Machtuck

Excellent. Thank you very much!

Hi Guys, i found this odd looking clip in my work drawer and quite sure it came from my 72’ Monte. I posted this in the suspension forum as i think it may be related to the master cylinder brake lines. Just not sure. Thanks for any help.

Grapejuice, are you still having this issue? I had the same issue about 3 years ago. Do you have a high volume fuel pump say 120-130 gpm? I couldn't hear the video to well but is it popping out of the carb? It sounds like you are sucking a hose. It is the short one from the pass side where the steel line ends. The hose between the steel line and the pump. Make sure it is not excessively long as it will have a tendency to crimp. I ended up using a shorter piece of trans cooler line as the outer diameter was thicker. Problem was solved.

Glad it is working out for you. I too bought a level 2 with a 2400 converter from BTO. I put it behing a mildly built 402 ( about 360 hp) in the spring of 2012. Overall, i am happy with the exchange. My personal dealings with BTO has been good overall. The owner, Rich Weller is personable and also very knowledgeable. Some of the other techs are not as friendly and seem to come and go. They definitely build a tough transmission. It is imperative that you purchase their proprietary "tv made easy" kit for your carburetor. They base the cable and throttle valve on it soley! The holley 2004r brackets will work but are not optimal and exhibit odd behavior characteristics. (ie. short spring syndrom as well as stack shifting and long spring syndrome . I recently slapped together a 9.7:1 454 with a 800 double pumper and used the holley geometry brackets to save some money. ( i had the quadrajet tv made easy previously). I ended up buying their tv made easy kit for the holley because i didn't like the shifting behavior. Also, i couldn't get the cable to ratchet and had to use a pressure gauge. After buying their kit, the cable immediately ratcheted and shifted much better. Some key recommendations: Always use a pressure gauge when you SET the cable You do not adjust the cable!!!!! You set it and forget it. Period! If it doesn't shift how you like it, consult them about installing a different spring or changing the governor. Yes, the dipstick and converter cover are cheesy, very cheesy. Make sure that you are achieving full throttle at the pedal. Our team member Mike (old blue), advised me through his observation, that i wasn't....in went the lokar cable. Have faith in their durability. I am running a level 2 behind a roughly 500hp big block that gets beat up on...no issues yet. Watch low LSA cams. Unless im on the highway, it lugs and i am currently trying to tune it out...it's futile. Cam is lunati 60212. With 110 lsa. Read BTO's website on the methodology of the 2004r. It is insightful and you will gain an understanding on how these work and when the throttle valve seats and throttle geometry. I have a 3:42 and i'm at 2200 at 70mph. I am considering going to a 3:73. Not much difference but may improve light throttle cruising. Finally, my biggest gripe is i have to shift maually. The governor that came installed, shifts at 4400 rpm at WOT. BTO sells lighter governors for around $100. Feel free to send me a pm if you have any questions and good luck. You'll enjoy your car much more.

Those Lunati cams are both excellent. I have heard the 03 in a 454 and it had plenty of lope. I have a crane powermax 272 216/228 .515/.510 112 in my 402. At 750 rpm and warmed up, it has a noticeable lope to the idle. Not like shake the car but " hi, i'm not a stock factory engine" you can hear the header pulse if that's what you are looking for. The cam has plenty of torque and with 8.7 to 1 402 .030 292 casting heads cleaned up, 1.88 exh valves, perf rpm intake, 800 worked rochester, 3:42 rear, 2004r/ 2400 conv went 13.90/ 98. Spinning the bf goodrich's. This is more less a daily driver with cold air and pwr accessories.

That's LUN pn 60204. Peak power on the 468 should be right around 6000. Maybe more if your using the lunati springs ( pretty high seat and open press). Looks great! Nice choice on those Mahle pistons....light weight and strong. Do you have the pn on those?

Thanks for the compliment. This has been a great go-to website for info, not to mention, courteous people. Will be looking out for your buddy in Hobe Sound. I have met up with Mike in Boca. We are meeting tonight at the local car show at Abacoa.

Changed from a petronix distributor to a MSD HEI street fire. I think the number is 8362, anyways, it operates flawlessly but the tach didn't work. All i had done to the tach wire was switch from a loop to a spade connector. Researched for a week on internet and tried different things but no joy. I finally called MSD and tech advised to add a 10 ohm resistor to the wire. I went to radio shack and bought the resistor- 2 for $1.49. It worked! I called back to learn of the rationale and the tech told me something about the inadequecy of the pulse of the distributor. I should had posted this problem here as alot of you guys probably knew this. Maybe i should had posted this on the electrical... Anyways, something to put in your knowledge repository.

Im in PBG, email me at jlparlette@comcast.net if you need any info. I completed the AC however I'm having a blower motor issue. Thanks Vaughn.

The only issue that i have had is the oil pressure gauge was intermitten. Upon a quick investigation, i discovered debris in the sending unit. Problem solved. As far as the cost...well, it was about $700. This included a new dash cluster from ausley's. The old one was destroyed thanks to my not taking care to package it correctly when i sent it off. Well worth the price. Car is almost done. Just finished complete ac resto and currently putting together a 30 over 454 just for fun. Will post pics when i get a chance.

