David Mau

I know that in '70 the 396s actually became 402s, but that they continued to be called 396s when used in Chevelles, Camaros and Novas because the "SS396" designation had been around since '65, and it was well established. '69 was the last year for an SS Impala, so without the "SS" emblems available on '70 Impalas, did they still actually call the the 402 Big Block a "396" when installed in the '70 Impalas? If so, that would mean that you could get either a "396" Big Block Turbo-Jet, or a 400 Small Block Turbo-Fire. Hmmmmmmm, that seems kind of weird, doesn't it! LOL The first car that I owned (1982-85) was a 1970 Olds Cutlass Supreme, and it had the driver's 4-way power bucket seat. The passenger bucket was adjusted manually, however. Dave

Yep, me too! Dave

Yes, in relating to the gas fumes and ignition I've heard that there have been many incidents where people have had that happen due to carrying their plastic gas cans in the back of their trucks that are equipped with plastic bedliners. The plastic gas can sliding or rubbing on the plastic of the bedliner creates the static charge, and touching the metal gas pump nozzle against the plastic gas can will create the spark and ignite the gas fumes. I always make sure to place my plastic gas can flat on the cement before filling it up! Dave ------------------ I'm Just Enjoyin' That Great S-S-Sensation; Diggin' My First G-G-Generation.

Here's how I believe the breakdown on the knob designs work: 1970: Hard black plastic knob, primarily black with an inline perimeter chrome stripe and chrome around the edge, as Mike stated above. I believe that these knobs were also used in '69 and '70 Chevelles and possibly '69 Camaros, as well. 1971: Soft black rubber coated knob. From what I know, only the SS454 models had the headlight pictogram on them in '71. 1972: Soft black rubber coated knob with the headlight pictogram on it. That's what I believe to be correct, anyway. Someone please correct me here if I'm wrong, because I'd kind of like to make sure that I've got them figured out myself! Dave ------------------ I'm Just Enjoyin' That Great S-S-Sensation; Diggin' My First G-G-Generation.

You're welcome, Ed. Yeah, I'm with you in thinking that "Muscle Car Review" had been out of publication for a while. This latest one states with the publishing info that it is a publication of "Chevy High Performance". As far as some 12-bolt-covered rearends having 10-bolt guts... Hmmmmm, I can't answer that one. Sorry. Dave ------------------ I'm Just Enjoyin' That Great S-S-Sensation; Diggin' My First G-G-Generation.

Ed, In the current issue of "Muscle Car Review" (Fall 2003, which has the blue '69 "2 Fast 2 Furious Yenko Camaro on it) there's an article about strengthening rearends. It starts on page 70 and is titled "100 Percent Chevy". It primarily covers 12-bolt rearend performance upgrades by Currie Enterprises. In the text it states: "Why the name? Technically, it is the number of bolts that hold the 8.875-inch od ring gear to the differential. Urban legend incorrectly said it was because of the 12 bolts holding the rear cover on. Twelve-bolt rearends were produced from '64 to '72. They are found in '64-'72 Chevelle A-bodies, '67-'72 Camaro/Firebird F-bodies, '66-'70 Chevy II/Novas, and '70-'72 GTOs. They were also installed in '65-'70 Chevrolet fullsize B-bodies and '70-'72 Monte Carlos. Within the car lines, a 12-bolt would be found with a high-output small-block and all big-block applications." I don't see where it specifically says why the 12-bolt is stronger than a 10-bolt, but it does state that "...the bottom line is that it is a solid design and very stout" when talking about the 12-bolt rearend. It also goes on to say "Starting in '71, GM began installing the 10-bolt rearend, which had an 8.500-inch ring-gear diameter." Great issue of the magazine. You might want to check it out. Dave ------------------ I'm Just Enjoyin' That Great S-S-Sensation; Diggin' My First G-G-Generation.

Squeak, I believe that all the first generation Monte Carlos equipped with vinyl tops from the factory used a "halo" design, as they left a strip of body color around the side window drip rails and left the A-pillars body color. In '70 the vinyl stopped short of the windshield trim for what I believe was most of the year, which left body color above the windshield, as well. Later on in the '70 production run the vinyl went all the way TO the windshield trim. Both ways are considered to be a "halo" design, as a true "full vinyl top" would have the vinyl running all the way to the side window drip rails and down the A-pillars, as well. I have seen FGMCs with full vinyl tops like that, but I believe that they were either dealer-installed, or installed later by an upholstery/top shop or by the owner. Hope this helps with the headache, and doesn't end up making it worse! Dave ------------------ I'm Just Enjoyin' That Great S-S-Sensation; Diggin' My First G-G-Generation.

