On All Cylinders February 5 2016 "Superstar: Charley Dennys 1976 Chevy Vega Station Wagon" by James Millar said, "Vegaone of the brightest stars in the nighttime skyis located in the constellation Lyra, trillions of miles from planet Earth. The consternation was the exhaust. Two lower control arms, and two upper control arms. Vega styling has stood test of time. Super Chevy selected Grumpy's Vega one of the 100 Most Significant Chevys Of All Time. But as the saying goes, if you dont break traction, youll break something else.. It was named Motor Trends Car of the Year upon it introduction in 1971. Most V8 Monzas did not have a fan shroud and only those with Heavy-Duty Cooling were so equipped. The rear suspension was so much better, that the force of acceleration was transmitted to the rest of the body. dave verhague. The factory V8 Monza radiator is a 3 core unit that is 16.5" tall (3 inches higher than a 4 cylinder Vega single core unit) and it has an irregular tank that makes it 25.25" wide at the bottom and 26.25" wide at the top. The geometry was such that when power was applied, the suspension would react by lifting the axle off the ground. These were subsequently modified to more closely match Shaw's rendering. The Motion hood looked cool but wasnt necessary for carburetor clearance. Next, using the measurements provided here, use a rubber or wooden mallet and lightly tap the area of the oilpan to be modified. In this very short video we replace our Don Hardy V8 Vega Engine mounts with some updated polyurethane mounts. Note the dipstick location when you pick your oilpan being sure to select one that will meet your specific needs. Nestled under the Vegas hood is a Chevy mouse motor built to last. With a goal to go road racing this Chevy is one of a kind! It sports a power bulge hood lettered with LSX 454, a low, black chin spoiler, and blacked out grille. Another lesson to be learned from the V8 Monza is radiator surface area. If you intend to use factory V8 Monza exhaust manifolds then the dipstick location may be a problem. If you intend to use factory V8 Monza exhaust manifolds then the dipstick location may be a problem. The core is 21" wide. Its engine was shared with the Lagonda, but it used high-performance camshafts, increased . Rodder and Super/Stock March 1973, "Boss Vega"Stick a Vee in your Vega or let us do it for you say's Joel Rosen, Motion's super swapper!"Realizing all the problems involved in the stuffing of V-8 power into the little cammer they discovered, first hand, the effects of coupling solid small-block horsepower to the Vega powertrain and suspension." $18,000. Those engineers were always busy boys, concocting and producing succulent what-if combos that were guaranteed to make enthusiast press wanks drool and stutter. TRANS-DAPT #4686 Vega V8 Mount Kit. Fits: V8 Vega/Monza chassis Accepts up to 3.48" stroke with steel rods; will not work with 400 cid (3.75" stroke) Fits 4 bolt Dart, GM and Merlin main caps Trap door baffling for improved oil control Specially designed to fit with stock Vega & Monza cross-member Reduces oil temperature Compatible with most starter/flywheel combinations Instructions Providing a heartbeat to this compact fastback is a modern American V8. Back to Building the V8 H-Body One of the last engines was bored out to 302 cu in (4.9 L) for the Vega application. Slight modification to oil pan . GM probably killed the idea because of pending projects including the Cosworth Vega and Wankel (rotary) engine. . 1975 Chevrolet Cosworth Vega #404 in Lutz, FL SC said, Bill Jenkins' "Grumpy's Toy IV" Vega was the first tube chassis vehicle to run the Pro Stock class. Logistics were painful. Mount Material: Steel. Brand New 2 product ratings $23.49 V8 Monzas also used a special water pump pulley that was over 2 smaller in diameter than the crankshaft pulley to speed up coolant flow and cooling fan rpm. Black ceramic block hugger headers for Chevy Monza, and V8 Vega conversion applications with small block Chevy engines with angle plug heads. Trans-Dapt 4686 Vega V8 Swap Mounts Only (5) Attachment Style: Bolt-on. WARNING: The wires of these products contain chemicals known to the State of California to cause cancer and birth defects or other reproductive harm. WARNING: Motor vehicles contain fuel, oils and fluids, battery posts, terminals and related accessories which contain lead and lead compounds and other chemicals known to the State of California to cause cancer, birth defects and other reproductive harm. A custom roll cage adds necessary protection and some extra rigidity to the vintage Chevy wagon, while a B&M Pro Stick shifter, MSD digital delay box, and a Dakota Digital electronic dashboard complete the race-ready cabin. Folks have reported they had to cut re-drill and reweld these backets just to get them to work. Best of all, this kit is completely bolt-on, requiring . Trip