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Wow, time does go by quickly. 34 years ago I picked up my Monte from a backyard garage painter. I still needed to take it back for the final buff. DuPont Lacquer single stage. I think I paid about $400.00 labor. The paint was free since I worked at DuPont Automotive Finishes. Good times!

Hi Ronald, here is a you tube link to the car. Looking up some more pics. Full disclosure, car was stored outside for last six years while I worked overseas, so in a bit rougher shape mostly bodywise, but still runs and is now driven a bit more regularly

Just a little American Pride picture with American muscle

Heres one of mine around veterans day at a display at a local store.

Ummm, yes. In order for the th400 electric kick down to work, it needs power. Otherwise you would have to manually downshift the trans to get the same reaction. It works off of the kickdown switch that is located at the top of the accelerator pedal. All parts, pedal mount, switch and wiring harness are repoped by the aftermarket. Power goes into the switch and when you push the pedal down, usually close to the floor, the pedal moves the switch there by sending power down to the trans and kicking in the kick down.

Hi, Jane, Welcome to the club and forums! It's great to have another original owner, especially of a '70. I wish I had kept the new '70 Monte that was my first new car out of college. It had the same drivetrain as yours (402 with auto and column shifter). Although it is not so easy to find, our site has some interesting production numbers that should come very close to answering your question, at least the engine/transmission combo number. On the top red banner of the main page of any section, put your cursor on the far right-hand menu option "More". The dropdown box has only one option "resources" so click on that down arrow. Now move your cursor down to the "Tech Info" option and then to the right on that dropdown menu and click on the "Production Numbers" line item. The production numbers for the '70 MC are in the left-hand column. Note that the number of '70s built with the "330 hp Turbo-Jet 400 V8" (402 big block) was 7,456. Of those 589 were built with the 4-speed manual transmission. I have never heard of any big block being coupled with the manual 3-speed transmission (column shifter only) so the remaining 6,867 402's must have had automatic transmissions. Although there may be rare exceptions, all big block engines (402 and 454) that were coupled with an automatic transmission got the TH400 rather than the TH350 or Powerglide transmissions. So, also note that a total of 10,786 '70s were built with the TH 400 transmission. Since the 454 big block was only available in the Super Sport and they were only built with TH400 transmissions, you can subtract 3823 from the 10,786 TH40s to get 6.963 TH400 automatics available for all other engines. If you now subtract the 6,867 TH400s that were supposed to be coupled with the 402 big blocks, you actually have 96 TH400s left over that were apparently coupled with other engines (the 350 and 400 small blocks). Look at your build sheet to see if RPO "M40 3 speed automatic" is listed below RPO "LS3 V8 400 cu in". If so, you have a TH400 automatic transmission coupled to your 402 engine. Since there were more than enough TH400s produced to go into every 402 non-4 speed car, I would say your car is one of 6,867 1970 Montes built with your drivetrain combination. Personally, I think that is a very desirable combo (I loved mine) but I wouldn't call it "rare" as it is nearly twice the number of SS454s built with the TH400 automatic in 1970 and over ten times the number of 402s built with manual 4-speeds (589) in 1970 (I own one of those now). The most "rare" 1970 models were those built with the 3-speed manual transmission (545) but those were only coupled with the small block 350/400 engines to my knowledge. Various members of this club have searched high and low for more specific and detailed breakdowns of the '70-'72 production numbers over the years but to no avail. If someone here has found some recently, I'm sure they will chime in. Hope this helps some.

