Grease

The ball did not get lost in the cable swap. someone has had the valve body off for some reason.its hard to say where the ball is missing.there some on both sides of the spacer plate .its also possible that one was dropped while the trans was being built/rebuilt , and its just extra laying there. mike

If you dont want 3.73 gears ( sell to me ) lol if i remember correctly 2.73 will reqire a different ( series 2 ) carrier . you might go down to 3.23 gears on the carrier from the LaSabre.if doing all that work i would say just have a shop install the stuff in your housing.Though you do need to check the axle spline count .if thats not the same you'll need new side gears as well. mike

Ibex... the 700r4 and 200r4 both have a lower first gear ratio than the TH350 .you can go with the OD and leave your stock axle gears. what was meant in the above post was with OD you may have lower axle gears(higher numerically )and because of the OD not suffer in fuel MPG . I have not seen a 200 install but have 700 in my car . i run a 2.73 axle and 27-28 " tire . it runs about 1800RPM at 60mph. you will need to fabricate the rear tranny mount . also change in driveshaft lenght. mike

Rob the side and across the front Halo trim is all held on by the same plastic clips you are describing . it should all snap onto the plastic parts with the exception of the lower rear corners which have the studs/nuts. only advice i have is carefully lifting . the side trim above the windows kinda snaps onto the drip rail of the body .if you look up from inside the car you can see a line in the trim which is what clips to the rail . the one set i removed though did have some adhesive sort of goop as well . from the bottom edge carefully lift as though you are trying to roll the trim off the drip rail. kind of like you were using a bottle opener. i fact maybe thats what i used .just go a little at a time and work the whole length slowly off .be sure to pad the stainless so as not to scratch it .this was about 30 yrs ago though on my first Monte. i hope my memory helps you .( disclaimer...the mind is the first to go) mike

the TH 350 was the normal auto trans for a Monte. they could be ordered with a Power Glide(2speed)as well as 3and 4 speed manual .Big blocks came with the TH 400 .if you are just using the car as a normal driver the 350 will be fine .if you have added quite a bit of HP then you might want the TH400 .but be aware that the TH400 has a higher first gear ratio than a TH 350. several of us here have changed up to 700R4 OD trans . mike

Thankyou Don

Is anyone here using Eagle stroker set ups (383)?Just wondering if your satisfied with Eagle . I am about to build an engine for a 4X4 Suburban.I dont need a racer but want some guts . The truck will be used as daily transportation and ocassional pulling duty. Don ( if you read this ) perhaps you have some thoughts you might share . TBI,700R4,3.73 and 31 in tires thanks mike

72 i'd say get some new quality U-Joints and go for the kit . for normal driving its just a nice solid bumb into 2nd gear. if you like the sound of a Q-Jet roaring as you accellerate then you will be chirping tires on 1-2 shifts. i'd say i probly had to change U-Joints 9months to a yr.i was about your age when i had that kit in my first Monte . i think you will enjoy it.heck my girlfriend ( now wife ) like the way it shifted more than i did . i dont want to discourage you,just let you know that U-Joints will take some faster aging . now they may have even better U-Joints than we had in the mid 70s. Have fun were only here once mike

i had the B&M some years back . yep it shifts hard .1-2 shift would get rubber if your into the pedal. i had that car/trans for 3yrs and no trans problems ,then used it in a p/u truck. THE PROBLEM i did have was the U-Joints didnt last long . mike

