Any 80's Era Monte Carlo SS Fans Out There?

[DRAGON64]

So, on a number or wedding anniversaries, I have bought new vehicles for my wife...either new, or new to her. After 22-years of marriage, she wants to return the favor. She said to find a car with in reason, preferrably not new (under $10,000). Any car at all, and she would try to buy it for me. The gears are churning, and I just cannot come to terms with anything on the market that was developed within the last 10- 15 years.

Since she said any car under $10 grand, I was able to increase my possibilities... from my hotrod days, I always coveted the `85 `86 & `87 series Monte Carlo SS cars (not the Aerocoupe). So I told her to help me find a 1987 Monte Carlo SS... It's old, it's big, it's beautiful!! I'm not looking for hatchet jobs either, I want all 180 horse power of factory original... I know, very lame horse power ratings for a muscle car... but I don't plan to race, I going to cruise...

Anyone else remember these beauties? Maybe you still have one and can relate?

[sodmeister]

My favorite was the 75 Carlo ,my good friend had one that was pretty souped up ,350 ci Holley carbed, 13:1 comp. rear end.....pretty sweet car.

I had a sweet `75 Olds Cutlass Supreme w/350 4BBL nice spoked wheels with fat tires in the rear and thinner in the front ,not a race car but pretty gutsy for stock.

This is pretty much the same Cutlass and color I had ,diff.

I love this Carlo !!!

[DRAGON64]

I'm partial to the `73 Monte Carlo, especially with the 454... very hard to find these days.

[sodmeister]

I'm partial to the `73 Monte Carlo, especially with the 454... very hard to find these days.

I hear you loud and clear ! I grew up in the later stages of when those (muscle cars......REAL cars) came out ,I was born in 1961.I must confess thought ,I`m still hardcore MOPAR ,Chevy a very close second.

My brother had a 74 gold Chevelle ,man that thing was jacked !

Paul T

[plano-doug]

So, on a number or wedding anniversaries, I have bought new vehicles for my wife...either new, or new to her. After 22-years of marriage, she wants to return the favor. She said to find a car with in reason, preferrably not new (under $10,000). Any car at all, and she would try to buy it for me. The gears are churning, and I just cannot come to terms with anything on the market that was developed within the last 10- 15 years.

Since she said any car under $10 grand, I was able to increase my possibilities... from my hotrod days, I always coveted the `85 `86 & `87 series Monte Carlo SS cars (not the Aerocoupe). So I told her to help me find a 1987 Monte Carlo SS... It's old, it's big, it's beautiful!! I'm not looking for hatchet jobs either, I want all 180 horse power of factory original... I know, very lame horse power ratings for a muscle car... but I don't plan to race, I going to cruise...

Anyone else remember these beauties? Maybe you still have one and can relate?

I looked at one a couple years ago as a project car, but it needed too much work and had too many shortcomings. It was from the very first batch of Monte Carlo SS's (1983, IIRC), so it lacked the 4-speed auto and the floor shifter. Plus, the V8's back then, while still making decent low end torque, were pretty weak compared to more recent vintage mouse motors, LS4's for example, which make nearly twice the power (while being of comparable displacement) thanks to the more modern electronic fuel systems.

I wouldn't mind having a 1986-87 MC-SS, but would probably try to put a later vintage motor in it. It'd be a lot of work, for example, trying to make the LS4 work in the older car - getting the PCM to work is most of the battle - but I'm an electrical engineer, so it's not out of reach. However, it could still be way lots of work, so I need to do my research before I embark on such a project

Anyway, good luck on your project. I love those cars. Check Craig's List. There are lots of project cars out there you can take over from others who have lost interest or run out of money. For $10 grand, I'm thinking you should be able to get something decent.

But you will have to work on it to keep it running. Besides major rehab projects (paint, motors, transmissions) there will be lots of smaller stuff to keep you busy, from radiators to AC compressors to wheel bearings - on a car that old, something's always needin' fixin'. Right now, I have three project cars by proxy - I'm the parent of three teenage drivers, so I spend lots of time keeping their cars going. I'm getting to be quite the GM W-body expert.

BTW, I had one of the last big Montes, a 77, with the 350. Nothing special, but it could be a fun car.

Doug

.

