My Friend Monty the Chev

The name Monty has always had a special meaning to me, as it was the name of the first dog I had as a young child, and in a childhood that at times was not all it should have been , Monty was more of a friend and a constant companion, than just a dog.

Let me tell you about another Monty who I have known since December 2010, and speak of the devil.

Monty and his carer/restorer Grant both reside in Gippsland, and it is because of them that you are reading this blog. They were the inspiration for me to detail the history of my own Chev.

I won't go into Monty's story in too much detail. Grant covers this with a lot more passion and emotion than I ever could, and if you have not read the story of Monty the Chev, may I highly recommend it.

http://montythe1928chevrolet.blogspot.com/

My own snapshot of the man and the car can be best summed up by a VCCA posting I made on the day I drove Monty for the first time, and it goes like this:

"It was 8.30am on a wet and cold Gippsland Sunday, and I had driven for 90 minutes to visit Monty and his owner Grant.

What an experience. To look at Monty you would shudder and think what a lot of work to be done, but once you start him up, the bugger runs and drives like a road going car.

Now Monty has no comforts, in fact he has no seats, and no steering wheel as such, and by the way, not really any brakes to speak of as well.

But for a car that was found under a tree by Grants father back in 1969, and kept in a shed for 40 years, what a surprise.

Monty accelerates, pulls away in top gear, and apart from a very LOUD exhaust you would swear you were driving a restored 28 Chev.

The gear changes are perfect, and the dam oil has not been changed in over 45 years. The clutch works fine, and Monty rides the bumps as well as many other restored Chevs I have driven.

For a car to be in such good mechanical condition found dumped under a tree with no front end, it amazing.

If it was not for the fact that Grant plans to bring Monty back to a road going car in memory of his late father, I would be green with envy, but how could anyone not feel emotional about the journey that Grant has embarked upon, with Dad over his right shoulder no doubt.

God speed to you Grant, and to Monty, and enjoy the years or memory making you have ahead for you and your family".


Make sure you follow the progress of "Monty the Chev"