Home-Built Hero: Annette Whitlow’s First-Gen ’72 Monte Carlo

I can’t recount how many times I’ve heard a reader tell me that they found their hot rod while they weren’t even looking for one. Many of those accounts recall how it happened when an unrelated conversation was diverted to one of old cars. Other times, it is a chance encounter that begins with a drive by. When we found Annette Whitlow and her ’72 Monte Carlo at the Carlisle Chevrolet Nationals, she relayed that the latter was the case with her ride.

“My first Monte Carlo was an ’85, but I had always wanted a first-gen,” Annette said with a chuckle. Like many dreams, actually coming to fruition can sometimes take longer than hoped. “One day, my husband was driving down an alley, and saw this car sitting on blocks. He stopped and asked the owner about the car. He (the owner) relayed that he had planned to build a drag car. The project never got started, and the owner was ready to sell,” Annette said.

Monte Carlo

A small-block cruiser with air. What more could you ask for?

When Annette and her husband began the process of rebuilding the car, it was green – inside and out. Annette was not a fan of the color, and prefers the Dark Gray hue that the couple used to paint the car. But, the color change did not come without issues. “The car has been repainted twice. The first time it was done, it turned out looking horrible,” she said. In fact, she relayed the work was so shoddy, that body filler once fell off the car when she hit a bump. That surprising insight required taking another shot at a repaint. “This time I had a friend that lived just down the road do the work. He repaired the fenders and quarter-panels, and then repainted the car. I’m more than happy,” She avowed.

When it comes to the engine, Annette does not know a lot of the particulars. She told us it was rebuilt when she bought the car. She did tell us it is bored .030-inch over, and features a Weiand intake and a Quadrajet four-barrel carburetor. Behind that is a 700R4 transmission and a 10-bolt rear with 3.73 gears.

Monte Carlo

The interior has seen some changes, as she has eliminated the green, and swapped the bench seat for a pair of buckets.  She still has plans for more upgrades, and they are sure to make this a driver that is more fun than the factory intended.

Do you want to read about more Home-Built Heroes? All you need to do is click here. If you own a Home-Built Hero, we want to hear about it. Since we’ve started the series, we have received more than a few candidates, but we still want to see more – we can never get enough. If you want to see more cars built by you the readers, send us a few pictures of your car showing the engine, interior, and exterior, along with all of the pertinent information, and we’ll make you Internet famous. You can send your submissions to [email protected].

About the author

Randy Bolig

Randy Bolig has been working on cars and has been involved in the hobby ever since he bought his first car when he was only 14 years old. His passion for performance got him noticed by many locals, and he began helping them modify their vehicles.
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