I had a similar problem a few years ago. I was completely stymied as i had changed everything in the ignition. I hooked up a fuel pressure gauge and fuel press went to zero at WOT. Changed fuel pump and no joy. After inspecting everything from tank to eng, i found that fuel hose from chassis to pump was collapsing when i revved the eng. it was a new line but had no backbone. I then used a piece of trans cooler line...problem soved.

I didn't measure the magnets but i believe that if the manufacturer constructed a rectangular magnet, it would fit like the original.

Thanks for the kind words guys. Bruce to answer your question, i never really had any indication for loss of DC. My amp gauge remained at zero reguardless of load. Should i switch on headlights and other accessories, it would flicker but never indicate the amount of amperage draw. If i lose a generator on the plane i fly, i get a " gen fail" annunciator. No joy on the monte. Dennis, they are ken harrison ( kenwood) 40 watt chevelle "direct bolt in" 4" speakers that i purchased from NPD for $92. They sound very good and the magnet on drivers side is tight but not in contact with the printed circuit or harness. If you need more info on the brackets or installation, please send me a pm. I need to send the final product pics as i detailed the silver trim and polished the burlwood. Also, i pulled the ac ducts and vent assembly and applied POR-15 to the entire firewall and dash frame. The problem with these older autos is the lack of grounds. If you'll notice on the pic the top of the dash, around the headlight switch, i placed a groundstrap. This added some marginal effectiveness ( noticeably) to the dash lighting and instruments. Once again thanks for the kind words. It's great to be part of a awesome forum.

Thanks to Dennis and others on this forum who guided me through the process of posting pictures. I am not exactly computer savy. I have taken some pics of the resto and found the job to be easier than I thought. After reinstalling the dash, I thought that i damaged the printed circuit in the process. After taking the dash back out, i found that it was indeed in good shape. I did however replace it anyways. Gary the Tachman in south carolina did an oil pressure conversion from the lackluster amp gauge. I actually sent him the whole gauge cluster and callibrated tach, speedo, gas gauge, and added a new quartz clock assembly. He also polished the plastic cover. The only element that went amiss was the fact that I did not ship the cluster exactly like he said (package it). Unfortunately, the cluster itself was in 63 pieces. As a result, i had to order the new backing from Ausley's at $110. I have to say that Gary did a remarkable job and his prices were reasonable. As far as the driver side speaker is concerned, I simply built some aluminum strap brackets and the interference is little to nil. As you will see in the pics, I used some packing foam as well. Here is the link to My Photobucket Dash album. http://s1159.photobucket.com/albums/p635/Psychomonte/Dash%20Restoration/

Ditto

Just purchased an assembly manual and unlike other assembly manuals, it doesn't include a wiring diagram. Could someone fire one up if you have one? I'm doing a dash resto and I have a plug that looks like it is out of place. thanks

Sno, here's the deal As others will attest, you can attain your goal with your current setup. A stout mechanical roller and a set of race rites ( brodix), will achieve this. Expect your power band to be around 3200-6800 rpms. This will be fine initially however, if you really beat on it, your stock rotating assembly is not going to acommodate this. Drivability and vacuum will be diminished. As you can see, you begin to get yourself in a game of cat and mouse between your components. A forged bottom end will be needed for prolonged beatings. Also, those pistons are heavy. I used those many years ago on a 454 i had in a camaro. They are LS6 rebuilders and they are probably giving you the 9 to 1 that you said you had. If you are going to just re- ring these pistons and use them, You need to be very careful about your piston to valve clearance when upgrading to the hyd roller cam. More 2 cents: If you elect not to go the stroker route, lower your hp goal and concentrate on a nice street motor with lots of torque that will still be loads of fun and deliver years of reliability. Bowl those 781's and stab a hyd roller in the mid to high 230's intake duration. Check how far the pistons are in the cyl. ( probably around .025). If you are looking for more compression, you may need to omit decking the block for it. Again, those pistons are known for p to v issues. Mock it up and check. You may be able to skim .010- .015 off the deck. Your decision for a roller is sound as bbc have been know for eating them. I personally have wiped two cams, smallblock 283 and pontiac 400. Alot of the woes of cam failure evolve from erroneous spring pressures and people tend to get lazy on the actual procedure. I have made cam break in day a national holiday at my household. I fill the radiator the night before and have a garden hose available. I use a test light to get the disributor dead nuts so it will fire right up. Fuel is place directly in the fuel bowl, and i sacrifice one small chicken with two hell marys. If you go the flat tappet route, follow the cam manufaturer's procedure. I like mechanical flat tappets just for the sound and because they're old school cool. A nice stout one will be good with your gear. Good luck Sno.

Also, always always, use the recommended springs that the cam company suggests. Spend the nominal $ and have your machinist set up the springs on the heads. ( installed height for proper seat and open pressures and spring rate).

