what parts can i use from donor car

ive got a 51 bel air and have a chance to get a running 73 monte carlo for kinda cheap $500 bucks
just wanted to ask what parts i could use to see if its worth me getting?

oh and my bel air is pretty much stock

 

There are a LOT of parts you can resell off a '73 Monte Carlo if they're decent because no one is reproducing them.

But it's not like a Camaro where the rearend would be a bolt in. You could probably use the motor, trans, seats, column easily... if you're down for a lot of work you might be able to use the clip, but with all the bolt-in options for a 49-54 Chevy there's easier ways to go.. and here again a Camaro clip fits them real nice, I don't know if the Monte will work. Rearend would need perches welded on, if it will fit (62" is about the widest you want to go).

 

That Monte rearend is high geared and fits the 50's Chevy trucks pretty good. I liked mine.

 

I don´t know what parts You´re looking to get exactly but the most valuable thing that I can think of to use in Your Bel Air might be the drivetrain and suspensions. At least You´d get power(?) fr disc brakes, pwr steering(?), and V8 auto, and getting rid of the torque tube driveshaft all at the same time, if that´s what You´re looking to do. To see whether those would be of use to You or not, You might wanna try and look up one of the interchange manuals that would give You the exact track width of both vehicles. If they check out to Your preference, and You´re up to all that measuring, cutting, fitting, and grafting, it might be of use to You. Depending on the condition of the said components in the donor vehicle of course. Of course, in determining the track, don´t forget to factor in the offset of the wheel type You´re looking to have tucked inside the fenders of Your Bel Air...

 

$500 is a good price for the engine and trans, the rest is free! I'd buy it, and swap any parts that won't work for stuff that will. The Monte rear is the same as a Chevelle, they're not all that wide.

 

I built my old 54 Chevy using a 79 Monte as a donor car. I first used it for a subframe swap, but unless you're pretty good with welding and fab work, it's a tough one to pull off (I wound up cutting the top and bottom off the front part of the useable part of the front frame, to narrow it to match the width of the 54's)
I also use the rear, engine/trans, column, radiator (custom rad support fabricated), wiper set-up (lots of work), and various small parts.

 

Put it this way, it would work, but there are easier choices to use as a donor.

 

ok thanks for the info guys im probably gonna get it and use what i can the sell the rest
i do want to do a v8 swap so that would be a good start

 

what do you think would be a better choice? I want my car to be safe doesn't have to be super fast but some pick up is nice. I want to have an open driveline and pidsble a v8 but I really like the looks of the six bangers

 

in addition to the big stuff, the wiring, every bolt you can remove, trim parts for resale, every bulb (going to 12V?), all the locks (if you are selling or keeping the steering column they are keyed the same), wiper motor, radio, heck even the sheetmetal for patches! When done, it should look like a turkey 2 days after thanksgiving.