Adam Michaelson of Omaha, Nebraska, says that his obsession with all things automotive began with his interest in model cars as a child, and it quickly ramped up from there once his uncle started taking him to car shows.
“Getting up close with all of these cars allows you to notice all of the details,” he explains. “And that just made me want to learn more and more about all of it.”
For Michaelson and other gearheads of a certain age, the original "Fast and the Furious" movie was a highly influential force during his formative years, inspiring him to wrench on a number of import projects before a brief flirtation with the off-road truck scene.
“Once I got a little older and could afford cooler stuff, I decide to get a lifted K5 GMC Jimmy,” he recalls. “It had a 12-inch lift and 38-inch tires, and you could take the top off, so it was a really fun truck to cruise around in. But eventually I started to miss going fast.” That itch convinced him to offload the Jimmy in favor of a 2010 Jeep Grand Cherokee SRT8. Michaelson soon bolted a 76mm Precision turbo to the 6.1-liter Hemi and built the Jeep into a formidable bracket racer in the 7.5 class at his local eighth-mile track.
“Oddly enough, I ended up with the Malibu because I was looking for something to tow the Jeep with,” he tells us. “I started hunting around and found a Chevy Silverado 2500 out in Oklahoma that I really liked. I went out there and bought it, and about a month after I brought it home, someone offered me five grand more than I had paid for it. I couldn’t turn that down – it was like free money. I was kinda left wondering what to do next, and I thought to myself, ‘Ya know, I’ve always wanted a G-Body.’”
While he was initially on the hunt for a Chevrolet Monte Carlo SS or Oldsmobile Cutlass, an online listing for a local ’78 Chevrolet Malibu caught his eye. “It was all white, no rust, and it looked super clean on the Weld wheels that it had in the pictures. But when I got there, it was different story – no Welds, cracked dash, the interior was 10 different shades of blue; it was just in rough shape. My friend who came with me urged me not to buy it because it looked like a lot of work. But it was rust-free, which is a pretty rare for an older car in Nebraska, so I just went for it.”
Purchased in October of 2020, Michaelson turned to Instagram to find inspiration for the direction of the build. With the initial intent of building a fun, sharp-looking cruiser, he quickly set to work getting the Malibu back into shape. The ratty interior was the first thing to go, and he also swapped out the Malibu’s tired 350ci small-block V8 for a Sniper EFI-fed 360-cube small-block from a circle track car. The folks at Nip Tuk Customs then tossed out the Malibu’s factory suspension in favor of an air ride setup, while a set of 22-inch forged wheels help complete the low-and-mean look. But it wasn’t long before Michaelson was ready for more.
“Everyone I talked to and everything I read seemed to be urging me to LS swap it,” he says. “The reliability and how easily they make big power were definitely part of the draw.” He started with a junkyard 5.3-liter LS swap, but after killing two different engines while trying to bring boost into the equation, he decided to take the idea several steps further.
“Coming from a turbo Jeep SRT8, I knew that a naturally aspirated setup was never going to be enough for me. But I also needed something that could reliably handle forced induction.”
That ushered in a new phase for the Malibu build that began in early 2024. To get the power he sought, Michaelson snagged a 6.2-liter LS from a GMC Sierra pickup and outfitted it with a roster of go-fast hardware from Brian Tooley Racing (BTR). The laundry list of goodies includes a stroker crank, pistons, rods, camshaft, intake manifold, and valvetrain components from BTR, along with Frankenstein Engine Dynamics ported cylinder heads and a Vortech V-7 YSi-B supercharger. Running 20 pounds of boost, Michaelson says the combination is good for about a thousand horsepower – and that’s without the 400-horsepower plate kit from Nitrous Outlet in the mix. A Holley EFI Terminator X ECU is also onboard to oversee the proceedings.
“More than anything else, what really drew me to the Terminator X is how clean these installs can be,” Michaelson says. “I really appreciate how logically and simply it’s all laid out, and my tuner – Loony Toons – recommended this system to me. This car is set up for roll racing now, and I wanted something that would help me make good use of the power.”
The 416-inch stroked LS is matched up with a 4L80-E four-speed transmission and a Ford 9-inch rear end from Quick Performance. The air ride suspension, meanwhile, is now complemented by QA1’s Level 3 Big Wheel Suspension kit that includes upper and lower control arms, sway bars, and Mod Series coilovers for both the front and rear suspension systems. Stopping power is provided by a Baer big brake kit that consists of six-piston calipers and 14-inch rotors at all four corners. Grip is provided by Toyo R888 track tires that are wrapped around 20-inch Weld wheels.
To bring the Malibu’s look up to par with its performance, Michaelson removed the majority of the exterior trim and painted the grille black, while the parking lights are custom fabricated pieces. The bodywork’s olive-green hue comes courtesy of a custom wrap. “I actually did that wrap myself. It was my first time installing one, and I’m really happy with how it turned out. To be honest, I’m not sure if I could do as good of a job again even if I wanted to!”
Michaelson notes that the car’s name, Milk Money, was inspired by the interior treatment.
“I was checking out different options for fabrics, looking for something that was a bit unusual, and this cow print caught my eye. Also, even though I live in a city, everybody just kind of assumes that Nebraska is nothing but cows and cornfields. So wanted this to be kind of a send-up of that.” Corbeau racing seats are installed up front to ensure that the driver and passenger are kept firmly in place, while a 12.3-inch Holley EFI Pro Dash allows Michaelson to keep track of the Malibu’s vitals.
“I took the car to the folks at Heartland Audio to have the trunk done,” he points out. “But I had to explain to them that I didn’t actually want an audio system – I just wanted them to build the trunk. So we worked together to figure out a design that would accommodate the air ride components in a car that’s notched and tubbed.”
He also notes that the latest iteration of the build made its public debut at LS Fest Texas earlier this year. “It was my first time going to an LS Fest event, and it was an awesome experience. There’s so much stuff going on, so many people to meet and so much to do. And the response that the build got was just incredible.”
Although he initially just wanted to turn the Malibu into an enjoyable runabout, these days his goals for the build are a bit more ambitious. “I want this thing to keep up with the heavy hitters of roll racing – the Corvette ZR1s and Nissan GT-Rs of that world – and still be able to run 6s in the eighth mile at the drag strip, and then drive home. I don’t want it to ever be a trailer queen that I can’t cruise around in with my kid.”
Looking ahead, Michaelson says that he may end up changing the color of the wrap on the car, and he’s been eyeing some 24-inch Forgiato wheels that would allow him to compete in Big Wheel roll racing classes as well, but nothing’s set in stone at the moment. When he’s not managing his contracting company or wrenching on the Malibu, his side hustle apparel company – The Horsepower Gods – keeps him pretty busy, but racing remains a priority.
“The rest of the year is going to be car shows and hitting the track, but more than anything, it’s going to be about keeping the car running,” he says with a laugh. “The goal is to race it as much as possible without breaking it!”
