MCfan

Looks like you have it pretty well sorted out now, Mark. Although that starter you identified seems to meet all of the phyiscal fit and application requirements, I would still suggest you call Summit and discuss it to be sure. But, maybe I'm just paranoid... Hope it all works out well.

Well, Mark, my Powermaster 9502 will obviously NOT work since you have the staggered bolt pattern. You need a starter that is specifically made for that pattern which some listings call "staggered" and some call "off-set". For example, the equivalent high torque mini for a staggered/168 tooth Chevy V8 is the Powermaster XS 9526. NOTE: there are some mini starters available (like the Powermaster 9426) that claim to handle EITHER inline/153 or staggered/168. They come with an assortment of bolts and shims and are more expensive. Also note that just because a mini starter comes with more than two bolts does not necessarily mean it will fit a either bolt pattern. I found several inline only mini starters with two long and one short bolts included. You need to avoid any starter that is listed for "inline" or "straight" bolt patterns ONLY (including the Powermaster 9100 which others have used successfully). As you know, there are several obvious application variables that MUST be considered and matched up for a replacement mini starter to work. Be sure to read the COMMENTS also because I found one that matched all the physical fit criteria BUT the comments section said it was for fuel injected motors ONLY - don't know why, but buyer beware! Probably best to talk to a supplier who has lots of application experience and knows their product line well enough to steer you to the right ones to choose from. Even then, there will probably be various brands, performace levels and prices to consider. Good luck!

Mark, Both the Summit website and the installation manual say this Powermaster 9502 is for Chevy 153 tooth, in line applications. I think counting the teeth on your flexplate might be extremely difficult if not impossible so best to check to see if the two mounting bolts are in line or staggered. Even if your starter is still mounted on your motor, you should be able to crawl under your Monte and determine which bolt alignment you have with a flashlight inspection. Be sure to put jack stands securely under the frame if you jack it up for this inspection - we need all of our members! Good luck.

Hi, Mark, I cannot answer all of your questions regarding number of teeth, staggered vs in line bolt pattern, etc. but I have learned that all of that is very important when selecting a mini-starter. Sounds like some other members can help you with that or you might call the Summit guys for their advice. I bought a new Powermaster 9502 XS Torque mini starter that Summit's application chart said should work on my '70 402 with manual transmission. I also bought the Powermaster 607 starter bolt and shim kit. But when I tried to replace my OEM starter, it wouldn't fit. Turns out the OEM starters for four-speed/flywheel cars all have a steel nose cone on them that makes them different from the automatic/flexplate starters. This is a very powerful mini-starter that will handle up to a 18:1 compression ratio. You can buy it from Summit today for $218.95 and the bolt/shim kit for $11.95 and get free shipping. Here's a LINK to the Summit on-line catalog where you can read all its performance specs and fit requirements. Anyway, I have this new high torque mini-starter and bolt kit I can't use on my 402. I kept them thinking I might use them somewhere else some day but I will let them both go for $130 including USPS flat rate shipping for anyone that can use them. Unfortunately, YOU will need to decide if its specs will match your application. In addition to the big block automatics, the Summit application chart says it will also fit a 1970-1977 Monte Carlo 350 Gen I with automatic transmission but it is specifically for a 153 tooth flexplate so you need to verify what you actually have. Let me know if you are interested but only if you are sure it will work on your Monte. I'd far rather keep it than have another member unhappy with me. Thanks.

Thanks for sharing that photo, Aaron. It confirms my understanding, also. My SS454 car came with a 454 wearing a 402 aircleaner (see photo below) and my 402 car came with a modified engine wearing a chrome aftermarket air cleaner. My intention is to keep the SS car very close to original in appearance (except the tires) so I am in the market for a true 454 aircleaner. Since I don't ever plan to put a stock aircleaner back on the 402, I would be happy to trade someone my 402 body (lids should interchange) for a 454 body. The only problem is that I couldn't work a trade until I get the SS car out of storage in late April. Otherwise, I will continue looking for a 454 air cleaner body or assembly to acquire outright. Sounds like there might be some available.

That's beautiful, Terry! It will be gorgeous when it's all finished and assembled! Even on a factory color re-paint, there's a huge difference between having the front quarters, doors, hood and deck removed and just having them masked off. I have one of each type and notice the difference every time I open something. I'll probably regret not having my blue vinyl roof replaced when the car was painted. The upholsterer I consulted with specializes in custom and classic cars but didn't think he could get that dark blue vinyl in the original grain pattern. Maybe he was just limited by his normal sources. Looking forward to seeing the finished product!

Very nice, Scott! Sounds like you got a good deal, too. Now you just need a step stool to get to that top box! Both floor space and wall space (i.e. for pegboard) seem to be at a premium in my garages. Sometimes up is the only way to go for expansion. I recently upgraded my Craftsman rolling cabinet and drawer chest combo to one about the same size but with ball bearing drawer slides. After transferring the contents, I am now filling up the old one with odds and ends tools and the whole thing is going on my next garage sale. I generally subscribe to the philosophy that you can never have too many tools, but, unfortunately available storage/display space sets some practical limitations.

