New to the Boards, not the Site...

[TPI Monte SS]

Hey all,
My name is Steve Ragusa, and I live in North Jersey. I'm new on the 'Board here, but not new to the site. My old '85 SS is the first non-F-body to be featured on the www.pro-touring.com site. You can find it in the Monte Carlo section of pics. That car received a TPI 305 in 2000, then a 12" brake conversion in 2002. Over the summer of 2003, my friend Jim and I swapped a World Class T5 into the car, and discovered extensive rust in the bodymounts and floors. I decided it would be cheaper to build up something new than try and have all the rust repaired, so the car was stripped, the drivetrain was saved, and everything else that was salvageable was sold off.

I started looking for another Monte SS, preferably a roller that I could swap my drivetrain into. I found an '88 SS for sale online, and went out onto Long Island to check it out. It was very straight, with no rust, nice paint, and only 85K miles. The previous owner was going to turn it into a big-block drag car, but lost interest with the project. I was hooked all over again. My wife bought it as my 30th Birthday present in November of 2003, and I got my friend Don to tow it from LI to my parents house in NJ where the car slept for the winter.

Fast forward to the end of March, 2004. I had it towed to my house, and the restification began. My good friend Jim and I began by swapping in the 12" brake setup from the old car with tubular upper A-arms, new Eibach springs, and Bilstein shocks. The 10-bolt from my '85 SS went in next, with Eibachs and Bilsteins, along with BMR lower arms and Edelbrock adjustable uppers. The built-up TPI 305 and World Class T5 were installed in May, then the clutch/brake pedals went in, along with the Z-bar. I took care of adding the accessories, exhaust, emissions equipment, etc. in June. Finally, the wiring and fuel lines were finished up in early July, and the car was ready to hit the road.

I'm proud to say the whole car was put together in my driveway, without an air compressor or access to a shop. It was built on a very limited budget, because we all know the mortgage and family have to come first. She runs great, handles great, and stops on a dime with the mods we've made to it. If you have comments, suggestions, or questions, just fire away!

[Ralph LoGrasso]

Hey Steve,

Welcome aboard. It's good to see you joined the boards. It's great to have another East Coaster on the site. I'm on Long Island myself, out in Smithtown.

I checked out your site and that is one really nice Monte you've got there! Very clean car.

If you're interested, there's going to be a Pro-Touring.com get together in NYC on Monday December 27th if you'd like to come. Info here: https://www.pro-touring.com/forum/showthread.php?t=2603

[sunkistcamaro]

Welcome to the site.
You've got a great looking Monte Carlo!
Looks like the number of East Coast are building, Im from CT.

[TPI Monte SS]

Hey Steve,

Welcome aboard. It's good to see you joined the boards. It's great to have another East Coaster on the site. I'm on Long Island myself, out in Smithtown.

I checked out your site and that is one really nice Monte you've got there! Very clean car.

If you're interested, there's going to be a Pro-Touring.com get together in NYC on Monday December 27th if you'd like to come. Info here: https://www.pro-touring.com/forum/showthread.php?t=2603

Thanks for the invite! Since I'm a teacher, I'm off that week. Depending on my wife's schedule, I might be able to make it out. I'm only 15 minutes from the GWB.

[Ralph LoGrasso]

Thanks for the invite! Since I'm a teacher, I'm off that week. Depending on my wife's schedule, I might be able to make it out. I'm only 15 minutes from the GWB.

Awesome! If you can swing it, we'd love to see you there.