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Location: Owosso, Baker College campus, Baker Hall
7 posts, read 62,894 times
Reputation: 11
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So I'm probably the youngest person here but anyways, My dad just got a 1973 Monte Carlo from an auction for $1000. It was sitting in dry storage for 15 years after the previous owner became to old to drive it.
It has only surface rust on some of the under parts of the frame and the exhaust pipes are being replaced currently also due to the 20 years before the storage period of casual use it seems some parts are a bit too old now and need to be replaced.
me and my dad are going to replace the fuel lines as the line to the engine is leaking(not horribly but enough to need immediate attention), the brakes and brakes lines + master cylinder have to be replaced as well, most likely from 15 years of storage the brake lines got air in them as I have to press all the way down to stop the car which my dad thinks is b/c air is in the lines or the master cylinder isn't working properly or leaking brake fluid but I haven't seen any puddles of brake fluid yet.
The radiator was full of oily gunk, kinda orange in color and had a texture like that of the grease from pig fat... maybe rust or something? I'm not a car person, I am 24 years old and in college for computer animation so this project is a whole new experience for me.
The spark plugs were fun, my dad once had a 1986 monte carlo fresh off the lot and I'm surprised he forgot about how to get the timing right or how to connect the distributor cap with the spark plug wires, I had to look it up on the net and find a diagram of how they went.
heres the diagram I used for the distrib cap
He thought it went 1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8 starting with 1 being the in the 2nd plugs position I was amused when he was confused but I got it working right, anyways another few things I want to change is the paint job, it was originally a red color kinda dark but I wann get a 2 tone midnight blue/violet & I hope it works out(my mom will do the paint job tho but she lives in arkansas & I'm in michigan so I will have to wait until the car is completely road worthy.
Also I want to know what the biggest motor I can put in my monte is? I think its the 454 CID V8 but not sure, I'm using this site to find one.
priced at $10,700 as a ready to drop in engine. 23 Cindy Lane
a chevy guy on another forum says it will be a nice engine to have but I think even if i went drag racing it might be a bit much haha, sure I want a shiny engine but that monster lookin thing is mighty expensive and seemingly powerful.
will probably take years to get it where I want it, might be done by the time I'm 29-30 maybe if I take a casual approach or if I land a good job in the animation industry maybe within the next 2 years "IF" I'm lucky
Also I want to know what the biggest motor I can put in my monte is? I think its the 454 CID V8 but not sure, I'm using this site to find one.
Yes a 454 will fit in your Monte. A 454 was actually an option on the Monte starting in 1970 and lasting until the end of the 1975 model run. To put a 454 in you'll need to upgrade your front coils, and depending on how much power you plan to run...your transmission....a 454 Monte came with a TH400 automatic, but most 350 Montes came with TH350's....the TH350 will fit on the 454 and will work as long as you're not beating too hard on it. Biggest challenge will be finding a bracket to make the detent cable work as 400's were controlled via a switch and solenoid.
Now to add to what I just said, a 454 Chevy is considered a "big block" engine. Pretty much any big block will fit your Monte....396, 402, 427, 454.....or if you want to go even bigger, 502 or the awesome 572 will also fit. The last 2 engines you definitely want a TH400 on.
Location: Owosso, Baker College campus, Baker Hall
7 posts, read 62,894 times
Reputation: 11
I'm trying to find something on the net currently for performance transmission but lately all I've been finding is junk sites with no relevance to what I'm trying to find.
I figured the factory transmission wouldn't stand a chance against the 454 I was looking at buying in the pic I posted.
I'm trying to find something on the net currently for performance transmission but lately all I've been finding is junk sites with no relevance to what I'm trying to find.
I figured the factory transmission wouldn't stand a chance against the 454 I was looking at buying in the pic I posted.
Before you do, check to see what trans your car has. If the pan is square with a corner cut off and has 13 bolts that hold it on, it's a TH350. If the pan is sort of shaped liked the state of Texas, it's a TH400.
If the pan is square with half a side indented it's a powerglide. Also if a pg your shift indicator would read PRNDL whereas a TH350/400 would read PRND21.
You never did say if your car has a 350 or a 400 engine in it.
were the 73-77 Chev Monte Carlos basically stretched gimmicky Chevelles, or were they like hybrids of Chevelles and Impalas? Like the Barracuda/Challengers were hybrids of Valiant/Dart/Satellite/Coronet parts, same thing?
I remember the Chevelle Laguna with those rotating seats was like a Monte Carlo, and the Gran Torino Elite was like a T Bird, without having to fork over the extra $$$
or maybe i'm wrong?
They were a personal luxury version of the Chevelle's and I've always been a big fan of the mid 1970s Monte Carlo's, my father used to own a 1976 Monte Carlo with a 350 2barrel and it had a bench seat and it was a very durable car and it was also hard to kill, it was one of the most reliable cars he ever had and he regretted selling that car.
I never liked the downsized Monte Carlos they made after 1977, I thought they were just plain ugly, even the 3rd generation Monte Carlos that came out around 1982 or 1983, were not too impressive on looks, it looked like they shared the same body as an Olds and a Buick model, and their sales were not that good. The ones that were made after 1977 just didn't have the look that could turn heads. but I liked the newer generation they came out with, I believe that was in 1995.
I never liked the downsized Monte Carlos they made after 1977, I thought they were just plain ugly, even the 3rd generation Monte Carlos that came out around 1982 or 1983, were not too impressive on looks, it looked like they shared the same body as an Olds and a Buick model, and their sales were not that good. The ones that were made after 1977 just didn't have the look that could turn heads. but I liked the newer generation they came out with, I believe that was in 1995.
I agree. The post 77 models looked like someone had kicked em' in the rear. All the GMs like the Cutlass, Regal, etc. had that look. I like the 73-77 Montes and Cutlasses with the Landau roof. Had a chance to own one again a few years ago in good shape for 800. Could have kicked myself for not buying.
I never liked the downsized Monte Carlos they made after 1977, I thought they were just plain ugly, even the 3rd generation Monte Carlos that came out around 1982 or 1983, were not too impressive on looks, it looked like they shared the same body as an Olds and a Buick model, and their sales were not that good. The ones that were made after 1977 just didn't have the look that could turn heads. but I liked the newer generation they came out with, I believe that was in 1995.
I was also never a big fan of the downsized Monte Carlos at all either, they didn't sell quite as well as the mid 1970s Monte Carlos either and I can see why, I thought the Olds and Buick's did a better job downsizing than the Chevy ever did, I didn't think much of the newer generation Monte Carlo's either.
My 2 favorite years of the Monte Carlo was the 1976-77 Monte's.
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I was amused when he was confused 
but I got it working right, anyways another few things I want to change is the paint job, it was originally a red color kinda dark but I wann get a 2 tone midnight blue/violet & I hope it works out(my mom will do the paint job tho but she lives in arkansas & I'm in michigan so I will have to wait until the car is completely road worthy.
