wallaby

Just from the info we have here, it sounds like a loose set of bolts or a cracked flexplate. The cracked flexplate isn't too common, so bolts should be #1. It sounds as if something is rattling back & forth when the engine idles, but the sound goes away when you speed up (smooth out) the engine speed. Does the sound go away when you put a load on the engine? My first guess would be the torque converter to flexplate bolts, and if those are loose you want to tighten them right away.

I just had a thought. I believe all the trans fasteners are torqued in INCH POUNDS. If you tried to torque them in FOOT POUNDS that would explain why the fasteners broke. Double check those torque values, it may not be the fault of the wrench.

All the numbers info is here at the FGMCC. Go to the home page and click on TECHNICAL INFO.

Just a thought here: How big is the hole you have to drill? It looks like maybe you could drill the door frame, but the hole in the door itself is the tough one. Is this correct? If so, then why not use a chassis punch to create the hole in the door? You would have to drill a small pilot hole for the punch, but if that could be done (even if it is crooked) then the punch could make the finished hole with the turn of a wrench. I found some on E-bay in the $20 range. Here is a photo near the bottom of this page: http://www.radiodaze.com/tooltool.htm

I agree. About the only thig that will crack a flexplate is bending motion. The name "flexplate" would indicate that the unit is designed to accept some bending, but if things are too misaligned it will break. The engineers have a neat name for this: Psycho-Fatigue. It means that every time a piece of material is bent, it "remembers", and is forever weakened that little bit. Continue bending back & forth and the piece eventually breaks. (I have used this method to break bailing-wire with my bare hands!) The clue is in the direction of the crack. I know I have an alignment problem in an old 4x4 of mine. The bellhousing is at fault. The crankshaft and the trans input shaft don't meet up straight, they are just a little bit off, but it eventually will break the center out of my clutch. In my case, the result is a clean circular crack around the middle. Take a look at the rag joint in your steering shaft and you can see the motion that happens when the shaft rotates out of line. Imagine that on the back of your engine spinning at 3000+ rpm! First step is to be sure the engine and trans mating surfaces are clean, and there are no wires or debris clamped between the two pieces. Make sure that both of the big guide dowels are still there. These are important to align the trans to the engine; the bolts can't do it by themselves. Your problem could be as simple as a couple of loose bellhousing bolts.

I have to admit it put tears to my eyes to read all the nice things again. George was a great guy, and he had some good friends here. The award idea using his name is outstanding. That issue of the newsletter is a keeper for sure.

So you plan to put together something like a Trans Am car from the 70's? That would be awesome. I would love to see a Monte done in that flavor. We need a mighty Monte in the pack with the likes of these: http://www.historictransam.com/racephotos/Monterey2002.htm

I just noticed the "We miss you George" at the top of the page. I can't tell you how touching I find that to be. George had some good friends.

Yea, you pretty much got the idea there Mike. The higher stall converters introduce what feels like slippage, and it lets the engine rev higher where it can make more power instead of bogging at low speed. Mostly this is an advantage when you try to accelerate from a dead stop, but it can help some at gear changes also. The magic of a torque converter is that it converts torque. A good converter will multiply engine torque maybe 1.5 1.8 times, so that explains why auto trans cars get by with the 2.73 rear gears when manual trans cars use 3.33 gears. (stock converters do this too). Personally, I don't like high-stall converters. The slippage makes the engine seem disconnected sort of. I like the feel of instant hookup like you have with a manual trans. Snap the throttle and it snaps your neck. Stall converters remove that sensation it seems. The way I see it, if you have trouble with wheelspin, your motor is reving freely already and a converter won't help you go any faster.

With the gear change you'll have less need for the high-stall converter. If the gears are going in either way, i'd do them first THEN decide if you need more RPM from a stall converter.

Oh, wow. George was a great guy. I hung out with him in his garage on several occasions. He was always willing to share his know-how, and freely handed out whatever extra parts he had. I have one of his rear fender extensions on my car right now; my original had been poorly drilled for the SS trim. He wouldn't trade, and wouldn't take my money, either. He was that kind of guy. George was the one that somehow managed to get all us Sacramento members together for a picnic a while back. That was the first time I met any of the local guys, and as usual, George was unable to bring his Monte because he was in the midst of doing major work on the car. He drove an old beat-up pickup;He knew his car wasn't ready, but arranged the picnic to meet the people. He had just finished his car. He did all the fabricating and design work himself, and body and paint work as well. The first paint job wasn't as good as he had hoped, so he started over and did it again. It turned out to be a very well done pro-street Monte built to be driven. . . George and I had planned to caravan up to the Western meet together. I waited at the gas station for several hours and eventually had to leave without him. I had a heavy heart the entire weekend thinking maybe he needed my help. (gulp) I will miss him terribly.