[JStitz]

I'm partial to those Buick Grand Nationals That 231 Turbo V-6 was the shit! I had a friend in Dade City Florida that worked on the cop cars and he had a 231 V-6 in a Triumph T-R7...he roached 3 stock axels till he finally put a Ford 9" differential in there.
231 had a certain musical sound to it...

[DRAGON64]

I looked at one a couple years ago as a project car, but it needed too much work and had too many shortcomings. It was from the very first batch of Monte Carlo SS's (1983, IIRC), so it lacked the 4-speed auto and the floor shifter. Plus, the V8's back then, while still making decent low end torque, were pretty weak compared to more recent vintage mouse motors, LS4's for example, which make nearly twice the power (while being of comparable displacement) thanks to the more modern electronic fuel systems.

I wouldn't mind having a 1986-87 MC-SS, but would probably try to put a later vintage motor in it. It'd be a lot of work, for example, trying to make the LS4 work in the older car - getting the PCM to work is most of the battle - but I'm an electrical engineer, so it's not out of reach. However, it could still be way lots of work, so I need to do my research before I embark on such a project

Anyway, good luck on your project. I love those cars. Check Craig's List. There are lots of project cars out there you can take over from others who have lost interest or run out of money. For $10 grand, I'm thinking you should be able to get something decent.

But you will have to work on it to keep it running. Besides major rehab projects (paint, motors, transmissions) there will be lots of smaller stuff to keep you busy, from radiators to AC compressors to wheel bearings - on a car that old, something's always needin' fixin'. Right now, I have three project cars by proxy - I'm the parent of three teenage drivers, so I spend lots of time keeping their cars going. I'm getting to be quite the GM W-body expert.

BTW, I had one of the last big Montes, a 77, with the 350. Nothing special, but it could be a fun car.

Doug

.

I would love to find a Monte Carlo shell car (rolling chasis) and put a nice mildly built 350 in it that has a Tuned Port Injection system from an IROC Z. Sweetest looking injection system ever put in a factory car...

I'm partial to those Buick Grand Nationals That 231 Turbo V-6 was the shit! I had a friend in Dade City Florida that worked on the cop cars and he had a 231 V-6 in a Triumph T-R7...he roached 3 stock axels till he finally put a Ford 9" differential in there.
231 had a certain musical sound to it...

Those Grand Nationals were the fastest production cars of their time. Then Chevrolet took the S10 and made the Syclone, and the S10 Blazer and created the Typhoon... more bad fanny production cars...

This is not mine, I wish it was:

[JStitz]

Dragon, in the last few years a LOT of MCSS have been consumed and 30" rims put on them..

[DRAGON64]

Dragon, in the last few years a LOT of MCSS have been consumed and 30" rims put on them..

Yeah, I know... There are quite a few Montes around locally that have been turned into a rollerskate... complete waste of vehicle, and a bad look for the car. Owners sacrifice alot to be able to present a certain look. Just like those guys that cut coil springs and heat up a suspension to drop theirs cars to the ground... bad look, and devastating to the suspension. If I were ever going to drop the cg on a car, I would go with drop spindles so that I can maintain wheel alignment.

[UPscaler]

I'm not old enough to remember them, but I do like them! In an age group that hopes to someday own an Italian exotic car, I'd prefer to have something with glistening American Muscle(s)

I also enjoy the cars that, of course, everyone enjoys. 67 GT500, Shelby Cobra, 69 Charger, 72 Cuda, etc. etc.



Braden

[azgreg]

I've wadded up a few of these at the local dirt oval race tracks.

[Zonie]

I'm a fan of the GNX...

[DRAGON64]

I'm going to go look at a Super Sport this weekend if my surgery recovery allows it. My wife found a sweet ride on ebay motors:

Item number: 261077694813

[DM1975]

I love Monte Carlo's but I think I would have to go with an El Camino myself.

[Rex R]

with astro-turf(tm) in the back ?
rex

[DM1975]

with astro-turf(tm) in the back ?
rex

You know it

[plano-doug]

I'm going to go look at a Super Sport this weekend if my surgery recovery allows it. My wife found a sweet ride on ebay motors:

Item number: 261077694813

Good luck. I'm envious. I see it's in Glasgow, Kentucky. That's my neck of the woods, just down the highway from where I was born and only a short hop from the Corvette plant.

For grins, I ran the VIN from the eBay listing. It doesn't specify whether there's a 3- or 4-speed in the car, but I can see it has the floor shifter and T-tops. And it only has 87,000 miles on it. So it looks very appealing. I hope you can work out a satisfactory deal.

