Harry's Monza

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Harry's Monza

Postby Monza Harry » Sun Aug 30, 2015 9:47 pm

Well time has come to do something with this on again off again project! I have had a Monza since Feb'82! Fixed it up very much the way I wanted it, and someone ran into it. Totalled Sept '83! :cry: :bang: So I stripped off anything that was good, still didn't get rid of it until I found a replacement and that took awhile as these were hard to find here even as a newish car. Found one and my bad it was a '75 and what I thought I could swap around I couldn't. Stalled again, distractions here there and everywhere, but I did take the insurance money and went shopping at the dealer, I bought almost every emblem I could new (A few I forgot to order and a few were already discontinued already in early "84). A few more years go by and my brother is talking to a guy with an '80 Spyder, yes it's for sale and I can even swing the money! :thumb: :hump: :woohoo: Now the complications this car is an '80 so Gutless Gutless V6 with 4 gear and that confounded Cable clutch! I hated driving this car! And to compound my eventual misery, the foundry he worked at had an "Emission" from their stack. So the company repaints everybody's car. but soon he notices that his 4yr. old car has "Flat Black paint three months later. :? Company will not pay for another paint job so he pops for this himself. Now a year goes by and rust blisters, paint won't stick, and he is "BUMMED" he bought this car new two years out of high school, it's his baby, so what to do, he decides to sell. So I buy it and I try and fix the paint while I start to fix it up and sell off the unwanted/unneeded parts, but my paint is falling off and I didn't take any short cuts like I surmised the "cheapy" repaired insurance paint job had been done. I made at least 10 attempts to make paint stick to this car, and gave up (it is still in the backyard, I didn't get the time this year to finally cut up what is left, but I have been removing and selling anything I deemed as salvageable, there are a few pieces left and maybe next year I will finally get rid of what is left)! The ordeal cost me around $5000 for that education (I know there are products available now to help or fix that situation, but I gave up in or about 1990 and I wasn't aware of anything else and no-one I talked to did either). So my Monza Project went DEEP Dormant, until about 2005 (mind you I never got rid of many things, just those that a replacement should have and were too big for me to store) So after some searching I found the present car in my possession and the "subject of this Project Journal" Now for the last 1/2 dozen years I have been searching and acquiring the parts to make what I want to happen. So hold onto your hats boys and girls this will be the slowest build you could never imaging! The car was basically a crappy driver, but a "California crappy driver"it needed paint and some serious cleaning, and it ran like a large steaming pile of Dog S :censored: T on a good day. So at this point I believe I have all the Monza specific parts required (I know I am delusional, quite aware) So my last part finally showed up on Friday and now I have to make something happen as it has only been 33 years since it began. I will post some other pic's in my spare time and I will stop changing my mind about what I want! (I know I am delusional, quite aware) So with out further adieu my first "journal Pic"
5.7 MONZA.jpg
Harry
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I'm not a hoarder I'm a preservationist 78 Monza Spyder (~Soon(ish +/- I guess) To Be 2+2 with Spoilers)
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Re: Harry's Monza

Postby cjbiagi » Sun Aug 30, 2015 10:29 pm

Ok Harry, there is no turning back now, let get rolling. :lol:
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Re: Harry's Monza

Postby Monza Harry » Sun Aug 30, 2015 10:54 pm

Clyde Glaciers will be faster than this project! I want to make it complete, then modify 1 step at a time. then when I am happy, take it all apart and make nicer. Hey that is even a word according to my spell check. High performance SBC donations gratefully accepted! (with shipping included of course :lol: ) Harry
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Re: Harry's Monza

Postby cjbiagi » Sun Aug 30, 2015 11:01 pm

Hey, I have been working on mine for 40 years!
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Re: Harry's Monza

Postby NVEGAR8D » Mon Aug 31, 2015 1:10 am

Hi,
Ok Harry, you know now that we will need reasonably regular progress reports :lol: . I guess next year , there will be two of us at the MonzaQue with our plates :lol: .
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Re: Harry's Monza

Postby Monza Harry » Mon Aug 31, 2015 6:46 pm

Clyde I have driven an H-Body only three(?+/-) times since 1984 I am sure you've logged a few more miles than I in that time period, of course you spend more time washing yours than I do working on mine. :oops: Nick I am hoping to have it drivable enough for the back row "Projects and beater section" that Bryan would have to create for my POS. I intend to start with the weather stripping and then start polishing and painting my trim and such Install the carpet and start on the rest of the interior. That isn't to ambitious for a year is it? Oh I have my home type chores and work and my Garage project (Think Monza support building/machine shop etc.) to do as well. (I know I am delusional, quite aware) I will be going through some old photo's and adding to the thread. Harry
I'm not a hoarder I'm a preservationist 78 Monza Spyder (~Soon(ish +/- I guess) To Be 2+2 with Spoilers)
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Re: Harry's Monza

