sure you'll be surprised.

Stopping The Slop
On the drive home from Hotchkis, one thing became painfully clear: While the ride was hugely improved, the vague and sloppy steering was now a glaring deficiency. With a huge dead spot in the middle, it was nearly impossible to fully appreciate the wagon's newfound handling prowess. Since Hotchkis didn't offer a steering box for our application, we stopped by Classic Performance Products (CPP) for a little help.

Much like the lower trailing arms, it's pretty easy to see that the new uppers are quite a bit stronger than their GM ancestors. One huge upside is that they are adjustable and allow for easy pinion angle changes. Their Swivel-Max bushings also provide for non-binding articulation during suspension travel.
Much like the lower trailing arms, it's pretty easy to see that the new uppers are quite a
In many G-body applications we would have installed the included cross brace bars, but in wagons we found GM had a bar already welded in place. The good news is that this drops the price of the kit by over a hundred bucks. Just make sure you let Hotchkis know that you have a wagon.
In many G-body applications we would have installed the included cross brace bars, but in
We then scrunched up the air bags (PN 31750, $132.95) and inserted them into the rear springs. Since this wagon is often used to haul around a lot of "stuff," the ability to adjust ride height was a real bonus.
We then scrunched up the air bags (PN 31750, $132.95) and inserted them into the rear spri

The air hoses from the two bags were routed to the back bumper and attached to the included bumper. Some people like to "T" the two hoses together, but by keeping them separate we can adjust each bag separately if needed. If we ever hit the drag strip, we can also preload one side to help nail down a better launch.
The air hoses from the two bags were routed to the back bumper and attached to the include
Lastly, we installed the new 15/16-inch tubular Extreme rear sway bar. Considering the wagon didn't have a bar to begin with, this should make a huge difference in how the Malibu negotiates the curves. There are two adjustment holes on the bar, so we decided to start out on the less aggressive setting. Since it attaches to the trailing arms via dog-bone links, the system is far less likely to suffer from bind.
Lastly, we installed the new 15/16-inch tubular Extreme rear sway bar. Considering the wag
With the rear installation done, we only had to grease up the zerk fittings and pump some air into our bags. Given how many parts were changed, we also had to align the wagon to Hotchkis' recommended specs.
With the rear installation done, we only had to grease up the zerk fittings and pump some

The Malibu's stock power steering gearbox was ugly, but of greater concern was its lackluster performance.
The Malibu's stock power steering gearbox was ugly, but of greater concern was its lacklus
The first step was to use a puller and get the pitman arm off the old box.
And just like every other GM car, we then dropped the box by disconnecting the power steering lines and pulling the three bolts that hold the box to the frame.
And just like every other GM car, we then dropped the box by disconnecting the power steer

Here you can see the old box next to the shiny new 500 box from CPP. Besides being new, and not having the huge dead spot, the new box also has a sportier ratio of 14:1.
Here you can see the old box next to the shiny new 500 box from CPP. Besides being new, an
Well this certainly put the brakes on our project. Turned out that the splined hole in the wagon's pitman arm was a too small to fit the new box. CPP did some research and found out that there were two different pitman arms used on these G-bodies. The right one ended up being from an S10 pickup truck of the same era. Go figure.
Well this certainly put the brakes on our project. Turned out that the splined hole in the
Although our rag joint was still in decent shape, we decided to go ahead and replace it since we had everything apart. We also took this time to ditch the plastic sleeve that was on the original setup since it wouldn't work with the new steering box anyway.
Although our rag joint was still in decent shape, we decided to go ahead and replace it si

With the new pitman arm in place, we were able to install the new box and bolt everything together.
With the new pitman arm in place, we were able to install the new box and bolt everything
Finally we hooked up the power steering lines. To do this we needed a pair of adaptors from CPP to accommodate our O-ring styled original hoses. After hitting the road, we immediately noticed the new responsive steering and were now able to fully appreciate the wagon's new snappy handling.
Finally we hooked up the power steering lines. To do this we needed a pair of adaptors fro
As you can see here we weren't kidding about all the stuff we pack into this ride. We're talking camera, timing, and baseball equipment. We need it all, especially the chair.
As you can see here we weren't kidding about all the stuff we pack into this ride. We're t

1982 Chevy Malibu Wagon Hotchkis TVS Extreme Kit Install Slalom Test

By The Numbers
We've done quite a bit of testing over the years, and have yet to back down from any sort of a suspension challenge, but we didn't feel 100 percent confident that our wagon would hold up under the rigors of our testing requirements with the stock suspension and sloppy steering. Besides, the stock stuff was so worn out, that we really wouldn't have gotten valuable data. So we thought it would be interesting to show how our '82 wagon fared against some stock, factory-built performance cars we've recently tested.

	420-ft Slalom	200-ft Skidpad
Stock '02 Z06 Corvette	49.3 mph	0.98g
Stock '10 Camaro SS	46.2 mph	0.86g
'82 Malibu Wagon	45.5 mph	0.80g
Stock '01 Camaro Z28	44.7 mph	0.87g

SOURCES
Hotchkis Performance 12035 Burke Street Suite 13 Santa Fe Springs CA 90670 877-735-6425 www.hotchkis.net	El Toro Field / AMCI El Toro Field Irvine CA 92618 www.eltorofield.com
Classic Performance Products 175 East Freedom Avenue Anaheim CA 92801 800-522-5004 www.classicperform.com