Doug

VIN:1G1GZ11G3HP133160
1=US built
G=GM
1=Chevy
GZ=Monte Carlo
1=2-door coupe
1=manual belts
G=5.0L V-8 w/4BBL
3=check digit (??)
H=1987 model year
P=Pontiac, MI plant
133160=production sequence number

.

[DRAGON64]

Good luck. I'm envious. I see it's in Glasgow, Kentucky. That's my neck of the woods, just down the highway from where I was born and only a short hop from the Corvette plant.

For grins, I ran the VIN from the eBay listing. It doesn't specify whether there's a 3- or 4-speed in the car, but I can see it has the floor shifter and T-tops. And it only has 87,000 miles on it. So it looks very appealing. I hope you can work out a satisfactory deal.

Doug

VIN:1G1GZ11G3HP133160
1=US built
G=GM
1=Chevy
GZ=Monte Carlo
1=2-door coupe
1=manual belts
G=5.0L V-8 w/4BBL
3=check digit (??)
H=1987 model year
P=Pontiac, MI plant
133160=production sequence number

.

Great run down Doug, thanks... I did end up getting the car; picked it up yesterday in fact:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hE9We8kBBsc&feature=plcp

[DM1975]

Man that is one nice car! Congratulations!

[plano-doug]

Great run down Doug, thanks... I did end up getting the car; picked it up yesterday in fact:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hE9We8kBBsc&feature=plcp

Congrats! Great vid! Thanks for posting that. Car looks sweet. As for the unmolested engine compartment, I think it needs some molesting A 383 stroker mouse motor comes to mind Did the car come with a 4-speed auto?

I like seeing the limestone formations on I-65. We don't see much of that in north Texas.

Congrats again on your find.

Doug

.

[DRAGON64]

Man that is one nice car! Congratulations!

I appreciate that... now with the surgery and car behind me, it is time to get back to rocketry... BONUS! The trunk on this car should hold plenty of rocket goodies.

[DRAGON64]

Congrats! Great vid! Thanks for posting that. Car looks sweet. As for the unmolested engine compartment, I think it needs some molesting A 383 stroker mouse motor comes to mind Did the car come with a 4-speed auto?

I like seeing the limestone formations on I-65. We don't see much of that in north Texas.

Congrats again on your find.

Doug

.

The car should have come with either the 200 R4 or the 700 R4 transmission which is a 3-speed with lock up torque converter for over-drive (if memory serves). I pretty scared owning a 25-year old car in this nice a shape, more so than if it was just a new car... it may never stay this nice again.

If I ever mod this motor, it will be to stick a Tuned Port Injection system on it from an IROC Z or a Corvette.

[WILDMANRS]

The car should have come with either the 200 R4 or the 700 R4 transmission which is a 3-speed with lock up torque converter for over-drive (if memory serves). I pretty scared owning a 25-year old car in this nice a shape, more so than if it was just a new car... it may never stay this nice again.

If I ever mod this motor, it will be to stick a Tuned Port Injection system on it from an IROC Z or a Corvette.

DRagon If you ever want to fix this up let me know.
I used to own an 86 SS That we put a 350 in, That has bored and camed and balanced but still street drivable out of 91 IROC.
About 15 years ago a tree fell on it in my driveway when a tornado went through.
ANyway I pulled the engine, rear end and tranny out of it and they have been sitting in my back shop ever since the trans is a built turbo 350 and still bolted to the engine.
If you are interested i would let it go to a good home for a song.

[DRAGON64]

DRagon If you ever want to fix this up let me know.
I used to own an 86 SS That we put a 350 in, That has bored and camed and balanced but still street drivable out of 91 IROC.
About 15 years ago a tree fell on it in my driveway when a tornado went through.
ANyway I pulled the engine, rear end and tranny out of it and they have been sitting in my back shop ever since the trans is a built turbo 350 and still bolted to the engine.
If you are interested i would let it go to a good home for a song.

I will keep you in mind, a few more cubic inches never hurts... sorry to hear that the "Big-T" took out your car; we get those monters here in the South as well.

[UPscaler]

sooo, what'd you end up getting?


If nothing yet, I'm sure something could be arranged to get this to you:


http://houston.craigslist.org/cto/3184553435.html



454!



Braden