Congratulations, Dave!! That thing is a beast! I remember the "good ole days" when 1 Hp per Cubic Inch was considered exceptional engine performance. You're pulling 50% more than that with no pressure or juice! If an engine is just an air pump, your's is pumping mighty well. When will you know what it will do in a quarter mile?

Sweet!! Love that look! When I picked up my SS car last summer, both exhaust tips had been smashed nearly flat between the pavement and the bumper (wonder how THAT happened???). Since they were welded onto the tailpipes, I wondered how in the world I was going to open them back up. I finally took a big bench vise (off the bench, of course) and squeezed each tip on their sides while inserting a 3# hammer head into the tip as a mandrel and using another hammer to shape them. They're not perfect like yours, but they came out alright considering ...

Sonny, Here's another set of pictures if you can use them: http://www.firstgenmc.com/ubbthreads/ubb...1859#Post291859

Royce, it's good to know you are finishing out your Monte the way you decided to go. I was worried that you might end up parting it out after trying so long and hard to sell it. I have been impressed with your car since I first saw your signature picture shortly after I joined the club. It has a wicked stance and appearance. Obviously, I like the color combo, also, but it is way too much car for me. Hope you finally get it where you want it and enjoy the heck out of racing it!

Mark, I agree with directly measuring the backspace from the inside, especially since you are running different sized tires front and rear. A consistent measurement from the center of the wheel to the outside on both front and back does not mean you have the same backspace IF the wheel widths are different front and back. In fact, you will probably WANT a consistent measurement on the OUTSIDE for both clearance and appearance sake (especially if you use trim rings on your wheels). Of course, the whole point of increasing the backspace on a wider (i.e. 8" rim) is to move the extra width of a larger/wider tire/wheel combo inward toward the frame and not outward toward your quarter panel. In your signature photo, it looks like you may already have your 275/60-15s on 8" wide rallys and I would bet they have at least 4.5" backspace if not 5". Otherwise, your wheel well lip has probably been altered by rolling or trimming to provide clearance. I did not want to alter the wheel well opening lip when I mounted 275s on the rear so I went with a 5" backspace on an 8" wide rim (the minimum width most tire manufacturers recommend). I have room between the sidewall and the fender lip to insert the fingers of a flattened hand. I also went with 4" backspace on 7" wide wheels on the front with 255s which provide adequate clearance. Those combinations of width/backspace (7/4 front and 8/5 rear) give a consistent outside wheel depth measurement for both clearance and appearance. Just what I've learned from experience .... your setup may be different.

Mine had the SS emblem! Yeah, yeah, I know ... it was neither standard nor an option for a 1970 SS454. But ... it was (and still is) on my SS car when I bought it. At first, it kinda bothered me because the rest of the car was completely original. After shopping around for an "original" wheel, I decided I'd repair the three cracks, repaint the silver highlights, detail it and keep it for awhile. Now that I've done that (after the photo above was taken), I like the way it complements the SS emblem floor mats I also added. If I decide to replace it with an original wheel, I will swap in the original wheel from my other '70 which is in perfect condition and replace that one with a 3 or 4-spoke optional wheel. I've been told this SS wheel is probably from a '69 or '70 Chevelle SS but I haven't verified that and really don't care where it came from.

You have a beautiful pair of '70s, Terry! Happy to see a near-twin to my Astro blue/Dark blue '70. Actually, yours being an SS454 is more like a marriage of my two '70s. I considered several other color combos when I had mine repainted a over a year ago but decided to stay with the original factory colors. I had an upholstery shop evaluate my original vinyl top but he felt it didn't need replacing yet. Glad to know the pattern and color can be custom ordered when the time comes. Looks like you are doing a very complete restoration on your SS car. Anxious to see photos when you get her back together. Hope it all goes well.

Just judging from the comparison of the pictures, it sure looks like an improvement to me. It looks like you now have a brilliant shine in the hood and trunk deck photos. Are you pleased with the final results?

Welcome to the site, Randall. Interesting that you found an SS car with the level ride air compressor still in it. They are often missing, as was the case on my SS car. Looks like you still have the front compressor mounting bracket but I can't see if the rear bracket is still there, perhaps on the back of the compressor? Hang on to all of that stuff as the brackets are more difficult to find than the compressor. Your AC vent configuration is definitely unusual. My non-factory AC car had the Astro vents and control knobs in the kick panel but my factory AC SS car did not. I suppose it is possible someone either retro-fitted Astro vent kick panels to a factory AC car or someone added factory AC to a non-factory AC car that originally had the Astro vents. When I added Classic Auto Air to my non-factory AC car, I was able to retain the use of the lower Astro vent and control knob on both sides, but the upper vents (on each side in the dash) are now used by the AC system. I can't imagine how factory AC could be installed without mutually excluding the function of the upper Astro vent control knob. Good luck with your project!