Todd ... do you have the factory floorshift for the automatic or we dealing with column shift? when swapping to a 700R4/4L60 there is a difference in the shifter degree of rotation needed to make a gear selector change. if you have the floor shift,there is kit which has the proper shift detents.this kit is for the actuall shifter assy on the floor. with the floorshift if you have the backdrive for the neutral saftey switch , you can leave the crosshaft out . but then you have to be sure you leave the shifter bowl on the column in the park position . with the column shift OR the back drive assy in place , the crosshaft is the problem. if you have a crosshaft from a later model car or truck which came with a R4200 ,R4700/4L60 many of them will fit the Monte. PROBLEM solved.if not the original can be modified . the PROBLEM is the length of the arm on the crosshaft is to short .where the original rod from the steering column mounts is 2 9/16 inches from center of crosshaft to center of rod mounting hole .for the 700R4/4L60 the measurement should be 2 11/16 . yep 1/8 inch longer throw on the crosshaft should fix your problem . also if you use a 700R4/4L60 crosshaft or make a longer arm it will correct the backdrive linkage as well if your running a Horseshoe shifter and want the steering wheel lockout to work . i made a small plate adapter which i bolted onto my original crosshaft.i hope this is not to confusing .i can try and get a picture to email to you if you would like. mike

The burnt spot on the cable may have let moisture inside and become rusty ,to cause a binding of the new cable you installed. i would look for a new(used,good condition) cable housing .one for a chevelle/malibu would be fine and maybe available in a used parts yard. its also possible the speedometer head in the dash is bad . mike

i'll add that the tire screeching second gear shifts will also get you frequent U-Joint replacement experience . i had that kit and loved it . mike

George ... regular transmission (300), thats most likely a TurboHydromatic 350 . the most common gear ratio i have come across with the 350/350 combination is 2.73:1 yes you can add a posi when upgrading your rear axle gears. for neiborhood bashing i would consider 3.55:1 or 3.73:1 they are available also as i recall in 3.23:1 and 3.42:1 i believe you can find a RPM/ratio calculator at 700R4.com have fun mike

the bracket on the frame for the cross shaft SHOULD have a plastic bushing which is held into the bracket by a spring on the cross shaft .the bushing has the hole in the center to fit over the cross shaft. one side of the bushing is flat ...this goes next to the spring.the other side is round ...goes into the frame braket. you should be able to get these from most any GM vehichle built up into the late 80s , possibly even newer ones. the "hairclip" is what holds the cross shaft into the trans shifter shaft . it should also have a flat washer on the side of the "hairclip" mike

This is from the 1970Chevrolet service manual Detent Cable adjustment for Turbo Hydra-Matic 350 Transmission. 1 Disengage snap lock on detent cable .(located at rear of intake manifold,drivers side) 2 Place caruretor at wide open throttle (W.O.T.)position(make sure throtte lever is against W.O.T. stop).On vehichles equipped with a Qudrajet carburetor disengage the secondary lockout before placing lever in W.O.T. position. NOTE: (Detent cable must be thru detent) 3 With carburetor lever in W.O.T. position snap lock on detent cable downward until top is flush with cable. mike

Kevin...a huge Thankyou for starting this GreatFamily, The Family of the First MonteCarlo. This is a wonderful place you envisioned and caused to be built for all of us Knightfans .We now a have the best source of info to rebuild/restore/restify our beloved cars . Congratulations Pete and thankyou for accepting. I am certain Kevin has chosen wisley in asking you to succeed him . does this mean you are no longer #2? this club will pull together with you and continue to make this the special place Kevin and Jennifer have given to us . mike

its hard to mix up the stock lines on the radiator end but they can be crossed at the trans or if they have been cut for a cooler then it could be confusing . sorry i cant say what the correct order is i'll do some checking mike

Ryan ....you need to look at the carb you took off. see how far the original hook up point is from the center of the carb shaft . measure the offset if you know what i am saysing.also on the original try to measure the total travel of the pin where the cable hooks up . you need to match as best you can the new carb mounting point , so its like the original . some times the carb company actually sell a kit to make hookup simple for different applications .i'd check with Edelbrock first . after you have that done then adjust the cable correctly . mike

heres a couple places to try . Classic Tube 800-882-3711 /WWW.classictube.com Fine Lines 800-SS-TUBES Inline Tube 800-385-9452 /WWW.inlinetube.com mike

