I love GM’s G-body cars; they’re elegant and boxy, yet pleasing to the eye from every angle. The 1987 Chevrolet Monte Carlo SS is one of my favorites, and owner Scott Bylsma made it even better.
Scott was introduced to cars at a very young age. Born with a bleeding disorder, Scott couldn’t do many of the things most kids grow up to do, so his dad, Tim, would often take him to classic car shows or watch drag racing at the Grand Bend Motorplex in Ontario Province, where his uncle raced a Chevrolet S-10. During the time when Scott couldn’t leave the house, Muscle Car Magazine helped him pass the time.
Scott quickly started thinking about the kind of car he wanted to own and build, and imagined taking it to the track. The Chevrolet Monte Carlo always comes to mind, partly because the Bylsma family garage has a ’71 car in need of restoration.
Ultimately, father and son worked together to completely rebuild Monte Carlo, but what Scott wanted was what he could call his.
Although Scott initially had a soft spot for the G-body Malibu, he couldn’t find one in his budget. What he ended up with was an ’82 Monte Carlo purchased from a Canadian classifieds site on a rolling chassis (with radial drag in the rear) Kiki.
Over the next few years, Scott and his dad worked on the car, removing the body from the frame and replacing it with a 350ci SBC V8 and 200-4R transmission. Not bad for a first project car, and Scott still owns it today.
However, for his ultimate Monte Carlo build, Scott started with the 87 SS – the car you see above.
Scott bought the Monte Carlo SS in 2011 for C$600 ($450) and spent the next few years building it again into the street-legal quarter-mile machine it is today.
While the Chevrolet was clearly geared towards drag use, Scott wanted it to look like a street car. It retains its exterior for the most part, save for the massive hood bucket and Weld Draglite wheels.
Inside, the same idea is applied. Of course, you’d expect to see all the safety and performance-related equipment in a build like this, but the trim – including the dashboard, seats, door cards, carpet and headliner – is all there too. Scott says that makes installing a 6-point roll cage rather difficult, but you can’t deny the look.
Under the hood, the Monte Carlo is powered by the drumbeat of an LS-based 6.0L LQ9 Gen III V8 engine taken from a stolen and recovered ’04 Cadillac Escalade. Originally it ran with a carburetor and a TH400 transmission, and in this naturally aspirated configuration sprinted down the quarter mile in a best-of-breed 10.91 seconds at 123 mph.
However, as you can see now, it has an LSA blower unit. The engine also runs a Gen IV 823 rectangular ported cylinder head with BTR valve springs and custom BTR cams, a 2.45″ upper supercharger pulley, a 3″ mandrel bent stainless steel exhaust with X-pipes, a methanol injection kit and a host of more Many.
The drivetrain is a GM 4L80E automatic transmission built with parts from Sonnax and Jake’s Performance, a 258mm three-disc torque converter from Circle D and a Ford 9-inch rear end running a Quick Performance center section, 4.11 gears and 31 splined shaft. For suspension, there are QA1 dual adjustable shocks and UMI tubular upper and lower rear trailing arms with adjustable anti-roll bars.
Scott is understandably very happy with the car and where it is now, especially considering it was basically built at home with the help of his dad, Tim, and friends. You love it when a plan comes together – especially when it’s a Monte Carlo SS shaped plan.
Cody Biddy
Instagram: wabisabi_media
more i am speed hunter post
How to join the IATS program: We always welcome readers to contact us with examples of their work, and believe that the best Speedhunters are always the ones closest to the culture itself, right on the street or in the local parking lot. If you think you have what it takes and are willing to share your work with us, you should apply to be part of the IAMTHESPEEDHUNTER program. Read how to get involved here.