<LI class=list-item abp="601">Meet the 1988 Monte Carlo SS Chevrolet Should Have Built

Almost Stock

Tommy Lee Byrd 2016 Source SuperChevy



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There was once a time when the term restomod meant taking a car from the ’50s or ’60s and upgrading it with a modern-style suspension and drivetrain. The fact of the matter is that our definition of an “old car” is on a sliding scale, and many of our favorites from the ’80s now qualify for this classification. One such case is Byron, Illinois, resident Mike Personette’s 1988 Monte Carlo Super Sport. While it doesn’t feel like this car is all that old, it’s knocking on the door of 30 years. Like it or not, these cars are the next generation of classic GM muscle cars, and Mike’s is an awesome example.
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Mike bought the car in 1997 as a very well preserved survivor with only 14,000 miles on the odometer. At the time, it was only 10 years old, but it had been protected from door dings, bad weather, and everyday wear and tear. Mike continued to preserve the car, keeping the original black paint in tip-top shape, and doing the same with the original maroon upholstery. Mechanically, the car was sound, and even after owning the car for nearly 20 years, it still only has 24,000 miles.
Despite the car’s excellent condition, Mike wanted his Monte Carlo to be a little more exciting, so in January 2013, he decided to give the car a makeover. Unlike most makeovers, Mike wanted to keep the exterior and interior stock appearing, but upgrade all of the car’s mechanical systems. His sons Marc and Matt stepped in to help, and the trio of Personette gearheads decided that an LS swap was the right choice to replace the wimpy 305-cubic-inch small-block, which made 180 horsepower from the factory.
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With the wide range of choices within the LS family of engines, Mike was faced with an important decision. He chose the Chevrolet Performance LS376 crate engine, which is an LS3-based engine that has been converted to use a four-barrel carburetor. It all starts with an aluminum block, fit with a nodular-iron crankshaft, powdered-metal connecting rods, and hypereutectic pistons. The short-block comes in at 376 cubic inches (6.2 liters), and features a 10.7:1 compression ratio, which is street-friendly and ready for pump gas. Atop the block is a pair of L92-style aluminum cylinder heads that utilize 2.165- and 1.590-inch valves inside a 68cc combustion chamber. All this is combined with a Chevrolet Performance ASA camshaft, which features a 226/236-degree duration split at 0.050-inches of lift, and a max lift of 0.525-inch on the intake and exhaust. Mike dropped the LS376 crate engine into place using a Holley engine swap oil pan and Hedman 1-7/8-inch headers to make for an easy installation.
The fuel system consists of the stock tank, plumbed with a Walbro in-tank electric pump to feed the Holley 770-cfm Street Avenger Ultra carburetor. Lighting the fire is an MSD 6LS-2 box, which controls the stock GM coils. Cooling system upgrades include an AFCO direct-fit aluminum radiator with a shrouded dual-electric fan system powered by a Painless fan controller. Behind the carbureted LS engine is a Chevrolet Performance 4L70E automatic transmission, fit with a Yank torque converter that stalls to 3,200 rpm. A Compushift II transmission controller keeps the four-speed automatic in check, while a Twist Machine paddle shifter setup offers a fun alternative to the stock floor shifter.
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Moving farther back is a bulletproof Moser Engineering 12-bolt housing. Inside is an Eaton Truetrac differential, Moser 30-spline axles, and a 3.73:1 gearset, while a Denny’s “Nitrous Ready” driveshaft is ready for serious abuse. Attached to the rearend is a set of Spohn adjustable upper and lower control arms, as well as a Spohn Pro Touring rear sway bar.
Underneath, the Monte Carlo didn’t need a lot, but Mike concentrated on the areas that would improve the car’s performance to match the newfound horsepower. He lowered the car’s center of gravity by two inches with drop spindles up front and drop springs out back. Then, he moved onto brakes, installing Baer discs on all four corners. The front setup is a Track4 system, consisting of 13-inch drilled, slotted, and zinc-plated rotors, along with major clamping force from T4, four-piston calipers. Rear brakes consist of a Baer SS4 setup, with 12-inch rotors and S4 four-piston calipers. Rolling stock consists of YearOne N90 wheels that measure 17x8 and wear 245/45R17 Michelin Pilot Super Sport rubber.
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Aesthetics are very close to original, aside from a Goodmark 2-inch cowl-induction hood to make room for the carbureted LS intake. Otherwise, the paint, trim, and decals are all original GM stuff from nearly 30 years ago. Inside, you’ll find much of the same, with original upholstery throughout. The only interior modifications are the upgraded in-dash tachometer, the Momo Tuner steering wheel, and the Speed Hut transmission temperature gauge in the console. The plush bucket seats are original, and Mike can comfortably roast the tires, while listening to the original AM/FM radio—complete with cassette player—and crank up the original air-conditioning system.
The result of two years of wrenching is a very simple and clean car that gets a lot of attention. The original paint and original-style wheels, along with the sanitary LS swap, make this Monte Carlo SS look like something GM should’ve built. And although it looks like a stocker, you can bet this well-preserved G-body is ready for action with 525 horsepower on tap and plenty of great parts to back it up.
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2007 Chevrolet Monte Carlo SS - GM High-Tech Performance Magazine