Bob ...be sure to check the TV cable adjustment that is probley the most critcal part of a 700.over the yrs GM made many upgrades to this tranny . in the couple i have in use i do a vavle body upgrade when the trans were rebuilt.this is NOT to make hard tire burning shifts.it is the installation of the NOYOYO SysKoKal Kit a SHIFT CORRECTION and CALIBRATION kit , from TRANSGO ( trans parts company, and probly from other suppliers as well)this kit is part# SK700. it has detailed intructions and lots of springs.several oring type seals to replace stock parts. it does take several hrs to install.you may not even want to tackle the job . you may have lots of trans experience and that kit wouldnt be a problem for you , but if you dont or others reading this,you decide to remove your valve body just be aware that quite a few steel check balls will be falling out as you seperate the valve body from the trans case .there are check balls on the both sides of the spacer plate . i can't at the moment recall how many but you will need a book with the info as to where they all go . good luck mike

Bob i would hazard a guess that the 3/4 clutch pack is gone. all forward gears operate thru the forward clutch pack and you say the other gears work.4rth/od requires the 2/4 band to engage and the 3/4 pack to engage .the 2/4 band is operated sepratly for 2nd and 4rth. if you have second gear the band should be ok . if the band doesnt engage for 4rth you should continue to move in 3rd...not like a neutral condition. you say it seems to slip in 3rd also which again requires the 3/4 pack to engage. Heres the diagnosis from GM book NO 3-4 shift/slipping or rough3-4 shift 1 GOVENOR weights binding GOVENOR valve stuck GOVENOR drive gear retaining pin missing or loose GOVENOR gear damaged GOVENOR support pin in case to long or to short 2 OIL PUMP ASSY faces not flat pump cover retainer and bail assy omited or damaged 3 VALVE BODY ASSY valves stuck 2-3 shift vavle train accumulator valve throttle valve T.V.limit valve 1-2 shift valve train 3-2 control valve manual valve link bent or damaged spacer plates or gaskets incorrect,mispositioned or damaged 4 2-4 SERVO incorrct apply pin missing or damaged servo seals porosity in pistons. cover or case damaged piston seal grooves plugged or missing orfice cup plug 5 CASE 3rd acumulator retainer and ball assy leaking porosity in 3-4 acumulator piston or bore 3-4 acumulator piston seal or seal grooves damaged plugged or missing orfice cup plug resticted oil passage 6 INPUT HOUSING ASSY refer to slipping 2-3 shift 7 2-4 BAND ASSY worn or misassembled i know this is getting long . yes you could have a valve body problem . but likley the trans needs rebuilding . mike

the indicator in the dash is operated by a very small cable . it should be hanging down from the dash assy , just to the right of center.i think you need the platic cover removed from under the steering column to see this. on the hanging end of it there would be a little clip .this clip connects to the steering column ( the part that rotates when the gear lever is moved ).when you make a gear selection this rotation pulls the cable which drags the indicator needle . possibly your cable is broken another possibility is the plastic in the dash is worn out , the small peg the cable runs across to change directions may be cut thru mike

Wallaby mentioned a trash can ... i use a 30gallon oil drum when building a 700r4. there is a tool also for lining up the oil pump assy when you have it apart. for that you can get a huge screw type hose clamp or a couple large ones put together to make a huge one. this tool is to align the two halves of the pump when you bolt it together.

PB BLASTER . i have found that to be very effective at helping break loose stuck/rusty bolts . its in an aerosol can . should be in most auto parts stores . i like it better than WD40 or CRC556 mike

Howdy Neighbor look inside the trunk . on each side of the latch point . you should see 2 bolts on the flat area just inside the trunk . in behind the license plate there are 2 bolts . and under the rear of car just about below where the bolts are in the trunk , is another set of 2 bolts per side . with these bolts removed ( dont forget to unhook the tag light wires )the bumper should come off . the brackets will remain on the bumper. when its off the car you can remove the brackets to install on replacement . that should cover it .if missed a point i am sure someone will note it for you . mike