Chevy Monte Carlo

1973 Monte Carlo

Posted on 28. Nov, 2009 by admin.

1973 saw the first year of the second generation Monte Carlo, and it was definitely different than it had been in previous years. First of all, this Monte Carlo had no hard top. Second of all, it had frameless glass doors and rear side opera windows. Third, it had dual headlights and an egg crate style grille. The front bumper of the 1973 Monte Carlo was a 5 mph bumper, which was now a federal mandate on the highway. It was bigger and heavier, but was considered a lot safer for driving. The new roof was a double shell roof, which was changed with the intent to lower noise and to add increased rollover protection. This model also featured exterior door handles that were flush mounted pull ups, which were first seen on the Camaro back in 1970.

1973 Monte Carlo

To improve the handling and the overall smoothness of the ride in the new Monte Carlo, Chevrolet shipped them with new radial ply tires, high caster steering, pliacell shocks, and front & rear roll bars. There was also a new model Monte Carlo introduced this year, and it was called the Monte Carlo Landau. The main difference between the Landau and other Monte Carlo models was that the Landau had an “S”, a rear quarter Landau vinyl roof, passenger and driver side sport mirrors, and turbine II wheel covers.

As far as the engine went on the 1973 Monte Carlo, here is what was available. The standard engine shipped with the Monte Carlo was the 145 HP 350 Turbo fire V8. But available as options were the 175 HP 350 V8 four barrel, or the carbureted 454 Turbo Jet V8, which was rated at 245 HP. Because of all the new styling, and also because of its focus on Euro-style handling and the smooth ride it offered, this Monte Carlo was named Motor Trend’s Car of the Year in 1973. Monte Carlo also set a new record for model year sales for Chevrolet, shipping almost 250,000 units in just that year alone! It was a huge success for Chevrolet. In fact, the success of the Chevrolet Monte Carlo, as well as the success of Pontiac’s Grand Prix (which was very similar), led to a new line of luxury vehicles on the part of Chevy’s competition. The Mercury Cougar, the Chrysler Cordoba, and even the Ford Torino Elite were all a result of this push to compete, not to mention the new restyled Dodge Charger.

1973 Monte Carlo

1973 Monte Carlo with Swivel Seats

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1972 Monte Carlo

Posted on 08. Nov, 2009 by admin.

The 1972 Chevrolet Monte Carlo saw a few noteworthy changes cosmetically from the previous year, but remained largely the same. The egg crate style grille, which was very similar to that of a Cadillac, was the most noticeable change cosmetically to the 1972 Monte Carlo. Actually, this was a very similar version of what was found on the Chevrolet Caprice in 1971. Also, the metal rear trim molding was different, highlighting the final year of the first generation Monte Carlo.

1972 Monte Carlo

In 1972 the Monte Carlo SS was dropped. However, there was a new custom option available this year only, which included a lot of special additions that were only available on the SS option. But the difference was that, while the SS only shipped with certain engines, this new custom option could be shipped with any engine you desired that was listed on the order roster.

1972 Monte Carlo

Due to the SAE net horsepower ratings, the engines seemed to take a decrease in rated power. This was the first year that Chevrolet did not even list gross HP ratings for their Monte Carlo… they simply stuck with the SAE ratings. As far as what they were rated, the available engines were listed as follows… the 350 two barrel was listed at 165 HP, the 350 four barrel was shown to pull 175 HP, the 402 four barrel boasted 240 HP, and the 454 four barrel showed a whopping 270 horses under the hood.

Because California had passed additional emissions standards that were a lot more strict, the only engine available for the Monte Carlo that was allowed in California was the four barreled 350. Also, the only transmission shipped in California was the Turbo Hydramatic. 1972 saw the four speed manual transmission discontinued as an option, with the brochure giving the excuse “Sorry, no four on the floor”. The only transmissions offered with the 1972 Monte Carlo were the standard three speed manual, with the two speed power glide automatic offered as an option, but only with the base 350 two barrel. 1972 also marks the first time that variable ratio power steering became standard on the Monte Carlo.

The 1972 Monte Carlo was a very hot seller for Chevrolet. 180,819 Monte Carlos were produced for this year, which set a new record for Chevrolet for the final year for the first generation of the G-body style.

1972 Monte Carlo

1972 Monte Carlo

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1971 Monte Carlo

Posted on 15. Oct, 2009 by admin.

1971 Chevy Monte Carlo SS 454

In 1971, there were slight changes made from the 1970 model. For example, on the cosmetic front, new European symbol knobs were found on the inside of the SS Monte Carlo. Also, it became an option to get a new four spoke steering wheel in 1971. The stand up hood ornament also saw its debut on the Monte Carlo in 1971, but that wasn’t all that Chevrolet had going for its still new coupe.

In the way of motors, the Turbo fire 400 two barrel from 1970 was dropped. On all of the other motors, the compression ratio was lowered due to a GM corporate edict that would allow the use of unleaded, low lead, or regular leaded gasoline. So, as a result, engine ratings fell a little bit in 1971. The base Turbo Fire 350 two barrel fell to 245 horsepower, the Turbo Fire 350 4V saw a new horsepower rating of 270 horsepower, and the Turbo Jet 400 would now run at 300 horsepower. But even though other engines saw a cut in the horsepower as a result of the edict, the SS 454 actually saw a minor increase, being raised to 365 gross horsepower… and that included the reduction in compression! The reason as to why the SS 454 could crank out a higher horsepower, even with a lowered compression ration, is because a more aggressive camshaft was used. This was actually the same camshaft that was used on the 454 in the Chevrolet Corvette in 1970.

1971 Monte Carlo

1971 marks the first year that Chevrolet would post horsepower ratings in SAE net terms, as well as in gross horsepower as they had in the past. 1972 would see a complete change in how the ratings were displayed, as net horsepower would become the main measurement used. In 1971, the engine ratings were displayed in net HP terms as followed… the Turbo Fire 350 V8 two barrel had 165 HP, the Turbo Jet 400 V8 four barrel had 260 HP, the Turbo Fire V8 Four barrel boasted 175 HP, and the Turbo Jet 454 V8 four barrel pumped out a whopping 285 HP.

It was at one time believed that the Monte Carlo SS in 1971 could have been shipped optionally with the 425 HP LS-6 version of the 454, a version of which was available in the 1970 Chevelle SS, though this is not specifically listed anywhere. Though the Turbo Hydramatic was officially the only clutch available on the SS, a heavy-duty clutch option did exist on the order-form. So, this makes it seem as though it might have actually been possible to order a special 454 LS-6 with a heavy duty four speed manual transmission attached. Factory records indicate that those motors only shipped in the corvette that year, though there is a slight possibility that some Chevrolet Monte Carlos may have been specially made this way through Chevrolet’s central office production order.

1971 Monte Carlo

1971 would mark the last year that the 454 would ship in the SS, even though 454 CID V8 would remain an option through the year 1975.

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