Millipede Monaro (it's a bit leggy!)
Discussion
jas xjr said:
I wonder where the guy is that predicted your car blowing up?
It'll be the British climate that kills this I think. Predictably but sadly, living outdoors and being used occasionally isn't doing it any favours.
The bodywork is really starting to go around the edges, although that is all cosmetic of course. The chassis rails aren't cosmetic though and they are definitely starting to show external signs of probably quite severe internal corrosion.
Equally, under the bonnet looks much like a barn find, spiders webs galore and huge amounts of corrosion on all the metal fittings, pipework and bracketry. Plus rubber hoses that look like they would disintegrate if touched. It really isn't a pretty picture and sooner or later something (minor) is going to let go.
If the bodywork was better, I would undertake a refresh of all the knackered stuff under the bonnet, but taking everything into account it starts getting hard to justify.
I will keep running her as long as practicable, but probably won't be undertaking any journeys longer than my 25 mile commute now.
When Mille finally comes to the end of her road, assuming the core mechanicals are still fundamentally in fine fettle, I would like to see just how many more miles are left in this engine.
I'll just leave this here...
LS1 into '67 F Body fitting kits
The Monaro has been resting for a couple of weeks, whilst I find time to replace a rusted through fuel tank strap.
Needs must however, as the wife's DS3 is broken (again) and she needs to use my Skoda.
Went to retrieve Mille from the farm and found that some winged blighter has taken a liking to the wing mirrors as a perch / roost...
If anything the pics don't show just how thick and minging the deposits were!
The old girl only just managed to start again too, so I think the battery (that I liberated from my 9000 before it went for scrap three years ago) is finally dying. Can't really complain as the battery was at least four years old back then!
(edited to change last battery swap date to three years - can't believe it is that long since I got rid of my 9000!!)
Needs must however, as the wife's DS3 is broken (again) and she needs to use my Skoda.
Went to retrieve Mille from the farm and found that some winged blighter has taken a liking to the wing mirrors as a perch / roost...
If anything the pics don't show just how thick and minging the deposits were!
The old girl only just managed to start again too, so I think the battery (that I liberated from my 9000 before it went for scrap three years ago) is finally dying. Can't really complain as the battery was at least four years old back then!
(edited to change last battery swap date to three years - can't believe it is that long since I got rid of my 9000!!)
Edited by 99t on Wednesday 14th November 08:24
There is a thread running in the HSV & Monaro section on fuel tank strap replacements, so it seems a pretty common issue on "big boot" cars as they age.
I'm not entirely sure why there is a third strap on these anyway? The two main straps are more chunky in cross-section and seem better positioned to take the weight of the tank. The third one, nearest the exhaust, lacks strength in profile and seems like an afterthought.
Regardless, it was doing bugger all as it was and would have resulted in an MOT fail for sure.
Builder's band comes in the correct width and is galvanised so should last ok. I'm sure it lacks the strength of the original straps so I wouldn't use it to replace the main two straps, but for number three it has got to be better than what was there!
Fortunately the two main straps appear in pretty sound condition, so I'm happy to leave them be.
I'm not entirely sure why there is a third strap on these anyway? The two main straps are more chunky in cross-section and seem better positioned to take the weight of the tank. The third one, nearest the exhaust, lacks strength in profile and seems like an afterthought.
Regardless, it was doing bugger all as it was and would have resulted in an MOT fail for sure.
Builder's band comes in the correct width and is galvanised so should last ok. I'm sure it lacks the strength of the original straps so I wouldn't use it to replace the main two straps, but for number three it has got to be better than what was there!
Fortunately the two main straps appear in pretty sound condition, so I'm happy to leave them be.
Cheers, will do!
Jimmy Recard said:
You're planning to keep it until it's too far gone then?
Interesting question that one, and not one I can answer with absolute certainty.Short answer - probably, yes.
TL:DR answer.
I have a very natural-feeling home for the Monaro's running gear in the form of my '67 Camaro (which currently lacks any running gear worth mentioning). This was always the plan to some extent, with the intention of using and enjoying the Monaro for as long as practically possible without carrying out a restoration, just basic mechanical upkeep.
The Camaro is currently in bits (as in totally, 100% disassembled, as purchased) and needs full restoration, although the shell is fundamentally very solid.
I do have plenty of ongoing projects vying for my time, so there is no plan to start the Camaro any time soon. It is safely tucked away and I've always viewed it as a semi / retirement project.
