MGD72Monte

Had a great time, nice to meet all of you. With my long way around the western part of the state to get there I clocked in over 550 miles round trip plus a first trip across a ferry for the Monte. Met a lot of nice people camping and travelling along the way. Not a drop of rain and the old girl ran smooth the whole time, attracting attention wherever we stopped. Will have to look into some oil consumption and possible coolant disapearance though. Glad to see everybody made it back home in spite of some possible mechanical issues. Thanks for posting the pictures Aaron and can't thank Jake and especially Deb enough for running an efficient HQ and providing some key logistics and shelter from those ferocious mosquitoes!

Here is a link to the thread on the info I got from GM Canada. The last post on the thread describes exactly what I received. Vintage Information Package

As a follow-up, I received my package a few days ago. Here is what the $57.75 got me. The package I received from GM Canada was composed of two parts. The first specifically applicable to my car and the second general Monte spec info. Part I: A three page letter on GM letterhead signed by Vintage Vehicle Services with the following details specifically focused on my car: - trim, paint, top (colours) - production plant - exact production date - exact shipping date - model number - engine type - engine serial number - Dealer name and city - Total Number of Montes produced at the GM Oshawa plant for sale in Canada - Number of Montes with A/C (like mine) produced by the plant - List of 23 specific options applicable to my car including some interesting ones I did not know about such as AM radio, white stripe tires and rally wheels. Part II: 56 page package with general 1972 Monte info including sales brochure type related feature descriptions, serial numbers and identification explanations, list of standard exterior and interior equipment, list of extra cost equipment. Monte Dimension and weights, Body exterior paint process, exterior-interior colours, chassis specs (frame and front suspension, rear axle and suspension, bulbs and lamps, fuses and circuit breakers), power trains specs (power team combinations, power team multiplication factors, engine data and ratings, engine speed and piston travel, vehicle performance factors, principal components, fuel system, exhaust and ventilation system, lubrication system, cooling system, electrical system, clutches, three and four speed transmissions, powerglide transmission, turbo hydramatic transmission) The best features of the package are some key details about my car such as the exact production and shipping dates, original dealer and the interesting options I did not know my car originally had. I Googled the dealership and found out it still is in business. I hope to make a pilgrimage there some time in the future for a photo. I’m thinking maybe on the exact 40th anniversary of its shipping date, next year. Personnaly, in the absence of a build sheet, I think the cost of the package was worth it as I am a bit of a history buff when it comes to this car. When I first removed the interior, I found and kept little traces of its history including a couple of old receipts from the 1970s, a Free pass for drive in movie expiring 30 Dec 1972, and a 1974 credit card gas receipt signed by the original owner for 10.2 Gallons. Hopefully this helps someone decide whether they want to order the package or not.

Hey Mark, sorry for the slow reply, I had not noticed your question. The total depth of my Tach is 3".

I have a 350 turbo hydramatic and had that happen to me twice, after the car sat for about 8 months or more. During a 6 month winter storage or driving it once in a while, it is pretty much fine. The theory is similar to wallaby's explanation. Over an extended period of time, all of the fluid ends up draining in the pan and the level reaches areas which don't typically bathe in fluid and/or apply more pressure to other areas. If these areas include seals and gaskets that are not in prime condition, it leaks out until the level gets back to its regular height (in my case losing about 1L or so). I have found it impossible to determine exactly where it was leaking from. One interesting point is that mine only started doing this after I had the transmission flushed and filled by one of those tranny shops offering this specialized service. What a mechanic friend of mine said that with these old trannies, the seals/gaskets get old but dirt and debris accumulate in these areas helping them seal. When you have it flushed out vigorously as these processes tend to do, you remove all of this debris and the tranny is more prone to leakage as the seals/gaskets are old. The cheapest solution, is to drive it more and not let it sit for so long. It has worked for me. Hope this helps a bit.

Thanks for the additional input guys, I don't think I will go with that kit. I am considering a replacement set from a 1970 in a nearby junk yard. Saw them a while back. They are not perfect, but the scratches don't seem to be as bad as mine. Either that or start driving with the windows down all the time.

On mine I used steel wool to clean up the area, then sprayed flat black paint. Once the paint was dry, I carefully used steel wool on the top of the ridges to expose the chrome ridges. They came out great. Good luck.

Interesting, I think I'll have to give those guys a call and see if they can convince me this is worth the money. I'll post back with results if I decide to give it a shot. Thanks for the help

My rear quarter windows have some noticeable scratches on the exterior . They kind of follow the movement path of the window, likely from being moved up and down for 38 years with power windows; possibly made worse by dirt/grit on the inside of the roof seal. If I run my fingernails I can clearly feel a depth to the scratches. Any fix to this or am I left to search for replacements? I don't really want new because they will probably make the door ones look bad, but the scratches are ugly.

