RickWillson

Ordered a brand new carpet kit, it should be here in the next few days. I will take some pics of the change out. Rick

Thanks Guys, here are a couple more pics of it. Rick

I built one of these! Not sure if I want to paint it or polish it! Rick

Thanks guys, I think I have it narrowed down. I have installed a ford solenoid and that didnt fix it. The starter that is on it right now is a new (not rebuilt) one I got from Carquest. The problem with it is the bolts holding the solenoid were loose and one fell out. Ok, I fixed that, then the bolts holding the starter together were actually loose. I called Carquest and they will replace it. I pick it up Thursday when I get to town. I am also going to get a heat shield of some sort, or a wrap. Hopefully my starter issues will be over. Thanks again, Rick

The last and current one is a brand new one, not rebuilt. I got it from Carquest. Rick

Nope, I didnt get a chance to play with the Monte today. Its been raining pretty hard here for the last few days and it looks like it is gonna keep it up for a few more days. Maybe this weekend! Rick

Well, thats one of those "things that make ya go HHMMM!" I think thats a good idea Mr. Bane! Thanks for that. It does make perfectly good sense. You know, the "start" wire runs right down between 2 header pipes, and that would make the smaller wire get hot quicker. I shall give it a try. Rick

Hi Doug, Thanks for responding. I have always been told there are no such things as dumb questions, but then again a coworker proved me wrong:-) So, anyway, yes, the first one acted just like that - practically dead for several cranks then starts. Almost all of them had this clunking noise and then buzzing noise. You know, its really hard to explain sounds and noises a starter makes. After the first one started acting up I replaced it with a rebuilt one, for a chevy 350 from the parts house. It left me stranded in a parking lot about 75 miles from home. I replaced it in the parking lot with a brand new one from Carquest. And it is the one that lost its bolts. There is still some clunking going on, I even put spacers between the starter and block just to make sure it wasnt too close. The main wire is "00" wire coming directly from the battery. The other wire is about 12 gauge wire going to the post on the right (looking from the back of the starter, or front of the engine). No other wires. Rick

This is probably something that has already been posted, but I couldn't find it, so here goes. I have gone thru 3 starters in 2 months! I am not sure what is going on, at first I thought it was heat related, but the header pipes are about 5 to 6 inches away from the starter. And when I start it cold it still has problems. 1 of the starters was working fine, then all the sudden it just clicked when I tried to start the car. I think I found the problem with it, it was the 2 bolts that hold the solenoid on. 1 of them was missing and the other was loose. You know how you get that awful sound when the bendix stops bendixing? Well one of the 3 was doing that. I took it back to the parts house and they tested it and said it was fine. I put it back on the car and it did the same thing, guess where the bolts for the other starter came from? You got it! Anybody have any ideas? Do I need to put a ground strap directly on my starter? Rick

I took my Monte to its first car show today. It won 3rd place in the '70's class! Not bad for her first time! Rick

Well, I installed my engine and new transmission yesterday. Runs like a top! The transmission is a Turbo 350 out of a pickup and it shifts different than the old one, but I am very pleased with it. I only paid $100 for the transmission from a guy on Craigslist. I was worried that it wouldn't work, but it works just fine. Polished up the engine and got the Monte all spiffy today getting it ready for my first car show this Saturday. I am getting excited! Rick

Well, I got a car show coming up on the 12th, and I drove my monte to town the other day and the tranny went out on the way back. Long story short, I got another tranny. So today I pulled the engine and tranny. I have a couple oil leaks on the engine so now is the time to fix it up. I will be reinstalling on Sunday and I hope everything goes as planned and I can make it to the show on the 12th. Rick

Also, I found another Turbo 350 on craigslist for $150 and yesterday I went to look at it and offered the guy $100 and he took it. So, now I have (hopefully) a tranny that will work for me. It doesnt have the shift kit like mine does, but (again hopefully) it will get my monte back on the road for the car show on the 12th. And even if it doesnt work, it does have a front pump in it. Thanks again, Rick

I dropped the pan today and there is no pickup tube in the Turbo 350. The filter mounts directly to a housing and there are 2 screws holding it in place with a gasket under it. So I have to assume its the front pump. Thanks guys, Rick

OK thanks Bob, I will def check that before I start pulling it. Rick

Thanks Steve. The fluid I drained didn't look burnt, and I didn't notice any silver sludge in it. That doesn't mean it wasn't there, I may not have looked that good for it. But, as it turns out, my son has a 69 Firebird sitting here with a Turbo 350 in it. It is a good tranny and he wants to convert the bird to a 4 speed anyway so he told me to go ahead and yank that tranny. Mine has a shift kit in it and his doesn't, but that really doesn't matter at this point. Also, mine has a cracked housing near the pilot hole near the starter anyway, so I think this is going to work out just fine. I would like to thank everyone for your help tho. Rick

Thats a good idea, and cheaper than a pump, if thats what is wrong. Thanks Thanh, Rick

Well, it looks like the front pump is probably the problem. Could there be anything else that would cause the issue? Or does this sound like it might be the main cause? Thanks guys, I appreciate all your help. Rick

Thanks for the tip Mr. Bane. I just tried that, and no fluid came out. I had put a new filter in and cleaned out the oil pan less than 300 miles ago, so I am pretty sure that its not clogged up (as Rod suggested). So, I guess I have to assume it is a front pump gone bad. Are they hard to replace? Rick

Anybody know what would make a tranny just stop working? I was driving my monte back from town yesterday and all the sudden it kicked out of gear! I pulled her over and checked the tranny fluid and it is full. Tried to put it into gear and nothing. The linkage is all hooked up, but no gears work at all. I am going to check the vac hose to see if it came loose, but other than that I am at a loss as to what might have gone wrong. Any suggestions? Thanks guys, Rick

I replaced both lower ball joints today. She drives much better. I will be replacing both upper ball joints in a few days. Should be nice and tight after that. Rick

Hi Dave, Do you know what wattage the power supply is? You can go to www.frys.com and order a new power supply for a reasonable amount and have it shipped to your door. It is fairly easy to install it, just a few screws and a few plugs. Rick

Thanks guys. I found this tranny on craigslist. It is out of an 86 camaro, comes with bell housing and a rear end. Sounds like a good deal to me. My son can use the redend on his '68 Firebird so we might go in on it together. Rick

I think it is a T5

Does anyone know if this tranny will work in my 72 Monte? I have a 350 engine and a turbo350 trany now. Thinking about converting it to a manual. Thanks, Rick