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DragCat

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Noob question as I'm trying to learn. I saw a 1970 SS 454 at Mecum listing for Indy (I dislike reserve auction cars lol) . Looking at the engine compartment pic I didn't see the air shock compressor / load leveling? Was this an option or from what I have read they go bad and are hard to replace/repair and people just remove them? And I did see someone here rebuilds them. Thanks in advance 

 

Mark 

 

https://www.mecum.com/lots/SC0518-340106/1970-chevrolet-monte-carlo-ss/

 

 

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Hi! No "stupid" questions here. I'm no expert but from my understanding, ALL SS454 Monte Carlo came with the air ride rear suspension. You are correct about the compressors going bad and being removed. It appears in the pics that the holes for the compressor brackets are in the fenderwell. The big thing in my opinion is the build sheet. It has one and that proves that it is a SS 454 Monte. I'm sure someone with more knowledge on these cars will chime in shortly. Good luck!!

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I went back and looked at the pics again. Clean car. I did notice the SS exhaust tips missing. No biggie but it says it has 24+ thousand miles. I believe all SS came with the oval tips and the 402 cars did not. No pic of the build sheet either. Could, and I stress that could be a 402 car with SS badges. I would want to look the build sheet over to make sure. Again, good luck!

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It has a small block air cleaner on it. That's odd for a low mileage SS454 car. It also has the engine mounted heater valve for a '71. The '70 valve mounts on the inner fender. Someone has painted the inner edges of the fenders black, as well as in front of the door jambs. It's a very nice car, but they should have had a pic of the build sheet.

 

Yes, the load leveling compressor was problematic and many were removed, probably for repairs, and never fixed and reinstalled. Maybe they got repaired and reinstalled several times and then owners decided they were more trouble than they were worth. I worked mine over, got it working great again last week, and resealed the the compressor sections and the tank-to-compressor o-ring a few days ago. I remounted it yesterday and got all leaks in the system stopped.

 

Dan

post-339-0-35279600-1524270878_thumb.jpg

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Thanks for the reply's and other information regarding the car. I'm not bidding on this just used as a reference for questions. I too wondered why no build sheet photo was included in the listing as thats a very important piece of a cars history. Being in the market for a first gen all this information is very helpful.

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All the information you need to know is in the link below. If it is a 1970 or 1971 Monte with a matching #'s 454 it is an SS454 car because in 70 & 71 that was the only model you could get a 454. It was also an option in 1972 on Monte Carlo Customs. All SS454’s came with the load leveling system, air shocks, shock protector plates (not customs... LL system was an option).. Gauge package, buckets, console etc were not standard on SS454’s. I have seen buckets with console delete & column shifter etc. They were able to be ordered any way you wanted them.

 

The Load leveling systems usually quit over time and many owners replaced the air shocks with gas shocks for a better ride. In many cases the compressor, rear switch, lines etc. were removed also.

So just because they are missing may not mean it is not an SS. Take a read of the link below. It will give you all the information you need to find a true SS car.

 

http://www.firstgenmc.com/tech/ss454.shtml

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  • 4 weeks later...

Thought it was interesting, the Monte I used as a reference for my questions didn't sell, only got to 23K in the bidding. But a nice looking (from the pictures I wasn't there) 70 with a 350 (lot T49.1) did sell for 28.6K. Hope it went to someone who is going to drive and enjoy it. 

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