Whether the running gear from the Monaro eventually ends up in the Camaro (considered over a correspondingly longer timescale) depends on a number of factors, including but not limited to:-
Possible increases in Monaro values, although I can't see the value of my old nail exceeding the cost of a guaranteed low-mile engine and box with all ancillaries on a pallet any time soon, but longer term who knows? In another decade or so, depending on legislative factors, it may be difficult to give away petrol engines of any sort and values may have dropped accordingly.
Tied in with the above, might it start to look excessively difficult or expensive to get a modified Camaro back on the road, as the drive towards alternatively fuelled vehicles accelerates and fossil fuelled cars are increasingly legislated against?
I feel there will come a tipping point at which building the Camaro as an EV (sacrilegious as that currently feels) becomes a logical alternative to a "traditional" build, either purely from a financial perspective, or in terms of the car's usability being severely restricted if fossil fuelled. In that case I would have no need for a V8 donor.
Time will tell. Could it be that the Monaro ultimately receives a stay of execution from becoming a donor by future legislation designed to drive big thirsty cars off the road, making the swap impractical?
For now and the foreseeable future though, I'll simply drive and enjoy...
Back in March 17 I said:
The power steering cooler loop is looking incredibly crusty and is surely going to let go sooner or later. Really I should replace it now before it leaves me at the roadside but where's the fun in that? Live a little dangerously I say!
Got a puncture in the Skoda on Wednesday, and since my spare tyre was looking a little threadbare I decided to take the Monaro on Thursday whilst the the wheel was with my local garage for repair.Got half-way to work and became vaguely aware of a new whirring, whining noise, steadily becoming louder. Immediately suspected low PAS fluid, it is such a distinctive sound. Since it was pitch black and lashing down with rain, I didn't really fancy stopping at the roadside to investigate so limped a mile or so to the nearest petrol station and confirmed the header tank was dry and much oily wetness around the lower front where the cooler loop sits. Fortunately the petrol station had one bottle of PAS fluid on the shelf.
Topped up, started the engine and was relieved to see it didn't all flood straight back out, more of a slow drip. Turned around and limped it back home.
Took second reserve car to work!
Will have a look later, see what's what...
Confirmed the leak from the cooler loop at the front, little vid here
Quite straightforward to strip the old one out. Pipe is 3/8" so will make a replacement out of copper pipe and means I can try putting some beads on the end of a thin tube.
I doubt the lack of cooling fins will make a big difference in this country, we don't have the heat of Australia and I don't track the car so I'm sure it'll be fine without...
Quite straightforward to strip the old one out. Pipe is 3/8" so will make a replacement out of copper pipe and means I can try putting some beads on the end of a thin tube.
I doubt the lack of cooling fins will make a big difference in this country, we don't have the heat of Australia and I don't track the car so I'm sure it'll be fine without...
Copper pipe and beading tool arrived.
First job was to turn the pipe into a usable straight length as it arrived rather more tightly coiled than I was expecting. After I had slowly and carefully straightened it out, it also turned out to be 10cm shorter than the 2m I had ordered - naughty eBay vendor!!
Fortunately I had rounded my requirements up from the length of the old cooling loop, so no harm, no foul I guess.
Bead tool worked quite well, although I have some doubts about its longevity - for the price it should be made from indestructium!
Bending the loop up to fit was simple enough, I just copied the shape of the old one and only nearly put one bend in backwards!!
Fitted re-using the original plastic mounts.
Filled the system, it took a little persuading to self bleed, but got there in the end. No leaks, all appears ok...
First job was to turn the pipe into a usable straight length as it arrived rather more tightly coiled than I was expecting. After I had slowly and carefully straightened it out, it also turned out to be 10cm shorter than the 2m I had ordered - naughty eBay vendor!!
Fortunately I had rounded my requirements up from the length of the old cooling loop, so no harm, no foul I guess.
Bead tool worked quite well, although I have some doubts about its longevity - for the price it should be made from indestructium!
Bending the loop up to fit was simple enough, I just copied the shape of the old one and only nearly put one bend in backwards!!
Fitted re-using the original plastic mounts.
Filled the system, it took a little persuading to self bleed, but got there in the end. No leaks, all appears ok...
Cheers. 
Commuted today without issue. Might be my imagination but the PAS pump might be a little more whiny when manoeuvring than it was, or maybe I'm just listening for it.
It hadn't quite run dry the other day, the noise was it sucking in a mix of fluid and air. It hasn't started leaking since, so I'm hoping I've got away with it.
