Mike Brichta

I was wondering how you fix it after you get it out? Is there a better more modern fix? Thanks, Mike

That's kind of what I thought. I just didn't want to have to kick myself later for letting something good go to the scrap yard. Thanks for your help. Mike

My neighbor is going to junk his 72 Chevy dump truck which has a 366 cu in BB engine in it. I'm not sure which trans is in it, but would it be worth checking out for my monte? Is a truck trans the same as a car trans? Is it better or worse? Worth pulling for a rebuild? What are the pros and cons? Thanks, Mike

Hi Mark, I have been trying for some time to find a nice set of the reveal moldings for my car, but have not been successful. How long did it take you to find them and how much can I expect to pay? Thanks, Mike

I know that you mentioned that you are doing a "frame-off" of your 71, but a less expensive alternative would be to use a crossmember from a Chevelle. They do not use the "end rubbers and bracket", but rather simply bolt to the frame holes which are already there. Even the trans mount is the same. I switched a few of my montes over to the Chevelle type because the monte type also seem to hold water and eventually the crossmember ends, rubbers and brackets rust away. Just a thought. Mike

Thanks for the reply Jim. I figured they would be the same. A guy close to where I live was selling a TH350 from a 76 Firebird and a TH400 trans from a Buick (year unknown) for $10 each. They were both complete and in great working condition when removed (he said). So, I figured I would pick them up for spare parts for my next rebuild. I just wanted to check out if they were in fact the same for parts purposes. Thanks, Mike

Am I correct in assuming that a BPO TH350 trans and a Chevy TH350 trans are the same except for the housing? In other words, are the internal components the same in both and are they interchangeable? Also, does that same assumption apply to the TH400? Thanks, Mike

Hi 1971-MonteCarlo, I emailed you the wiring Diagram. Let me know if you get it ok and if you have any questions. Mike

Hi Wayne, I had a similar problem when I put my th400 in. However, I just wanted mine to downshift sooner, so I simply put a short peice of rubber hose over the lever on the switch where it contacts with the pedal. That shortened the distance between the switch and pedal. It worked great and has been on for about 4 years now. Hope that helps. Mike

Well, I finally got up enough nerve and decided to do it .. rebuild my TH350 trans and now I need some help and have some questions. My trans went bad a few months ago and when I took it to get rebuilt, my trans guy showed me that many of the major componants were worn too badly to use again. So, essentially I had four boxes of parts and a housing case for spare parts. Yesterday I purchased a second used TH350 for $40 that the guy said was in perfect working condition out of a 72 Chevy truck. I know the tailshaft was longer for the truck TH350, but as long as the rest was ok, then I could swap it if I ever did the rebuild. So I decided that I would be daring and take the truck TH350 completely apart and see how it was inside. Well, I'm no expert in this, but everything looked very good. No metal filings inside, not much dirt, pretty clean and no real surprises. Then I took all of the good parts from both and made 1 good version. The procedure didn't look too bad, so I am going to go ahead and take it all apart again and put a rebuild kit in it. Here are some of my questions: 1) What is a good rebuild kit to use? Previously, my trans guy used the TCI TH350 kit from Summit for around $200. Is that a good choice? 2) Do I purchase the shift kit seperately from the rebuild kit or can I get them all in the saem kit? If seperately, what is a good shift kit to buy? 3) Can anyone recommend a good reference book to buy for rebuilding the TH350? I know they have many books on the 350 small block rebuilds, but is there one for the TH350 trans? Thanks in advance for all of your help!! Wish me luck!! Mike

The 72 Olds transmission is now sold, so I have to keep looking. I found one about 1 hour from my house, but it has a long tailshaft on it, out of a 72 Chevy Truck with a 350. My question is: How hard is it to switch the tailshaft back to a short one? I have all of the parts from my old burnt up trans, so I'm hoping I could use those parts for the switch. What do "the experts" think? WIll it work? Thanks, Mike

Thanks for all of the replys. I guess I will have to look for a used "chevy" TH350 trans. Does anyone out there have any they want to get rid of? Thanks, Mike

Well, my trans finally died. I can get a used one out of a 72 Olds Cutlass? Will it swap in ok? Are they the same? Thanks, Mike

Hi Guys, I don't know much about a th350 trans, but I think mine is going bad? What do you think? 1) Car seems to have lost some power on the pull. 2) Trans takes a long time between gears. 3) Trans fluid is full. 4) Trans downshifts more often then before. 5) When in reverse, car chatters, like slipping. If it is the trans, should I rebuild or buy new? If I rebuild, I have two trans's out of two different 1970 montes. One was a 265 HP engine, the other a 300 HP engine. Are the trans's the same or are they differnt? Which would be better to use for the rebuild? If I buy new, any suggestions on a good one? Either way, should I also replace the torgue converter, since it is the original one? Thanks!!!! Mike

