monte carlos

[hydrostreamvulture1]

good or bad....anyone have any experiences with them on the track or on the street?? gimme some info :D

[TTriton]

Never had a monte.. But had a car that every one thought was a monte.. I used to have a Buick Grand National and there is no better car than that!! What a sleeper!

[hydrostreamvulture1]

r great my teacher has one he always talkin bout how he runs civics and crappy import all the time VERY FAST CAR

[TTriton]

Mine had quite a bit of work done to it.. But I have run Vipers, mustangs, Vettes, ZR1 Vetts and even motorcycles and beat them all.. But there is always some one out there with a bigger bank account that could beat me.. Which did happen.. I remember being spanked VERY bad by a Toyata Starlet with a Turbo Wankel engine that would leave the line at about 12,000 RPM's.. It was a MONSTER of a little car.. Weight about half that I did and probably had close the the same HP... I have never seen a car leave the line that fast that could be driven on the street...

[LaserModVee]

What year range are you talking about?

If you are talking about 78-88, you are looking at a car that has TONS of aftermarket bolt-ons available, as well as interchangable parts between the other GM cars in it's family. Some of those are, Buick Regal/Gran National, etc., Chevy Malibu, El Camino, Olds Cutlass, Pontiac Gran Prix, etc. These are all 78-88 or so "G" body General Motors FULL FRAMED chassis.
I have friends that have drag raced and autocrossed these cars, and they are perfect for just about anything. You can bolt in a turbo charged 3.8 liter V6, any small block Chevy, any big block Chevy, and a number of other different engine/trans combos in these cars.

The possibilities are endless with the G body. They even put four speeds in some of the late 70's Malibu's. You could strip one of these out of a yard and convert your Monte to a standard! find a wrecked Gran National and grab the rear end out of it. They had 8.5" with posi's, your Monte has a wimpy 7 1/8".

What do you plan on doing with it, street race/cruise/show. All out drag or autox?

The Monte is a perfect place to start, so jump on it before everyone else figure this stuff out and raises the prices on all the great parts out there for your car!

When looking at them, G body cars from the Midwest are known to rust out at the rear frame where the frame curves over the rear end. The extreme examples lose the rear bumper when the frame rots entirely through. Watch for rusty floor boards in T-top cars.

I could go on forever, but I need to get in the shower and get ready for work tomorrow.

Good Luck!

[hydrostreamvulture1]

theres a 88 im looking at for 1250 NEG. so maybe i can knock him down to 1100....has a 305 i think not sure tho maybe a 350...tell me sum other things u can do to this car besdies the rear end..:D

[hydrostreamvulture1]

i just researched some of the grand nationals holy shi* is this a car....i jus saw 2 grand nationals race a viper and it wuz the vipers worst mistake he ever made....BOTH GN tore him apart..i have the video if anyone wants to c it...it wuz a viper GTS also thats the impressive part...the even more impressive part r these GN's r 6 cylinder lol but turbo...these things r fast! I WANT ONE!

[LaserModVee]

Is it an SS Monte?

I don't know where the car or you are located, but in the saltbelt where the roads are salted in the winter, check the rear frame as mentioned above.
These cars make decent tow vehicles too. Just be sure to add a tranny cooler or you'll be spitting fluid on your boat at highway speeds.
The '88 305 is no powerhouse, but it's still a V8. You can easily swap for any other small block. A big block will bolt in, you'll just need a set of big block headers to do it. If you go adding horsepower, go to a turbo 350 or 700R4 if you want to keep overdrive. The factory metric tranny is kind of weak.

What do you plan on doing with this car?

[LaserModVee]

At the dragstrip I normally run at, it is not uncommon to follow a Gran National in to the track that has been driven there on the highway with the A/C on for over 45 minutes. The funny thing is, you would think he might pull off a respectable mid 13 second pass. Not the case, he'll knock off a mid 11 second run through full exhaust. With a little bit of turbo work, they can be one of the ultimate sleepers ever built.

[TTriton]

Is right here... I used to be very active on this board back when I had my GN.. Now I avid looking at it.. It was a VERY bad mistake to sell mine and I'm just waiting for a time when I can buy antoher one someday..

http://www.gnttype.org/

http://www.gnttype.org/

http://www.gnttype.org/

http://www.gnttype.org/

[Superdave]

All the cars listed above were called "intermediate" size. The full size cars were Crown Vics, Impalas, & larger 4 door, family cars.
Dave

[hydrostreamvulture1]

these monte carlos...1st off were the 80's montes dual posi??? wuz it a seperate option for these cars or sumthin or did they all come equipped with it...also anyone out there have any street experiences gimme sumthings i can do to a monte to make it quick...i know of switching the rear end to a grand nationals thats a def. maybe do a lilttle bit of engine work but wut else can i do to make this car a monster?? gimme sum hints thanx guyz!!:D

[LaserModVee]

I would say that not all of the 80's Monte's were posi equipped. Something like that would probably only come standard on an SS car. Other than that, it would more than likely be an option.

Before you put any money into making the car faster, be sure to go over the braking system as well as all steering components, drivetrain, and tires. Stopping safely is much more important than going fast. After that, you could start off with a set of headers and 2 1/2" dual exhaust with Flowmaster mufflers. A mild camshaft and lifter change. Intake manifold. Four barrel carb. Maybe an 11" torque convertor to bring your stall up a bit. Rear gear ratio is one of the biggest result makers if you have a 2 something under the car right now.

What year Monte did you buy?
What motor, 305, 350, etc.?
What transmission? TH350? 200R4 overdrive?
What gear ratio?
Is it equipped with all of the emissions equipment?
Will it be a daily driver/what are you using the car for primarily?
A/C? Does it still work? Do you plan on using it?


