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New 72 Monte owner


Bass72

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 Greetings everyone! I recently purchased a 1972 Monte Carlo and I’m excited and a bit overwhelmed. I’m an IT guy for the Oklahoma Army National Guard who has always wanted to restore a classic car like this but I have minimal mechanic experience. I’m not sure where to begin. The car does have some rust on the wheel wells the floor and the roof. The previous owner put in 2 floor boards but it doesn’t look like he did it the way.. It is leaking transmission fluid pretty bad. I live in the OKC area so if you know anybody that could give me some assistance and teach me (I would pay of course) I would greatly appreciate it! I am excited for this journey and to be a part of this community. One day hopefully my car will be in good enough shape so I could drive it when I want to and take it to the car shows. If you all could give me some advice on where to start that would be great! It does run and drive, I just drove it around the neighborhood.

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Welcome to the boards, I would get the fluid leak first then address safety issues,  brakes tires etc. Get it running and driving safely then address the other issues.  Lots of help her lots of knowledge to help with any questions you have. Looks like a pretty good starting point I've seen a lot worse. Good luck and ask away any questions you may have. Good luck with it.

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Welcome! Like Steve mentioned, get the leak fixed and then safety stuff. Being from OKC you should have alot of shops to choose from. At least that's what I see watching street outlaws. Lol. Try going to a car show or gathering and ask about shops. Car guys usually know who does good work and who doesn't. Good luck and keep the pics coming. 

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Welcome, Bass!

The other guys beat me to it... get all the mechanical things squared away first. Prioritize the things that need to be fixed for safety reasons so you can drive and enjoy her while you button up the creature comforts (like that missing AC). Car shows are definitely a great resource to mine connections for all concerns old car; people with nice, old classic cars tend to be very picky regarding who they let wrench on their babies. Good luck and keep the pictures coming. And be sure to check back here regularly, I’m sure the boys will have a ton of advice for you. 

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Welcome. You get to join a lot of us as we rebuild our cars. Try to have fun doing the work it will make your project better. As you’re messing around with it write down everything and prioritize from there. It’s a tough battle but you’re going to be ok 

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Welcome to the club Lawrence!!   Great bunch of guys here, always willing to help.

As others have said first prioritize, safety first then other. Save some cash by doing what you can by yourself, we are always here to help. The cash you save you can use on the projects you cant do. 

She looks like a great starting point. 

Good Luck

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Howdy!

Looks like you got a good project ahead of you! Take your time & ask questions. Like you, when I got mine 6-7 yrs ago it needed lots of work. I’m almost done now & have learned a lot. Lots of knowledge on this forum I wish I knew about back on day one. 
glad you are here

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Welcome to the Monte Carlo world!

Like others have stated, fix the issues first that can affect safety, and then work on making the Monte what you want it to be. It looks like you've got a great car for a project though.

I'm an IT engineer/Network Administrator and I like to work on my vehicle projects for a change of pace. Sadly I've been working on friends' rigs instead of working on my 72 Monte Carlo to get it ready to paint. As soon as I get my one friend's 89 S10 Blazer 4x4 with the 4.3 V6 finished, and then finish the work on my other friend's custom beavertail flatbed on his Top Kick truck, I will devote my time (outside of my regular work job) to my Monte Carlo so I can get it finished - paint, install the new 416ci BB, exhaust, etc.

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Welcome to the Club!!  It's a great start to owning a 1st Gen Monte. Bumper guards? Is it a Custom? Yes, get those mechanical gremlins fixed and try to drive it while you're working on it. This way , everything you do it will be worth the blood, sweat, tears, that you put into it and when you show it at a car show people will definitely appreciate your time and effort into it. Mine is a nut and  bolt,  frame off restoration with a great friend that I helped in doing the work to get it to this condition. I had my ups and downs, but for me, it was worth it!! The Club is the best for any questions about your Monte Carlo. Glad to see another "coming along" .post-259-0-61935100-1474727657_thumb.jpg

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