cbolt

I went with the cool mat stuff. I was reading reviews on each product and most of them had complaints at one time or another the rubber part would run and create a gooey mess when mounted inside doors and other vertical surfaces. I opted for a different product inside my doors, behind my back seat, and under my rear armrest areas just to be on the safe side. My car is still a work in progress so it remains to be seen how good the stuff I installed works.

Oh I hear you. I don't think I have ever been able to get a lock cylinder out yet, and I have a detailed steering column rebuild manual I got from a retired GM factory service tech.... I have done it on other cars, just not on my Monte.

Installed the crankshaft. That was all I had time for unfortunately. It sure is nice to be putting stuff back together though

They called me today about replacing the female ends for the upgrade. Thanks again for all your hard work Scott!

Ordered a rear bumper from Rock Auto, we will see what I get. Took the intake and rear bumper brackets to the powder coat shop. Dyed the gauge pod to match the interior color and mounted gauges. Finished the booster and proportioning valve install. I guess I should have painted the master cylinder based on the previous posts. Received the Eagle rotating assembly and got the crank shaft ready to install with the flexplate and gear. On to installing the pistons!

Sure there is, maybe its a boot and not a seal but it is an area that holds grease as the upper end of the steering shaft will pivot slightly. I will post a pic later. I actually have a service manual that describes how to replace the seal by separating the two parts of the shaft, upper and lower.

Yes, that's the one.

Bump. This is the one part on the car nobody knows about?

So I dug into my intermediate shaft today and replaced the seal. Pain in the tookas but I got it done. I got to thinking I have seen people with what looked like brand new steering shafts in their cars and decided to look round the information superhighway for someone who sells them. After a few hours I realized that either my google failed or nobody sells new intermediate shafts for our Montes. Can anyone tell me if they have ever replaced one, and if so where in the world would you find one? Needless to say I wasn't real happy with the product when I finished and a nice polished shaft or maybe a powder coated one would be great so I wonder if I need to remove mine again and send it off to the powder coat shop or can a purchase one? Thanks in advance.

Removed the oil pan and found metal. Looks to be bearing material. That is, believe it or not, a good sign and exactly what I expected. Still snag-free. Got my entry form for the Turkey Rod Run in the mail yesterday and that got me motivated. I plan to submit my entry form and fee ASAP as additional incentive to keep the press on and have it together and spit-shined for the event.

I used the por-15 back in '02 when I did mine initially. Wish I had gone with something else. It ain't all that. I am on the powder coat bandwagon now, and everything that comes off goes back on powder coated. Would that be an option for you, or are you insistent on rattle can?

Sorry I wasn't more specific... they are gloss black powder coat and in my opinion, beautiful. Those guys at Wilson Antique Auto Parts take great pride in their work and it shows. I cant wait to install them but I am a long way from finishing all the stuff I need to do before the hood goes back on.

Got my hood hinges back from Wilson Antique Auto Parts. I did the new springs and gloss powder coat finish option. They look amazing!!!

Well I finally got my engine out and on the stand today. Everything went swimmingly and as soon as I get the oil drained out I can flip it over and begin surgery. While it is out I can put the new booster/MC in, replace both upper ball joints and pull the steering column. Figured I would do everything while the engine was out to give me more room. Found out Friday the hinges are completed and should be here by Tuesday. As the snowball rolls along I am getting more and more excited and confident Blue Thunder will be ready in time for the Turkey Rod Run. Hate to jinx myself but I have yet to hit a snag.

I just let the upholstery place do my seats when I took them out of the car. I wanted custom material so I just asked around and found the best local guy based on cruise-in participant's recommendations. He did the sewing and re-foaming and I couldn't be more pleased. Keep in mind the foam used by a shop is not likely precut stuff and they get it in bulk. If you want an original look you could buy the covers and then have a good upholstery shop take care of the rest. Yes, it was a bit pricey but the seats are very comfortable and I always get compliments on my interior. In this manner I avoided all the issues with repop Chinese stuff in the first place. Had I done original I would have gone with CARS Inc. Good product at a good price at the time.

I just received my rear drum to disk conversion kit from Jegs yesterday. Same kit, slightly cheaper. Be sure to shop around, some of the places have them on sale from time to time

Thanks Scott

So is there talk of correcting the existing stuff?

Same what I got. I read right that Morris is working to correct the issue, yes?

Finished installing the thermo-tech cool it insulation on the floors and insulation behind the rear seat and rear side panels. Next step is to hook up the floor shift cable, make the adjustments, and remove the steering column.

A strap style wrench should work most of the time. Similar to the one in the picture except it utilizes a nylon strap and gets tighter the more you turn it. I have used the screwdriver/hammer concoction in the past with a slight twist... You hammer the phillips head screwdriver through the filter, creating a nice handle to use for leverage. Through and through is the only way so the longer the screwdriver the better in this case. Either way good luck!

My vote goes for the BFG T/A's. To me they say "muscle car"

I honestly have no idea. It was two tone when I purchased it but I have never decoded the body tag. There was no build sheet anywhere on the car, and my interior was that rare grey-green cloth combo when I acquired it.

worked on my console mock up. I think it looks pretty good. Link to images attached. scroll left for the other two. http://s92.photobucket.com/user/cbolt98/media/DSCF1031.jpg.html?sort=6&o=44

Unfortunately I am not running dash speakers at this time. I took them out in favor of the kick panel speakers and have regretted it ever since. I am amassing parts to swap my current idiot light dash to a gage dash so will likely be installing dash speakers as part of the project. I think there are nice speakers on the market that fit in the stock openings and brackets but at this time have not really researched it. I am neck deep in a console install and have learned from experience one thing at a time works best for me. Once my console is installed completely I will be switching to the dash project and will look at them then. I am certain other members will chime in with what they currently have installed and whether or not they like them. Sorry that doesn't really answer your question Mario.