Here are some Monte Carlo forums that may help you on parts and info; http://discussion.montecarloclub.com/ http://www.monte-list.nu/

The most important part of hopping up a car like this, other than the safety aspect of it, is to figure exactly what your car will be used for. Drag only, weekends in the summer only, with limited highway time, (less than 5 miles), weekends with highway time and cruising, daily driver with some drag racing, etc. etc. etc.

Whatever it is, you need to decide this before buying any parts.

Once you get that part figured out, you can put together a combination of parts that will make optimum power in an rpm range that you will be in.

[hydrostreamvulture1]

looking at a 86 monte carlo SS everything stock (305) i believe...car needed alot of work engine work mostley the body wuz in OK condition...but i def know im gonna get a monte jus trying to find the right one..i love the G body look..if i wuz to get it, it would be used for a lil street racing and cruising whenever..i jus want to eat these crappy lil 4 cylinder civics over here...but sum of them r kinda quick...i know they came with 180 stock HP which is kinda low for a car but after engine work i wanna get the HP upto atleast 350+..change the exhaust, headers of course,new camshaft,4 barrel carb,maybe even a little bit of nitrious 50hp shot or a supercharger..i figure if i can pick up monte carlo SS for bout 3k in good condition i will invest 2-3 thousand into the motor and mods...5k to 5500 is my limit cause of school and college..in NY theres alot of montes laying around jus gotta find the right one for the right price...any other suggestions?

[LaserModVee]

I like the route you are going with the SS. They had bigger sway bars, brakes, posi, etc... My Dad bought an '86 new, it came stock with a 3.73 posi and the 305. I think it had a wimpy overdrive tranny though. You could easily swap that out for a TH350 for cheap.

That throttle bodied 305 and 350+ horse is going to be tough to do though. I have a couple of budget racer ideas for you;

Bolt on a set of headers and good exhaust. Find a used nitrous kit for the throttle bodied 5.0L cars that is adjustable from, (I think) 100-150 horsepower and you should run pretty decent. Keep in mind, the stock 305 with NOS and a ton of miles isn't going to hold up too long.

Meanwhile, build, or find a 350 with forged flat top pistons. You can bolt on a set of cast iron Dart heads or Vortec GM heads to one of these, add a decent hydraulic cam and you are at and beyond 350 HP easy. A solid lift, or even roller cam could bring you numbers beyond 450-550 horse on pump gas.

I personally wouldn't throw much money at a 305 for bolt-ons that will only get you in the 200+ HP range.

Another route would be going with a 78 and up Malibu. You might find one of those with a TH350 tranny already in it. Also, by going older, you will be free from all of the computer controlled garbage that the SS Monte has on it.

[LaserModVee]

Here's an ad for a Malibu that is already done. The thing that makes this one so awesome, is that it has a big block already installed for rice killing. Asking $6500!??! http://adcache.collectorcartraderonline.com/10/0/0/27851100.htm

[hydrostreamvulture1]

kinda computer limitations do the montes come with?? rev limiters and **** of this sort?:confused: i was told by a good friend/racer that lives next door to me not to run a nitrous kit on any stock engine that exceeds 125hp nitrous shot or above..he said it will totally mess the engine up eventually even if its a rebuilt one...also wut do u think about blowers on these things?? im pretty sure i can goto a junkyard and find sum car thats been sittin there with a TH350 the reason y i wouldnt go with the malibu is becuz i love the monte carlo..jus something about the car...i remember standin on grand ave. one time by me and i saw a monte and 5.0 stang race and the monte blew it away and u heard the bass in the exhaust sounded beautiful made the ground rumble...im sure i can getta supercharger maybe not the best but a decent one for around 2grand notta vortec or whipple but im sure i can find something in this summit magazine...wut kinda camshaft would u recommend for optimum performance on a 350 (duration sizes)...i wuz also told messing with the cam shaft can give up 40 to 50HP INCREASES!!!IM not to sure about flowmaster tho...i heard they rot very quickly same with borla even tho there probley the 2 leading in the exhaust industry....i heard SLP makes a great muffler pref. the "loudmouth exhaust system" but its for camaros firebirds...which exhaust name brands would u recommend besides flowmaster?outta curiosity have u ever messed with glasspacks or called (cheerybombs)today heard they work great too for sound ...i would love to get my hands on a transam also but i know insurence is gonna kill me on that thing so il stick with the monte on that...so i figure cam package will gimme 40hp..exhaust package 20hp...right there alone with a bone stock 305 ur working with about 240 horses nothing that special....im figurng with a 350motor HP would be increased greatley not to mention in the long run less money spent on the motor...thanx for the tips..anymore more info would be appreciated
PS. do u think if i can someway find a 454 big block from a (70 chevelle) it would fit in the monte or would body work need to be done??

[hydrostreamvulture1]

just at a website researching this montes and look wut i came across looks like i answered my own question:D ahhh damn well the pic wuz of a MINT 454 big block special purple wiring to match the color of the car...really gorgeous car motor wuz placed in 87 monte carlo SS aerocoupe GORGEOUS CAR if ya want pics send me ur e-mail address

[Tom D.]

Don't sell the 200 4r overdrive tranny short. Those Buick GN's run them and there into the 9's with some heavy duty parts. I know a few guys on Team Chevelle site that run the 200 4r behind big blocks with no problems. So a few hi-po parts, a shift kit, tranny cooler and 4.11's out back and you got hole shot and highway speeds. It's like having your cake and eating it too!
PS I got one I'm putting in my GMC Sprint:D .

Tom