The Secret Mods of 2012
 

OK guys, I've been keeping quiet about a few items I've been working on for the Monte (some in tandem as I have been replacing that darn evaporator core). I've kept quiet because I wanted to get more of them done and then unleash a cool thread about them.
Well, I have to break my silence!! :)
I'm down to two mods and an oil change and I will have my final results.

Here's what's done so far:
- Wizaird CAI
- Front and Rear ZZP STBs
- Red powder coated diagonal braces
- Black powder coated dog bones and radiator mounts (donor set)
- Red WBS poly bushings for the above dog bone and rad mounts
- Stainless steel bolts and socket cap bolts to hold the diagonals and rad mounts
- Limited Edition Speedo Overlay (already featured in an earlier thread)

Here's what's left to finish:
- Goodridge braided stainless flex lines
- Rebuild my powder coated calipers (red caliper with black bracket)
- Install new ceramic pads and AC Delco Advantage/sever duty rotors (I have to paint the hats on them first).

My Monte still needs a big cleaning (so don't mind any dirt in the pics or stupid "helicopter" seeds from trees). I am super anxious to take her out (not just that, I am WAY overdue to have her ready for summer, but it did not help the powder coating shop took FOREVER to get to my order).

Here are the first pics I have to share (more to come in a week or so when I can can tend to the brakes and put my summer wheels back on).

https://montecarloforum.com/forum/at...1&d=1336957646

https://montecarloforum.com/forum/at...1&d=1336957744

Looks Nice..:thumbsup:

Looks great man!

Looking good... I should make a thread like this too since I haven't in a while :)

So jealous. I want the dog bones, mounts and bushings. Which brands do you have?

I'm curious on the bushing, do you feel a difference? Rather, what is the purpose of them?

They are WBody Store Bushings (I got them in a kit with a bunch of other goodies on Black Friday).

I'll let you know once I have the brakes back on and take her on her maiden voyage. I cannot WAIT!
I did start the car before and after putting the bushings on, I did not notice any change at idle or revving. BUT you can tell when looking under the hood, that engine does NOT rock ANYWHERE!

BTW - They advertise these as "Poly Bushings". IMO these do NOT feel like Poly bushings (I've placed Poly bushings elsewhere on the car and on other cars, Poly has a very plastic feel). They feel like solid rubber. For my wants, solid rubber is 100% fine, actually I kinda rather solid rubber anyways as I think it would absorb some of the vibrations.

Lookin' good! :thumbsup:

Looks great! Nice work :thumbsup:

Looks like some nice mods.

Thanks again everyone. Since March (when I could be comfortable that I could begin these projects), I have been busy with the Monte. I need to wrap things up and get to some other projects inside the house soon! :)

But I appreciate everyone's kind remarks. I love looking at the pics I have and I love having the hood up looking at the real thing. Now, I just need to get to where I can take her out and "test" how these changes/improvements perform. I'm hoping next weekend the brakes will be back together.

Are the bushing combo-d together with the shorter dogbones?

Looks great!! :)

The WBS kit I bought came with:
- Dog Bone and Rad Mount Poly Bushings
- Solid Rubber Trans and Engine Mount (instead of the hydraulic ones on the car)
- Short dog bones

The dog bones in the pic are stock ones. I currently don't see me using the shorter dog bones unless I lowered the car. I've given some thought to selling the shorter ones.... Just haven't moved on it yet.
I am up in the air on swapping the trans and lower engine mounts with solid rubber ones (mainly because of the work involved). We'll see. Right now, I just want to get my brakes done and the Monte back on the road. :thumbsup:

Very nice!

awesome mods :)

Very nice mods! Everything looks great!


You most definitely should!

Thanks again everyone.

Tonight, I tried my first hand at rebuilding a caliper, did not go so well. I just can't push that darn piston in (prior to attempting this, all videos and write ups I've seen indicated using your bare hands to press the thing in, now I see videos where people have used C-Clamps to assist. Hmmm.... Maybe I was not having as big a problem as I thought.

Looking good! I have to get my dogbone mounts installed! They're just sitting in the back of my car, I'm wondering if I should put them in the shorter dogbones or keep them in the stock ones, I'm planning to lower later on...

But anyways, keep up the good work!

nice.

@Trewyn - You can remove the poly bushings from the dog bones. You just have to force the center piece out (once you have it out enough to grab it with vice grips or channel locks, WD-40 what you can of the inside of the bushing and twist it as you pull it). I had to remove it once after I seated it.
Also, in case you don't know how to remove the old bushing from the dog bone (as I asked WBS for the "trick" to it to learn it was straight forward), take a razor blade and run it around the outer lip of the old bushing (where it over hangs and makes a flange on the outside of the dog bone). Once that lip is gone, you might have to WD-40 it, but odds are you can push it out by hand.

How do you like those STBs? They seem like a great deal. Do they come with everything you need to install them?

ZZP STBs do need to have the mounting holes honed out (or ob-longed) to mount on the Monte (not sure about other W-Body cars), so I spent some time with my Dremel and a metal cutting bit, but that worked.
You don't need anything to mount them up, they use the factory nuts from the struts to hold them down. A simple bolt on.

And so far, I have been very happy with those and all the other mods I have added to the Monte this year. The wheels feel like they all track really well and the car is far more sturdy with the front and rear STBs.

ZZP seems to place these babies on an AWESOME sale on Black Friday.