Found a Mirage, should I get it?

[75Monz]

So looking at a project I found, trying to figure out if I should buy it or run. 1977 Monza mirage, motor is gone, 4 speed Saginaw is stock, missing front air dam and drivers rear flair is broke with dent under filler neck near bumper. No title, has been dropped of the list. Factory clock and tach with spider steering wheel. Think I can pick it for $600. Should I run or swoop it?

[classic_cruiser]

Around here, these cars are so rare, I haven't seen one in a pick-your-own yard for years. If it has any decent parts on it and you need them, I'd say pick it up.
If you don't need the parts and are thinking of parting it out, that's somewhat of a gamble. If scrap prices are what I think, the most you could lose is $400 or so assuming there is nothing you can sell or use off of it.

[75Monz]

What my goal will be is to restore it. Just figured out how to get a title for it, a friend has a tow yard and can " impound" it , have it inspected and paperwork done to give it clean title. Interior is actually pretty decent and could just drop a motor in it and drive it. Still regret the last one of these I passed on 10 years ago.

[rm617]

What is the condition of the frame? In the front where the A-arms attach and in the rear where the trailing arms attach. If those areas are good, I'd get it. The Mirage panels are out there if you need one, the air dam, not so much.

[75Monz]

Well, went and did a full inspection and decided to pass on it. Underneath was solid, but ran into vin issues. Going by the vin, showed that it was made in Lordstown, but it was a 1HR07. Everything I've read said that they were ordered from St. Therese in Canada, then sent to MAT in Grand Rapids for Mirage application. The vin also showed it to be a 1978 (could be late model 1977 I suppose) and it came with a Pontiac 2.5l, which wasn't available until '78 I thought. I did see blue in the cowl where the blue stripe was supposed to be, so it's possible it was a last gasp Mirage. The radiator support showed that it had hit something in the front, must have been enough to total it because it had a washington state re-vin tag on the body and the drivers door tags were scrapped off. Was no build sheet anywhere in the car that we could find. While it may have came with the 2.5, it was set up for v-8, manifolds, motor mounts, and accessory brackets where correct. Interior was all black, console around the 4 speed shifter, and instrument cluster with tach.
Going to just buy the cluster from him when he starts to part it out in a few weeks, so scoring that anyways.

[cammerjeff]

I never heard that all Mirages came from the Canadian Plant? I don't know either way about that.

But yes the Iron duke was only available in Pontiac Astre's & Ventura's in 1977, so you are correct it is probably a 1978 car. You also have to remember that MAT sold Kits to dealers to "Make" a Monza into a Mirage, so it very well could be a real dealer assembled Mirage.

Still if it is solid, and has a good gas tank it could be worth it.

[75Monz]

The core support needs replaced from damage. After I opened the hood, found the twisted mess still there and never straightened out...other than cutting out sections that were too mangled. It looks like the hatch used to be red and the drivers door was red, the carpet is cut too far forward of the shifter console for some reason and the clutch cable where it goes through the firewall doesn't seem right either, just sitting loose to the hole, no bolt hole for attachment (not too sure on that since have not looked at one for 12 years). I'll be happy just to get the instrument cluster from it, maybe the axle too.

[rm617]

They didn't start producing Monzas in Lordstown until 1978. 75-77 Monzas were built in either Ste. Therese, Quebec, Canada or Southgate, California. It was probably a dealer or previous owner creation.

[Monza Harry]

I never heard that all Mirages came from the Canadian Plant? I don't know either way about that.

But yes the Iron duke was only available in Pontiac Astre's & Ventura's in 1977, so you are correct it is probably a 1978 car. You also have to remember that MAT sold Kits to dealers to "Make" a Monza into a Mirage, so it very well could be a real dealer assembled Mirage.

Still if it is solid, and has a good gas tank it could be worth it.

Wow, I had a '77 Ventura with a 305 [2bbl]barely acceptable, I later added the Q-Jet and that was better, but then with half the cylinders and displacement. Performance measured with a sundial? That would have been a slow car!. Sorry to derail just confused by the "Generals thinking" sometimes. Harry