As an aside, when I removed the crash bar across the front for better access, I noticed that it has some thick (maybe 5mm) washers fitted between it and the chassis leg, nearside only, to make it align properly.
Not sure if they are a factory item to adjust for build tolerances, or more likely they have been added by a body shop at some time - possibly Bodgit and Scarper who replaced the nearside rear quarter rather averagely when the car was, I assume, fairly new.
I guess the latter. The paint on the nearside front wing is thinner than the rest of the car, suggesting that the front wing has probably been replaced too, so I suspect someone wiped out both nearside corners early on on the car's life. Quite possibly preceded by the words "watch this..."
No matter anyway, the old girl drives straight, wears her tyres evenly and has no nasty handling characteristics, so what's a few millimetres here and there between friends!!
Commuted today without issue. Might be my imagination but the PAS pump might be a little more whiny when manoeuvring than it was, or maybe I'm just listening for it.
It hadn't quite run dry the other day, the noise was it sucking in a mix of fluid and air. It hasn't started leaking since, so I'm hoping I've got away with it.
As an aside, when I removed the crash bar across the front for better access, I noticed that it has some thick (maybe 5mm) washers fitted between it and the chassis leg, nearside only, to make it align properly.
Not sure if they are a factory item to adjust for build tolerances, or more likely they have been added by a body shop at some time - possibly Bodgit and Scarper who replaced the nearside rear quarter rather averagely when the car was, I assume, fairly new.
I guess the latter. The paint on the nearside front wing is thinner than the rest of the car, suggesting that the front wing has probably been replaced too, so I suspect someone wiped out both nearside corners early on on the car's life. Quite possibly preceded by the words "watch this..."
No matter anyway, the old girl drives straight, wears her tyres evenly and has no nasty handling characteristics, so what's a few millimetres here and there between friends!!
Had the air-con recharged last week (first time since replacing the pipework and compressor around late 2013 / early 2014) so not too bad. Nice and cold again.
Had a longish motorway trip to undertake at the weekend, three up with a boot-full of alcohol!
With the 9-5 off the road, the Monaro remains the best quiet and comfortable high speed cruiser I own, so despite some misgivings about the generally grotty nature of most things under the bonnet, I did some basic checks and pointed the old girl off down the M6
I needn't have worried, not a beat was missed. The journey down was a bit stop-starty but coming home was surprisingly clear and fast most of the way.
The mix of some three-figure cruising, aided by the unavoidable 50mph average speed sections, saw an average of 30.7 on the (very accurate) trip computer by the time I turned off at Bamber Bridge.
Despite its mileage and general cosmetic neglect, as six years of Monaro ownership approaches, it still remains one of my favourite cars.
Had a longish motorway trip to undertake at the weekend, three up with a boot-full of alcohol!
With the 9-5 off the road, the Monaro remains the best quiet and comfortable high speed cruiser I own, so despite some misgivings about the generally grotty nature of most things under the bonnet, I did some basic checks and pointed the old girl off down the M6
I needn't have worried, not a beat was missed. The journey down was a bit stop-starty but coming home was surprisingly clear and fast most of the way.
The mix of some three-figure cruising, aided by the unavoidable 50mph average speed sections, saw an average of 30.7 on the (very accurate) trip computer by the time I turned off at Bamber Bridge.
Despite its mileage and general cosmetic neglect, as six years of Monaro ownership approaches, it still remains one of my favourite cars.
Had to cancel the MOT due this week as the cooling fan packed in on Tuesday.
Leaving work and the A5036 to Switch Island was slower than usual, with much longer stops and shorter starts than it normally has.
Sitting there waiting for the traffic to move I thought (sniff, sniff) something smells hot around here. Looked at the temperature gauge
Not in the red but close, nowhere to go to pull over and turn off. Couldn't hear the fan(s) running so flicked the air-con on as that should trigger at least one of them, still nothing.
Last resort, heater on full, interior fan on full... VERY hot air out of the vents!! Wait and pray whilst remembering how old the coolant hoses are, waiting, expecting the cloud of steam that signals game over...
Traffic moves a little more, gauge holding at 7/8. Bit more movement and it drops a notch. Might make it?
Finally onto the M58 and a gentle cruise, temp back to normal over the next mile or so. Fortunately traffic pretty clear the rest of the way home so no further issues.
Still running fine, no coolant loss so think all will be well, just need to find the cause of the lack of fans...
Leaving work and the A5036 to Switch Island was slower than usual, with much longer stops and shorter starts than it normally has.
