Just found this forum and figured I could use it to help out my old man. He has a 1980 monte thats in great shape, sittin in the garage. He has kicked around fixin her up or letting someone else do it. Maybe even letting it go. I am wondering if it would sell, and if so how much should he expect. Really I am trying to get a baseline to put this thing up for sale for him Its a 1980, like I said, and it has been garage kept since 1980! It was originally bought by his parents, then he bought it from them in 81. He drove it with the old v6 til it gave up, then he ran a 350. Its been sitting in the garage now for about 10 years untouched. It has been repainted once since new. Its in really good shape. Any suggestions would be appreciated...


Thanks! Nice site!

 

welcome to the forum. not sure on the value of the monte. hopefully someone can get in here and give you a good idea

 

Welcome to the site. Sitting 10 years untouched even inside is not a good thing. All of the cars major systems would need to be gone through so keep this in mind when selling it. Now if you want to put a little time and money into getting it road worthy again it would have a lot more value. Post some pics when you can.

 

Welcome to the Forum, pics would be cool!

 

Would love too see some pics,welcome

 

thanks guys, i will have to get some pics hopefully this weekend.

 

Gotta have pics to even guess.

 

Welcome to the MCF. Where are you located? The 80 is one of my favorites and I'm always interested in a project car. Your Monte probably isn't worth a lot of money. Because you replaced the V-6 with a V-8 it isn't original anymore. It sounds like it isn't a hot rod either. The first thing to do is to put a socket and breaker bar on the large bolt on the front of the crank shaft and turn it to be certain the engine is not locked up. Because it has sat so long it will need 4 new tires. The ones that are on there will be weather checked and the rubber will have broken down from age. They are a blow out looking for a place to happen. Next you will need to inspect the brakes for any leaks and frozen parts. Then you need to flush the brake fluid and bleed the brake system to remove air and moisture. Next the fuel filters need to be changed and the fuel tank cleaned. The fuel in the tank if any remains has turned into varnish and needs to be removed. The carbueator will need to be rebuilt. It will be gummed up with varnish and the gaskets, seals, and diaphams will be dried out and leak. Any rubber fuel line needs to be changed. The hoses and belts need to be checked and most likely changed out. The cooling system needs to be flushed and new antifreeze installed. The oil and filter need to be changed as well as the transmission fluid and filter. After all of this work has been performed disconnect the power wires from the distributor or remove the distributor cap. Put a fresh battery into the car. Crank the engine over for about ten seconds stop and wait about 30 seconds. Crank the engine again for about ten seconds and the the 30 second break. Continue this process for about ten minutes. The reason for this is to distribute oil thru the motor before actually starting it up. The reason for the break is to not over heat the starter motor. Then reinstall the distributor wires or cap. Hopefully you put fresh gas in the tank after you cleaned it. The oil priming of the engine will also have brought fuel up to the front of the car. Pump the gas one time and try to start the car. If it doesn't start after about ten seconds pump the gas a few times and try to start it again. It should start if everything is right. I hope this helps. Gregg.

 

Gregg that great info. Also fresh gas and spark plugs will help. DON"T gun the Hell out of it when it does start. All the oil isn't where its suppose to be. Let it get to running temp bfore you do anything with it. Check for leaks under the car. Thing that alot of guys over look.LIKe Gregg said Fuel filter , Drive shaft, Just grease them a bit. Air cleaner. Put the cover and check for mice. Then take it for a short ride and come back and check everything. Just take your time. This way you won't break anything. Also like Gregg said check the brake system. Before the ride. Ride won;t matter much if it won't stop.

 

gotcha, thanks for the advice. Not really needing advice on the mechanics of it tho, just wondering what kinda money we should ask for it, and if anyone is interested. I need to get some pictures for you guys too. The paint is in good shape, dad had it painted probably about 15 years ago, and its been in the garage for 10 of those years at least, and previously when we drove it, it was garage kept... As far as the original engine, we just dumped that along with a load of other junk. I doubt really that anyone would be looking for a 80 monte in original trim... Its a great car, but i figure most people would turn this car into a cruiser or maybe a race car? It definitley will need tires, the brakes will be fine, i guess i could flush the fluid but it will probably will be fine too. It has no engine or trans in right now. Dad kinda has a selection for whoever would be interested. We'd rather sell it rolling only...