vjjack04

I was watching the Mecum auction from Chicago tonight (while having a Salvator Dopplebock) and saw a V-8 Vega. Not just any V-8 Vega, but one like I remember a buddy had around 1980....it was weird, uncomfortable...but cool. I mean, Grumpy Jenkins had one in Pro Stock (my favorite NHRA class until the 90s)...but it was really cool when a kid in the late seventies could get a peculiar Vega and put in a SBC or even BBC..and terrorize the streets....I mean it was eastern NC in or about '79-80.....we could even drink beer legally at 16-ish....anyone? Oh the one I saw went for like $6k....I would have bought it if I was there...!

ptjsk

I always thought they were pretty cool too! A guy here in town just built one over this last summer. Still pretty economical.

Pat

MAD IN NC

My BIL had one w/ 427 when we grew up.... Was a great time while it ran. He twisted the 9" rear end out of the care and that was it..

vjjack04

Hey and here is the car that sold....pretty cheesy....but wouldnt it be cool to gas that thing in a couple short bursts to scare women and children around a new vette or camaro...? I mean figuratively, of course...
https://www.mecum.com/lots/CH1018-33...hevrolet-vega/

427Hotrod

V-8 Vegas were cool. I still see some nice ones from time to time. They were actually easy to work on with a small block......I had several buddies with them. The Don Hardy kits (as well as others) made it a near bolt in deal. You could get narrowed 12 bolts to bolt right in also.

I test drove one with a 396/4 speed. It had been run with a nasty 427 but he had installed a milder engine to sell it. The poor thing was twisted so bad you could see daylight around the door frames and the gap opened when you got on it. Subframe connectors took care of the issue (that car had nothing).

Sadly...most rusted out pretty early unless they were in the south or west.

V-8 Pintos were cool too!

JIM

vjjack04

Sitting in my favorite chair...solemnly...I had to take off my hat...then I had to...well....try not to mention V-8 "Pintos"...please....

GUSTO14

It's tough to mention V-8 Pinto's without thinking of Bob Glidden. Glidden won 85 events and 10 season championships and was voted No. 4 on the list of Top 50 racers from NHRA's first 50 years in 2000. He did much of it at the wheel of a V-8 Pinto. I seem to recall at one point while doing wind tunnel testing he discovered that the aerodynamics of the Pinto improved if you turned it around backward in the wind tunnel.

Without a doubt a real racing legend and one of my all time racing heroes. Sadly Bob Glidden passed away last December at the age of 73.



GUSTO

Dan Hampton

This should satisfy the urge....

vettebuyer6369

narlee

Don't see them very often around here. I'd have one in a heartbeat if it wasn't for lack of space.........oh yeah, and money.

wmf62

I had a 73 GT wagon I bought new, a neat little car; but ultimately a rust bucket.... I went through the obligatory engine replacement due to the unsleeved aluminum cylinders and considered installing a V8; BUT I would have had to give up the a/c because the right cylinder head would have hit the evaporator box
Bill

Westlotorn

I always thought the Vega had a great looking body but a crap engine. Too bad they did not introduce the car with a better engine block.
My buddy had a V8 Vega he drag raced with an LT1, the passenger door would sometimes pop open on launch.
He decided to build his car with a full frame custom built.
About 3/4 done with this project he got a great deal on a 1969 427 Vette. The Vega project lost interest and then dumped for the new car, the Vette was more fun and we were young so it was important that the ladies liked it much better.
The Vette improved his love life.

65 Pro Vette

6D2148

I had cool little Vega-mino in late 70's, wish i had a pic of it.

capevettes

There is one right up the street from me with a big block stuffed in it. He parks it in front of his shop every day with a "Not For Sale" sign on the windshield.

MikeM

V-8 Corvairs oughta' fit in there somewhere.

morly1963

In high school 1977 my friend built a Vega wagon with a 59 Vette engine, single 4brl. auto. I never wanted to be like the crowed so I wanted to build a Pontiac Astre with a Pontiac 400 but it never happend.

R66

Making me cry.
We bought a new 71 Vega when I came home from Nam, first new car. Drove it for 34 months while making payments as a family car. Pulled the 283 from my 64 El Camino and bought a Hooker kit. Beat the firewall back, Dad just shook his head, and off we go. Put a Muncie and 12 bolt from a 66 Nova in it. As years went by, changed to a 327, then 350, then full tilt 302 backed by a DNE 5 speed., added a rear subframe and narrowed the 12 bolt and added a roll bar. Opened up the fender wells and added a Z28 scoop, along with new paint. Keep the full interior, narrowed the back seat. Raced it on the 1/4 mile and got down into the 11s on 11.5/28 slicks, The wife had her 67 Camaro, so we went racing 2 or three times a month for almost 20 years. Weren't too many big blocks that I had to bow to. Drove it on the street and to work, would go sideways at 50 MPH. One of the best times of our lives was the Vega. But, worked on it and a 68 Camaro almost all of the time.
My son wanted to race it and did a few times but didn't maintain it - fan in radiator, twisted axle, destroyed Moroso Posi, teeth off of the ring gear, etc. He wanted me to fix it - including labor and parts, so I pulled the drive train and sold the roller dirt cheap. One of the worst decisions of my life to let memories and fun go.
The third owner gutted the interior to make it a full time race car and pretty much made it undesirable to me to get it back. He bragged about getting it into the 12s.
I have found some pictures I will have to figure out how to get them into the computer and add them. I'll give it a try.
Still have the DNE 5 speed and engine - often think about planting them in the 66?

vjjack04

Pretty cool one...what was that thing? About a low 9 second car? I realize (I believe) it was running 1/8th mile....but it put a woopin' on that expensive foreign car....

jrs 427

Some got a deal.... Where could one even start a project like this for 6k ? One great bargain for pennies on a dollar.