montefrazer

My feeling exactly. Chevy was going after the Grand Prix and Rivera buyers. The name Monte Carlo was picked to suggest a different style than the usual Chevy. Montes were designed and advertised as luxury cars, not performance cars. Look at the 70-71 literature. All about the looks, ride, comfort, extra insulation, burled elm dash, etc. SS is barely mentioned. Even the standard SS gear ratios were for crusing, not fast acceleration. Some of my friends remember cars I had 30 years ago that were nothing like the cars I remember having. Anything is possibly and no one can say 100% that a special Monte was or wasn't made. I will need lots of proof before I believe it, though.

I don't buy that. Not much different than building any other customer ordered car. All the pieces were available and it would just be a matter of getting the right pieces there at the right time. No reason to slow down the line. No different than building a 402 4 speed car. Just a different engine and the SS specific parts. Not a big deal.

Grease and drift worked for me too in the past. The tighter the drift is in the hole, the easier the bushing comes out.

Unfortunately, most writers for these kinds of books just recycle info they have read in older books and magazines. This rumor has been around for many years and none have been found with documentation. Is it possible Chevy made one or more SS Monte LS6 or SS Monte 4 speed cars? Yes, anything is possible but so far no proof. After 35+ years and none being found, it would seem to be very unlikely. The block code would be different.

For the vinyl top trim, the pot metal parts at the lower corners are held on with one speed nut inside the trunk. The nut is usually hidden under some sealer to prevent leaks. The rest of the trim just pops off plastic clips. You can peel back the top and reuse it. Be very careful when you try this since it's easy to rip the top while pulling on it. Rocker panel clips just pull out. Easier said than done.

Compression strokes to pump up the gauge. With a high of 170 and a low of 160, your engine seems to be in good shape.

Owners manual says up to 50 miles at less than 35 MPH is fine.

Entered the Monte in a local show and I continue to get the occasional 'expert' who insists that it's not a real #s matching SS because it doesn't have a console with the stratobuckets. Anyone else have similar discussions with people? Absolutely. My SS is well optioned, but has a bench seat. You can imagine some of the "expert opinions" I've heard. It's best to let the "experts" go bother someone else than argue with them. That leaves time to talk to the people willing to listen and learn.

Is it possible that the TH350 in my Monte is from another GM Make/Model? Confused... Possible but not likely. Buick, Oldsmobile, and Pontiac had a different bolt pattern and won't bolt on a Chevy block. They also have the starter on the drivers side, not the passenger side like a Chevy. The possible exception is some trannys were made with dual bolt patterns and would fit Chevy or BOP blocks.

Have him look at the radio and see if there are markings stamped into the chassis showing the connetions for the plug. It would show which plug connection is 12 volt, ground, speakers, etc. It will show how many speaker leads there are and where they go. As you said, it's odd. May have been a mistake on the production line or the radio was changed to the AM/8 track long ago and just hooked to existing wiring. I added 8 track and cassette players to many of my cars back in the 70s and 80s without worrying about factory looking wiring. Anything is possible.

All the AM/8 track sytems I've seen or heard of were stereo systems and had 4 speaker systems. Even the 70 owners manual calls it Stereo Tape System. I looked at a 70 AM/8 track I have and it says Stereo on the plastic face plate. Anything could happen on the production line, but a non stereo 8 track would be an oddity. Tim, does your AM/8 track face plate say Stereo on it?

This site should help. http://www.tciauto.com/Products/TechInfo/speedo_gears.asp

A very long extension for your ratchet or lots of short ones will make it easier to get the top bell housing bolts off. Put one of your jacks under the engine to keep it in place. As noted above, the distributer could hit the firewall or the fan hit the shroud.

Or put another way.....would anyone pass on a reasonably priced SS Monte if it had everything but a build sheet? I would just hate to pass on a nice SS Monte if for whatever reason somebody threw out the build sheet when they replaced a gas tank or recovered a rear seat. Thanks, JJ Not all cars came with build sheets and Flint built cars don't seem to have them, my Flint built small block car didn't. If there is no build sheet or other paper work, I wouldn't automatically pass but would spend lots of time looking for the things an SS is supposed to have or evidence it was there once. I also wouldn't pay as much as I would for a documented SS. Some people would pass if there was no paper work because they want to make a display for shows or they don't know enough about an SS to tell if it is real or not. As the prices of true SS cars goes up, it becomes more cost effective to fake an SS and sell it for real SS prices. The only good thing is that some correct SS parts aren't easy to find, like air cleaner or level ride system, so fakes are still not done well for the most part. If someone had all the right parts and built a fake SS with them, it would be impossible to tell without some kind of paper work.

It's one size fits all for a turbo 350 pan gasket. The pan will most likely be bent around the bolt holes. You will see this after the old gasket is removed. You will need to pound them flat again. After this, check for over all flatness as 502 suggested. Did this on my 77 Caprice 2 months ago.

I may be reading V as a U. The markings are hard to see.

You have mail.

My 70 was Van Nuys built in January 1970. It is marked inside, at least I coudn't feel anything when I rubbed the outside of the glass, and reads backward when looking from the outside. E-Z-EYE FLOAT SHADED SOFT RAY SAFETY [LOF] FLO-LITE ASI [ ] UT-10 LAMINATED ANTENNA DOT 15 M28 The DOT 15 M28 is about 1/2 inch above the chrome piece on the bottom of the windshield, passengers side. The LOF is in a box between the SAFETY FLO-LITE and ASI UT-10 and runs on an angle, with the L on top and the F on the bottom. I have a magazine article about how to read glass marks. I will send you a copy when I find it. Haven't looked for it in a few years so it may take a day or two. Steve

This may help. http://www.firstgenmc.com/album/AaronD/AaronD.shtml scroll down to engine picture.

The cruise mounts to the inner fender where the pump mounts and it was an either/or proposition as far as I can tell. I have a 70 SS and had a 70 with cruise. Both systems could not fit in the same space. I have never seen an SS build sheet with cruise listed on it. I have seen one dealer added set up on an SS at a NMCOA meet in 1989. It was mounted between the pump and the firewall on the left inner fender. It was a very tight fit and looked like an add on, but still worked at the time. It's possible there are more, but cruise was not a popular option in those years.

Another problem solved. Keep those questions coming.

Wrong end. Look at the bottom of that rod.

That would work. Be careful with the bolt. I have broken these bolts because of rust. While you are under there, check where the linkage goes to the frame. At the bracket on the frame, look for a spring and a plastic bushing on the linkage. If these are worn or gone, it will allow slop in the linkage and problems with the shifting.

This is quoted from the 1971 Monte Carlo owners manual. "All 1971 General Motors cars including your Monte Carlo are designed to operate on unleaded or low-lead (0 to .5 grams per gallon) gasolines. Use of unleaded or low-lead gasoline will keep your engine running efficiently and play an important part in reducing exhaust emissions of hydrocarbons and particulates." You can use a lead additive but it's not necessary. With that amount of miles and the engine being untouched, I would recomend replacing the timing chain and gears. This is a well known problem area for these motors.

Yep, the first parts to go are brain cells. Ed Only the weak ones and who wants them?