economy on the freeways is 30 mpg. The interior is a work of art, being custom-made from fabricated sheetmetal. The V8 Monza radiator requires modification to tackle engine cooling problems on V8 Vegas by relocating the upper outlet to the Vega location and mounting it 3 inches lower, requiring relocated lower radiator brackets on the Vega. Use a quality oil filter to protect your engine from contaminants and while you're installing the kit why not add an oil cooler as well. 11 and 11A). I've been told that only the Milodon oilpan P/N 31070 will fit the Chevy 400/383 small-block engine and only if the factory connecting rods are used. Remote Mounted Oil Filters View car. Mike (monzter_327) writes: 1973 Chevrolet vega v8 in Valley Springs, CA 1973 Chevy vega with a small block Chevy 350ci. The original V8 had been installed using V8 Monza mounts, manifolds and oil pan a lesson I learned in doing V8 Pintos (use factory parts!). Upholstery expert James Jacobs brought the flame motif into the Vegas jet-black interior, adding embroidered and embossed details to the supple leather seats and wheel-tub covers. And, the shop has been equipped with the right people and the right parts and pieces to convert customers' Vegas into outrageous street killer cars. the Vega used either a 6.5" or a 7.5" rear end. To the right is a scan of how Hooker suggests you modify the pan. The Kirkey seats, laced with Deist belts, are backed by headrests made from driveshaft loops. "A Griffin aluminum radiator with dual fans cools the Chevy LS3 with a Tremec TKO 500 transmission which has been set . (262). Incredibly fast, but it didnt steer or stop well at all. The Hottest Design Shopping Made Fun 3 Row Racing Champion Radiator W/ 14" Fan for 1971-1977 Chevrolet Vega V8 Swap The latest design style cch-rc.com, C $798.06 Free shipping for many products Find many great new & used options and get the best deals for 3 Row Racing Champion Radiator W/ 14" Fan for 1971 - 1977 Chevrolet Vega V8 Swap at the . However, I have received reports from consumers who have tried this kit that some of the holes are in the wrong location preventing the brackets from bolting onto the engine. The cam is a Crower roller, and the intake is a Team G with a Holley 850-cfm carb. Note that factory V8 Monzas used short style Corvette water pumps. So what about that vulture on the bedpost? This in effect raised the back end under power. The factory oilpan has a notched place just in front of the rear sump for clearance of the steering drag-link. We have available a factory left hand drive Land Rover Defender 110 station wagon with a factory 3.5 V8 engine. You just had to pay attention, keep your wits about you. (262). Then while I hammered I could be sure that the wooden shape would prevent me from causing the oilpan to interfere with the reciprocating assembly. The motor was plumbed through the original catalytic convertor, and single exhaust. Transmission alternatives and early model Vegas require additional parts." Add to Cart. The kits aren't that spendy. Reply HELP for help or STOP to opt out. Chevy Vega Wiki is a FANDOM Lifestyle Community. In their crusade to snuff the proliferation of illegal, unsafe, modified high-performance cars, the Department of Justice revenuers had come across the King Kong opus, and meaning to set a precedent, threw a hammer-lock on Motion, ordering it to cease and desist. Although not required to mount a V8, remote mounted oil filter kits are a plus in any car with limited access and the H-Body is no exception. Thinking about it now, it was more a case of me excusing Motion for a car that should have had a narrowed 12-bolt at the least. pn# 10508 : pn# 10555 1 3/4" tubes : pn# 10510: . (in 1965)"We visited a small company near Detroit that has done more than speculate on how well the GM aluminum V-8 engine would work in the Vega. The GM LS engine has quickly become the high-performance standard in the performance aftermarket. Actually it didnt get that bad. A custom engine plate holds this motorized piece of art all together. Very violent wheel hop. Be sure to check fan shroud and radiator clearances before starting the engine, no sense in trashing a new fan or radiator. V8 Radiator Extant for nearly four years, there was a sea of chain-whipped H-bodies with their panting, leaking four-bangers hanging out like an overheated dogs tongue. The price match guarantee does not apply to refurbished, closed, or close out sales. In its first event, the untested Vega made 9.6 second passes and won the 1972 Winter nationals. Includes motor mount brackets, bushings, plates and rear crossmember, Uncoated, full length mandrel bent headers, Designed for use with TH-350 automatic trans. Folks have reported they had to cut re-drill and reweld these backets just to get them to work. Looking for v-8 kits for my "77 vega. "GM sold the aluminum 215 engine tooling