Hi guys,
I'm in New Zealand, i ordered a front kit from Rockauto. The centre/drag link is a different length to the one in the vehicle. The one I have is around 630-640mm with a dip where the crank pulley is and the one in the supplied kit is 610mm and is straight. Can you still fit the shorter one and make up the difference in length by adjusting tie rods longer? The one in the kit is SKP and part# is SDS909. When I check the part individually on rockauto, it doesn't even come up with that number. The number listed individually for SKP is SDS749 and the picture shows the dip for crank pulley. Before I ordered another part, since our shipping price and our dollar is rubbish, I thought I'd check in here. If it is wrong, cant really send it back as shipping would be ridiculous. Thanks

 

I can empathize regarding the frustration and disappointment of parts houses offering seemingly different parts, all the while claiming they're the same and they'll fit, or worse, the completely wrong part.

As you probably know, the 1970-72 Monte Carlo was built on the Chevelle platform, hence, 1st gen. Monte Carlo parts are Chevelle parts.
I dug through the "stacks" at gmpartswiki.com (an invaluable resource) and came up with the following…

The original part number for the Chevelle center link, aka ROD ASSY., RELAY, was 3956708. It was replaced with 3994433 then 7800896 then ultimately with 12306180
According to =2&type[label]=Light%20Duty&year[value]=1971&year[label]=1971&make[value]=47&make[label]=Chevrolet&model[value]=470&model[label]=Monte%20Carlo]Moog suspension parts, the center link is their part #DS749 which is consistent with what RockAuto shows.

As I said earlier, I feel your pain. Therefore, I do exhaustive searching when looking for parts for my 2nd gen Monte Carlo. I have a Chevrolet parts book from the 1970s as well as lots of manuals, service bulletins, etc. I also use gmpartswiki, eBay, search for images and videos, parts suppliers online catalogs, etc., before I bite the bullet and spend money.

By the way, as you discovered, the number of the kit you acquired – SDS909 – isn't meant for your car. It's meant for a 3rd gen. (1978-88) Monte Carlo.

Sorry I can't give you a better answer.

 

Thanks Zucchi, I wish I had checked all this before hand. Cheers for the response and all this useful info for my next parts orders.

Thanks again, Really appreciate your help.

Greg L

 

Hate that this happened to you, but I've learned, a huge percentage of the parts you order for your classic vehicle will be wrong, it's maddening, but don't let the vendors off the hook, they won't get better until they realize they are losing money. Best of luck to you.