Hey there guys, I had just recently aquired my first monte carlo the other day.. My first american car too at that. After being in the tuner scene for quite some time now my old dd proved to be unpractical for my everyday needs. The car I picked up is a 97 monte ls. Its got 174k on the odo, 3.8 swapped in it with some bolt ons although milage is unknown the car runs like a bear. Everything else seems to be in good condition and there is no rust. Now what are some of the things I should look for with these cars? Some insight will greatly be appreciated.

 

Welcome to the MCF family. We have a TON of members from PA.
The 3.8 is the BEST engine you could possibly have in your car. There are some issues with the older engines, like intake manifold gaskets leaking. But mostly they are a solid car, and it should be a GREAT DD for ya'!
Thanks for the pics. If you can upload pic's into an off site account like photobucket, you can link to them and they post great. That's about the easiest way to do pic's here. Just an FYI.
And again, welcome

 

Welcome, nice looking Monte and even better engine.
lol, i dont know if "its runs like a bear" is a good or bad thing.

 

Thanks alot.. At least I know that in the monte carlo world its an alright looking car. One thing that caught my attention was how the trunk was painted, I thought it kinda stood out from the other monte's. A bear would be a good thing, I just wish I knew how many miles were on it. I take it the 3.1 is garbage then huh? A buddy of mine has a 6cyl camaro with the 3.1 in it and I think it runs pretty good.. Nowhere near that of a v8, but in our economy right now who can blame em. I gotta resize my pictures and take some more when the weather gets a little nicer out. I also have a set of 02 camaro ss rims that I plan on putting on when the weather is right. Im curious to see what it will look like.

 

Welcome to another 5th gen owner. Looks like you found a real clean monte. The 3.8 is a good motor and you will find it reliable with routine maintainence. Are you still running the 4t60e trans that came in the LS or was the 4t65e swapped in with the 3.8? If you are still running the 4t60 I would go easy because they arent as strong of a trans as the 4t65. Also just an FYI, camaro wheels are a different bolt pattern than monte wheels so the ones you were planning to put on wont fit.

 

Right on.. to be honest I have no idea what tranny is in the car, mainly because its too goddamn cold out for me to care right now. However I will look into it. The rims wont fit? Really? I was told by a few ppl they would bolt right on. If not, do they make adapters for monte carlos? or are camaro hub's, ect.. interchangable with W bodies? What models other than the lumina can parts be swapped around? Same thing with the new monte's.. besides the wheels what can be used on a later model?.. Sorry for some of the ?'s but I come from swapping B series engines and interiors ect, ect, in every honda imaginable to an american car thats more foreign to me than a honda ever will be. So everyones input is really appreciated.

 

Well thanks for the heads up.. the camaro is 5x120 while the monte is 5x115. Hopefully they make adapters. Wasnt doubting your response, just had to check for myself. If no luck on adapters I will eventually have some ss rims for sale in the near future.

 

No I am pretty sure the camaro rims wont fit. I believe the camaro bolt pattern is 5x120.7mm and the monte bolt pattern is 5x115mm. Drivetrain parts will be interchangeable between w bodys like the monte, lumina, grand prix, impala, intrigue and regal with the 3.8. Body parts like the fenders, hood, front and rear bumpers are interchangeable between luminas and montes. Suspension parts are specific to the 95-99 lumina and monte carlo as well as interior parts like the dash, front seats and center console. Your car is a great candidate for a supercharged 3.8 (L67) top swap or a complete L67 engine swap. Can be done relatively cheap and can yield some impressive numbers. There is a 5th gen monte with a modded L67 on another for forum running in the 12s in the 1/4.

 

Where are you at in Northeast PA??

We have one member with a 5th Gen in the bushkill area, and I used to live up near Hawley / Lake Wallenpaupack (still visit my parents up that way plenty of times per year)

 

Welcome, nice Monte.

As everyone else has said, the 3.8L is a rock solid reliable engine. The only problems that are common is the intake gasket leaking coolant. Otherwise, you got yourself a VERY reliable engine.