Mark, Here is my solution to having a tach but keeping it subtle. This 2 5/8" Autometer piece is clearly visible from the driver's seat and does not result in any changes to the dash. Hope this gives you some ideas.

Darren, thanks for taking the time to detail all the contact info, that's great, I will definetly give those numbers a try. Dennis, thanks for outlining what was in your package, that's good to know. I'm going to keep my fingers crossed that the current $50 price offers something more specific. Either way, I'll let you guys know what happens. Cheers

Daren, Yes, my car was made in Oshawa and sold in Ontario. I would appreciate any info you have. That package sounds worth it. Thanks

Rob, Thanks, that's the number I called. They told me that was not the correct department. They first referred me to GM restorations phone number and site. The site had nothing except a couple of trim/console parts for sale. The lady at the restorations phone number told me she had heard of the packets but she did not have them and she had no idea how to get them. How can you work in GM's restoration department and be so clueless about this ? Anyway, I went back to the 1020 number and this time they referred me to the correct number and the media archive site I indicated above. The phone number leads you to a recording which advises you of the cost of the packet and asks you to leave your order on a phone msg or order through the media site. The site/phone price is the same. I'm thinking that this must be part of GM's post bankrupcy get well plan (i.e. no more free stuff ). Basically I haven't decided if I'm going to order this yet. I haven't heard anyone say what is really in there for the Monte to judge if it's really anything more than I already have. Stuff I don't have that I would be interested in: - any assembly line related details (I already know where it was built so maybe total Monte production for this plant, etc...) - which dealership it was delivered to and when - window sticker details like MSRP - date of purchase, etc... Thanks

I had heard of a GM restoration packet which would provide all kinds of info about my 72 Monte. After getting some numbers from GM, I ended referred to GM Media Archive . As the site and their phone message says: For a fee of $50, the GM Heritage Center will decode the vehicle identification number (VIN), the body plate/trim tag codes and provide photocopies of product literature including (when available): - Divisional Engineering Specifications - AMA/MVMA Specifications - Product Selling Information/Salesperson's Guides - Options and Accessories Information - Paint and Trim Guides - Sales Literature - Owner's Literature - Production Volumes I already have decoded my VIN and body plate, I have the list of all the previous owners of my car but still like to get my hands on anything historical about the car I can. Has anyone out there ordered this package? What really is in there for the Monte? Is it worth the $50? Thanks

I did not know him personaly but if his willingness to help by providing high quality tech advice is any indication he was indeed a great guy and will be missed. Way too young! My sympathies.

Ah, never a truer word spoken. I'me just back on the road after a year and a half on blocks... for this phase! And it seems other house residents just don't appreciate the challenge in finding room for the parts, but I found that with some strategic repositioning of the furniture you can make more efficient use of otherwise wasted house space. Here are just some suggestions from my experience. These can also make for some good animated discussions with other residents about priorities, etc... Living Room: Making use of dead space in front of the fireplace Front closet: Just tell guests to keep their coats on. Behind furniture, under the bed, on the coffee table also work well. For the really dirty parts, use a tarp on the floor but make sure to refer to it as a temporary "area rug". Keep up the good work!

Interesting. Of the 5 messages I have, three are linked to specific photos and two are not. They are just messages people left for me asking me questions in general relating to my albums but not tied with a photo. It is those ones, (i.e. not linked to a specific photo) that I cannot find a reply to.

I'm not sure I understand. Here is a better description or my question: If I start from the message board page, and click on "Gallery", I end up on a page which has the following options to select from (towards the top left): My Photos · My Albums · My Favorites [ 5 messages ] If I click on [5 messages], I see the 5 messages different people left for me, some of which are comments on specific photos I posted. I replied to some of these messages in the past. Where can I find the replies I sent out? All I see is the messages left for me. Thanks

If I go to "My Messages", I get a list of messages people left for me. I click on "reply" to provide the sender with a response to his message. Once I send the message, I get a note that the message has been sent. Can I see what I have just sent off after it has gone out? A sort of "sent items" folder. I can't seem to locate any replies I have sent out. Thanks

I had a similar problem years ago after the car sat for a long time and I drove it again. After a couple drives, I could no longer get in low gear. I had some tranny shop look at it, but they were clueless. As I recall, I ended up finding it to be a small part/bracket that connects to the horseshoe lever inside the console that was simply loose. I was able to re-adjust it and tighten it down. As suggested in one of the earlier responses, I recommend taking the top off the console and scanning the linkage attachment points, moving the lever back and forth to better spot the problem. If this is the problem, you should be able to notice that the linkage won't always be moving with the lever. I hope that's all it is. Best of luck.

Great, found it, I had not thought of going under the edit. For the benefit of other readers: the process requires moving photos one by one by first selecting a photo to view then selecting "edit photo", then "change category" and from there you can send it to whichever of your existing albums you want by selecting from the drop down list. Thanks for the quick response Ian, appreciate the help!