LS5

So did we ever find the answer for this man as to where they sell the Ragged Bungee Cord ? although I do like Rod's answer too and may look better..... :) Darren.

Finally got the Monte pulled outside where he got to get lots of fresh air and cleaned up the engine bay a little. there was so much dust and dirt that built up from its last road trip that didnt get cleaned up when it was parked for winter..... now it's looking better.... Darren.

When you welded in the bucket seat brackets to the floor did you place them with the raised mounts at the front and the flush ones at the rear ? that way we start from the beginning and know those are in correct before looking at the seats. Darren.

it was a throw away camera anyways I just kept the film.... hahaha That Yellow Monte was a 454 4spd car, so I knew it was a chevelle in sheeps clothing as we have still yet to find a 454 4spd Monte..... Aaron always takes great pictures but not sure how he got it in his pictures too ? must be a Mirage......... Darren.

Hey Who is the Meathead that brought the Chevelle to the last Penticton meet ????? oh yeah, that was me....... hahaha well I guess I am on the right side of the fence now and the 4spd car will be in the Chevelle's old spot this year. no wait the chevelle was a 4spd too....... The Benchseat 4spd will be there........yeah thats it. and NO RAIN>>>> Darren.

Now there are so many ways to hook up the console with wiring and depends on how you work with the steering column or replaced it with a floor shift one thats correct with a console. yes there were some Monte's like the chevelle's that did not have the plug I spoke of and some that did. That plug I spoke of is basically the wires you need to illuminate to console and the ground wire too. To switch over to a full reverse lights horse shoe shifter neutral safety switch located one, then you have to transfer the end of steering column wires to run along under the carpet and coming out in a slit at the nose of the console by the floor heater location and then runs along the side of the console and plugs into the neutral safety switch. The wire cosist of Purple,purple/black,pink,yellow,light green,dark green,and the other three colors mentioned in the 3 pin plug. as goofy as it sounds you can cut off the column shifterwhen its in neutral and smooth it down and fill it and paint it so it looks like a floorshift column and still hook up the linkage as before but get a tranny shifter bracket that will allow you to use both console cable and steering linkage so when you shift horse shoe it will move the linkage causing the column to still rotate and move the nutral safty at the end of the column and triger the reverse and starter and so on from there and just use the 3 pin plug to light up the console. or go the whole nine yards and get the floor shift column and transpose the wires as mentioned. The cars that dont have the 3 wire plug I spoke of can steel the 3 wires from the headlight switch or dash lights (orange and white) and the grey wire being the ground can come through the form of adding a grey wire and ground out the lights to a screw at the console mounting plate or shifter plate. If you ground out the grey wire on the ground from the radio or Cigarette lighter you will end up with every time you use the lighter or radio the lights will dim on the console as 2 things will be trying to ground out at once instead of single dedicated grounds. Hope that mumbo jumbo helps Larry, its easy to do once you have done a couple dozen cars hahaha but to explain it sometimes longer and harder to do than it looks. always slow going though and never be in a rush and ALWAYS make sure you use the same gauge of wire when running extra and try to keep close color codes as well, way easier to remember when assembling. Darren.

Larry I have Pics from the Service and shop manuals but at home, when I get in tonight unless someone has beaten me to it I will post them.. The plug connector in the dash harness resembles that of the Radio plug in appearance and has the orange/grey/and white wires coming out of it and is tucked up in the same area. Darren.

Hey Aaron, I was over checking out our brothers on the Eastern Meet discussion Board and just posted this for possibly food for thought...... What do you think ?? "No I am not spying on you guys seeing how I am a Western Meet Member. I just had a thought of, this is the First time in a Long time that both our meets are the same weekend..... My thoughts were it would be cool that when we Both have our awards ceramony that it couldnt be both at the same time with the time difference and shown on a Big Screen tv via Skype or something so both East and West can see who win the awards and actually get to see our members live seeing how we dont have a joint meet and we can all get a better idea who everyone is.... I know its a long shot but just a thought from a Western Meet Member who would like to meet or at least see our fellow members and see both sides and their respective awards recieved........." Darren.

Hey Leroy, Question for you.... when you pulled out the cluster did you unhook the battery so there was No power ? even with the ignition in the off position and key not in it there is still power going to the headlight switch and door pins and a lot of other places too. If it was still hooked up my guess is you inadvertantly shorted out the headlight switch and now need another one. The main power from the fuse block goes up to the headlight swiitch through the Red and Orange wires, and of course the orange wire supplies power to the clock and door pins and heater and so on. The only other shortfall could be that the Black wire that you had to unscrew and remove from the bottom of the cluster under the gas gauge or tach area needs to be reattached to the same screw when put back in. I cant see a front or rear bulb being out or shorted if the problem was not there before you removed the cluster. 1 last last thing make sure all 194 bulb black plastic housings made the full twist when reinstalling them as sometimes when they are not fully twisted in they can incomplete the circut as well to the printed circut board...... Hope all that made sence ?? Ask Sam about those Darn Black ground wires....eh Sam....... Darren...

