'70 Monte Carlo
Jeff Heldt
Omaha, NE Jeff Heldt and his dad Jim owned early Montes back in the day, so it only made sense that their new project would be of that ilk. The duo's '70 came to them in running condition with 23,000 original miles and no rust. On the other hand, rodents were living in the interior, so the Monte became known as Mighty Mouse and the inner digs were promptly gutted and rehabbed. The Heldts continued by pulling the car's original 250-horse 350 and replacing it with a 325-pony 355. This Monte also sported a 2.78:1 Tempest rearend (thanks to GM strikes, Jeff tells us); it was replaced with a stouter 3.55:1-geared diff. A rebuilt suspension and 17-inch Boyd Coddington wheels completed the transformation...for now. The future calls for a 200-4R tranny swap and a complete body restoration.