So, to fix, or not to fix, 1988 Monte SS

Best use of this car:

  • Shadetree quality rebuild

    Votes: 1 4.5%
  • Part it out

    Votes: 20 90.9%
  • Sell it to someone who will do a frame off

    Votes: 1 4.5%

  • Total voters
    22
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Texas82GP

Just-a-worm
Apr 3, 2015
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Spend your time fixing something you already had and care about. Just my $0.02.
 
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DSPbuilt

G-Body Guru
Jan 7, 2016
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Cape Coral, FL
I don't know how far you are from NC. If you decide to fix it there is a guy the has a stock pile of "Dale's spare quarter panels"
as soo as I find the ad on Facebook I'll share it.
 

ck80

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Feb 18, 2014
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Make it a Roadkill ride & send it.
Hey, this could replace your truck with a little elbow grease.

We've seen how fast Clutch can work and he's almost done with his truck. Bribe him over the state line for a bit and knock it out.
 
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ck80

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I don't know how far you are from NC. If you decide to fix it there is a guy the has a stock pile of "Dale's spare quarter panels"
as soo as I find the ad on Facebook I'll share it.
I remember seeing that, he had a bunch of various panel skins. Haven't seen the ad lately though.

That said, leaning strongly to parting. I know I'd be selling the stuff I would use in it again either way , seat, shifter, some interior, probably some body panels or patches thereof.

Also some repairable stuff I'd give away either way to 'seasoned' aka 'not just joined to get the parts' forum members.

I just realized something... and I have to poke fun with a little dirt talking.... this car is as fast as mclellan83 's monte right now isn't it? And this one doesn't even have the Sniper in the engine bay ;) :LOL:
 
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DSPbuilt

G-Body Guru
Jan 7, 2016
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I remember seeing that, he had a bunch of various panel skins. Haven't seen the ad lately though.
Yea, I just remember a bunch of people gave him crap for saying they were Dale's Maybe he just deleted it. He had door skins too and people were questioning the fact that it had the holes for door handles stating that race cars don't have door handles. :LOL:


Not trying send you on a some kind of crazy build we would all love to see BUT if the words "Build a fast car" ever come out of my wife's mouth I'm doing it!
 
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ck80

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Sad thing this could be a faster way of getting a new daily.
Just take a grinder and round over the edges of the holes, make am.look like the rust got em and park by the salt piles at work
 

CopperNick

Comic Book Super Hero
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Feb 20, 2018
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Canada
Just a fast FYI here. Although they were identified and tagged as 88's, they were actually left over 87's from the final production runs and the PR adverts were massaged to make them look like a new run for the last year that rear wheel drive Monte's were offered.

Okay, the whole quarter panel, the drop and the outer wheel house are all available out of OPG Inc; listed in their latest G-Body catalogue. For myself I think that I would split the seam that joins the inner and outer wheel house halves and keep the innie if it is serviceable; saves a few bucks and some labor. I just had some excellent luck with replacing a door skin on my own Monte SS using, primarily, two part panel bonding adhesive for the most part and adding a few tacks and plug welds here and there as necessary. You'd need a whole shop load of vice grips as it is a vertical panel but could beat that by using a few sheet metal screws to hold the new paneling in place when you do the initial fit and tweak and then keeping them to use for the final install to give you breathing room while you throw clamps at it. As for the drops, I'd have to check but I do know that I have a trunk floor pan sitting on a skid that I am thinking of dismantling and the drops, subject to inspection, were two of the bits that intended to retain, or forward to some needy candidate..;................

That aside, does it start and drive?? I do admit it needs some serious detailing and a good bath but for a daily driver, if the floor pans are solid and the rear frame horns intact, then you have the makings of nice little ride.



Nick
 
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ck80

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Feb 18, 2014
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Just a fast FYI here. Although they were identified and tagged as 88's, they were actually left over 87's from the final production runs and the PR adverts were massaged to make them look like a new run for the last year that rear wheel drive Monte's were offered.

Okay, the whole quarter panel, the drop and the outer wheel house are all available out of OPG Inc; listed in their latest G-Body catalogue. For myself I think that I would split the seam that joins the inner and outer wheel house halves and keep the innie if it is serviceable; saves a few bucks and some labor. I just had some excellent luck with replacing a door skin on my own Monte SS using, primarily, two part panel bonding adhesive for the most part and adding a few tacks and plug welds here and there as necessary. You'd need a whole shop load of vice grips as it is a vertical panel but could beat that by using a few sheet metal screws to hold the new paneling in place when you do the initial fit and tweak and then keeping them to use for the final install to give you breathing room while you throw clamps at it. As for the drops, I'd have to check but I do know that I have a trunk floor pan sitting on a skid that I am thinking of dismantling and the drops, subject to inspection, were two of the bits that intended to retain, or forward to some needy candidate..;................

That aside, does it start and drive?? I do admit it needs some serious detailing and a good bath but for a daily driver, if the floor pans are solid and the rear frame horns intact, then you have the makings of nice little ride.



Nick
Whole frame looked good from what ive been over, rear rails fine, and it didn't look like the bushing under the ac box was collapsed so I presume that bushing hole hasn't rotted. That said...

No engine, and, while the trans is the th350c I think it'd need going through. Someone dropped the pan on it, known since not all the bolts are on it. Said to be good, but...

No ac box, it had the metal plate treatment. So you're looking at a vintage air if you want a clean install or a lot of complaining and contorting to get the gm stuff back, and set up right.

I thought about putting the spare 1994 350/4l80e from my former bank document g30 van in there, even doing a quick and ugly to get it rolling but...

Man, I hate rust, and, I think there's surprises all around the glass, decked, and qtr to floor junctions from what they cut and how they stored it.

Or, yall can do a gbodyforum fundraiser, and we'll strike a deal to send it to pagrunt for his new daily. :ROFLMAO:

Set of tires, stab a basic drivetrain in, mount a front seat and some odds and ends, and spray foam the quarters. Maybe he could just ducttape the roadside dildos over the holes and mount one as a hood ornament?
 
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