1976 Chevrolet Monte Carlo Landau

https://www.ebay.com/itm/1976-Chevr...au-/272902056271?_trksid=p2141725.m3641.l6368

Good looking Monte.

 

Nice car. You just gotta like black.

 

I wonder how many folks have actually driven one of these. I, at 43, have. It's a weird experience. Just opening the door is interesting if you are used to a modern car. The door is SO LONG and SO HEAVY, and you have to really slam it, especially if the windows are up. If the windows are down, the slam will most-likely be followed by a rattle of the window inside the door...as even on low-mileage cars, these are loose.

The next thing you notice is how low you sit. The car seems to rise up around you. You are normally in a big, wide bench seats. but it sits low, the dash is tall in front of you and the doors are tall beside you...and I am not short. It's almost like sitting inside a bunker, looking out.

The next thing you notice is the view over that hood....which is frankly the wildest part of the experience. The hood is SO LONG it's like looking down a table with a tall ornament at the far-end, and it does not slope down, it just goes...out...BUT the wild part is the front fenders RISE UP and get taller the further they get from you...again, it's a weird experience for those used to seeing just the cowl area of the hood on a modern car, before it slopes down out of sight, to see the front of this car appear to rise up and be taller than at the windshield as it gets to the front edge of the car.

Looking around the car, if feels large, but the back seat is not terribly big, and the roof is somewhat low, especially for a vehicle this large. The view directly behind is especially interesting, because the rear window comes to a point in the middle, where if folds...so it's shaped like a V.

Driving is also an experience. You feel like you are guiding the nose of the car more than driving the car itself. Placing the nose in the lane, following the fender tips and hood ornament around turns. Again, for folks that have not ridden in these, it's a wild experience. The 3/4 view is restricted because of the small opera windows, and the door mirrors are small too, so changing lanes or dealing with traffic is unnerving at first.

Where this style of car shines is on a long, straight, and somewhat empty road. They are not terribly happy above 70 either, where the wind resistance and general weight, lack of actual horsepower, and 3spd transmission works against the car. But at about 60-65 these float along smooth and happy. The best time is in the evening, when the sun is setting on that long hood in front of you.

Again, in modern times this is something we have lost.

-Michael

 

Now you know what it's like to drive my Ranchero. And for the record, the latches that don't shut a door without slamming need finesse. I HATE having a door slam when I'm inside. Which means I now know why my brother Fred would yell at me when I shut his Camaro's doors.

 

You've described it perfectly!

 

I will say these are extremely comfortable for Interstate cruising. Navigating downtown anywhere at rush hour? Not so much.

 

Don't sweat it. People get out of your way, or they pay the price.

 

Overall I think you summed up the driving experience pretty well, but I added some comments from my experience. Granted I never owned a Monte of the era, but I owned about ten 73-77 Grand Prix's & a couple of Buick Century's


I wonder how many folks have actually driven one of these. I, at 43, have. It's a weird experience. Just opening the door is interesting if you are used to a modern car. The door is SO LONG and SO HEAVY, and you have to really slam it, especially if the windows are up. If the windows are down, the slam will most-likely be followed by a rattle of the window inside the door...as even on low-mileage cars, these are loose. I grew up with these cars, got my DL in 1975 so the were still the current new cars. The door bushings and pins on the 2-door models wore out quickly, they really needed to be replaced after about 3 years, and if the car had Power Windows and Locks, make that 2 years. We found out that the 4-door's use the same hinge assembly on the front doors, and they did not have the same issue as the doors were much lighter and shorter. New bushings and pins from GM coat more than grabbing used front door hinges from a 4-door at the junk yard, they were also easier to change.

The next thing you notice is how low you sit. The car seems to rise up around you. You are normally in a big, wide bench seats. but it sits low, the dash is tall in front of you and the doors are tall beside you...and I am not short. It's almost like sitting inside a bunker, looking out. This is exactly how I feel driving the modern RWD Chrysler Products with the small side glass area.

The next thing you notice is the view over that hood....which is frankly the wildest part of the experience. The hood is SO LONG it's like looking down a table with a tall ornament at the far-end, and it does not slope down, it just goes...out...BUT the wild part is the front fenders RISE UP and get taller the further they get from you...again, it's a weird experience for those used to seeing just the cowl area of the hood on a modern car, before it slopes down out of sight, to see the front of this car appear to rise up and be taller than at the windshield as it gets to the front edge of the car. That is a very accurate account of the exstream log hood short deck styling of the era.

Looking around the car, if feels large, but the back seat is not terribly big, and the roof is somewhat low, especially for a vehicle this large. The view directly behind is especially interesting, because the rear window comes to a point in the middle, where if folds...so it's shaped like a V. You have to keep in mind these were not considered family cars, they were in the midsize car segment (technically personal size cars) so the back seat was not really designed for people larger than 10 year old kids. Almost like a bigger Camaro with more cushy interior. That rear window shape is only on the Monte's, Grand Prix's, Cutlass Supream's & Regal's.

Driving is also an experience. You feel like you are guiding the nose of the car more than driving the car itself. Placing the nose in the lane, following the fender tips and hood ornament around turns. Again, for folks that have not ridden in these, it's a wild experience. The 3/4 view is restricted because of the small opera windows, and the door mirrors are small too, so changing lanes or dealing with traffic is unnerving at first. Coming from a sports car background I was also not happy with the way my 73 Grand Prix SJ handled. I was very Happy when we figured out that 1970-1981 Trans Am Front sway bars Bolted in! The quick ratio steering boxes also bolted in. So Almost every one of my many 73-77 G-bodies had at least a 1 1/8" if not a 1 1/4" front bar, a quick ratio steering box, and most got a 7/8" or 1" rear bar from a A-body. Some good shocks and good tires and the cars actually handled like a 3rd gen F-body, I used to surprise a lot of sports cars.

Where this style of car shines is on a long, straight, and somewhat empty road. They are not terribly happy above 70 either, where the wind resistance and general weight, lack of actual horsepower, and 3spd transmission works against the car. But at about 60-65 these float along smooth and happy. The best time is in the evening, when the sun is setting on that long hood in front of you. You have to remember the cars were designed to run at 55-60mph, that was the speed limit, the torquier Buick. Olds, and Pontiac engines are better suited to the heavy 3800-4400lbs these cars weigh, than the small block Chevies. The Big blocks do fine but are harder to work on. I really like a Pontiac 455 in them, lots of low end torque to get them moving and smaller and lighter than a 454 Chevy so they are easier to work on. The other thing to modify was to get rid of the 2.42 - 2.72 rear axles and swap in a setoff 3.23's. You usually ended up getting better all around MPG also.

Again, in modern times this is something we have lost.

-Michael

 

Apparently not sold at asking $13,750.