73 Monte Carlo 454, what is it?
filed in 1971 Monte Carlo
Question: today I saw for sale a 73 Monte Carlo with factory 454, full gauges, fat factory sway bars, TH400, posi, etc. I wos wondering if anyone knows what that car might be, how many were made, HP figures, and all other relevant info. Thanks for taking the time to read, any and all info is greatly appreciated.
It’s a Chevelle up to the front of the doors. They added 4 inches to it up front to make it longer. The wheel base is the same as a Chevelle (116″?). I have a ‘70 and it looks HUGE, but we parked it next to my friend’s ‘70 GTO and you know what, that Goat is longer by about an inch nose to tail. There were 290,000 Monte Carlos made in ‘73, but unfortunately Chevy combined the engine production numbers with Chevelles, so there’s no way to tell how many 454s there were. I’m guessing it’s pretty rare, anyway. Is the ‘73 MC the largest of the MCs? If it is I’d bet that’s one rare car especially if its in any decent condition (due to natural disasters ‘cuz you sure can’t dent that thing). One of the reasons these numbers seem so small is due to the change in how the numbers were taken. Prior to about 1972 the manufacturers used BHP which is taken with no parasitic loads, ie fuel pump, fan, etc. After that date they used a “net” HP figure which included all the parasitic loads. This reduced the reported numbers. At the same time more stringent emissions requirements also reduced HP and torque ratings. Especially the reduction in CR in response to lower octane fuel availability and used to help control NOx emissions.
You can still get decent HP and torque from these engines even with the reduced CR. In 1971 the 365 HP version had an 8.5:1 CR and the CR for the 425 HP option was only 9.0:1. Both of these engines will run fine on available fuels today.
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