In this month's Back Bumper Section, we are going to try our best to make sure the back bumper doesn't fall off altogether, as we feature an aggressive hopper from the Maniacos Car Club. We are proud to bring you Johnny Rodriguez' single-pump hopper, an '83 Chevy Malibu Wagon, that hits for over 75 inches! The road for this hopper has been a long one, and you can be sure that it has seen its share of ups and downs (no pun intended) along the way.

The wagon was purchased by Johnny's older brother as a project car back in '99, but it ended up just collecting dust in the backyard. After seeing the lonely car sit for a few years, Johnny purchased the wagon from his brother, and was determined to make something out of it. Unfortunately, the timing wasn't right for Johnny to begin work on the Chevy, so the wagon was moved from one backyard to another, resting in his backyard until '05. That year, Johnny decided to rebuild the wagon, and take it to the streets!

The '83 wagon was delivered to Low Life Hydraulics, located in Inglewood, CA. The team at Low Life hydraulics took the stock frame and fully reinforced it, looking to better enable the car to withstand the gas hopping abuse, asphalt slamming, and back bumper checking that it would surely endure. The body and frame were painted to match, while Curly from Paramount, CA added the final touch of adding custom pinstripping and Silver leafing. Now that the car was fortified, it was ready to receive its hydraulics.




Johnny wanted a single pump set up, as he needed something that could compete with the big boys out on the street. The single pump set-up he installed includes 6-inch cylinders in the front, and 22-inch cylinders in the rear, with 3 1/2 ton springs all around, which are accompanied by 3 Adex Dumps, powered by eight batteries. A four-switch rig was also installed to give Johnny a convenient and effective way to control the car's movements. The wagon was finished in '09, and was ready to battle it out at the Majestic's Picnic on New Year's Day, where it took home second place. Always eager to gas hop, Johnny and the wagon have been battling and taking names out on the streets without any problems!

Johnny would like to extend his thanks to his family, the Maniacos Car Club, as well as Rick and Challo, for being his constant support system throughout the years. This hopper is a formidable opponent, so if you are ready to go head-to-head with Johnny's '83 Chevy Malibu Wagon, make sure you are ready to bring some up & downs!

If you have a hydraulics setup that hits back bumper or is making you "go for broke," email some images along with basic information to: saul.vargas@sorc.com



Read more: http://www.lowridermagazine.com/features/1005_lrmp_1983_chevrolet_malibu_wagon/#ixzz2PRX3xuGd