Why did so many people like the G-Body Monte Carlos?

[turbofish38]

yeah there was alot of oddball stuff in mexico, even some of there newer vehicles that are fuel injection only here are still carberated down there. wierd!

One thing I forgot to point out. These cars use the old 13 digit VIN number system. In 1980 the Feds passed a law requiring all manufacturers to adopt a universal 17 digit system. For example from the second character you can tell who made it and the 8th one tells you the motor and the 10th is the year and 11th is birthplace.

Yeah tell me about weird. As of last year you could still order a 2007 one ton GMT800 type truck with a 350 SBC. That combo was never available here in the states. For fun type in Cheyenne 400SS into a search. Check out Official Chevrolet Site | 2008 Cars, SUV's, and Trucks | Chevy and click on the world sites link and see what other weird stuff they sell across the globe.

I should have never checked out these MexiCarlos. Now I have the strange desire to go south of the border and buy one. I always wanted a G-Body with manual tranny. I wonder if the same combo was in the ElCamino?

 

[rmar]

Once upon a time.........
This won almost everything you could win. Sold it to a guy in OK city.

 

[87natl]

Is that stock???

 

[rmar]

Built it from the ground up.......
Lets just say it's always cheaper to buy then build...
L=<60

 

[rwrows]

Once upon a time.........
This won almost everything you could win. Sold it to a guy in OK city.

WHOA! Did you buy it like that or did you build it? If you built it, how much of a L did you take when you sold it. $50,000 loss?

 

[rmar]

Is that stock???

Sure is.....
421 SBC, custom Ross pistons, all Lunati, 671, mechanical injection, ported nitrous.
It needed switched to electronic injection to be much of a driver. no expence spared.


I think I have some more pics at work I'll try to
post tomorrow...........:biggrin:

 

[87natl]

It's a beautiful car. I can't imagine why you got rid of it, but I'd like to see you put a simlar effort into a GN, as you obviously know how to pull a car together.

Do you kick yourself for letting that one go????

 

[GNVYUS 1]

Not surprised on the MexiCarlo as my buddy with a Roadmaster said the Saudi's got one with more power etc.

I was going to get a Monte SS but luckily my Dad mentioned the GN and it was over. But I do like all the G Bodies and the one I almost pulled the trigger on was an 87 Monte with a 396 in it, oh ya.

 

[RKHiPerformance]

I can't understand how guys can like the Regal as much as they do yet hate the Monte SS at the same time. The cars are so effin' similar.
I'll concede that the Montes were anemic in stock form, but the Monte is an excellent platform to build. You can buy 'em for cheep and build 'em to suit your tastes without some uptight Buick Melvin criticizing you for 'ruining' an original car.
And unlike the Buicks, the Montes actually came with gauges, a decent center console, frame braces, and body bushings.
Live and let live. Sheesh.

 

[GNBRETT]

Once upon a time.........
This won almost everything you could win. Sold it to a guy in OK city.

That is pretty hot.

 

[jdpolzin]

One of my old SS's. I like em!

 

[turbofish38]

I can't understand how guys can like the Regal as much as they do yet hate the Monte SS at the same time. The cars are so effin' similar.
I'll concede that the Montes were anemic in stock form, but the Monte is an excellent platform to build. You can buy 'em for cheep and build 'em to suit your tastes without some uptight Buick Melvin criticizing you for 'ruining' an original car.
And unlike the Buicks, the Montes actually came with gauges, a decent center console, frame braces, and body bushings.

I had Chevys long before the Buicks. I started out buying a brand spanking new 78 ElCamino and than trading in my 85 MCSS on my 86 GN. As far as the lack of gauges, I sum it up this way. When I climb into a car I compare it to climbing into the cockpit of an airplane. Now to me the Chevy gauges didn't do chit. Especially the cheesy ones in the 86-88 years. Kind of like the cheap ones in a MIG 15. Now the GN with it's lack of everything just screamed out, why the heck do you need needles? The motor is bullet proof and the ride is short and sweet. Kind of like what Chuck Yeager said when he stepped into the X15 for his first ride into history.

You know I think there is a little class structure here. To me the TR just has style,attitude and intellegence written all over it. You have to be smart to race one of these. I mean go over to MCSS.com or what ever the hot spot for them are and all you see is 383 and LS1 swaps. How hard is it to swap in another SBC? I remember when these cars were new. You had to work with what you had. In other words you really had to think to go faster. The only thinking a MC guy has to do is whether he is going to buy from Jegs or Summitt. Plus the Buick equates to luxury. You can't get climate control, factory anti-theft or digital dash in the Chevy.

Most of you guys are to young and what was called Johnny Come Latelys back in 1978 when the G-Body came out. You aint considered a hero in my book if you've never had to build your own parts or you were born 10 years to late. If you weren't in the trenches with me in the early part of the revolution than you'll never appreciate what's available today. Body bushings? I never missed them. Just another pound of advantage for the Buick. When you get older you're body will thank you for the comfy ride.