Lloyd, I know that the chrome passenger side mirrors (non-remote) are available from several parts places. I don't believe that a chrome remote mirror was ever offered for the passenger side of FGMCs, though. Dave ------------------ I'm Just Enjoyin' That Great S-S-Sensation; Diggin' My First G-G-Generation.

AND... It's always a good idea to lower the hood slowly from the upright position on these cars whether the hinges are operating smoothly or not. As Wayne mentioned above - his hood ended up getting kinked! That also happened years ago to a friend of mine who had a '74 (second generation) Monte Carlo. The long hoods look great, but there's a bit of weight that's leveraged out there when they're open! Dave ------------------ I'm Just Enjoyin' That Great S-S-Sensation; Diggin' My First G-G-Generation.

I agree with the above posts. Those that were produced prior to when catalytic converters were part of an exhaust system (1975) are not required to have them. Newer cars are required to emit considerably less emissions than older cars, and here in Washington once a car is 30 years old, it no longer has to get emission tested. Dave ------------------ I'm Just Enjoyin' That Great S-S-Sensation; Diggin' My First G-G-Generation.

That's great, Bruce! They've certainly got a lot more FGMC pictures than what they currently have on there. I like your idea. Dave ------------------ I'm Just Enjoyin' That Great S-S-Sensation; Diggin' My First G-G-Generation.

Good one regarding the documented with build sheet SS454 LS-6 4-speed, Dave! LOL Dave ------------------ I'm Just Enjoyin' That Great S-S-Sensation; Diggin' My First G-G-Generation.

My '70 SS454 has the 5500 RPM red line tach in it, too. Dave ------------------ I'm Just Enjoyin' That Great S-S-Sensation; Diggin' My First G-G-Generation.

Hey, thanks again, Leo. Dave ------------------ I'm Just Enjoyin' That Great S-S-Sensation; Diggin' My First G-G-Generation.

Thanks for the replies, guys. MARCHIEB: Like Aaron said,"That is the stuff...Lookin' good." Thanks for the great picture of it, too! I measured the standard trim at the base of the side glass on my car last night and it was less than 1/8" wide. DON: I looked for info about it before I posted the questions, too, but I couldn't find any, either. Thanks for your help. AARON & LEO: I'm glad to know that I'm not alone in believing that it was available as an option on other FGMCs - and not just as an exclusive item that was included as part of the '72 Custom model/option package. It appears that those moldings are the trim pieces that were referred to as "Belt Moldings" by Chevrolet. Does anyone have any thoughts regarding my third question at all? Thanks again, Dave ------------------ I'm Just Enjoyin' That Great S-S-Sensation; Diggin' My First G-G-Generation.

This is actually a 3-part question: 1) I believe that additional trim pieces referred to as "Belt Moldings" were offered as an option on all three years of FGMCs, and were included as part of the '72 "Custom" model/option package. Is this correct? 2) Am I correct in thinking that these moldings were the wider (perhaps 1/2" to 3/4" or so) bright trim pieces that were installed on the outside of the cars at the base of the side window glass? My '70 doesn't have these wider moldings and neither do most of the FGMCs that I see, but I HAVE seen FGMCs with them. 3) If these are, in fact, what are referred to as "Belt Moldings" - then I assume they are called that because of where they're located, as I believe what is referred to as the "beltline" of a car is where the window glass meets the body; the top of the doors and fenders. Can anyone verify that this is the beltline? I used to think that the beltline was halfway between the base of the windows and the bottom of the body. Any help is appreciated. Thanks, Dave ------------------ I'm Just Enjoyin' That Great S-S-Sensation; Diggin' My First G-G-Generation.

You're right, Sharky. When Chevrolet designed the first generation Monte Carlo, it was as if they took a 112" wheelbase 2-door Chevelle, pulled the front wheels forward 4", and then added an additional 4" of front overhang; all while keeping the engine in the same place. Monte Carlos are basically Chevelle 2-doors with an 8" longer hood. And better weight distribution. When Chevrolet designers were working on the first generation Camaro, they wanted to pull the front wheels a little more forward, too, but they weren't allowed to because they were locked into using the same front subframe as the Nova. Dave ------------------ I'm Just Enjoyin' That Great S-S-Sensation; Diggin' My First G-G-Generation.

That makes complete sense to me, Mike. Even though the Monte had a 116" wheelbase like that of the Chevelle 4-doors, wagons and El Camino - the frames themselves were configured a bit differently depending on the application. kc8oye - Yes, the G-Body designation became more common later on, but the Pontiac Grand Prix WAS considered a G-Body back in '70, as it was listed as such in the 1970 Fisher Body Service Manual. A 1970 Monte Carlo test article says that in creating the Monte Carlo from the Chevelle that Chevrolet "used the G-Body roof", so it wasn't just GM that used the G-Body designation back then. Thanks for the input, guys! Dave ------------------ I'm Just Enjoyin' That Great S-S-Sensation; Diggin' My First G-G-Generation.

