Chevy Monte Carlo

1970 Monte Carlo

Posted on 30. Sep, 2009 by admin.

The 1970 Monte Carlo was the first Monte Carlo to ever appear. The creation of Elliot Estes, who was at that time the general manager of Chevrolet, the Monte Carlo was built mostly as a counterpart of the then-famous new Pontiac Grand Prix. The Grand Prix featured a body style with a much longer front end, and this was a huge hit with the general car-buying public. It was so popular, in fact, that it outsold its larger B body counterparts, even though the Grand Prix cost more.

Even though the Chevrolet Monte Carlo was developed, for the most part, by Elliot Estes, it was formally unveiled by the new General Manager John Z. Delorean in 1969. He had been the one responsible for bringing about the similar bodied 1969 Grand Prix in the Pontiac division, so his knowledge of the body style was pretty much one of specialist status.

The power train that shipped standard on the 1970s Monte Carlo was the 350 cubic inch (5.7 liter) Chevrolet Turbo Fire small block V8 with a two barrel carburetor. This motor was rated at 250 horsepower at 4500 rpm with 345 ft-lb of torque at 2800 rpm. This, coupled with a column mounted 3 speed manual transmission built with synchro mesh technology, helped to give the Monte Carlo a little bit of “buck” for the money. Disc brakes, which were located on the front of the vehicle, came standard with this model as well.

There were also a lot of options available for the 1970 model Monte Carlo. For one, you could get a two speed power glide automatic transmission (available on 350 engines only). There was also a three speed turbo hydramatic available, or a four speed manual. You could get power windows, variable ratio power steering, power seats, air conditioning, strato bucket seats, Rallye wheels, or even full instrumentation. A full equipped Monte Carlo, complete including all of the extras, could bring as much as $5,000, which was a lot back in 1970! But people still bought them, and loved them!

There were also several optional engines available on this year. For one, you could get a four barreled Turbo fire 350 small block V8, which was rated at 300 horsepower at 4800 rpm. There was also a Turbo fire 400 with a two barrel carburetor, which was rated at 265 hp at 7800 rpm. There was the Turbo jet 400 as well, but this is not to be confused with the Turbo fire 400. They were both different designs… while the Turbo Jet 400 was a sort of enlarged version of the 396 big block V8, the Turbo Fire 400 was a small block V8 which was more similar to the 350.

The sportiest option for any Monte Carlo this year was the 454 Monte Carlo SS. It featured a Turbo Jet 454 with a four barrel that was rated at 360 horsepower. Keep in mind that all of these horsepower ratings were made before Chevrolet made the switch to the new SAE horsepower standards.

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The First Generation Monte Carlo

Posted on 28. Aug, 2009 by admin.

The Monte Carlo was created, originally, as a counterpart to the Pontiac Grand Prix, which had been introduced in 1969, and had been met with a very good track record of success upon its release. In these models, GM had instituted what they called a “G-body”. A G-body was a sort of happy medium between the A-body, and the sedans and station wagons. On these, a two door model would ride on a 112 inch split wheel base, and a sedan or station wagon would ride on a 116 inch wheelbase. But the Grand Prix was different in the way that it road a 118 inch wheelbase, which was called a G-body. This allowed for more growth from side to side for space, and the result was a much longer hood. This look instantly became popular with car buyers, and that new Grand Prix even outsold its larger B-body cousins that sold for a lower price! This is where the inspiration came from for the Monte Carlo, and it was from this design that the first generation Monte Carlo was spawned.

The Monte Carlo was mostly modeled after the Cadillac Eldorado, although a lot of the structures and body of the new car could be seen to be the same as the Chevrolet Chevelle, such as the decklid, rear window, firewall, and windshield. New front end sheet metal was added, along with wider C-pillars. Also, bulges were added to the fenders of the Monte Carlo to give it a more muscular look. Its concealed windshield wipers were considered very fashionable back in its day, as were the new rear fenders!

Running this first 1970 Monte Carlo was a 350 Chevy turbo-fire small block V8 engine. It was rated at 250 horsepower and had a 2 barrel carburetor. It had 345 ft-lb of torque at 2800 rpms, and sported a column mounted, 3 speed manual tranny designed with synchro-mesh technology. It shipped standard with front disc brakes, and was priced at $3,123 back in 1970.

1971 saw a few styling changes to the new Monte Carlo, and the addition of a stand up hood ornament. It was mostly unchanged from a mechanical standpoint, except that the small block Turbo Fire 400 two barrel engine was eliminated. So, basically, your choices on the 1971 Monte Carlo as far as engines went were a Turbo Fire 350 V8, 2 barrel carburetor with 245 gross horsepower… a Turbo Fire 350 V8 with a four barrel carburetor with 270 gross horsepower… A Turbo Jet 400 V8 with a four barrel and 300 gross horses… or a Turbo Jet 454 with a four barrel carburetor that boasted 365 gross horsepower. The Turbo Hydramatic was officially continued for use in all SS models, but a heavy duty clutch option did exist. This leads some to believe that you might have been able to special order a 454 LS-6 with a four speed manual, but this is not officially listed on any factory options for that year.

The 1972 Monte Carlo saw a shift to SAE net horsepower ratings, which showed reduced power on all of Chevrolet engines… though they remained largely unchanged.

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