We Finally Have Gotten off the Ground

Well, since I last wrote on this blog we have done a lot. My father and I moved the car closer to the building and onto a concrete pad so it is easier to work on. Then we jacked the car up and took off the wheels. We got under the car and found that it was undercoated which basically saved the car. The only rust hole in the floor is caused by the rear window leaking into the car. However, the hole is small and should be easily fixable. The car is still up for a lot of sitting which is why I ordered stainless steel brake lines so they wouldn't rust. We then took apart the front brakes and are going to have the old rotors lathed again. They will rust and get pitted again but that's okay. We just want to get the car stopping so we can drive it around the parking lot. It will make the car more manageable along with helping us figure out what other problems it has. The other goal of getting the brakes to work is so we can try to coax the problems that the transmission is supposed to have out of the car. The final thing that we have done is wrap a plastic tarp around the rear window. Yes, it is very redneck but it would be nice to try to stop some of the rust. The rear window rusting has caused most of this cars body problems and it would be nice to try and stop more rust from spreading. I almost forgot, I took off the backing plates and sandblasted them to get the grime off. Then I repainted them and slapped them back onto the car. It is actually nice to see this car being taken apart. For the first time since I got the thing it is actually going somewhere positive. It is nice to stop cleaning the thing and actually start fixing it. Over the next week or so we will install the brake lines and drop the trans out to get it fixed. Slowly but surely the car is coming along. The Monte has already gone from a lawn ornament to a proper (albeit broken) car. It's nice to know that its days on the road are far from over. If this restoration goes well this car will last much longer than I will and that brings up a rather interesting point. You never really own a car, you just look after it for the next generation.

The car is now at its new home

You can really see the paint difference between the waxed and unwaxed panels

We finally picked the car up from the owners house and brought it to a friends  shop. The car was parked behind the old owners house so we had to tow it out before we could get it onto a trailer. I hopped into the car and manned the wheel while our mechanic friend, Gerry, towed it with his truck. When I went to stop the car the brakes (at the bottom of the pedal's throw) stopped the car. We then secured it onto the trailer. I talked to the old owner and he said that his dad had owned a 1976 Monte Carlo when he was a kid and that he and his wife dated in the car. He also said that his kids have driven my Monte Carlo to various school dances. He then gave me a whole packet which had the original ad that he answered to buy the car along with the cars service history. However, the most important thing in there was the original build sheet. The old owners were sad to see the car go. Which makes sense, they had owned the car since 1989. When we got the car to Gerry's shop we got it off the trailer and it stopped itself again. Gerry is letting us keep the car there and use his knowledge and tools. From the bottom of my heart, thanks Gerry. The next day my father and I got to the car and we gave it a good old vacuuming. We started in the engine bay and worked our way through the whole car. We found an old pop can under the passenger seat and a 1957 Chevrolet Hot Wheel under the spare tire in the trunk. When I was a kid I used to play with my hot wheels in the trunk of the Chrysler. An omen? We then used an all purpose cleaner on the interior. It was then that my dad got the bright idea to start the car. I instantly said no but he was already off to get starter fluid. He came back and poured the starter fluid down the carb. He then grabbed jumper cables and hooked them up to the battery. He finally had me goose the pedal and turn the key. Much to our surprise the car thundered to life. I then backed off the throttle and it idled beautifully. We then decided to see if the car would move. I put it into reverse. The car started to roll backward. The brakes decided to give out at that point and the engine started to spew smoke. I slammed it into park and turned the car off. We figured out that it had an oil leak and figured that we would tackle that later. After lunch we power washed all of the grime off the car. We then waxed it and brought that old paint back to life. We then realized that the car had hail damage and the grime was able to cover up the little craters in the body. Day one was over. The next day I had to work so my dad went to go clean up the car. With the help of one of the mechanics at Gerry's named Eddie he got the car running again. It was idling fine until Eddie stepped on the brake and then it started to spew smoke again. So it wasn't a valve cover gasket. It was a rotted brake line. This all explains why the brakes were gone. The day after that I was off of work so I got to work on the car again. My father and I power washed the engine bay and waxed the back half of the car. The paint is different on the right rear quarter and trunk. It's terrible paint that doesn't even match the factory stuff. However, the whole car is going to be repainted so it's alright. The great thing about the car being clean is that it makes the whole thing look salvageable. We decided that the next thing that we are going to do is the brakes. Then we are going to get the trans out and get it fixed. Sadly I need the shop to do brakes so I have to wait until I'm off of work and it's a weekend. But, whatever. It's a long summer. Another thing that one of Gerry's mechanics named Robert noticed is that the car is a California emissions car which makes zero sense. It was made in Missouri. Needless to say, all of that emissions stuff is going away. Saving the environment is great but more power is better. The coolest thing about this car is that after spending a couple days on it I know one thing. It's going to be awesome when it's done.

The Car

When I first learned about this car I didn't want it. It was simply to new. I am a muscle car guy and a late 70's Monte is pretty far from that. I spent my whole day trying to find ways to gently tell my father that I didn't want it. However, when I first laid eyes on the car I liked it more than I wanted to. Those post-OPEC lines still looked mean. It was like 70's America was trying to prove that those little Datsun 510's couldn't top it. The car looked rough but it had potential. It had quite a lot of rust around the rear-window. It also needed a new trunk pan along with a patch-weld in the floor pan. Sadly, the list just goes on. However, I thought that it was a sharp looking car. The 350 small block was also a nice bonus. I figured that I could do quite a bit to that motor. My father and I walked away from the car and decided that we could discuss what to do with the car over the next couple days. I then went back to trying to forget about the thing. I still had my heart set on a muscle car. The problem was I liked the car and when my dad called the owner of the car on Sunday he didn't answer his phone. My heart sank. I feared that he had second thoughts, or he lost his phone, or the phone number was wrong. The truth was I had built myself up if you couldn't tell. The next day my dad texted me that he had negotiated a price and we were going to get the car. That night we went over with my mother  and I meet the owner and his wife, along with his son and daughter. My dad paid the man and we talked for awhile. He bought the car in 1989 and he drove it quite a bit. However, he parked it in 2006 and it has sat ever since. I believe the reason was that the thing had transmission troubles. Before selling the car the owner did however ask for one simple thing. He wanted to see the car when it was being restored. I was happy to agree. It's cool how he seems to still be a bit attached to it. When you think about it some of his life was played out in that car and it must be a bit hard to see it go. Non-car people don't seem to get this but you can become attached to a car. Most people just see a machine but they are so much more. I then went to go poke around the car for the first time. I should have been seeing dollar signs and hours of work but all I could see was open roads. The smell of freshly cut grass accented by the symphony of a V8. The car had gone from a daydream into reality. I was seeing some of my life playing out in the driver's seat and it was exciting. I was walking away from the car and the previous owner came out and handed me the keys. They were well worn and they felt right in my hand. For the first time, I was holding the keys to my Monte. The plan for this car is to get the body fixed and get all of the mechanicals in working order. I also plan to do a slight buildup in the motor. I was thinking a lumpier cam, headers (if I can find them), a four-barrel carb and intake, along with a open air filter, and finally duel exhaust. The car won't be much faster but it should sound awesome. I have never restored a car before and even though I am getting professional help there will still be a serious learning curve. But hey, it's all about the journey for me and the car. I hope that you read along and experience it with us. I don't know how often I will write on here but I think I will try for once a week. Since I will be working the times that I can work on the car will be sporadic. However, the keys still feel good in my hand. I have no idea where this road is going to lead but I'll tell you one thing. Those Datsun's better run when my Monte rolls up.