Robert, So far, I've only used the Surf City Garage "Beyond Black" Tire Pro. How do you like their "shine-on" kit? I was specifically looking for a quality tire treatment that gave a long-lasting, deep black finish without high gloss. I am extremely pleased with the way it works and looks on my BFG tires. A single treatment will last through several washings and it has never turned brown on the surface of my tires like every other tire treatment product I've used has. I was also looking for a semi-gloss, long-lasting vinyl top treatment so I called the customer service number on the bottle to see what Surf City Garage would recommend. To my surprise, they recommended their "Beyond Black" Tire Pro product. So, I tried it on my vinyl top and far prefer it to the Meguiar's product I was using. I plan to try their other wax products, also, but my kids gave me a Meguiar's premium care gift set for Christmas, so I'll need to be discrete about it.

Hi, Murray, I just replaced my oil pressure switch/sending unit (for the dash idiot light) last week because it was the source of a small but persistent oil leak. Oil was dripping onto the driver's side header, creating smoke and odor. I had to remove the driver's side inner fender to get to it as it taps into the block (BBC) just above the oil filter boss and the header tubes were in the way. I was very surprised to discover that switch was the source of the leak, but apparently heat from the #7 header tube damaged the seal between the metal body and the plastic housing around the single electrical spade connector. I fabricated and installed a heat shield (using a short section of cardboard tube completely covered in metal foil thermal tape) around the new switch to hopefully extend its life. The replacement switch I got from Advance Auto Parts was a BWD 5971675 and it only cost $7.99 plus tax. I also have a mechanical oil pressure gauge, but its supply line taps into the block in a separate location below the #2 cylinder. Hope a new switch will also fix your oil leak problem. Good luck.

Scott, assuming you have the ability to buy it now, I think you should be prepared to jump on this deal, especially at $12.5K or below. You've already gotten enough advice on what to look for to be sure it is a true SS car. If it is, and the general condition of the body, interior and drive train are all good, you have found yourself one heck of a deal. And, if it is also matching numbers, it will be even a sweeter deal. I think you will know for sure after looking it over for a few minutes. I paid a lot more for my '70 SS last summer. It was lower mileage but was missing the level ride compressor (everything else was in place). I bought it from only pictures and talking to the owner over the phone. I don't recommend that, of course, because there will always be some surprises, but I am very pleased with my purchase. I got to drive the car quite a bit this summer (it's in storage now) and it was a ball. Even a stock 454 is pretty thirsty, but the torque is worth it. A first gen MC SS is a smooth, powerful and attractive car, period. Good luck with your purchase - you will love it!

Used the '70 SS to run errands this afternoon - gorgeous day - sunny and 62 degrees - rain moves in tomorrow. Sold our Wichita home in five days - need to get the Monte in storage asap so the garage is available for packing and moving activities. Never stored a car over winter before - planning extra anti-freeze, stabil in gas tank, disconnect battery, and jackstands under frame - appreciate any other words of wisdom.

Great videos, Red and Davey! Thanks to you both for sharing the excitement! Hope you don't mind if some of us live vicariously through your hard work and consistently strong performances! Best of luck and success next time out!

Congratulations, Scott! Guess I've never seen it done that way but it obviously worked well for you. You ought to be able to take the control arm/spindle assemblies to a work bench and break those ball joints lose from the spindle any of several ways. Same with removing the ball joints from the control arms - several ways to go now. You've got the frame looking great already - bet this job is going to be a masterpiece when you get it finished!

Although I don't have any pictures to prove it, I am absolutely certain that the air cleaner on my new 1970 Monte Carlo had a "402" (not 400) crossed-flags sticker, as well as, a separate "Turbo-Jet 330 Horsepower" sticker on the air cleaner. I have seen some GM literature that referred to the 402 BBC with the generic 400 Turbo-Jet terminolygy but I've not personally seen it on a 402 air cleaner. I realize that Canada and US did some things differently, as did some US plants, so variations are possible depending on where the car/engine was built.

Or maybe they were embarrassed to advertise what all of their detuning and EPA conformance modifications had done to the performance ratings in just two years.

Mike, Back in March this year a complete setup was offered on CraigsList in Chicago (see post at http://www.firstgenmc.com/ubbthreads/ubbthreads.php?ubb=showflat&Number=312483&Searchpage=1&Main=28045&Words=%224+speed+conversion%22&Search=true#Post312483). If I remember correctly the price was in the $1300 - $1500 range. ROMO or some other member may remember it better. I would think a complete conversion with factory parts that all work together would be well worth that and possibly more. How badly do you want a 4-speed?