1979 Monte Carlo. Has not seen road in almost 15 years

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AlexThe80s

Not-quite-so-new-guy
Apr 24, 2019
11
5
3
Ontario
A few years ago, I want to say 2012 or 2013 I bought my dads old Monte Carlo to save it from being scrapped or torn apart. Towing it from his drive way to the storage yard was the first time it had moved since 2005. I have done very little to it considering how long I have had it. I ripped out the carpets to get a look at the floor rot(there is lots), rebuilt the starter(myself so it fell apart after 4 starts), tried to change the spark plugs(only got 4 of them), took the carb off(its now rusting away on my girlfriends balcony) and put a battery in(batery was too small, not enough CCA). I suppose you could say my first project is off to a crappy start untill the begining of this month, when I got a letter stating my vehicle was in derilect condition and would need to be towed of the property by the end of the month. So i started panicking, managed to throw some new tires on it so it can roll, got permision from my manager to store it on our other lots property which conveniently is directly across the street from the storage place and now I have 4 months to get it started.
What im looking for in sharing this story with others who have interest in G-bodies is information on how to get around some of the tough common problems that plague the frames and confermation that my project is valid despite being a lost cause and share with others the cost in saving a rust bucket like mine
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Turbo Zach

Comic Book Super Hero
Sep 8, 2015
2,534
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50130
Looks like you have a cage in the car? That will make the rust repair a little harder. We will need more pictures of the rust problems to make an assessment. Beings you only have four months to make it run? Make sure the engine will turn over first. You will need to clean and flush the fuel system. Get a carburetor and plugs back in it and go from there. Good luck to you!
 
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fleming442

Captain Tenneal
Dec 26, 2013
13,046
24,214
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A couple of road signs and a tube of RTV will have the floors back in no time flat!

Seriously, you're going to have to just try harder. This sh*t ain't easy, especially for a novice. Having "the Knack" helps.
 
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lilbowtie

Comic Book Super Hero
Jan 7, 2006
3,460
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Canton Mi
Don't mean to sound harsh but you don't seem like you have the ambition or drive for a project like this. I would have had it running the day I brought it home, or at least known if it was any good. Just looking @ the one pic I can see the floor is gone and unsure of what else is bad. Your not in a good situation where you have somewhere to work on the car, tools, and capability. It's going to take a LOT of money and time to bring it back. You might want to evaluate the situation and sell it and buy a running driving G and be $$ and time ahead.
 
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Gonzo1970

G-Body Guru
Sep 30, 2018
898
1,302
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Don't mean to sound harsh but you don't seem like you have the ambition or drive for a project like this. I would have had it running the day I brought it home, or at least known if it was any good. Just looking @ the one pic I can see the floor is gone and unsure of what else is bad. Your not in a good situation where you have somewhere to work on the car, tools, and capability. It's going to take a LOT of money and time to bring it back. You might want to evaluate the situation and sell it and buy a running driving G and be $$ and time ahead.


If you missed the above post, here it is to read again.

-Gonz
 

AlexThe80s

Not-quite-so-new-guy
Apr 24, 2019
11
5
3
Ontario
he
Looks like you have a cage in the car? That will make the rust repair a little harder. We will need more pictures of the rust problems to make an assessment. Beings you only have four months to make it run? Make sure the engine will turn over first. You will need to clean and flush the fuel system. Get a carburetor and plugs back in it and go from there. Good luck to you!
engine did start and run 2 years ago with a bit of help from an old mechanic who was a wizzard with carburators(he no longer works there). Instead of cleaning the tank/fuel system we just dumped high octane fuel and stabilizer in the tank to see what would happen and it ran for a while before it started missfiring which lead to replacing as many Sparkplugs as I could reach in the parking lot. I will have help flushing the tank or replacing it entirely while its at the shop im storing it at. It does in fact have a cage which I want to keep. I also have a line on a running 305 if all else fails and it needs a swap. He also has a 700R4 transmission, but I havn't looked into wether or not that fits. The whole combo is around $1400 CDN only thing hes keeping is the starter motor. I'll post some pictures of the ugly stuff(rust/holes) when I have a chance
 
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AlexThe80s

Not-quite-so-new-guy
Apr 24, 2019
11
5
3
Ontario
I know its going to be expensive but as per body work, I know I have little to no skills and the shop I work for dosn't have a body shop. An Ex-co-worker and friend knows a guy who does lowriders in my area and his body work is incredible. Not interested in making it bounce but who else would have intimate knowledge about restoring, strengthining and rebuilding G-body frame/body?
Mechanical work, if I have space to do so is not hard for me if I have a bit of guidence through the complicated stuff such as full suspension rebuild, engine internals and full steering rebuild. I got real good at braking systems and some suspension jobs while working as the night time aprentice under our dealerships most elder master technician and Engine/Trans remove/re install while I did days in the diesel shop working on Purolator cargo vans. If not for some missmanaged paperwork, a missing highschool credit and two degenerating discs in my back I would have been a licenced tech by now(curently aiming for service writer in the near future).
This seems to have turned into a bit of a rant but long story short: Im not incompentant and im prepaired for a total s**t show. As for ambition, the waiting was to accumulate enough funds to do all the work profesionally and with the highest grade parts and materials as posible which is a budget I almost reached
 

1evilregal

Comic Book Super Hero
Apr 23, 2009
3,056
4,357
113
Greensboro, NC
sounds like the car has sentimental value, you're just not sure you can justify it to yourself. like flemming said, do a quick cheapo floor patch that you can easily reverse for now (said stop sign/any kind of decent gauge sheet metal, and rivet it to the remaining floor) and get it running enough to get it out of derelict status. you can usually find carbs on places like craigslist, kajiji, fbmarketplace, etc..., throw a fresh set of plugs and wires/clean the fuel system, and you can determine from there with fresh breathing room.

once you get back into the project, if you're like me and don't care what the underside looks like, it would be a great candidate to get a cheap welder and try your skills at welding a new floor in permanent place, and start learning some new skills.
 
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spicercars

Greasemonkey
Jan 7, 2019
142
114
43
Saginaw MN
Welcome to the forum and good luck with your new project.
 

AlexThe80s

Not-quite-so-new-guy
Apr 24, 2019
11
5
3
Ontario
sounds like the car has sentimental value, you're just not sure you can justify it to yourself. like flemming said, do a quick cheapo floor patch that you can easily reverse for now (said stop sign/any kind of decent gauge sheet metal, and rivet it to the remaining floor) and get it running enough to get it out of derelict status. you can usually find carbs on places like craigslist, kajiji, fbmarketplace, etc..., throw a fresh set of plugs and wires/clean the fuel system, and you can determine from there with fresh breathing room.
once you get back into the project, if you're like me and don't care what the underside looks like, it would be a great candidate to get a cheap welder and try your skills at welding a new floor in permanent place, and start learning some new skills.
I do care what it will eventually look like. If its a matter of getting it plated so I can drive it places I don't mind a quick patch. If I had $10k laying around I'd even go Scwartz performance frame but $10k CAD is basicly what I have to get it road legal for now, maybe something I do in 10 years
 
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