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HomePick of the DayHigh-performance Monte Carlo

High-performance Monte Carlo

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The Chevrolet Monte Carlo was enormously popular going into the 1970s, a so-called “personal luxury car” that hit the right spot during the early days of the disco era. 

While most Monte Carlos were equipped with the standard 350cid V8, there were a few performance options that turned these boulevard cruisers into bona fide sleeper muscle cars.  One of the top models came equipped with the Turbo Jet 400 engine, a 402cid (6.6 liters) V8 with a four-barrel carburetor that cranked out 330 horsepower and 410 pound-feet of torque. 

Monte Carlo
The Monte Carlo was a stylistic standout

The Pick of the Day is a 1970 Chevrolet Monte Carlo factory equipped with the beefy 402, TH400 automatic transmission, Edelbrock carb and intake, dual exhaust and 12-bolt rear end.  Although there were 454 SS versions of the 1970 Monte Carlo, rated at 360 horsepower, these were not great sellers and rarely seen today.

This Monte Carlo in its original Shadow Gray metallic paint, has a black vinyl roof, chrome sport mirrors and 15-inch Rally wheels. The “highly detailed” engine bay is fitted with a chrome dress-up kit, according to the Clearwater, Florida, dealer advertising the Chevy on ClassicCars.com.

Monte Carlo
The premium interior includes an aftermarket steering wheel

As befitting a premium craft, the interior is fully accessorized with power and convenience goodies, with a woodgrain-trimmed dash, AM/FM cassette radio and an aftermarket Grant steering wheel. 

The mileage shown is a very low 44,445, and the car is largely original.  And the numbers match, the seller notes.

The asking price for this enjoyable and attractive coupe is just $29,900.

To view this listing on ClassicCars.com, see Pick of the Day.

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Bob Golfen
Bob Golfen
Bob Golfen is a longtime automotive writer and editor, focusing on new vehicles, collector cars, car culture and the automotive lifestyle. He is the former automotive writer and editor for The Arizona Republic and SPEED.com, the website for the SPEED motorsports channel. He has written free-lance articles for a number of publications, including Autoweek, The New York Times and Barrett-Jackson auction catalogs. A collector car enthusiast with a wide range of knowledge about the old cars that we all love and desire, Bob enjoys tinkering with archaic machinery. His current obsession is a 1962 Porsche 356 Super coupe.

20 COMMENTS

  1. You should research your post before making statement that are absolutely incorrect!!!! The 400/402 was a big block the 400 was a small block they two completely different engines and way different in hp

  2. I like that truck I just have a few questions. 1 is it running 2.how much. 3. What’s the body like, does it have a serious rust problem, and 4.where is it?
    Thanks for your time
    Patrick Kissane

  3. I believe the 400ci Chevy was the “SMALL BLOCK” with the Siamesed cylinders. They had to have special head gaskets or you had problems with heat dissipation.

    • I have a 1970 totally hot rodded and restored shadow gray Monte Carlo. It came with a 400 small block and I made it a 406 with a roller cam and edelbrock heads. Immaculately detailed from the chassis up. 12 bolt 355’s and TH 400 I installed with 2200 stall. It is running about 450HP and will beat most Monte’s easily. It was done right. The siamese heads are gone as I drilled the steam holes myself and ran an aluminum radiator to alleviate the cooling issues it came with.

        • I’m curious what formula you used for converting cubic inches to liters. I always used one liter equals 61 cubic inches. The GM 5.0 liter was 305 c.i., the 6.0 liter was 366 c.i., my Pinto that was my first new car 46 years ago was a 2.0 liter(122 c.i.) Ford had a straight 6 engine 300 c.i.-4.9 c.i., and their 302 was listed as a 5.0 liter. Was that to avoid confusion or was that rounding the numbers close to what thy should be? If it was rounding the numbers that would make the 400/402 both 6.6 liters. I enjoy this site. Thank you

          • Ford basically rounded the 4986 cubic centimetres of the engine up to give us the renowned 5.0L. The 4.9L in-line 6 was just a truck or van engine, and came in at 4918 cc, so they must have figured there was no point.

        • This is why I (I) don’t like reference to liters. 5.0 liters can be anything between 300 CI +10 to-5. So is this Monte a 400 small block OR a 402 big block ( used mostly in trucks) ???

          • It was confusing because Chevy called both the 400 small block and the 402 big block a “400”. I have a 1970 Monte Carlo with a 402. That engine was used in a lot of different cars like Camaros and Chevelles. It was a 30 over 396 factory motor.

  4. I had a 1974 454 Monte Carlo in high school/college. Talk about a real muscle sleeper! I beat many a Corvette and Camaro light to light. While they were spinning tires, my heavy boat dropped its ass end and took a big bite of pavement. Surprised quite a few people during those days

  5. The 402 was actually a 396 big block with an .030 inch overbore ,GM still marketed as 396 for the Chevelle SS, the seller is correct , a picture of the engine should be posted

    • Hi Willie:

      I am restoring my 70 Monte and looking for a front grille. Any suggestions? Tough locating one in great condition. Thanks,

  6. I own a 1970 Monte Carlo with a factory Muncie 4-Speed. 582 built, Kargest engine allowed with the Muncie (weight to HP issues,) Stock HP was 330. Yes, the 402 was a .030 396 to make up for the added smog controls (very crude smog controls.)

  7. Just purchased a 1970 Shadow Gray Monte Carlo with the black vinyl top. In very good condition. One family owner and it came with a 400 small block and 12 bolt differential. Minor body damage from gramma hitting the side in the garage when she was too old to drive. Always garaged and zero rust. 80k original miles. I am thinking of installing a stroker 383 with a street/strip 350TH. Aluminum radiator. Any suggestions? Thanks,

  8. i remember working at the shell station as a 14-year-old kid and this was back in 1974 and a lady came in with a white 402 monte carlo that i could have had for 1100 dollars i tried to convince my dad this was the sale of the century but he didnt listen.

    • I have a white 1970 402 Monte Carlo that’s all original and in decent shape that I didn’t need but bought anyway. It had a spun bearing and needs to be rebuilt. It has a turbo 400 and a 12 bolt that I bought everything to convert it to a posi.

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