Today is the day! We're off to the Western meet. George, you have mail.

No. We don't count them, but we call them significant.

Sounds good to me, though. It was 102 yesterday... when I get there maybe I'll be interested in one of those club jackets! HaHa

This should be exciting! The Eastern meet gets thunderstorms, and the Western meet gets a forrest fire! The fire started three days ago and is reported to be 30% contained. A dozen homes have been destroyed, and they were located less than 3 miles from the hotel where we will be staying. More than 20 aircraft are helping to battle the blaze. I figure that if they contain 30% in three days, then the fire will be under control in another week. On the bright side (?) the smoke in the air will make for some beautiful sunsets, and the sky will be full of vintage aircraft. I might have to go up there early. LOL

Since we are talking about starters, I ask the guy for a starter for a '71 chevy with a big-block. He pushes some buttons then replies "standard or automatic trans"? Maybe it's just me, I thought a chevy starter was a chevy starter. I know he wants to get me the right part but is a manual trans starter different?

Darn it George, I thought I was the only one who knew that trick! Use thick grease and you may need to pack it several times to get the bushing out. You don't really need to grease the new bushing or the shaft. It sounds like a good idea, but the lube will spin out onto your new clutch. The bushing is made of OILITE, and it is a graphite-impregnated bronze and is designed to run dry.

Carb spacers increase the intake plenum area, and make the carbs behave as if they were bigger.

It's not too bad. It's like dropping the trans pan and changing the filter, plus pulling out the valve body and changing its' gasket. It isn't hard and the kit comes with good directions with photos. Its just messy.

George, my book on restoring auto trim has a section about doing aluminum, but they don't even mention how to get past the anodizing. I did a quick search online for removing anodizing, and there are places that sell the chemicals required but they never say what the chemicals are. There are also a bunch of do-it-yourselfers using oven cleaner or lye, but the stuff eats aluminum faster that it eats anodizing. It looks as if the aluminum turns a dark grey as well. It might be fun to experiment, but it sounds like a lot of work.

OK, thought I'd update. My plans are set and there are a couple of us coming from the Sacramento area. We figure to leave Friday morning and then there will be the rumble of a procession of first Gen. Montes snaking their way through the Sierras into Nevada! It is a beautiful drive through the woods on Hwy 50 as we climb over the summit and then drop into the Lake Tahoe basin. I have to remember this is a cruise headed to Carson City, and NOT a Pikes Peak type of event! I'm getting pretty excited and looking forward to seeing some nice cars and people there. If anyone is interested in joining us for the drive, you can contact me and we can try to put it all together. See Ya there!

This is getting interesting. My '71SS came with the 3.31 gears. I have seen Chevelles with all kinds of gears; 355, 370, 411, 456... But Montes built with big-numbered gears is rare? That seems strange. I guess it fits with the end of the muscle car era, the prices of fuel, and the image of luxury that Chevrolet pushed on the Monte Carlo.

George, my tech manual shows only one area that might cause both of the symptoms you describe: (no reverse, and no engine braking in first gear) They say to check the rear servo and oil seal ring, bore or piston damaged, or a short band apply pin.

It might help to actually buy one of those seals, or at least look at one at the parts store. That way you can clearly see what you are up against.

I have used stuff like that in customer's cars. There are lots of brands that sell a similar product for engine, trans and power steering system leaks. Generaly what they do is they have an additive that will attack and swell rubber it comes in contact with. It will soften up old brittle seals but if it stays in contact too long, it would ruin the rubber part. Seals and cork/rubber gaskets react to this stuff and might swell up enough to stop a leak if it is minor. What makes it work is that they only use a small ammount of the additive, and engine heat will make it evaporate out of the mix in a short time so it is considered safe to use. Open a bottle up at the parts house and you will smell it. Of course the container says something like: "Guaranteed to stop all leaks, if it doesn't, mechanical repairs may be needed."