I think I need to replace my pinion seal and was wondering if I should do it myself, or take it somewhere. I have some fluid dripping from the front of the rear, so I am assuming it means a new pinion seal. The procedure does not sound too bad and the seal is cheap, so what do you think? Do I need any special tools, knowledge, etc. The manual mentions using a "extreme high pressure grease", but I have never heard of anything like that, and neither have the guys at the parts places. It also mentions taking steps to ensure proper tightening of the pinion nut, so as to not crush the new seal. Doesn't sound too bad, but I have never done one before? Anyone have some experience in this area? Thanks, Mike

Hey Dave, You are correct. All you really need is a hot wire from the positive terminal. To be original, the wire from the relay goes through the firewall, to a two-post mounting block on the engine side of the firewall. Then it runs down the driver side inner wheel well to the "hot" ternminal on the voltage regulator, then from there, through the radiator support to another two-post mounting block on the passenger side of the radiator support and then to the positive battery terminal. However, if you are not going original, then you could simply run a wire from the positive battery terminal to the relay for the power windows. Also, the key to lining up the windows correctly is to mark all of the settings BEFORE you remove them. This is assuming that the window lined up correctly before you started. I usually take some spray paint and spray all of the adjustment bolts and nuts before I remove them. This leaves a "shadow" to follow later. However, if you didn't mark them or they were wrong to begin with, then it can be a little tricky. Here is the big difference as to whether or not it will be difficult. If you did not remove the glass from the door, in other words, you did not mess with the glass adjustments inside the door, then you will only have to adjust the up and down stops. This is fairly easy. If you removed the glass adjustments, then you have to deal with the tilt of the glass and bringing up the glass level. This is where it gets tricky. I only had to do this once. I got it adjusted as best as I could and then drove around for a week or so with the panels off and adjusting tools in the car. Sometimes it looks like it is lined up, but when you drive around, the winds makes all kinds of noise at the crack of the windows. If you adjust them to tight, then the door has to be slammed shut and can damage the window seals. It takes some messing with to get it right. Hope tha helps. Mike

As was already mentioned, there are 3 dimples per hole to guide you where to drill. They run vertically up and down. The middle one is for the center of the hole (drill bit) and the other two are where the screws go that hold the boot down. I got my boots on ebay, because I wanted to go with the original look. They were pretty much standard on any GM A-body car for many years. For one of my cars, I was lucky enough to purchase the entire wire harness, with the boots included, but they can be found if you look hard enough. Mike

Hi Mark, I have converted all three of my Montes to Power Windows. It is not difficult, but it is time consuming. Here is a general list of what you will need to do: 1) Find a complete power windows setup. This includes: (4) power window regulators, (4) power window motors, complete wiring harness (can make your own), 2 door jam boots, and 4 power window switches. I have found that it is cheaper to buy these items seperately, but it will take lots of hours on ebay or other internet sites. To buy a complete setup will cost you around $450. 2) Fix, repair, clean and test all components BEFORE you begin to install them. The motors can be taken apart, cleaned, and greased and then put back together. The regulators can be cleaned and greased so they operate smoothly. Test the entire setup thoroughly before you install it. It could save you lots of time later on. 3) Interior parts that must be removed: (4) door panels (front and back), dashpad, both front kickpads. Once door panels are removed, you can then install the door switches in the panels. Only the driver door panel must be cut. The other single switches can be installed in the round window crank holes with a little cutting to make it square. 4) Biggest pain in the butt: Doors must be removed in order to drill holes in the doors and chassis in order to pass the wiring harness to the doors. This is easiest when car is not finished (painted) and when most parts are off the doors. Be sure to mark the door hinge positions before you remove the door, or door lineup will be difficult. Once holes are drilled, you can put the doors back on. 5) Remove old regulators and install power regulators. Some window stops must be removed to do this, so mark their locations first before you remove them. Each regulator has 4 bolts and these bolts will not use the same holes in the door. The front regulators just use another set of already drilled holes in the door. The rear regulators will reguire one new hole to be drilled. Three are already there, but the 4th is just a dimple and must be drilled. You will see it inside the frame support at the bottom behind the rear door panels. 5) Run the wiring harness. There are several harnesses that make up the complete wiring harness set. Basically, the power lead comes from the voltage regulator lead, through the firewall, then into a relay. One run then goes over the dash to the passenger side door. Another run goes to the driver door, and a third run goes down the driver side to the two rear windows. I have a complete wiring diagram that I made for myself if you ever need to look at the whole picture. 6) Test all windows and adjustments and put everything back together. Like I said, I have done all three on my Montes and just love power windows. I did the first one because it was my every day driver and then decided to do them all once I couldn't live without them. If I got another monte, I would do that one too. Hope that helps. Like I said, it is not difficult, but is time consuming. I did mine in phases. First I did the front doors and then later finished up the back doors. If you decide to convert over and have questions, let me know. Mike