Sitting there waiting for the traffic to move I thought (sniff, sniff) something smells hot around here. Looked at the temperature gauge
Not in the red but close, nowhere to go to pull over and turn off. Couldn't hear the fan(s) running so flicked the air-con on as that should trigger at least one of them, still nothing.
Last resort, heater on full, interior fan on full... VERY hot air out of the vents!! Wait and pray whilst remembering how old the coolant hoses are, waiting, expecting the cloud of steam that signals game over...
Traffic moves a little more, gauge holding at 7/8. Bit more movement and it drops a notch. Might make it?
Finally onto the M58 and a gentle cruise, temp back to normal over the next mile or so. Fortunately traffic pretty clear the rest of the way home so no further issues.
Still running fine, no coolant loss so think all will be well, just need to find the cause of the lack of fans...
JakeT said:
Smallblock life!
They're tough old beasts. I am surprised yours doesn't have a belt driven fan though, and relies on electric alone.
Super high-tech they are, right down to the pushrods!! They're tough old beasts. I am surprised yours doesn't have a belt driven fan though, and relies on electric alone.
Had a look tonight, think I understand the failure mode now...
Larger, main cooling fan - simple corroded wiring failure so it might not have worked for a while.
Smaller aircon / backup fan, locked solid and had blown its 30A fused link.
Little vid
Opened up the motor, that's got a bit hot...
Chunk of magnet causing it to lock up
I suspect the heavy corrosion to the case caused the magnet to crack and the loose bit then locked it up which in turn generated excess current and popped the fusible link.
Wiring and fusible link easy enough to fix, just need to track down an a/c fan...
Jimmy Recard said:
With any luck it’s one of those GM parts that’s used in a million different models and costs about 3p
Glad you got to the root of it
Appears not to be the case sadly. Available new or used from Australia relatively easily but at a price, so hopefully I can find one from a breaker in the UK for sensible money otherwise I'll be bodging a universal fan to fit...Glad you got to the root of it
Thanks for looking those up
I had found the Holmart site when looking myself, but for my old heap I was hoping to avoid spending a couple of hundred pounds on a new fan (including shipping and VAT, duty etc.) as it would be the only shiny thing on the car!!
I have ordered an aftermarket fan from the UK that is thin enough to fit and is within 3mm of the original fan's diameter - just hope I can find a way to secure it to the original fan housing.
T'was cheap enough to discard if I can't make it work, so no great risk.
edit 1 to add - the one I have ordered looks similar to the ebay one you've linked, just a bit more cheap and nasty!!
edit 2 to add - actually that ebay one listed as aftermarket is a proper GATE2 OE fan but is larger than the AC fan, think it might be the main one??
MP8120/VYV8C - 5000373 is the AC fan that came off my 2004
MP8125/VYV8C - 5000374 as listed above - blades look slightly longer
I had found the Holmart site when looking myself, but for my old heap I was hoping to avoid spending a couple of hundred pounds on a new fan (including shipping and VAT, duty etc.) as it would be the only shiny thing on the car!!
I have ordered an aftermarket fan from the UK that is thin enough to fit and is within 3mm of the original fan's diameter - just hope I can find a way to secure it to the original fan housing.
T'was cheap enough to discard if I can't make it work, so no great risk.
edit 1 to add - the one I have ordered looks similar to the ebay one you've linked, just a bit more cheap and nasty!!
edit 2 to add - actually that ebay one listed as aftermarket is a proper GATE2 OE fan but is larger than the AC fan, think it might be the main one??
MP8120/VYV8C - 5000373 is the AC fan that came off my 2004
MP8125/VYV8C - 5000374 as listed above - blades look slightly longer
Edited by 99t on Monday 10th June 08:07
Edited by 99t on Monday 10th June 08:16
So after a bit of bodging (fully approved by the Federation of Master Bodgers of course) I managed to fit the cheapo ebay fan motor into the original fan housing with the original fan blade. Quick and nasty rewire and it was time to test...
Fan test video (20mb)
Reassembled and put in for MOT expecting a fail on what I thought to be a rear wheel bearing. Instead, I got this :-
Shows how much I can tell where funny noises are coming from, I would have sworn it was the rear!
Still hopefully an easy fix, I reckon it'll be the dust shield touching the disc and needing some light fettling...
Fan test video (20mb)
Reassembled and put in for MOT expecting a fail on what I thought to be a rear wheel bearing. Instead, I got this :-
Shows how much I can tell where funny noises are coming from, I would have sworn it was the rear!
Still hopefully an easy fix, I reckon it'll be the dust shield touching the disc and needing some light fettling...
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