to Rover." The factory early Vega rear end is a four-link. Be sure to check fan shroud and radiator clearances before starting the engine, no sense in trashing a new fan or radiator. Even the shifter case is a custom piece. "Putting all 620 hp and 590 lb-ft of twist through a unibody that was assembled by an indifferent union shop over 40 years ago was not in the cards. The weld-in design substantially reduces chassis flex and does not change the location of the rear suspension parts. The Vega and I sailed straight through more than one big red stop sign. The N50x15 Goodyears (28-inches tall, 12.6-inch section width) and stock-width 12-bolt posed another glitch. In reality, Motion was working with the integrity of a Dixie cup never meant for the girth or the output of a V-8 engine, never mind an all-iron Mark IV engine. 11 and 11A). First take your existing oilpan and bolt it to your engine (no gaskets required). Now when the car was under power, the axle would react in such a way that it would push the wheels against the ground. 1984 Aston Martin V8 Vantage LHD ONLY 8700 MILES MANUAL (ZF) - For Sale. I chose an Iskenderian Racing Cams 270 Mega Cam, because these grinds use more overlap than others this improves mid range torque, at the serious expense of idle quality (a 280 would have been better, but I bought the 270 with the intent of using it in the 283, but the 283 was pooched). Hes a wealth of old-school knowledge and his stories from back in the day are epic. If you also need to know what rubber mounts to use, you need 1966 Chevy truck small-block chevy mounts. Below is a scan of how Moroso constructs their V8 Vega/Monza pan (P/N 20230). With 11:1 compression pistons, a "097 Duntov" mechanical camshaft and cast-iron four-barrel intake manifold with a Quadrajet carburetor, the car recorded a stopwatch quarter-mile standing-start time of 13.97 seconds. Aftermarket Oilpans A special radiator is also needed and Motion fabricates an aluminum crossflow job similar to ones used in hot Corvettes." While high fin counts do offer more contact area, they are also more restrictive to airflow and more susceptible to plugging with debris. Got ordering questions? I removed the upper control arms, and I bolted 1/4 steel plates in the floors, onto which I welded brackets for ladder bars. The rear suspension also recieves quite a bit of attention on a conversion. But long before ringmaster Joel Rosen gave it the big-block swap, hed converted many Vegas with a 350. Trans-Dapt 11/07/95 CJS Chevy Vega V8 Conversion Kit made by Trans-Dapt, for as low as $591.59. Every now and then Don Hardy accidentally ships the kits without instructions. Check out their Phase III Vega in the April '99 issue of Super Chevy magazine, or go to the Motion Performance homepage at All brackets, even the hood hinges, are custom-made from scratch! . About a year after I had built and sold my V8 Pinto Wagon, I found it again driving around in Salmon Arm, BC. The Vega's power plant isn't the typical LS swaprather, a new Chevrolet Performance LTG 2.0 Turbo crate motor is nestled comfortably under the hood. 1976 Chevrolet Cosworth Vega - Opportunity. Beyond that, the ghost Vega was utterly reliable and worked as it should have. 1973 V8 Vega TRADE. 1975 Chevrolet Vega 1975 Chevy V8 swapped Vega Pontiac Astre GT wagon kammback muscle car! The article notes that it wouldn't be too much of a stretch to imagine a factory V8 swap kit. Also, it has a big-block style oil dipstick mount on the driver's side of the oilpan where the dipstick would enter through the side of the oilpan. About the overheating proclivity? robert123 Posts: 107 Joined: Thu Sep 12, 2013 9:21 pm. The new pad-printed, Firestone-branded, soft, vinyl slicks are slightly wide for scale but vastly superior to what came before. PART #: TD-9596. The ad said needs TLC. When you read that, believe it. Reproduction Steel Parts Used Parts (Everything available!) Soon enough, the Vega platform would spin off the Monza (among others), which was powered by both 305 and 350 small-block Chevy V8s, although by that time they were saddled with early emissions controls that sapped power. Jeff Schwartz bumped the stock power rating from 290 hp to 400 hp by swapping in a discarded LS7 camshaft and adding an LS1 Corvette intake manifold he got off Craigslist for $35.". It was a faded, rusty orange, and looked almost as sad as it was. . So you may rightfully ask, how in the hell did the proverbial (and literal) wheels fall off the wagon? Believe it or not, all the screw heads are indexed for conformity! The color? I felt compelled to tell you the tendency of these cars to run hot is not inherent to the confines of the engine compartment or any other design flaw.The correct combination will yield temperatures in the 175 to 185 range on a typical 100 day and never more than 190 even while idling in 100 ambient temperatures.