Hi Wallaby, Thanks for your reply/help. Now, I know this may sound like a bunch of dumb questions, so don't laugh, but it sounds like what the torgue converter does is determine at what RPM the power from the engine translates (or locks) into the rear tires? Is that kind of how it works? So what you are saying is that with the 355 rear, I may not need a 2400 converter because the RPMs will be much higher than before? I was just trying to weigh all options since I am going to swap the rear from 273 to 355 anyway. I really would not like to change the converter because it is much harder than chaging the rear, but if it would make the car faster, then I would. Does all of what I said make sense to you, or anyone out there? I just want to make the correct changes. Thanks for all of your help !! Mike

I forgot to include the part numbers for the heads and intake. They are: Heads: TFS-31500001 Intake: EDL-7104 Also, the carb is a Holley Street Avenger (770cfm) and I have Flowmaster Dual Exhaust. Thanks, Mike

Thanks for the reply. My cam / intake / head combo is as follows: Cam: Fed Mogul CS-1062R Intake: Edelbrock Performer RPM Heads: Trick Flow G2 Alum Heads I don't know the details of the items above, so I'm still not sure which is the correct converter, but you are not the first person who has suggested a 2400. What if I switch to a 355 rear? Will a 2400 still be the correct choice? Thanks for all of your help!! Mike

I've often wondered if I have the correct torque converter in my car. Is there a way of telling? What are the symptoms if it too low or too high? If I currently have a 383 stroker (410HP), th400 trans and 2.73 posi and I want to switch to a 3.55 posi, should I change the torque converter? This is not my every day driver. I would like to drive it every so often and would like it to have better launch for pulling out and acceleration. Thanks, Mike

That's good information. I am currently having probelms with mine now and was considering some upgrade options. Just a few dumb questions: Is the surpentine pulley an easy swap? Do you need to change any brackets to put it on the car? Are there instructions on how the different ways to wire it in? Can the external voltage regulator be eliminated? Please send me as much info as you have. I would greatly appreciate it. THANKS!!! Mike

Ok, so here is an update on my voltage regulator burn-out problem. I have been working on cars for many years, but have never come across this one. My problem was that I was burning up voltage regulators. After posting here and asking around, this is what has transpired. I cleaned all of the existing ground wires and installed a few extra ones. I had the alternator checked and was told it was fine. I decided to replace it anyway, just in case the test results were bogus. I cleaned and checked every wire under the hood and all seemed fine. With a new alternator, new voltage regulator and all wires cleaned and checked, Iwas sure the problem was gone. But within a few minutes of starting the car, I burned up my third voltage regulator. I was about to go balistic. Instaed of purchasing yet another voltage regulator, I rigged up a wire that I could see across the contacts that kept burning out. That way, I could see the wire get hot and remove the ground before the wire burnt up. I spent 3 hours testing everything I could think of, but could not solve the problem. I was about to start replacing the wiring harness, but decided to make a list of everything that may have changed in the car to cause the problem. I then remembered that I purchased a new battery for the car about three weeks ago. It never gave me any trouble so I never thought about the battery. Alas, when I switched it with another battery, all of the problems went away. I still can't believe that by purchasing a new battery, I caused all of these problems, but that what fixed it. The battery still starts the car fine and has never caused me any problems. I'll be off to the battery place tomorrow to get a new one and to try to convince them that they caused me almost $300 in new voltage regulators, a new alternator and now a new battery. Do you think I have a chance to convince them? Mike P.S. Thanks to all of you who gave me suggestions!!!!

I just finished an 8-month process of repairing the body and repainting my 70 monte. Nothing was done to the engine or in the engine compartment. I removed the front end and fenders, painted them and put them back. When I started the engine to check things out, all was well. Then after about 15 minutes, the ALT light came on. After checking everything that I could think of, I removed the cover of the voltage regulator and noticed that the metal arm where the points are located was "burned" off. The piece was inside the cover. Of well, it probably needed to be replaced any way. So I picked up a new Delco-Remy GM Voltage Regulator and put it on. When I started the engine, light went off and voltmeter showed a charge of about 15 volts. Great I thought. Then after about 10 minutes, thge light came on again. When I pulled the cover off of the voltage regulator, the same thing happened again. I have never seen this before. At $52 per voltage regulator, I don't want to guess wrong again. Any suggestions/ideas? Thanks in advance!!! Mike