71SSclone

If all goes as planned, then I will not sell. But it has also turned into a complete body makeover and paint job, which will take considerably longer, so it looks like it wont be ready GM Carlisle this year. I am a firm believer of "do it once, do it right". Once this is done, I want to enjoy it for 20 years. Well......they are never really done, plenty of mods planned in my head, but at least the car will be solid and rust free!!

Great story Robert, and great looking Monte. We'll have to meet up sometime at a cars n coffee meet. We just bought a house in Clearwater. My Monte goes to the body shop next week. (fingers crossed) Great group of people on this forum. Let the madness begin!!

Thanks Jared, I've seen your videos. Very nice work

No, the rear defrost did not work. When I took it apart, I found that the capacitor(?) ,on the trunk divider, for the blower motor was not attached to the wire coming from the dash. I really didnt look into it. I was going to figure it out on re assembly. I did hook the blower motor to the battery and it worked fine. John

Ugh, no thanks . You can keep the snow, thats why we just bought a house in Fl. When I was younger, I said I was gonna retire and buy a house in Montana. Nope. Not now. Ain't going to happen. My bones and joints said you need warmth. On the other hand, Glen, looks like you have a beautiful brick driveway that will look great when all the white stuff melts!!

Great looking Monte, well done on the purchase. Let the fun begin.

Thanks guys, If there is no interest or it doesn't sell, I'll store it and get it done as time permits. I really wasn't looking for a long term project, I wanted to get in it and drive it now. But what I wanted and what I got are two different things. I won't even get into the second project Monte I was looking at buying. A 1970 with the body work already done, but no drivetrain or paint. If anyone is interested, PM me. Maybe when we move to FL and get settled, I'll buy an old car that is already done, and still wrench on the Monte as time permits. I'm not tied down to just Monte Carlos, heck I like Fords, Mercurys, Buicks, and even some imports. This group is definitely filled with some very helpful people, and I would be sad if I didnt have a Monte to chat about with you guys.

Glen, If I keep and repair this car, it will NOT get a vinyl top, for that very reason. I realize that it's not an every day driver, and it will be garage kept for the most part, but their will be times it gets wet and I don't want the vinyl top to work it's magic. It really would have been helpful if GM had painted the roof as thick as they painted the rest of the car.

Sure, I could leave it in storage and come back and get it when he is ready. I just thought I could have a clearance sale and unload everything. Start fresh in Fl. We shall see

I'm sure there are, but then I just turn into a regular Joe customer. Tough to weed out the good shops from bad ones. At least the shop I wanted to use will do a great job, do it right, and treat me fair. It's just that he has problems getting techs. It's an industry wide problem. I quit being a tech in July, the automotive field needs a complete revamp.

Thanks Dennis. If it doesn't sell, then I'll just keep my storage unit and keep it there. My problem is that I'm not a body guy, and this one needs the attention of a body man. I realize a replacement will cost more down the road, but then I will be able to just get in and enjoy it.

And even more pics!!