Postby cjbiagi » Mon Aug 31, 2015 9:10 pm

Surprisingly I hardly ever "wash" my car. Why? Because it never gets dirty enough :lol: I try very hard to keep it dry so using a hose or water on it is very rare. Usually it's just dusted off or I often use spray detailer on it. It's probably been years since I did a traditional wash on it, can't even remember the last time actually.
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Re: Harry's Monza

Postby zeke » Mon Aug 31, 2015 10:08 pm

Cool plate man! Looking forward to seeing your progression.
Chris

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Re: Harry's Monza

Postby vegastre » Mon Aug 31, 2015 11:04 pm

Good job Harry,
Don't pressure yourself and remember it's the journey and not the destination. I joke that the Astre SJ is and has been the project that never ends. As any one knows who's owned these cars for any length of time inspiration can be hard to come by at times and short lived if you happen to stumble on some. It seems owners new to the H-Body gobble up all the inspiration. The days of projects based on piss and vinegar are so far behind me all I can see is the future one day at a time. Hope this makes a little sense.
Phil Kennedy~
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Re: Harry's Monza

Postby Monza Harry » Tue Feb 02, 2016 3:54 pm

Well little to post but I have done a little. I chased down the senders that will be required for the heads on the very distant engine swap. My priorities with the car are as follows: Monza parts, 35>40 years old now, Transmission [2004R] 20>30 years old, rear end I've decided on a "3rd gen F-Body" as this will come with the brakes I want and is torque arm compatible and requires no pinion shaft mod's 15>20 years old at this time Engine is last as Small block Chevy parts will be available for quite some time from now I suspect
Monza Senders R.jpg
I also finally hooked up the oil pressure switch to the wiring harness as that was "Hacked" by a PO so here is a mini instalment on the install, I'll post a more detailed thread in electrical soon.
Oil Pressue connector R.jpg
As the connector came with out colour coded wires and the V6 location isn't friendly to my 3x head I needed a way to see what I was doing so these parts and some blue electrical tape and I was able to hook this up easily. Harry P.S. I did say a "LITTLE" :lol:
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Re: Harry's Monza

Postby Vegavulture » Fri Feb 05, 2016 11:09 pm

Good luck Harry. Loved the story and glad to know there is at least ONE person doing a build slower than myself. :th:
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Re: Harry's Monza

Postby Monza Harry » Sat Feb 06, 2016 10:26 pm

Yup like watching a glacier move! However my car is together and sorta runs(ish), I sold the red interior or most of it. So if I installed my black int. and made it run I could drive it slowly [3.8l V6], and it would look ok from a least a little distance, [I paid someone to paint it for me to protect it, as there wasn't much paint left when I bought it, Cali. car sunbaked] I just want it FASTER and Prettier than I can afford right now. So I have to do it like Johnny Cash 1 piece at a time! I'm sorta patient sometimes. Harry
I'm not a hoarder I'm a preservationist 78 Monza Spyder (~Soon(ish +/- I guess) To Be 2+2 with Spoilers)
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Re: Harry's Monza

Postby chevyart » Sat Feb 06, 2016 11:11 pm

hey harry remember, johnny cash mish moshed the parts all up from different years. dont be trying to put vega doors on your monza. art
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Re: Harry's Monza

Postby Monza Harry » Sat Feb 24, 2018 11:16 pm

Ok two years since my last update, that's regular Right? And you all thought I was joking when I said "Glacier Slow" well I took the car to a local guy with experience with these things, and he remembers about three times as much as I do. So about 5 hours and some $$$ [which I didn't really have] after a tire and an upper Ball Joint on the wife's heap and the towing bill because we couldn't move it, and all of the emissions parts and install help, for my truck to pass our "bi-annual inspections" today was expensive, any way the Monza now comes real close to running well enough to move under it's own power [mostly still more $$$ to spend and no I don't have that either!] Anyone need an old beat up body going cheap[ish] I just need enough for a "Tune-up" mostly. So we go to see if it will idle in gear and now the car seems to be with out brakes of course. So my "Bi-Annual update" is pretty much a wash. :( At least I haven't backed up yet. but I still have Sunday left this weekend, to make it a complete loss. :bang: Sorry for this post being a little, round about, but today was a mess, [like its author] but I did do actual work on the Monza, first time in quite awhile, so I felt my "Project Journal" needed a kick in the @$$ little as it maybe. Harry
I'm not a hoarder I'm a preservationist 78 Monza Spyder (~Soon(ish +/- I guess) To Be 2+2 with Spoilers)
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Re: Harry's Monza

Postby dindin » Tue Feb 27, 2018 10:55 am

Hey Harry, Nice to see you're making progress no matter how small. Keep it going!

Al
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