Ok Guys, Officialy listed the other 402-4spd for sale in our For Sale Section if anyone is interested.... Darren.

we have had this asked once or twice before in the last couple of years. I do remember as mentioned before that it had been said that when the strike happened there were engines sitting around and cars waiting for engines but with the strike on and pickets being crossed like in Oshawa that to finish of the cars almost done to still send out to be sold they started using the engines they had left. Oshawa ended putting in what was believed to be 18 LS5's rated at 390 horse into chevelles that were made at that plant as thats what they had left. I believe Vaughn and I had read that in some paperwork I still had from back in the day when we were also trying to figure out how Kevin ended up with a M21 in his 70 green 4spd car. we came to the conclussion the same thing happened there, to get Richards old 4spd out the door which Kevin now owns that GM may have done the same thing there as well and used left over trannys to get cars out the door and Maybe just Maybe there is a 70SS monte canadian built LS5 thats a 390hp out there. Who knows also there were Montes and chevelles out there that ended up with CE blocks in them and the owners swear their cars had the original engine in it which they do but the same thing back in the strike they used warranty engines as well and stuck those in cars that were CE blocks. I chased a green 70 ss monte canadian made over in Nova Scotia Canada that was all numbers matching and had what was believed to be the original engine in it and it was a CE block or warranty one, but it slipped through my fingers and I ended up with as most know here a 70 chevelle ss that was Gobi Beige instead. wish I could find that 70 ss monte again... Darren.

I have 275 50 15's on my 15x8s with the standard offset and not rubbing but just by the skin of my teeth. Drivers side I had to trim the wheel well stainless and thats it the rear 1/4 was good on that side too. 295's must be slightly wider than a 275 ? in a 50 series. The T/A in a 275 50 15 is almost impossible to find though. Darren.

Hey Cory, I am sold on my 700R. It may not be in a monte but in the same era 71 shortbox I have it hooked up to a 350 that has about 460hp and the EZ Fast Fuel System. It runs out great on the highway and I dont feel like I need an extra gear, I find with this set up its enjoyable. Darren

I had a 1970 Chevelle SS the LS5 454 and it had the driveshaft you speek of a large balance collar at the one end, but my 402 4spd 70 Monte doesnt have that. Darren.

I am liking the 8's as well, might put the Derby caps on it though and save the disk brake caps for the 7's and put them on the other 4spd as it has plain jane steel wheels on it. Derby's just keep it looking oem somewhat more so. Sam your car is coming along nicely....very nice actually.... Darren.

well pulled out the monte and let her take in some fresh air in those 402 lungs...... also got a look outside the garage with the 15x8's on her instead. now just got to decide whether I like the 7's or 8's instead.........any thoughts anyone....? Darren.

If I remember correctly, Re-tooling time at GM was the 3 and 4 week of June where they started production change for the new years cars and also parts as well that went with the body style change from the previous years car. Seeing how The Monte started in 1970 but shared the same Parts as the now re modeled 1970 Chevelle that GM had 1970 chevelle parts on the go and were the same for the Monte Carlo with the exception of obvious differences.The Monte Carlo was being assembled at the same time as the 1970 chevelle and there have been pictures out there of assembly plants that show chevelles and Montes in the same production line up and I thought I had read somehwere that the earliest Monte Carlo was the 2 or 3rd week of August. Darren

Sounds like you have a great monte there Wayne.... I also have a 4spd monte, actually 2 of them. one is a 402 4spd bench seat car and the other is a 402 4spd buckets and console car but needs restoring and also has tach and gauges and other options..... would not mind having a 350 4spd car. post some pictures of your monte so we can see what she looks like.... Darren.

Hey Aaron, As uncertain as things have been with me and my continuing health issues, I am Booked at the Hotel and also registered at the Show and the Parade and NOT the VIP parking..... hope to see you all there.. Darren.