More pics

And more pics

More pics

Selling my 71 SS clone, black on black, runs and drives, tagged and insured, but needs work. Has a rebuilt 454 with less than 1000 miles on it. Turbo 400 trans was rebuilt years ago, but only has a few 1000 miles on it. Have receipts for both. I bought the car from a friend of mine who owned it since 2008. Car has AC, but the compressor and hoses are not installed,(I have compressor, hoses, and brackets) PS, PB, PW, cloth bucket seats and console, driver's power seat (needs correct bracket welded to floor) have parts needed to install power locks, has working AM/FM/8 track- sounds like crap but that might have been bad wiring or incorrect ohms for the rear speakers, only has RF dash speaker. Since I've owned the car, I have replaced the steering box with a Bogeson quick ratio box, installed new front coil springs, new upper and lower control arms, new idler arm, center link, pitman arm and front sway bar links. Replaced the rear coil springs and installed 4 new shocks. I have also replaced the flywheel (installed backwards) replaced the starter with a hi torque gear reduction starter, installed new battery cables and replaced the battery. I also have a 1 1/4 front sway bar that is not installed. I ordered everything needed to repair the rust around the rear window from Beldon Speed. When I peeled the vinyl top off, it was too extensive for what I ordered. I gutted the interior to see what else I would need. I spent $3300 at Konik's Klassiks. I bought new 1/4 panels (1 nos, 1 amd) roof skin, outer wheel houses, trunk floor, front floor pan patch panels , rear under seat patch panel, new lower rocker molding and clips, used lower door hinges. Im sure there were other things, just cant remember right now. The front edge of the hood is very rusty, but I purchased a rust free hood from a member on the forum. The c pillars were junk, and the wheel wells had some body filler in them, so I figured now is the time to do it right. A few things that I know are wrong, the fuel tank leaks where the filler neck is welded to the tank. I was going to get a new one when we started the bodywork. I also didn't get the trunk drop downs. I was planning on replacing those, if needed, when we started cutting the car apart. There is also an issue with the steering column. The steering wheel doesn't lock when you remove the key. The actuator is missing. Would love for a member here to buy it and bring her back to glory. I easily have over $20,000 tied up in this car. I'll sell it to a member on here for 11k. (rebuilt 454, power seat, 8 track player, and 3300 in new parts are easily worth that alone) I'll start adding pictures, but I have posted pics on the forum, and nothing much has changed. John

Hi Guys, Just received a call from my body shop today. We have to push back the date of getting my bodywork started. His full time mechanic just gave his 2 weeks notice. They have 1 part time mechanic. They have 2 body guys, but 1 is out indefinitely due to blood poisoning from a dog bit on his finger. The owner is a guy I worked with for 10 years and I really trust them. I don't think they are blowing smoke up my a**. We just bought a house in Clearwater, Fl. The house needs some work, so now we travel to Fl about twice a month. Plus I have projects here at my home in Pa that have to get done. Need to finish remodeling my basement, and get my 56 Pontiac back together so I can sell that. Also, I need to go through all my parts and tools to figure out what I'm going to take to Fl, what I'm going to sell, and whats going to stay here. Our daughter will rent our house in Pa when were settled in Fl. I think, with the time it's going to take to finish the Monte, plus everything else going on, that it would be easier to sell it to someone who can give her the time and the love it needs to be a great car again. I'm going to advertise it here first, at a (what I feel) very fair price. I know I will not get my money out of it, and that's ok. I'll start on a classified ad to list details about the car, plus all the parts I have for it. Thanks to everyone on here for all the help over the last 8 months I've owned this car. John

I would pull the vinyl top and inspect around the rear window area very carefully. I was just going to repair my rear window channel, and that quickly escalated to 1/4 panels, roof panel, trunk floor, and interior floor pans. John

Im planning to, but doubt my Monte will attend this year. Haven't even started on it yet

Thats true, Dennis Maybe the cars I saw had the power locks added afterwards. I don't really know. Either way, your car looks great

Couple of questions, flaws, or however you want to perceive it. LOL. Is there rust on the LR inner wheel well where the trunk hinge support is attached to the wheel well? Also, the placement of the power lock switch looks off to me. I thought I had always saw them 1 pleat back from the door pull trim, not right under it as your car has. I question this because I am going to add power locks and I want to get the right. Otherwise, it looks fantastic, and I can only hope mine turns out half as nice as yours. Great work Dennis!

I also have Hagerty, and put an agreed value on my Pontiac and Monte Carlo at $25000 each. The premium is still very reasonable.

Thanks for posting, Steve. I'll have to try the "extra spring" idea

My hood is harder than most to open, When I pull the latch, it doesn't even pop up to get my fingers under it. I have to pry it open between the hood and the grill, then pull the latch more to get it open. One more thing to take care of when the body work gets done

Yes, thats one of the reasons for moving!!!