Stage 2 was actually going to be the lowering, but a chain of events made it the stage of mechanical work. The Monte Carlo has been sitting for a while and when I tried to drive it about a month ago, the transmission wouldn't engage. I knew I had to change the transmission fluid, so I did that. While I was under the car I remembered that it had been leaking oil. Looking at the oil pan, it had several dents and I thought, it could be the gasket, but I'd like to replace the whole pan. So I went to Auto Zone and found that they had an oil pan that was chrome for $40. I figured that I'd probably pay the same if I tried to get a pan sent to me from a junk yard somewhere, so I bought the pan. Taking the old oil pan out proved to be quite challenging. The bolts were covered in grime and hard to get a socket around, and when I finally got all the bolts out the pan was extremely difficult to pry loose. When I finally pried the pan loose it wouldn't come out. I realized I had to remove the exhaust pipe which crossed below the pan, so I did that. Then I came to find out the cross member below the oil pan was in the way. I wasn't sure what to do at first and thought that I might have to put the old pan in. Eventually I read the manual I have for my el camino and realized that I had to raise the engine. So I went to Auto Zone and found that they had a good deal on an engine lift, so I bought one. After more tribulations I lifted the engine in and got the new pan in. The new pan wasn't machined perfectly so the holes for the bolts didn't always line up with the engine so well. When the pan was finally in, I tried to reconnect the exhaust and it turned out the new oil pan was a different shape and the exhuaust would no longer fit underneath it.
This of course lead me to buying a whole new exhaust system, a dual exhaust that wouldn't need to fit under the oil pan. When I got the exhaust system, I tried to install it, and it wouldn't connect to my exhuast manifolds. I specifically ordered the exhaust kit for my car. Nobody told me that the kit was meant for headers. So then I had to buy headers. This was all because of an oil pan. I installed the headers and as I was trying to install the exhaust when I found that my mufflers are a little too small.
Since the oil pan is chrome I went back to Auto Zone and bought other chrome parts for the engine. I bought chrome valve covers, a chrome air filter, and chrome sleeves for the hoses. Also I bought a new Edelbrock intake manifold.