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Stellar Home-Built 1969 Chevrolet Pro Touring Camaro

Ramos Rolls His Own: No excuses, no trailers, no regrets

Ro McGonegalApr 1, 20160 Comment(s)Share



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In this rude season of entitlements, it does a heart good to see someone taking control of their situation … and the responsibility for its outcome. No help wanted; no one to do it but him. If he didn’t know how to do something—major acts like welding and painting—he learned it on the fly. It was a matter of pride, and at the very least, a sign of respect for his parents.
Had Tony Ramos been able to pony up for everything, we still think he would have done the beautiful chore himself. He likes the intimacy of working with his charge, putting hands on everything twice, maybe three times before deeming it worthy. And luckily, he found a willing accomplice. Seems that his wife, Nicole, is a trooper, too; helped him install the heavy items … and then camped out by the car and water-sanded the body for three days running on just bread and water.
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Tony’s statement out front: “This car was built entirely by me. There were no checks given out to professional shops to build the car. It was built and painted by me in my garage. This car isn’t a trailer queen. I drive it to every event.” Which is to say the ’69 wasn’t built to a particular discipline; it includes notions and equipment from several different categories that reflect Tony’s desires. Most of all, it was built as a driver, one that Tony could actually drive to autocross extravaganzas.
“Having never done a restoration before, I knew I wanted to do everything myself,” he offered. “After taking my plain Jane ’68 Camaro to a show, I saw a stunning black Pro Touring ’69 and knew I had to have one.” He bit down hard and bought locally, a rolling, rotting atrocity for $4,000. Then the fun began.
Tony never imagined that he wouldn’t be able to do it. He tore the thing down to nubbins, but had never touched a welder in his life, so he got one and learned how to use it to renew the floors, the quarters, and the rocker panels. With the car so disposed, he erected mini-tubs and modified the fenders and quarters around them to accommodate the wider wheels that danced in his mind’s eye.
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The mechanical recipe was a lot simpler. Tony secured an LS6 and had it hopped up a little at Rolling Thunderz (Toronto) with a Howards cam, the preferred 243 cylinder heads, and a brace of Stainless Works headers trailed by a 2 1/2-inch MagnaFlow stainless steel system. As grand touring and lots of highway miles would be the plan, Tony would abide nothing less than a clutch pedal and a double-overdrive transmission.
To mow through the autocross course and avoid grazing those pesky point-penalty cones, he brought the suspension down to basics. The RideTech TruTurn steering kit (2-inch drop spindles, steering arms, drag link bracket, and tie-rod assemblies) was combined with Speedtech upper and lower control arms, RideTech air springs, adjustable shock absorbers, and a 1 1/8-inch antisway bar that operates in concert with a Speedtech torque arm fixture, RideTech coilovers, and a Panhard rod. With this setup, total body drop is 3 inches. Good for the stance and even better for bringing the center of gravity that much closer to the ground. Adjunct to this, 275/35 and 335/30 BFG KDW stickies ride on 18x10 and 18x12 Rushforth Fuel light rims.
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Tony didn’t need anything more than the basic interior layout but he departed from the norm with a fabbed instrument panel and—get this—BMW M3 Vader bucket seats. He made the mounting brackets and set them in, then looked behind him and decided to customize some more BMW buckets for the rear so that the interior would be proportional. He joined both pods with an artful custom console.
