When I typed “pro street” into the search bar, I was expecting fully tubbed-out fairground cruisers with blowers that with a little tweak here and there, could become something heroic. I did not expect a seriously gold 1970s Monte Carlo to surface that appears to be set up to go hunting with. It’s harder to make a mid-70s GM RWD anything into a sleeper anymore and successfully pull it off, but there’s one way to do it: undervalue your performance. Sure, it looks like it might have a mild big-block or a stout small-block in there. And that is where the trap is set…

Underneath the disco-gold exterior and the rough-yet-functional interior is a setup from heaven. A Dart 496ci big block, rated to 700hp, is the power source. The engine’s breakdown is like a Christmas miracle: Pro-1 heads, custom Comp Cams billet cam and valve train, forged and internally balanced bottom end, ARP everything. That’s hooked to a built-to-kill TH400 with a reverse pattern, transbrake, and a custom BTE converter. Out back, a Moser 9″ packing Motive gears and a Detroit locker put the power down. Wiring is by Painless, and the paint is recent, though it’s been damaged and scraped a little here and there. 

Currently the Monte is sitting on eBay for less than $10K, which is well under what you would need to just get the running gear together. The best part is, tubbing isn’t needed for these big Montes, just a big drag radial. You’d be hard pressed to go from zero to winner faster than picking up this gold brick.

eBay link: 1977 Chevrolet Monte Carlo