87 Monte Carlo SS Build

[B's 87mcss]

Car looks real good but be prepared for some rust surprises as fleming 442 noted, and probably on front floor area and doors unless you are really lucky. Frame is like a wet noodle when you take the body off. Cross brace and support back, front and middle to keep it from getting out of whack. lots of good pics of this throughout the forum. When you see the GM welds you'll wonder how the hell it lasted this long, so you'll want to clean those up. When I finally got my frame finished it would sit on three jack stands. Obviously by your shop set up you have good skills and G-body is pretty easy to work on so you will have fun with your project. Oh, and by the way, 25K will probably disappear faster than you expected, TRUST ME!!

 

[corvettez06]

Looking forward to seeing the results. I can tell you that my LQ4 with similar compression, and a slightly smaller cam put down 410 hp to the rear wheels. Leaving off idle the car went 12.51 @ 112. You will have no problem getting that car into the 11's with traction.

 

[wingnutks]

Hey, Was looking for some advise on the process of building a car. If you had a fresh canvas where would you start? in what order would you build the car?? I Just acquired a 87 monte carlo ss. I want to build it as a street car that sees the track 4-5 times a year, but still handles decent. I'm definitely going with an LS swap as i already have a lq9 6.0 and a 4l80e trans. I project this is going to take me 2 years and aprox $25K. My game plan thus far is to 1.get the body off the frame. 2. Box and reinforce the frame. I'm on the fence whether or not i'm going to notch the frame at this point. From my research on the forum i SHOULD be able to fit 275/40/18 Drag radials, which i hope is enough tire for my goals. Please advise..... 3. Send the frame off the be blasted and powder coated. 4. Next is mounting the rear end and suspension components once the frame is back. Choosing a Ford 9" rear from quick performance with rear disk brakes (Eaton Tru track posi, 3.91 gear set). Still on the fence with what suspension kit to go with. I know i want to replaced ALL control arms front and rear, and lower the car 2", but don't know if i want to go with springs and shocks or coil overs. Advice and experiences here would be a big help. 5. Next is Front Brake conversion with 6 piston wilwoods. 6. Power train swap is next with Engine harness, engine mounts, trans cross member, Oil pan, headers, fuel tank, fuel pump, fuel lines, serpentine system, radiator and fans all coming from BPR hotrod. (had a friend use them with a LS swap and things went pretty smooth). 7. lastly the body is going back on the frame and the car to the body and paint shop. Going with Hooker 3in Black heart Exhaust system.

Engine Specs:
Lq9 with 799 heads ported by Advanced induction 11:1 compression
Texas speed V4 cam (231/234 .629/.615 111 LSA
Fast 102 Intake, throttle body and 42lbs injectors

Trans is going to be stock 4l80e with Trans go HD2 shift kit and 3600 Yank stall converter

My Goal is 425rwhp and 12.5 sec 1/4 mile times

Will be doing all the work myself excluding body/ paint and the frame blasted and powder coated.

Any advise for someone working from scratch is greatly appreciated. am i going about this build the right way? are my processes in order? is there anything I'm missing? Please advise

FWIW My car might make at most 450hp at the crank and it runs 11.50@117

 

[1320John$$$]

Will see once it gets to this point how fast it runs

 

[Speedman87]

So being that this car is brand new to me an im clueless of the history.... what exactly should i be doing/ checking first??? pull the interior and carpet out and inspect for hidden surprises? pull the powertrain, or just go ahead and start with pulling the body off. Need a good starting point for this build, and some direction along the way. Will be getting started soon. Keep in mind im clueless about car restoration. You don't learn this type of stuff at the dealer lol

 

[fleming442]

So being that this car is brand new to me an im clueless of the history.... what exactly should i be doing/ checking first??? pull the interior and carpet out and inspect for hidden surprises? pull the powertrain, or just go ahead and start with pulling the body off. Need a good starting point for this build, and some direction along the way. Will be getting started soon. Keep in mind im clueless about car restoration. You don't learn this type of stuff at the dealer lol

Depends on what you want....

 

[1320John$$$]

Depends on what you want....

Blowing it out to a frame off is a huge commitment get started if your going to do it don’t forum around thinking about it

 

[fleming442]

Case in point: I wanted a 4 door with leg room for my daughter. I ran into my Bonneville on a guy's farm that I used to plow snow for. I knew it was low mileage (83.5k), and he owed me for plowing. I took the title and the car in exchange for what he owed me. It was one of the best and worst decisions I've ever made, vehicularly speaking. I drove it stock for a few years (another 65-70k miles), then repowered it. It's still going strong, and makes people look like confused puppies.

 

[Speedman87]

Blowing it out to a frame off is a huge commitment get started if your going to do it don’t forum around thinking about it

Very true, thanks for being straight forward and truthful , but just going blindly into a undertaking like this without a plan, goals or researching isn't the route i want to take. I'm not experienced at this type of work. I want to at least start with a game plan. Alternatively just digging in without a plan or guidance i have a feeling that will leave me regretful, spending unnecessary time and money. Measure twice, cut once

 

[fleming442]

Step one: stiffen the frame by any means possible.