Re: Monte Carlo -75

by 76Chevelle2Tone Sun Sep 10, 2023 4:25 pm

Finn Monte wrote:
I asked carupholsteryguys about the upholstery, and you can't get rear upholstery separately from them, and I haven't seen anywhere that only has rear upholstery.

I haven't either. If the OPG upholstery link I gave is someone different then it doesn't hurt to inquire with them. Otherwise you likely will need to buy yardage and have an upholsterer make it. That's what I did with my Chevelle seating 30 years ago with some modest customization within the general OEM styles.

by zucchi Mon Sep 11, 2023 8:23 am

Finn Monte wrote:where can I find an ac delete box, or do I have to do it myself?

I am unaware of the existence of an AC delete kit of any kind for these cars.

Consider the rule of supply and demand when it comes to aftermarket items. Most people want their nice classic car to have AC from the factory or added via an aftermarket kit unless they're building a racing car. If you're building a race car, you don't necessarily need it to look pretty. Simply remove all AC and heater components, cut a piece of sheet metal to cover the holes and rivet it in place. Whatever will lighten the car and doesn't take much time or money to do it is the rule of thumb in that scenario.

Mind you, AC does more than simply cool air for passenger comfort on hot days, it dehumidifies air which comes in handy especially when the system is set to defog.
I encourage you to keep your AC system and upgrade it to an orifice tube. You could even convert to R-134.

by Finn Monte Mon Sep 11, 2023 12:31 pm

76Chevelle2Tone wrote:
Finn Monte wrote:
I asked carupholsteryguys about the upholstery, and you can't get rear upholstery separately from them, and I haven't seen anywhere that only has rear upholstery.

I haven't either. If the OPG upholstery link I gave is someone different then it doesn't hurt to inquire with them. Otherwise you likely will need to buy yardage and have an upholsterer make it. That's what I did with my Chevelle seating 30 years ago with some modest customization within the general OEM styles.

I went to buy artificial leather today, I can try to make the door trim and the back sides myself. the bench must be made by an upholsterer.

by Finn Monte Mon Sep 11, 2023 12:38 pm

zucchi wrote:
Finn Monte wrote:where can I find an ac delete box, or do I have to do it myself?
I am unaware of the existence of an AC delete kit of any kind for these cars.

Consider the rule of supply and demand when it comes to aftermarket items. Most people want their nice classic car to have AC from the factory or added via an aftermarket kit unless they're building a racing car. If you're building a race car, you don't necessarily need it to look pretty. Simply remove all AC and heater components, cut a piece of sheet metal to cover the holes and rivet it in place. Whatever will lighten the car and doesn't take much time or money to do it is the rule of thumb in that scenario.

Mind you, AC does more than simply cool air for passenger comfort on hot days, it dehumidifies air which comes in handy especially when the system is set to defog.
I encourage you to keep your AC system and upgrade it to an orifice tube. You could even convert to R-134.

that's true what you wrote, the engine looks better without those parts.
are there any instructions for that r134 change, you can't get r12 here anymore.

by zucchi Mon Sep 11, 2023 12:48 pm

Finn Monte wrote:are there any instructions for that r134 change, you can't get r12 here anymore.

It's quite simple, really. When you do the orifice tube upgrade, have the entire system flushed/cleaned, be sure to use R-134 compatible seals when you reassemble, put in R-134 compatible compressor oil, evacuate, then charge with R-134. Mind you, it won't cool as efficiently as R-12 — depending on who you ask, the difference is 10-15°F. For more efficiency (i.e. better cooling), you could replace the original condenser with a parallel flow condenser.

by 76Chevelle2Tone Mon Sep 11, 2023 1:44 pm

I strongly second the recommendation to get a powerflow condenser if you change to r134. Flushing the system is critical and might have to be done more than once IMO. The other issue is the VIR assembly (valves in receiver). I got a remanufactured VIR but another option is the accumulator with clutch cycling. As zucchi noted you will have to get a 134 compressor that also can stand up to the clutch cycling process with the accumulator. However the accumulator is a 1977 feature and would not be period correct if that matters to you. The accumulator wiring has to be spliced in. That is why I kept the VIR in the system. I actually replaced all A/C components at the same time so that the r134 would be introduced from the start without flushing.

