1978 Monte Carlo

[MarianneM]

I think I've found the perfect '78 Monte Carlo. It has 55 000 km's, a Crown Coupe Roof, limo style, apparently costing $3000 (CDN). I was wondering if this car has any problems or things I should look out for. I'm going to go look at the car this weekend and I want to be sure I know everything about it before I buy it. Thanks.


Marianne

[silicon212]

Basically, normal wear items such as suspension bushings, shocks, things of that nature. Check for abnormal wear patterns on the tires that might alert one to a suspension problem (such as worn or extruded [squished] bushings or worn ball joints).

The car was well built, I had a friend that had a bronze colored one with the same roof and he really liked it. His had the 305 engine in it.

[MarianneM]

Are there many easy parts I can buy and install myself? Also, is it easy to switch the speedometre so it reads the real speed that it can go? Thanks a lot.

Marianne

[silicon212]

Originally Posted by MarianneM

Are there many easy parts I can buy and install myself? Also, is it easy to switch the speedometre so it reads the real speed that it can go? Thanks a lot.

Marianne

That depends mostly upon your skill level, or how much grease you want under your fingernails ... As for myself, the only thing I wouldn't do would be an alignment - but that's only because I don't have the equipment. You can get new filters and do an oil change, change your air filter, check condition of the ignition system (dist cap, plug wires, etc). As for the speedometer, there's a gear in the transmission you change to calibrate it. It's not a big deal, but you do want to know what axle ratio and tire size your car has so that you can get the proper gear (speedometer driven gear).

[bobss396]

Those Montes are pretty good cars. The only thing I ever saw on them is that they are prone to a driver's door sagging with age. This sometimes cracked the door skin by the window channel. Door hinges are pretty easy to install.

Bob

['97ventureowner]

Originally Posted by bobss396

Those Montes are pretty good cars. The only thing I ever saw on them is that they are prone to a driver's door sagging with age. This sometimes cracked the door skin by the window channel. Door hinges are pretty easy to install.

Bob

Actually, owning a bunch of Montes in the past, and working on many more, my experience with the driver's door really isn't the hinge but the bushings. The doors on these 2 door cars are quite heavy, and the driver's door usually gets more usage than any other door, so the bushings wear out faster. I used to buy a kit from the dealer that contained the bushings to do the job, much cheaper than the hinge itself. It is a good idea to have another person help you replace the bushings. The process involves taking the hinge off the car, removing the old bushing, and pounding a new one in it's place. You then reinstall the hinge to the door and re-align it to close properly. (Hint: it's a good idea to put a mark or outline around the hinge so when you reinstall the hinge, you'll know whereabouts it goes, and it helps a lot in trying to realign the door.) I highly doubt your local GM dealer parts deparment still stocks these bushing kits, you'll probably have to go to a restoration catalog, ( there are a couple of ones out there that might carry them, one even has a specific catalog devoted to Monte Carlos.) I also wanted to add that the bushings are made of a soft metal. possibly brass, and that is another reason why they wear out .
Another "problem" with these G Body cars from '78-'80 was that the rear frame members behind the rear wheels tended to rust out on the sides and bottom due to moisture and road salt. Check over those areas well to make sure they are still solid. I had to get rid of a couple cars because of that problem.