“I figured since I could learn how to weld, I would be able to tackle the paint. I looked at a few tutorials and videos online and decided to buy what I needed. I went to Home Depot and got $40 spray gun. I had to make a spray booth in my garage by putting up sheets of plastic and flooding the floor to keep the dust down. Considering it was my first time and that I did it with a cheap spray gun, the paintjob turned out great!” Well, of course it did.
“I take it on long trips across Canada and the U.S. After attending a Goodguys event three years ago, I got hooked on autocross. I’ve been to the Motorstate Challenge three times; the Optima Faceoff at Road Atlanta and Daytona; the Commerce, Georgia, Chevy High Performance Nationals; and the Muscle Car Challenge in Aurora, Ohio.”
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Anything cool happen along the way? “One of the most memorable times I ever had in this car was at the CHP Nationals when Brian Finch jumped in the driver’s seat and we went around the autocross a few times. The other was driving the high banks of Daytona under the lights!”
What would you do differently were there a next time? “I would definitely have a Detroit Speed subframe, a 315/30 front tire, bigger brakes, and Forgeline wheels,” he said. “The car has never let me down. It is more reliable than any other car I own. In conclusion, my dream was to build my car from A to Z and not write a check to get it done. I am fulfilling the dream by driving my car to all events with no trailer and not have to worry about anything going wrong. After all, I have touched and worked on every component. It would be easy to fix.”
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.heading {color:#ffffff;font:bold 16px verdana,arial,helvetica;background-color:#ce1621;} .section {color:#000000;font:bold 12px verdana,arial,helvetica;background-color:#bbbbbb;} .data {color:#000000;font:12px verdana,arial,helvetica;background-color:#FFFFFF;} Tech Check Owner: Tony Ramos, Toronto, Canada Vehicle: 1969 Camaro Engine Type: GM LS6 Displacement: 346 ci Compression Ratio: 10.5:1 Bore: 3.90 inches Stroke: 3.62 inches Cylinder Heads: GM 243 castings, 2.00/1.55 valves Rotating Assembly: Nodular iron crankshaft, powdered metal connecting rods, hypereutectic pistons Valvetrain: Stock 1.7:1 rocker arms, pushrods, and timing gear Camshaft: Howards Max Torque hydraulic (0.550/0.550-inch lift; 216/224-deg. duration at 0.050-inch) Induction: LS6 intake manifold and injectors, Walbro 340 in-tank fuel pump Ignition: Stock Exhaust: Stainless Works headers with 1 3/4-inch primaries, 2 1/2-inch stainless MagnaFlow system and mufflers Ancillaries: C5 Corvette accessory drive, DSE wiper motor, Ringbrothers hood hinges Output (estimated): 450 hp at 6,000 rpm, 420 lb-ft at 5,000 rpm Machine Work/Assembly: Rolling Thunderz (Toronto, Canada) Tuner: Rolling Thunderz Drivetrain Transmission: Tremec T-56, LS6 clutch and flywheel, 4-inch diameter NASCAR driveshaft with 56 yoke by Tony Ramos Rear Axle: 9-inch, limited-slip differential, 3.70:1 gears, 31-spline axles assembled by Bear’s Performance (Oldcastle, Ontario, Canada) Chassis Front Suspension: RideTech 2-inch drop spindles, Speedtech upper and lower control arms, RideTech springs and single-adjustable shock absorbers, 1 1/8-inch Speedtech antisway bar Rear Suspension: Speedtech torque arm assembly, RideTech coilover shock absorbers, Panhard rod Brakes: Wilwood 13-inch vented rotors, six-piston calipers front; Wilwood 12-inch rotors, four-piston calipers rear; C6 Corvette brake booster and master cylinder Wheels & Tires Wheels: Rushforth Fuel 18x10 front, 18x12 rear Tires: BFG KDW 275/35 front, 335/30 rear Interior Upholstery by: Tony Ramos Material: Leather Seats: Modified BMW M3 Vader, front; modified 3-Series BMW buckets, rear; Sparco belts Steering: Stock, tilt-feature, Momo Tuner wheel Shifter: T56 Dash: Stock with custom instrument panel Instrumentation: Auto Meter Sport Comp 2 gauges Audio: Alpine 900bt head with CD/DVD, Alpine 6-inch front speakers, Audiobahn amp and 10-inch subwoofer HVAC: Vintage Air Gen 4 Exterior Bodywork by: Vintage Air Gen 4 Paint by: Tony Ramos Paint: Axalta Black basecoat and clearcoat Hood: Stock Grille: Stock Bumpers: Stock


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