by zucchi Mon Sep 11, 2023 1:58 pm

The cycling clutch 76Chevelle mentioned is the orifice tube system. Mine had the VIR (Valves In Receiver) from the factory. It has check-balls, springs and valves, in other words, lots of moving parts. The orifice tube has NO moving parts. No moving parts means nothing will mechanically fail. The only thing that can go wrong is the tube could get clogged with contaminants. That will only happen if your pump goes out/fails and particles from it end up in the orifice tube. I converted my system nearly 15 years ago and still use the original A6 compressor without issues. The only thing I did after the shop wired it up was repurpose the idle-stop (anti-dieseling) solenoid to be an idle-compensation solenoid:

by Limey SE Mon Sep 11, 2023 8:43 pm

76Chevelle2Tone wrote:Since these upholstery sets are made to order I would just inquire if they are willing to make and sell only the rear seat. Otherwise my guess is you will need to use material by the yard. Hope you find something.
https://www.opgi.com/interior-accessories/seat-upholstery/1975-77-monte-carlo-seat-upholstery/m240330.html

I have only heard of an AC delete cover of which there are several. Is there a box too?

A whole kit is available @ ACEDELETE.com

https://acdelete.com/pages/73-7_A-Body.htm

(Includes AC Delete Cover, Heater Core (picture might differ from actual heater core), Blower Motor, Blower Fan, 3M Black Sealant, and Shipping)

Monte Carlo -75 - Page 7 73-77_A-Body

by zucchi Tue Sep 12, 2023 8:05 am

Limey SE wrote:A whole kit is available @ ACEDELETE.com

Learn somthin' new everyday.

by Finn Monte Tue Oct 10, 2023 9:31 am

summer break is over and today I started removing paint from the body. I had to apply paint remover a couple of times, there is a thick layer of paint when the car has been repainted.
some rust and old patches were found on the back. continues tomorrow...

by Finn Monte Thu Oct 26, 2023 11:45 am

archeological excavations continued, half of the roof needs to be replaced, also the lower parts of the rear sides need to be replaced all the way.
the back markers will be left out and I will close the holes, the moldings on the bottom edge will be left out.

by Finn Monte Thu Oct 26, 2023 11:46 am

Little bondo on roof.
the hood is in good condition.

by Finn Monte Sun Oct 29, 2023 9:20 am

the driver's side front fender revealed the reason why the door has sometimes been replaced, has sometimes been hit.
repair done poorly, lots of bondo.

by Finn Monte Fri Nov 24, 2023 12:50 am

picture from the passenger side.
paint removal started from the inside, floors redone completely.

by Finn Monte Tue Jan 16, 2024 12:29 pm

taking a break from renovating my son's house, so I started digging into old "repairs".
patches were made inside and outside and the old rusty sheets were left in between.
it seems that all places are made in the same style.

by Finn Monte Thu Feb 08, 2024 12:16 pm

driver's side rear floor ready for welding.
had to be made a bit simpler than the original.

by zucchi Thu Feb 08, 2024 12:22 pm

Finn Monte wrote:…I started digging into old "repairs".
patches were made inside and outside and the old rusty sheets were left in between.

What were they thinking?

by zucchi Thu Feb 08, 2024 12:24 pm

Finn Monte wrote:driver's side rear floor ready for welding.
had to be made a bit simpler than the original.

It's stuff like this that separates the passionate hobbyist from the "professionals".

by g3chevy / Mr Pontiac Sat Feb 10, 2024 12:20 pm

Mad metal fabricating skills! Great work!

by 73ss Wed Feb 14, 2024 5:35 pm

What are you planning for the roof? It sucks that your parts availability is limited. Nice work.

by Finn Monte Thu Feb 15, 2024 2:25 am

73ss wrote:What are you planning for the roof? It sucks that your parts availability is limited. Nice work.

I'm trying to do a repair piece on the back, the front is fine when the vinyl was only on the back.
I lappweld the seam that goes over the roof like the picture.

the passenger side door should find a better one as the original is in very poor condition.

by Finn Monte Thu Feb 15, 2024 11:01 am

the front part of the floor is almost finished.
I made a new cross support for the front seat, I can use the back part and the underside of the center console from the old one.

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