And what country can preserve its liberties if their rulers are not warned from time to time that their people preserve the spirit of resistance? Let them take arms. The remedy is to set them right as to facts, pardon and pacify them. What signify a few lives lost in a century or two? The tree of liberty must be refreshed from time to time with the blood of patriots and tyrants.
Steve, that's what I was gonna say. I knew a man who raced the Vega on the quarter mile with the body facing backwards. It was more aerodynamic that way.
Not for a drag car rebuild. Made great hot rods back in the day. Huge engine bay. Just have to really really re enforce the chassis. Saw one with a 5 inch bend to the left front at the firewall. It was really weird to sit in the drivers seat and see the nose of the car going in a different direction... Hella fast...... for a bit.
What you did was get a worn out chevelle, and keep the frame, suspension, and rear axle. You had to get the axle cut down and do some shortening on the frame. Then the whole Vega body with its monocoque body could be bolted on. Then you could run 15” rims since the frame raised it up an inch or more.
I've owned 3 of them. The first was a '71 GT. I used to race it in T/Stock at Atco. Won a few times. Next was a '73 GT wagon. I put 44,000 miles on it and decided I wanted radial tires. I actually sold the original Goodyear redlines that came on it, they still looked new. sold it and much later bought a '74 GT, that one was a piece of crap.
You'lll hear about one now. I bought a brand new 1973 Vega Notchback. Got 17k miles on it before it choked out on my trip to my first ops base Nellis in Jan 1975. That pig started burning a quart of 30W every 100 miles. I had to get a second loan from the credit union to have a valve job done on that piece of shit. That valve job lasted approx 1500 miles before it started burning massive amounts of oil again. GM was well aware of that aluminum POS engine, shitty heads, shitty valve guide seals. The mechanic at the Chevy dealership warned me to get rid of it...it was a known bad engine.
I had a buddy in high school that had a 71 GT. This was back in 79. When it hit 65k miles the engine seized. He found a wrecked 4 door that was a couple years newer that had 30k on it. He was able to finish college with it before the second engine failed where he parked it as a project car. He eventually restored it with a 327 Mouse motor and auto-overdrive transmission. He put disc brakes all around and upgraded the front suspension. New interior, wiring, and aftermarket AC. After a paint job he had it on the car show circuit in the early 90's.
Good concept by Bob Lutz and good design. Shitty quality all around. My buddy's sister had one, and all that's left is a rusty piece of fender that fell off in the driveway one winter that she put in her scrapbook.
Vegas were too far gone the moment they came off the assembly line. What a disaster.
ReplyDeleteTrue but at least it's not a Pinto.
DeleteSteve, that's what I was gonna say.
DeleteI knew a man who raced the Vega on the quarter mile with the body facing backwards. It was more aerodynamic that way.
Of all the cars you wouldn't want to spend a nickel on restoring.
ReplyDeleteNot for a drag car rebuild. Made great hot rods back in the day. Huge engine bay. Just have to really really re enforce the chassis. Saw one with a 5 inch bend to the left front at the firewall. It was really weird to sit in the drivers seat and see the nose of the car going in a different direction... Hella fast...... for a bit.
ReplyDeleteWhat you did was get a worn out chevelle, and keep the frame, suspension, and rear axle. You had to get the axle cut down and do some shortening on the frame. Then the whole Vega body with its monocoque body could be bolted on. Then you could run 15” rims since the frame raised it up an inch or more.
DeleteYep, a Vega is not worth restoring...
ReplyDeleteAnd then there was the cosworth
ReplyDeleteI had a Cosworth - loved it! Those are well worth restoring.
DeleteI beat a guy in a Cosworth Vega with a stock '77 VW Scirroco.
DeleteI've owned 3 of them. The first was a '71 GT. I used to race it in T/Stock at Atco. Won a few times. Next was a '73 GT wagon. I put 44,000 miles on it and decided I wanted radial tires. I actually sold the original Goodyear redlines that came on it, they still looked new. sold it and much later bought a '74 GT, that one was a piece of crap.
ReplyDeleteIf GM would have put steel cylinders in that aluminum block and had better rust proofing, they'd still be on the road.
DeleteA78-13 or B78-13 tires
DeleteReally tiny
Guy in Bristol PA has a 427 Yenko Vega.
ReplyDeleteI've had 2, a 1972 stationwagon and a 76 coupe and no problem with either.
ReplyDeleteMy neighbor has a 72 that his father bought brand new and it has less than 20k on the dial.
I suspect the complaints about the Vega are largely like the complaints about the Corvair, of which I owned 2 of them too.
People abused them and then whined profusedly, then a bunch of silly asses started passing rumors.
In my 50 years of driving I've never heard an actual legitimate complaint about the Corvair or the Vega.
You'lll hear about one now. I bought a brand new 1973 Vega Notchback. Got 17k miles on it before it choked out on my trip to my first ops base Nellis in Jan 1975. That pig started burning a quart of 30W every 100 miles. I had to get a second loan from the credit union to have a valve job done on that piece of shit. That valve job lasted approx 1500 miles before it started burning massive amounts of oil again. GM was well aware of that aluminum POS engine, shitty heads, shitty valve guide seals. The mechanic at the Chevy dealership warned me to get rid of it...it was a known bad engine.
DeleteI had a buddy in high school that had a 71 GT. This was back in 79. When it hit 65k miles the engine seized. He found a wrecked 4 door that was a couple years newer that had 30k on it. He was able to finish college with it before the second engine failed where he parked it as a project car. He eventually restored it with a 327 Mouse motor and auto-overdrive transmission. He put disc brakes all around and upgraded the front suspension. New interior, wiring, and aftermarket AC. After a paint job he had it on the car show circuit in the early 90's.
ReplyDeleteright off the showroom floor
ReplyDeleteGood concept by Bob Lutz and good design. Shitty quality all around. My buddy's sister had one, and all that's left is a rusty piece of fender that fell off in the driveway one winter that she put in her scrapbook.
ReplyDeleteis no one paying attention to that sky?
ReplyDeleteNothing to worry about, that's just the local scrap collector coming to whisk that old hulk away.
Delete