Greetings all , Apologies for the long read, no "soundbite" way to get this across. I am planning to do a full (frame off) resto mod on my 1972 Monte. Seeking brutally honest reviews of my thoughts and plans for the car, have a fair idea that its gonna put a serious dent in the bank account, and am in full understanding (or denial :)) of the financial implications of a sentimental redo vs a straight financial investment. Short version is car belonged to my cousins husband, we were close. I drove it a lot to outings he and I went to (he also had a 70 Vette that was his first love), and when he passed away 13 years ago, I bought it from her. My kids, nephews and nieces grew up driving in it, later driving it and loving it, and its kinda been part of the family. Let me give you an idea of what I have in mind to turn this car more into a regular long haul cruiser (Think Miami-Orlando or Memphis-Atlanta, 5-6 hour driving distance) Engine / Xmsn / Brakes Engine (LS3 crate motor? Stock? mild Mod? Motor 500 hp?) Replace transmission, drivetrain and exhaust Highway oriented gearing (but still retain decent off the line performance (5/6/7 Spd Transmission?) Upgraded brakes, suspension to improve stopping and handling Slightly lowered ride height (car must sit level Wheel and tire package No exterior mods, (maybe change to bumper to 1970 style to accommodate foglight) LS3 Crate Motor (mostly stock?) Frame to be blasted (media?) and protected (paint, powder coat?) Frame reinforced for stiffness Remove current vinyl top (rust issues) Body & body panels down to bare metal, rust issues dealt with, no filler? body panels adjust to tight fit Body corrosion protected, all surfaces primed sanded and repainted Current bench seat interior converted to bucket seats Dash and instrument cluster updated with modern gauges while maintaining retro look Amplified stereo with sub and modern connectivity Interior body panels, carpet, seats, headliner replaced Mouldings, seals and trim reuse/replace as required "Walk in freezer" AC a high priority Comfortable seats with good support for long haul driving eats more comfort than performance Interior light kit Upgraded suspension Upgraded brakes LED front and rear lighting kit options?

Now all we need is a white car with flags in the background. rob

Looks like a nice shop. Lot of pictures if you just go to the google hit that pops up. https://www.google.com/maps/uv?pb=!1s0x88d90113164b83cb%3A0xe6475eb58c697285!3m1!7e115!4shttps%3A%2F%2Flh5.googleusercontent.com%2Fp%2FAF1QipMZekP4VGblgBXYZi0KrCiXZ-M9VWf76IaMMtqJ%3Dw213-h160-k-no!5sDixie Auto Repair. 2630 Dixie Highway%2C Wilton Manors Fl - Google Search!15sCgIgAQ&imagekey=!1e10!2sAF1QipMZekP4VGblgBXYZi0KrCiXZ-M9VWf76IaMMtqJ&hl=en&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwiG4aKEzurwAhWVFFkFHc1mABsQoiowC3oECDAQAw

10-4. Thank you sir!

I don't plan to do much of the work, short on free time, and definitely not when it comes to bodywork/paint/ interior.

Ronald, forgetting my manners!! Thanks for the welcome. For any forum members who may justifiably be wondering why I'm resto-modding, instead of restoration, the history on it is engine is a replacement from a junkyard, the vinyl top is not the same color combo as factory and I dont think the carpet is original. I primarily want to have a comfortable modern interior for long haul drives. Looking forward to getting the project underway, but figure the more time spent in research before I start, should go a long way to prevent major (expensive) mid-project changes.

The more early on the more door prizes we will get. We have 16 confirmed. I never expect any Meet to be bigger than Carlisle but wait and see people who my friend Donny has told to join and come that live with 50 miles or Bristol Still won't show up! Lol They the same crowd who will say "maybe it'll come to (insert town or event here)" Yes people please attend with or without your car. Sometimes it's nice to go to a show with no car and just relax. We have had 10 members in the past at some meets with no car.

I just joined the club last week. I had a few minutes So I wanted to say hello and thank you for adding me to the group. Looking forward to talking with everyone about their Monte Carlo as well. I had my 1971 Monte for 26 years. Picked him up in indiana in October at a swap meet. Had no desire to buy a car that day. I already had a green 70' Monte at the time I was fixing up. But the green 70' needed a lot of work. My dad and I were there to pick up fender skirts for his 64' Oldsmobile dynamic 88. I seen a 71' in the for sale area. I told dad let's go look at it. Well I had to buy him. The car was a rust free car. The paint was dull, interior was shot. But it had a nasty small block with nitrous. Still needed a lot of work but lot better shape than the green 70'. Now my 71' has a Big Block in it. That is nasty for what it is. My 71' nickname since I bought him as been The Beast.