Hey everybody I am looking for a new home for my 1969 Camaro's motor (flat top 355s, moly rings, 230/236 solid roller and dart 200cc heads) and came across a 88 monte ss on craigslist with a 3.73 posi 10 bolt, 2" fiberglass cowl hood, long tube headers to 2.5" dual exhaust, no heat/ac/emissions for a fair price.

I've always been a camaro/truck guy so I've already looked at a few 5 speed irocs and early 90's stick trucks to put it in but it's cheaper and easier to finish someone's abandoned project.


With all that said, what should I expect an iron head small block (aluminum intake/all accessories but ac), long tubes, fiberglass hood with a TH350 to weigh? I don't want to stop having fun with this motor because I'm putting it in a boat of a car. It ran hard in a 2,800lb camaro and I'd like to keep doing that.

 

1988 Monte Carlo stock
Curb Weight 3,212 pounds (1,457 kg) (LS)
3,239 pounds (1,469 kg) (SS)

 

I see that all over the internet, I can't imagine that's right. My old man's 87 turbo buick is heavier than that. I know they are bigger than the camaro's of those years and the camaros weigh in right around 3,300-3,400lbs.

 

You'd be surprised. A 2013 camaro is heavier than a 2000-2007 Monte Carlo SS.

I think because your Monte looks bigger from the outside, people assume it must be much heavier than a camaro. But the Monte has more empty space/leg room. The camaro has a lot of performance grade parts crammed into a smaller package. Fourth gen Montes were considered a sporty luxury car. Not a muscle car like the camaro.

 

As Im sure your not aware of...

You will not be able to use this motor in a Boat...

Marine applications are a whole lot different than automotive!

Just a little FYI..

 

i personally think youre right about those weights being wrong. the 4th gens probably weigh somewhere in the high 3400 to 3500lbs bone dry without a driver. depending on options.(ie chrome bumpers, ttops, spoilers and other nonsense.) other gbodies are also know to weigh substantially more. i had an 88 olds cutlass supreme with a small block olds in it and that thing was well into 3600lbs without me in it. the 3rd gens i do know for a fact weigh in the early 3300lbs range, and they were the lightest of the rwd montes. they can be found with ac delete and factory aluminum trunk lids. ive only seen one like that in person, but im sure it was rare and light. the only real good things about gbodies is they can be found everywhere, theyre a dime a dozen, theyre rwd, they arent insanely heavy(the malibu, el camino, and monte were lighter than same era f bodies), and theyre just about the same size as legitimate muscle cars. there are multiple manufacturers producing fiberglass fenders, doors, trunk lids, and hoods for 3rd and 4th gen cars if weights that big a deal they come in race weights. i can tell you that a 3rd gen monte making 400/425hp with a pair of drs will go well into the 12s. so i dont see why a 4th gen couldnt run flat 13s or super high 12s with a similar setup. to me thats not bad at all. on a side note my brother had a 68 camaro(still has it but with a bbc in it now) with a similar small block in it to what youre describing that he swapped into a 79 monte and that car fed people there *** on a nightly basis.

 

im pretty sure he was saying a boat OF A CAR. as in the montes are land barges. not that he intended to put the motor into a actual sea faring vessel if he couldnt find a vehicle of decent weight.

 

Arrrgggghhh! Land yacht ahoy!

 

I was Surprised when I weighed my 1940 chevy..It weighed 3420 LBS
I thought it would be more..

 

Their is no way it's that light. I figure it has to be comparable to a turbo regal in weight and they are right around 3500lbs. Just wanted to make sure they aren't heavier than that. I'm excited to go look at the car. I ran high 11s on motor in my 3200lb camaro with worse gearing. I bet I can throw it into the 11s with the bottle.