Hey Eric, sometimes with the appraisers you almost have to be a salesman and tell them all the info you can on the car in order to reassure a great appraisel. Not nessasarily telling them what they need to hear but education them, like.... Here I have a 1972 Monte Carlo but not just a Base Model but a Custom, and not only be a custom which they only made guessing 500 of ? but it is also a Rare Color which is Pewter. so out of all the Customs Black is Rare for the Custom but Pewter is more rare. Thats education him and getting him the info he needs to help base the price where as he may never have gone looking to see if Pewter is rare let alone the Custom.. You can also sell him on the Factory Floor Matts and original paint in your own words as in the past some appraisers I have dealt with always think of repaints and seemed miffed when you tell them original paint and it helps up the dollar value too. Its the key points and raraties you have to drive home to them I find. My first guy I phoned assumed at first my 402 was the 396 offered in the 70 chevelle and had a custom engine in it because it wasnt the 396 in the monte. I phoned another appraiser to see if he was availible to pop over and he asked what car I had and after I told him it was a Monte carlo he was right in there with the 402 questions. So he knew what was what but still had to be filled in on some things but all was good.. Sharp Car Eric, always liked the Cortez Silver in 1970 and the Pewter in 1972... Darren.

Thats great Larry and so it should being a 71 SS car and the few as we know that have the options and made here that are left. nice going. I think I am going to list the Gold 402 4spd car maybe for sale as I wont get to it any time soon and someone else can enjoy it and do it justice or will take a 70-72 el camino on trade for it. prefer a 70 but will see. still tossing it around in my head seeing how there is lots of space up there... hahaha. Darren.

Hi Fella's, Yes Larry it was very cool. Rock I guess thats what they refer to as a return on your investment... hahaha Sam, I think it would have maybe appraised for more if I had a Buildsheet but being a Flint car as you know thats was not possible or very slim pickings I would find one. besides being able to prove with numbers matching the buildsheet the appraiser said was the Booster... Mr King great to hear from you my friend.... The Convertible is still in the family it has moved to a new stable though, even though i am sitting better now, I was in dire straights not to long ago due to a vicious divorce that finally got dealt with after 8 years and Mr. Vaughn Peoples has shown an avid interest and desire to be the first to buy it if I was to sell it. and the rest is history.. Darren

Well I had the 402 car appraised last week and the numbers came in but before I share that, I noticed up here in Canada at least as I dont know about the usa they are clamping down on policy holders and how they evaluate cars.. may be good for some and bad for others but this is what this fella of 30 years in the buisiness was just informed of and has changed here in the last 30 days.. There are far more SS cars and RS car and 4spd cars now than GM even made back in the day and for that reason Clamping down has come along. If you have bonafied Documentation or can prove that your engine/tranny/diff still retain the VIN that matches your car or tag on tranny that is dated and coded on the diff that will work as a back up for proof if no docs or Build sheet are to be had. WITH DOCS AND OR PROOF IT RAISES THE CARS VALUE BY 25% FOR BEING REAL. In this case my Car is a FLINT car and as know there aint nothing from Flint to prove it. so proving the condition and upkeep or acceptable replacement stuff and as mentioned the VIN matching engine intake heads and M20 and 331 diff is what sinched it for me. this may help us out here and also that my car is legit it came back at a whopping $29,300.00 in Valued Appraisel. also pleased to hear that my 71 Shortbox chev 10 came in at $36,400. and whats last is my other 402 4spd car.. its a bonafied us built car with full Canadian documentation when sold here in 1970 in Canada and is 100% numbers matching with buckets and console and PW with tach and gauges but needs a FULL resto and is not a basket case came in at $10,000. Darren

Hey Steve, probably not misunderstanding anything. GM still used what was left over of the Buildsheets from 1970 on some 1971 cars till they were all gone. So your car may be an early 71 production and has the 70 spread sheet and appears as 1970's did and that is what is confusing and the fact the strike was on and still may have been printed out before strike on old sheet or simply your car may have been ordered in 1970 most likey and printed as ordered on the 1970 form and when built and completed and delivered the new sheets were being used and yours was done by then. There was also 2 US Plants that had their own rules as well such as using broadcast sheet like Oshawa did and also never leaving Buildsheets in their cars and having employees turn them in after completion or verification on work done for Quality Control as we all now know Flint was one of those plants...... try and find a build sheet from a Flint Plant car...... Atlants had lots sometimes even 3 for each car but mostly 2 which have heard of as well here. Darren.

Oh another interesting bit of info seeing how its tied into GM recalls and Warranty stuff I use to do. Have you ever noticed or wondered why on engines and heads and intakes and diffs and such that there was what appears to be a Clock with no numbers but filled in triangles....... well that was to help distinguish weather the parts were made on what shift, morning or afternoon so if there was a recall on lets say split blocks and it was narrowed down to blocks made on the afternoon shift they would send out notices and have the dealer look at the clock image to see if it may be suspect by showing am or pm it was manufactured on and go from there instead of working on every car that came in.... there were lots of cool tips and tricks and markings. Darren