 

[Evans Ward]

I was one who test drove all the G Body cars back in 1986 when I was looking to buy new. Even test drove a Grand Prix 2+2! To cut to the chase and make a long story very short, all it took was to test drive them all and experience the power of the LC2! Fortunantly for me, I test drove the 86 GN last and boy what an impression it made! Salesman who was young was telling me to "get on it". Bought mine in August 1986 and this began a love affair with the Buick Turbo cars.

 

[rmar]

Hey, I found a trunk shot......:biggrin:

 

[RKHiPerformance]

...You have to be smart to race one of these. I mean go over to MCSS.com or what ever the hot spot for them are and all you see is 383 and LS1 swaps. How hard is it to swap in another SBC? I remember when these cars were new. You had to work with what you had. In other words you really had to think to go faster. The only thinking a MC guy has to do is whether he is going to buy from Jegs or Summitt...

I'll give you that. I can barely stand to see another 350 or 383 MCSS. The whole "thirty-over 350 with camelback heads (sic), a Comp 292 and an Edelbrock 750" mentality is very tired. But I still side with the guys who think the MCSS cars look good, ride well (tighter than a Regal, face it), and can be had for cheep. They won't appreciate in value like the Buicks will, so a big Chevy swap with a four speed (see sig) or a stroker LS1 swap with a six speed is just the ticket.

 

[87lightweight]

One of my old SS's. I like em!

nice i like that!

 

[ChavoLC2]

Monte vs Regal

Have always thought the SS's intergrated fascia/header panel-frontend/bumper was alot cleaner and aerodynamic looking then the Buicks but that's about it wish Buick would have done something similar. The only Montes worth owning powerwise were the 1st gen Monte wouldn't mind owning a SS454 also the same year Pontiac had the SJ Grand Prix with a 455 after that they all got ugly and anemic.

 

[87natl]

One of the main reasons I'm not so high on the mid-late eighties Montes is, where I grew up and was in my teens, there were just SO FREAKIN COMMON!!!!!! Almost as bad as the Rustangs and Camar-slows. Every where you turned, mustang,monte,camaro,monte,mustang, camaro, camaro, mustang.......ugh!

The Buick Turbos were different, unknown, uncommon, sleepers, SHOCK and AWE! Sorry, there's no comparison in my mind, then or now, as to what is more desireable for THIS fellow. 20 years later, after I dust off some young fool, I get the same response....WHAT IS THAT THING!!!!

It ain't a Monte.

 

["Turbo-T"]

I feel the Monte Carlo was a nice looking car from 1981 onward. Yeah they may have had a lame engine but the body styling was nice. Not real fold of the SS nose or the Aerocoupe window, but the tail spoiler was a nice touch. But then again not all 80's Montes had the SS nose. The good thing is when equipped with a 305 it's a cinch to swap it for a bigger engine....be it 350, 400 or even 454....plus you can reuse the 200-4R too. The only thing I don't like about these cars are people think they're worth a ton of money. They're nice cars but not worth as much as a turbo Buick in the same condition, same year. The other bad is these cars, if not being hopped by Mexicans or donked by blacks, are cloned into Dale Earnhardt cars by mullet wearing rednecks in wife beaters in the local trailer park.

Second, they only came with the lowly 305 Camaro RS motor, one of the worst motors Chevy ever built. I mean, how the hell do you only get 190 hp out of 5.0 litres!!! Talk about bad engineering!!!

That might have been so, but trust me there were worser engines by Chevy than a 190 hp 305. Try the 110 hp 267 V8. That was a disgrace of engines. The 262 Chevy V8 (not to be confused with the 4.3 liter V6) was another disgrace.

Also, I think a lot of people were pretty ignorant when it came to understanding the true performance of the car. Once they heard it had a V8 in it that’s all they needed to hear and they were convinced, hey its got some power, right? And you have to understand unless an individual actually went for a ride in a GN or was convinced enough from all the great magazine reviews I’m sure a lot of people still couldn’t see past the fact that GN’s only had a V6 engine.

I think this also holds true, because when most hear "V8" they think "power". Whereas when they hear "V6" they think "it's just another slow ass car". Also in the 1980's when gas stabilized people started after V8's again. That's why some turbo cars such as the 1984-1986 Mustang SVO were so short lived.

I don't know what chevy was thinking putting a lame 305 in there.

If you ever have noticed, starting in 1977 GM was downsizing the big cars and that's when the 454's went away from Caprices and Impalas. 1978 the mid size car was downsized and that's when Malibus and Montes stopped coming equipped with 350's and instead 305's as top engine. It was also a time of a 2nd gas crisis so I guess GM dodn't want to put a "hog engine" into anything but maybe a truck or a weekend crusier. (Corvette)

During the late 70's and early 80's they had an oil embargo and a fuel shortage. This may explain why all the Camaros, Gbodys, and GM trucks came with 305's?

Yes, and due to GM downsizing their cars and not feeling a need for big engines anymore.

didn't a handful of montes come with 350s?

Yeah. The 1970-1977 models did. Was the smallest engine you could get. Come 1978 the biggest was the 305.

 

[gmpower]

I have owned an 87 SS,and would say it was a great looking car, but I couldnt understand how a 190 hp 305 engine could drink so much gas, I swear a 350 V8 burns less gas and puts out much more power.