Mike and Davey are correct, watch the geometry. Bbc valve train is heavy. Lots of opinions ( all are good). Here is mine: It sounds like you would like to drive this car on the street and roast the tires every now and again. Do you live near a track? How far? Does the existing shortblock have flat top pistons? If so, your compression is probably in and around 8.2 to 1 rather than 9 to 1 ( 781 head is probably 119 cc, .039 gasket and .024 in the cyl). It sounds like you are not on a shoestring but more like a moderate budget. If you are going to do a complete rebuild, might i suggest going the 496 route. There are some decent stroker kits going for $1300 balanced. Scat or eagle ( both chinese) but a better part of China! I would keep the 781's, bowl blend add 2.19/ 1.88 11/32 back cut stainless valves, knock off the extra slag only. Get a 3 angle. Nevermind the titanium retainers, the hyd profile you are going to use will not warrant it. Do use a moly retainer however. Lunati is a good cam company, i have used a few of them with desired results. Look at competition products. They carry a good selection of howards hyd roller grinds with the sportsman morel lifter. They are currently $ 561, cam and lifters. They will grind it on whatever lsa you request at no charge. I would go 108-110 personally. If you are going to stay with 454, go with 235 to low 240's duration at .050 if going 496, go mid 240's to low 250's at .050 ( i personally like sing pattern grinds only because i have been using them for years and there is lots of evidence that indicate if your exhaust is adequate, dual pattern cams may not be needed for the exh scavenging. The edelbrock performer rpm is an excellent intake. If you have the $$$$ and go with 496, use holley 950 hp. What size tire do you have? 3:73 stinks on the street, especially if you have to drive the car any distance. The above rotating assy generally gives a compression of 10.25 ( i think the pistons are around the - 20cc dome) will do ok on 92. Please note that this is my opinion as i respect the talents and knowledge of the the other members. It sounds like you would like to do this only once and just enjoy it. Good for you. Remember, you will always want more, ask me how i know. I have built many bbc's and the 496 is very formidable, a perfect match for our heavy montes. Save the money from the almn heads and put it into the 496 rotating assy. I promise you will not be sorry.. There will be some grinding of the block and and a stroker oil pan will be in order. This engine with a 3:08 gear, 25-2800 converter, 27 inch tire, 2 inch headers, and 2.5 inch exh with dynomax or equivalent will easily deliver low 12 sec and around the 112 mph. Lose the 3:73 gear and have fun!!!

I have a 1972 with a 402. The top is factory intake and quadrajet. Since I have owned this car, I have had difficulties with the eng idle while the compressor is operating. The load of the compressor drags the idle to less than desirable. For years, people have argued the purpose of an idle stop solenoid. Through personal research and experience, I have surmised that it's purpose is to open the throttle blades to prevent dieseling with lower compression engines and catpi$$ gasoline. My question is do any of you Monte guys have a solenoid that activates when the ac is turned on? I have a tan wire going to my stop solenoid that activates the solenoid when the key is turned on. I followed the wiring and it was not altered from the original harness. There is a plug near the throttle of the carb that has a black, 2tan and a green wire with a white stripe. Since I don't have a wiring diagram, I am unable to determine what this plug is for. Is it for cruise control? Any help is appreciated as I have never run into this issue before.

I have had this issue as well with sbc's. Even ones that I raced. There are two things that are probably evident from what you describe. You have a STD vol oil pump and the mains are on the loose side...say .0025-.0035. What is your idle rpm? This sounds simplistic but the rule of thumb is 10 psi per one thousand rpm. If your idle is low, your Current psi is representative of this rule. I see no reason to be concerned as long as it increases quickly with throttle input and you hear no funny noises. Consider a new gauge as well as these may be even slightly erroneous through time.

Thanks. Working on some pics. I have had some pontiacs and other gm cars but I have always thought that the fgmc has always been a classy car; so I bought one. Going to be doing a dash resto and will probably need some advice. There are some beautiful owner pics on this site I also have a restored 1966 el camino with a 406 that I race. Still love my cruiser monte though. Didn't intend to hijack the thread.

Hi everyone, I am new here. Very happy to be here. Ok the intro is out of the way. I have the same 72/402 combo. Here's what I did: Replaced 2:73 with eaton series 3 carrier w/ Richmond 3:42 ring and pinion Moser axles- heavy car, you should have em' 2500 converter 402- .030 over hyper pistons, crane hyd flat tap 216/228 515/510 112 lsa Casting 292 heads- bowl blend these and add the 1.88 exh valves keep the intake the same 2.06, all stainless and back cut. I took only .010 off the heads and kept the STD deck. Use mr. Gasket .019 head gasket. - this should get you about 8.9 to one with 113 cc and .180 dome. I use the exhaust manifolds ( grind the air fitting bosses and smooth the turns) Factory intake. Quadrajet done by jet performance. The car is 3960 with me and runs 14.30's spinning the tires all day. I agree, if you want quick and easy, headers and gear. Your choice with 12 bolts is limited to 3:08- 3:42. 3:31 are avail but I couldn't find them at the time. I think the 3:23 ratios are very hard to find but are found in olds 12 bolts. With the 820/ 292 casting heads done like above and a small hid roller, this really wakes the 396/402's up.