MagicDragon42

I just happen to have my dash and steering column dropped on my 71 Monte. The clip from the gauge cluster attaches to the shift column with the screw in a slotted hole on the right side of the column. This part of the column rotates as you move the gear shift lever. Slot is used for adjustment of the indicator needle. When you tighten the screw on the clip it clamps to the column. You can see the clip hanging from the cluster just above the slotted hole. Hope this helps. Mike

This might help: http://i291.photobucket.com/albums/ll306/MagicDragon42/TCS001.gif and http://i291.photobucket.com/albums/ll306/MagicDragon42/MCWiring12-5.jpg Mike

I put a Champion in my '71 402 Monte last Spring and I have been very pleased with how it fit, the quality of manufacturing and how it cools. I would recommend the Champion without desitation. Mike

If that is the case why does an engine with a carburetor run richer the higher you go in altitude where the air is not as dense and leaner the lower you go where the are is denser? I live in Colorado and a car tuned to run well at 5,000 feet belches black smoke at 10,000 feet. Mike

An interesting but not a new method for exhaust components. I remember my 1956 Buick Century convertible had ball and socket on the muffler at both exhaust and tail pipes. I always thought it was a better method than pipe inside pipe but much more expensive to manufacture. It sure made changing a muffler a quick job. Mike

Is your brake warning light on the dash not working? This light should be on with very little movement of the parking brake pedal. The switch is on the parking brake pedal assembly. Mike

I love the exterior color and black vinyl top! I would be very surprised if it actually sells for more than 6-7K. Mike

I made my replacements out of 1/8 Neoprene rubber. I can send you some material and pattern to make your own. If you want some send me a PM. Mike

But if it were a 72, it would really drop the price since it couldn't be an SS. Mike

Part numbers often change from one manufacturer to another. For your car you want one that is described as "Standard Rotation, Heavy Duty, Thermal Fan Clutch." Mike

I found the cause of the problem and the fix. Using IE 8 to view the page resulted in a very wide display due to the three wide and large images in the initial post that were displayed all on the same horizontal line. Very large images in a post was the common cause. The fix was to use the "Compatibilty View" on IE 8. Now the images are stacked in a vertical column and were re-sized to fit and the display is "normal". I also download and tried Firefox 3.5.4. Everything displayed OK. I guess I just became a Firefox convert. Mike

From time to time some forum topic pages are displayed very wide and I have to do a significant (3X) horizontal scroll to see all of it. Most pages are OK and contained within the screen. Does this happen to anyone else? Here is a specific page - http://www.firstgenmc.com/ubbthreads/ubbthreads.php?ubb=showflat&Number=235364#Post235364 Mike

I found my problem and it was not IE 8. Turned out to be the McAffe security software. I got tired of it nagging me about updates and slowing down my PC by running scans that never found anything and I rconfigured it and have not had any problem staying logged on since. Mike

I have a problem recently while logging on to the FGMCC forum. I am running IE version 8 and Windows XP Home. Cookies are enabled. I log on at the normal location and enter ID and password. I then go to Forums and I am still logged on. When I select a forum topic (any topic) and go to that location I see a message at the top, right that states I am not logged in. I go back to the log on screen and repeat this several times before I can navigate the site and stay logged on. I believe the problem started since I updated to IE v8. Has anyone else experienced this problem? Mike

I looked in the 71 Chevelle (and Monte) Factory Assembly Manual and the Chevelle wagon and El Camino each have a differnt gas tank but the Chevelle and Monte are the same part number. The Monte does have a different filler neck part number than the Chevelle. Mike

Yes. It should go to 12V that is always hot so the fan will run to cool-down level after you turn off the ignition. The instructions are located on the B&M site and they show a 15A line fuse. B&M Intall Instructions. Mike

Robert got it correct on the radio knobs. The 71 non-SS is different from all 72s. This also applies to the headlamp and lighter knobs as well. Don't go by what this web site has under Tech Info, How do you Tell Them Apart since it is incorrect. Mike

If you can pick up a nice 71 grill, do it. When you get your 70 grill, I bet you will not have any problems selling the 71. They are very hard to come by and easy to sell. Mike

BBP is correct. The output of the transmission is on the lower port of the transmission and goes to the lower radiator port. Then upper radiator to add-on cooler and out of cooler to top port on transmission. I went through all of the same questions myself last year. Mike

I think 70 used a green bungee and 71-72 a white one and the SS had a red bungee. Even though there are no dumb questions, there are some dumb answers. Mike

The two relays are an early attempt to meet emission standards by disabling the vacuum advance to the distributor unless the transmission was in high gear and the temperature was above a certain level. It is called TCS or Transmission Controlled Spark. One is a relay and the other is a time-delay relay. The TCS solenoid on the carb was activated to block the vacuum advance. Here is a wiring diagram = http://i291.photobucket.com/albums/ll306/MagicDragon42/TCS001.gif Here is '71 A Body wiring diagram with TCS relays on right side, center. http://i291.photobucket.com/albums/ll306/MagicDragon42/MCWiring12-5.jpg If you have factory air, there is another time-delay relay under the dash on the passenger side that activates the air conditioning compresser clutch for 5 seconds after the ingition switch is turned off to prevent hot engine "run-on" or dieseling. I replaced my stock Quadrajet carb with a Holley and removed all of the TCS relays, wiring, and solenoid and do not have any problem passing Colorado emission tests. Mike

Great to have all the info. I compared with my build sheet for a ‘71 and found two items not on list that are on my build sheet. B42 - LUGG COMPT MA (trunk floor mat) VJ9 – EXH EMISS LABEL (exhaust emission label) All other items match up pretty close – just minor wording differences. Mike

If anyone installs a B&M SuperCooler and uses their instructions 2500356.03, there is an error on the chart of Rear Wheel Drive Transmissions for the TH-350. They show the upper transmission oil port on the transmission as the oil output of the transmission. That is not correct. Both the TH-350 and TH-400 have the same configurations. The oil output of the transmission is the lower port and this line should be connected to the lower connection on the radiator. See http://tciauto.com/Products/TechInfo/cooler_fittings.asp. The output of the radiator (lower connection) goes to the input on the B&M cooler and the output of the cooler goes back to the transmission (upper connection on transmision). Mike

Thanks for the help everyone. Top to top and bottom to bottom is the best way to remember it for both the 350 and the 400. Mike

I know someone will know the answer to this easy question. I have a 71 Monte with a 402 and a T400 auto transmission. The other day a noticed I had tranmission fluid driping from the rear of the fan shroud and it was coming from an external transmission cooler assemby on the back of the radiator. The radiator was by-passed completly and the original transmission output fluid line had been replaced with a hose. I have a new external cooler but I also want to route the fluid first to my radiator and then to the external cooler and back to the transmission. My question is: Is the top port on the radiator the input, the output, or makes no difference? I can't locate the info in any of the docs that I have and it seems to me the top port would be the input and the bottom the output. I have a feeling that when I connect the radiator I'll find it leaking and that's why some past owner had by-passed it. Mike