EVC

Good choice. In my opinion , Wheels should never speak for themselves on a classic. Your choice should blend very well and make the car more interesting. Contrary to popular beliefs here, My Monte is now receiving more compliments and attention because of the simplicity and look of the wheels.

BTW.. I enjoyed the roller cam twice .. one lasted 3000 miles and the other one lasted 2000 miles…

Hope you use oil with zinc… Not zinc additive.. Some say you don't need it with a roller cam… My question has always been,, what harm will it cause ? After two roller cams failed because those stupid doggy bones on the lifters broke, I went back to the flat tappet…. Luckily it didn't destroy my block… Adding moving parts means more crap to break or fail.. I never liked the design in the first place and should have followed my original instincts… I'm certainly not a mechanical engineer,, but the idea that complete engine failure can occur because of this poor design makes no sense to me. Good luck on yours Aaron. Ed...

I have to admire your determination. I'd say follow your plan and the important thing is put her back on the road. Make her beautiful and shiny again …. It's an art form and I've seen it done before. With rust levels like this, you'd probably have to replace most of the sheet metal panels ,doors, possible fenders ,etc… At some point she will cease to be the same car. Personally, I'm a bit weary of seeing so called "restored" cars that are nothing more than an original frame with donor parts and newly stamped panels. She's yours, make her your own … Ed C.

My Doctor wants the PSA under 3.0… He put me on low dosage Fenasteride about 18 years ago when it was 6.7 … I'm tested every year and the numbers are always below or about 1.5 … No side effects and no cancer. I avoid highly acidic fruit like Grapefruit and Pineapple… Getting the PSA checked every 6 months or annually is vital. At 82, I still get a colonoscopy every four years. I plan to send my Monte Carlo to the junk yard first, but she is still a smooth ride and banging on all 8…. Get tested !! You deserve it !!

great story Bruce, Reminds me that all of our four children learned to drive in our Monte Carlo. The older two I let drive on an old empty stretch of Route 66 near Clinton Oklahoma… Veronica was 12 and Deanna was 11. It's a memory they will never forget.

We all have and still do…. I know I've felt stupid many times after I've risked my life and others.

If he has any brains at all , he should be feeling stupid…

Took her in for an estimate on minor upholstery repairs. Found an old school guy who loves (GREEN) Monte Carlos.. The seats were done at the first 100,000 mile mark … The only worn spot was the edge of the drivers seat where I get in/out, the carpet kick panel on the drivers door and the drivers arm rest. Not bad for the second 100,000 miles.. He said he will do the job for $350 and it will pass inspection from you guys… LOL,,, We'll see… All other seats are in perfect condition. In his old inventory, we found enough pieces of green vinyl which looks like a perfect match.. He said he had some matching green leather to stitch wrap my steering wheel again. He also had some very nice browns which would closely match or blend with the burlwood vinyl on the dash and steering wheel. I've been quoted much higher prices… One shop wanted $2750 for complete redo of both seats and the material would have looked like crap… I'd sit on a damned beer crate before I'd pay that…

Might be worth a try. You can test it for ambient noise and move it later . The one I'm using sounds natural to the other person and doesn't have that echo or chamber effect. In some locations it may pick up background noise and have that tin can sound.

Hope this helps.

Does anyone know of a possible after market or modifiable coffee cup holder that will replace the small junk collectors on each side of the console ? Color matching will be no issue…. I've seen most of the stuff on amazon and in the part houses.. I've hated those useless things for 53 years and it's time to make them more practical… At one time they worked ok with my razor phone, but those days a gone. Time to make better use of this space. Ed C

For my radio and back up camera system, I installed a small mic just above and behind the rear view mirror. The wire is hidden behind the overhead liner vinyl trim piece and runs behind the metal corner post bezel. Works great with my cell phone.

Brendan, I'm in admiration of those who try to save cars like this. I'm sure you've value judged the car and it has a level of rust that can only be slowed down and never fully repaired…. My claim to this effort was my 56 Ford Crown Victoria. I'm sure she is still on the road and it's been 45 years since I owned it. Fix her and keep her rolling… I managed to get my junk yard car to a level that sparked the interest of a Ford Dealership who could afford to finish the job and make it a real show winner. The best you can hope for is to die in your sleep before your car rusts out.. LOL

Back in the days when I was on Guam, half the cars there were put back together with beer cans and bondo… Most of them actually looked good on the used car lots. What really amazed me was that many were purchased by our military and shipped back to the US. Average life expectancy for a so called "restoration" was about two years. We called them "Guam Bombs" because the rust would always eat away and bubble thru.. The beer cans never rusted. My point being, the heroic effort to put and keep the classic cars on the road has become an art form in many places around the globe. Parts were not readily available in many places. 57 Chevys and other classics still roll in many places , some even have Toyota drive trains…

BTW.. The new wheels completely changed the personna of the car.

Wheels can be and do funny things.. On my old 73 Cadillac Brougham I would occasionally lose a hubcap on one rim, After looking closely, the outer lip on that wheel was so slightly different that it was almost visually undetectable. I spent days searching the junkyards looking at 73 Cadillacs and finally found a matching rim on an old limo... On my 63 Bonneville , I originally had 14" rims with stock spinner hubcaps. If I hit a pothole or went into a hard left curve, the chances were good that one would fly off into the weeds…. I used to keep a spare hubcap in the trunk until I switched over to the 15" wheels she has now. Any one need a set of seven 1963 Bonneville hubcaps ?

Found some steering wheel leather wrap on Amazon. I wrapped mine 25 years ago and it needs replacement. It's a lot of work but worth it.

Anxious to see what Aaron decided on his wheels and updates on his new engine… Ed C

For me ,,the Monte Carlo has been a car that can stand the passage of time because of styling. It's a car that can evolve with each owner and be beautiful to it's beholder. Even in the junk yard they scream beauty. Ed C.

I can officially tell you that the paint job is 31 years old and has 100,000 miles on it… Painted in 1992. During that time the car was stored in our barn for about 10 to 12 years. The pic below was when I pulled her out and put her on the only trailer she's ever seen …

Jerry our mechanic for 25 years likes it….

Chris,,, congrats to you and your Lady… About 3 of our Grand Children have been married 10 years… 😇 A couple of them have been married 20 years… One of our Great grand kids just got married ….. Problem is,,,, I don't have enough Monte Carlos to go around.