hello everyone!!!

I belong to impalaforums.com for my 8th gen 07 impala SS with a 5.3L v8 in it..I recently bought a 85 MC.. 350 engine, 4 barrel carb, 50k miles, newer paint job..etc...Anyways, the guys on there dont have much GBody knowledge so i decided to join up here...This is my new project car since im pretty much done modding my impala..I have plans for the vehicle but nothing really over the top..Mostly cosmetics...

I do have some plans and questions i would like to ask.. I am as old as this vehicle..I really dont remember much about old cars..I grew up in early 90s buicks and my dad had a few 79-88 rivieras, regals, and other GMS...Please disregard my "noobish" questions but I really need some assistance with general things with this car...

Things i plan on doing and a couple questions:

-Plasti dipping that whole car buy mixing pigments with clear dip...
-HID lights
-repainting all of the interior..vinyl,dash (maybe buying a cap) repainting seats, rewrapping headliner in suede
-Someone ripped out the dash speakers (i think they were 3 1/2 tweeters)..The only highs i have in the car is REAR 6x9's ( i think) and a 15 inch sub that came with the car..I dont even know where to start on adding additional speakers...I may leave the rears in and buy some good tweeters for the A pillers..I really cant see cutting the the door panels for some speakers...
-The guy i bought the car from said i need a "oil cap and new pan"..There is a drip under the car and i really hope its not a leak...Ive been reading info on the pans rusting out..
-The hood release handle is broken..I had to splice the cable with a hack saw and use vice grips to open the hood..Ive read that it is a easy fix as well though..Just tie the new cable on and pull it through the firewall...OR can i buy a aftermarket handle and some how attach it to the wire??
-Last and most important..Is there a official way of starting these old cars?? I was told buy the seller to just "pump the gas"... So with that being said I pump the gas a couple times..turn the key...wait about 30-40 seconds..try again..usually it starts on the 2nd or third try.

I only have a couple pics of the car since it is really cold in pittsburgh pa right now..I plan on getting really good pics of the inside and out and i will make a build thread on here on my progress...Here is couple so far. Any info is great..YES I am a noob with these old cars but i am very excited on learning the trade!!

 

Welcome to the site! Looking forward to see how the build comes along!

 

Thanks..That's a nice 5.3 you have there..I have the impala 5.3..id like to add pics but i guess im not allowed to..it says "you may not post attachments"

 

Thanks! I'd def like to see the Impala! my gf has a 08 impala SS, love driving it!

I think you need something like 10 posts before you can post pictures, But,
You can directly upload a picture by getting the direct link off of photobucket or image shack and using the insert image tab

 

gotcha....i will do that

 

Welcome to the forum!

 

thank you!

 

First off,
Welcome to the forum. (insert your name here)

As is see you haven't yet filled out your profile.. So, I don't know your name or where your from. My name however is David...
I am an "Old School" guy...
Since your Monte Carlo has a carb, and is not fuel injected is the reason you sometimes need to pump the gas in order to get it started... Theres 2 reasons for that...
1) Not knowing where you live will may or maynot make sense what I'm about to tell you... Depending on the climate you will have to make different settings to the choke mechanism in order to not have to "pump" the gas to get it started. In Michigan for instance we have 2 different types of climate. Winter, Summer. Thus requiring to reset the choke for each..
I will explain further in a bit....

2) Not knowing if its the original carb or not.. Its probably time for a rebuild... The reasoning behind the excessive "pumping" is probably due to the accelerator pump is worn out... Which can only be cured with a rebuild kit. (Theres a new one in the kit) I for one am an expert in carb rebuilding.
I grew up knee high to a 58 Impala which gives you some idea how old I am....lol

Back then all vehicles had Carbs.. Which makes me kinda of an Expert as all my buddies, drag racers included as well as circle track racers came to me for advise, adjustments and rebuilds. Back then...

Back on track with choke settings.... Theres 2 ways a choke works...
1) was thru the use of a heat sink built into the top of the manifold accompanied by a heat tube and a Dashpot.. That you adjusted lean and rich..That was attached to the carb. Depending on the climate....

2) This 2nd type was operated electronically, Now this really simplified the choke setting and automatically determined the climate thus setting the choke to the proper setting for winter and summer starts.

Now your asking how does the choke effect starting the vehicle..

Heres what happens:
Its called a step process you touch/push down the accelerator, Upon doing so, it sets the position of the choke (butterfly) in the top of the carb.(closes it to the proper gap to allow it to draw fuel into the venturies)

For instance if its winter.. it will allow the car to start and then run at a higher idle until it reaches operating tempature... youll know when its at the right temp because you can again touch the accelerator and the idle will drop down to normal idle.. That's when you can safely drive down the road knowing the motors warmed up and should rum normally throughout its life.

This is just 1 of many examples of what role the choke plays in starting your vehicle...

I too like others look forward to seeing your newly purchased 1985 Monte Carlo.. My hope for you is also that the oil pan leak isn't the rear main seal leaking... Not knowing if that's the original motor or a replacement... Some of the older style 350's used a piece of rope for the rear main seal VS what they eventually converted to neopreme (rubber). which cured that issue from happening again.

If I'm not mistaken..in 1985 Monte Carlo they used a 3x5 speaker in the dash boards.. or even smaller (not sure) exactly.

But please feel free to ask here on the forum should you have any further questions..Theres a lot of Great Info as well as Great people here willing to help you and ev1 else here who needs it. Also, please feel free to check into our daily blog and just say hi or how your day is going!
We look forward to hearing more of your progress as you continue the build on your 1985 Monte Carlo!

Thanks for Joining the MCF Family!

 

Welcome to the forum. Most of the questions you have were answered by David, as you will find there are a lot of helpful members on here just like him, plus there is an even larger amount of information in the posts throughout the forum.

Watched an early episode of pinks the other night and one of the guys racing had an 85 monte ss, they are nice cars, can't wait to see pics of yours.

 

welcome to mcf!!! cant wait to see some pics