Well, first off - thanks for all the response, guys! Certainly you all can see why there is confusion as to what the FGMC actually IS considered to be. Based on what all has been said so far, I think that I will still refer to it as an A-body, myself. Like I mentioned in my initial post regarding this - that's how it's listed in the 1970 Fisher Body Service Manual AND the Chevrolet Book of Numbers, while the Grand Prix was the only model listed as a G-Body back then. Mid-size GM A-body cars from 1968-72 used a "dual wheelbase" scenario, which typically meant a 112" for 2-doors and a 116" for 4-doors. The El Camino, GMC Sprint and Monte Carlo were the exceptions, however, also using a 116" wheelbase. And like Bob Hansen said, the Grand Prix was a bigger and heavier car. Not only did it have what I believe to be a unique 118" wheelbase, but I also think that its track was a little wider, to boot. It did, however, share some parts with the A-body cars, as has been pointed out. AARON - A-body cars were what GM called their range of mid-size cars back in the day, as they were all built from a lot of the same components. Like Steve "montefrazer" mentioned, B-bodies were the standard full-size cars such as the Impala. The even larger cars like the Cadillac DeVilles and others (the Olds Ninety-Eight, perhaps?) had another designation - C-body, I believe. The Nova was an X-body. F-bodies were the specialty compacts Camaro and Firebird. The Riviera and Toronado had their own designation, as well. Man, I guess I'll have to get out that Fisher Body Manual yet again! LOL Dave ------------------ I'm Just Enjoyin' That Great S-S-Sensation; Diggin' My First G-G-Generation.

It seems that there is some confusion as to whether FGMCs are classified as an A-body or a G-body. Sometimes in articles they are referred to as G-bodies, or said to be based on the Pontiac Grand Prix. But the fact is - the '69-'72 Pontiac Grand Prix had a different frame than the FGMCs that used a 118" wheelbase instead of the Monte Carlo's 116" spread. I checked my 1970 Fisher Body Service Manual last night, and it listed the Monte Carlo model in the A-body column as "Chevelle - Monte Carlo". The only model listed as a G-body in 1970 was the Pontiac Grand Prix. I also checked to see what my Chevrolet Book of Numbers said - and it, too, listed the Monte Carlo as an A-body. Chevrolet included the Monte in its A-body mid-size listings by coding it in the 13000 series. Most parts suppliers also consider the FGMCs to be A-bodies. So, while the Monte Carlo's design and concept (a 2-door personal coupe) was the same as that of the '69 Grand Prix, it appears that the Grand Prix was a G-body while the Monte Carlo was still considered an A-body, like the other GM mid-size cars of the era. Does anyone else have any information regarding this "Is it an A-body or a G-body" terminology issue? Thanks, Dave ------------------ I'm Just Enjoyin' That Great S-S-Sensation; Diggin' My First G-G-Generation.

Interesting information, guys. Thanks for sharing. Dave ------------------ I'm Just Enjoyin' That Great S-S-Sensation; Diggin' My First G-G-Generation.

Yes, that would be interesting to know what you find out, Steve. Mike and Dave have brought out some good points in their posts above. Mike is correct in stating that the Monte Carlo's wheelbase is 4" longer than the 2-door '68-'72 Chevelle's. But like Dave mentioned, the additional length is in front of the cowl. With the engine sitting the same distance from the cowl in both models, I would think that the exhaust systems would be the same for both models, but I would definately double-check that to be sure. Dave ------------------ I'm Just Enjoyin' That Great S-S-Sensation; Diggin' My First G-G-Generation.

That's cool, Pete. Great lyrics! Dave

Steve, What you said about parts numbers getting copied and such over 30 years makes sense. I also agree with you that it's a good idea to take your old parts with you when you go in for new ones. Thanks, Dave ------------------ I'm Just Enjoyin' That Great S-S-Sensation; Diggin' My First G-G-Generation.

Bob, I believe also that there were two different air cleaners used on first generation Monte Carlos. The one that should be on the SS454s has a wide, rectangular-shaped snorkel inlet. I believe that this air cleaner was also used on the 402 (Turbo-Jet 400) cars, as well. I think that the air cleaner used on small block cars had a smaller, round-shaped snorkel inlet. It sounds like it's got the correct sticker on it, though, for a '71 454. Hope this helps, Dave ------------------ I'm Just Enjoyin' That Great S-S-Sensation; Diggin' My First G-G-Generation.