My Monte Carlo addiction started before I got my license in November of 1990 - my first car was a rusty 1976 Monte Carlo that I bought in August of '90 to drive while I was on my permit. I bought my first SS in December of 1991; it was a high-mileage white/gray 1985 SS that ran well but had a lot of mechanical issues. I wound up selling it in December of 1993, and then buying it back in the spring of 1997. My friends and I did a TPI conversion on that car in 2000, a 12" front brake swap in 2002, and converted it to 5-speed in 2003. We discovered some serious floor rot and body mount issues while doing that work, so I set out to find another Monte to swap the drivetrain.
My wife wound up buying this '88 SS for me in November 2003 as a gift for my 30th birthday. The previous owner was going to turn it into a big-block drag car, but lost interest with the project so we bought it as a roller. We swapped all of the mechanicals from my rusty '85 SS into this car and then parted out what was left from the old '85.
I drove it for several more years, and sold it February 28, 2011. I have no idea what the new owner has done with it since then, and I honestly don't want to know either. Hopefully it's in good hands and being taken care of.
Mods List
Engine and engine management:
- 355 ci. 2-bolt main 1-piece RMS. stock crank turned and polished, ZZ4 8" balancer, resized rods with ARP bolts and SpeedPro hypereutectic pistons, double-row timing chain, ZZ4 cam, World Products 58cc heads with 1.94/1.50 valves, aluminum roller rockers
- stock TPI baseplate with SLP runners and ported upper plenum (all ceramic coated), 52mm throttlebody, and LT1 injectors
- polished aluminum tall centerbolt valve covers
- 4.3L Monte Carlo gas tank and sending unit with TPI pump
- factory '87 F-body TPI harness with '165 MAF ECM
- F-body dual electric fans
- F-body serpentine brackets
- F-body aluminum radiator
- Ceramic coated Edelbrock TES headers
- 2.5" Hooker cat-back exhaust with GN style tailpipes
Drivetrain:
- 1984 F-body V8 bellhousing, 1981 G-body clutch/brake pedals, SpeedDirect upper/lower adjustable pushrods
- Rebuilt 1988 World Class T5
- factory nodular iron 16lb. flywheel, Ram clutch, Hurst short shifter
- Overhauled 7 5/8" rear with factory 3.73s and Powertrax No-Slip unit, TA Performance diff. cover
- Factory driveshaft shortened 3" and rebalanced
Suspension and Brakes:
- F-body lower front A-arms with 1LE bushings
- Howe Racing tall lower balljoints
- UB Machine front upper control arms
- B-body front disc brake swap with Powerslot rotors and Hawk HPS pads
- 34mm F-body hollow front swaybar
- F-body power steering cooler
- Eibach springs front/rear
- Bilstein shocks front/rear
- Moog tie-rods, centerlink, idler arm
- Jeep steering shaft
- Edelbrock adjustable upper rear arms, BMR tubular lowers
- G-body straight rear swaybar
- 17x8 Coys C55s with Continental 245/45 ZR 17s
Exterior:
- bright white base/clear paint
- Chevy Celebrity headlight conversion
- 2007 Monte Carlo SS badges
Interior:
- stock burgundy interior
- PUI upper door panels and headliner
- window switches relocated to lower door panels
- C5 Corvette shifter boot, Hurst leather shift knob, custom cupholder in the OEM center console trim
- custom 3-point rear seat belts
Here's a few pics of how it looked when I sold it -
Here's a few pics of the interior mods -
Doorpanels with relocated window switch -
C5 shifter boot with Hurst leather knob and cupholder -
Rear 3-point seat belts -
Here's a few more pics - this is when the motor, trans, and suspension went in when the car was first put together after stripping my '85.
