Learn me: Vega

erohslc wrote: Some folks consider the Vega to be a forerunner of the "Green Car" movement, since they would passively dissolve and self-recycle all components back to nature, thus completing the circle of life. ;) It's only a vicious rumor that folks who parked them illegally in some cities would get *two* citations, one for parking, one for littering.

I recall one of Patrick Bedard's columns in C&D where he claimed that the solution to parking a car in Manhattan was to own a Vega, park wherever you want, and just let the cops tow it. At the time, he could buy it back at the impound yard auction for less than the price of the ticket.

spitfirebill wrote: As much as I scorn the Vega, I still like the styling of the early cars.

+1 Still sexy looking

JohnInKansas wrote: All I know is what happens in Vegas stays in Vegas.

which is why they all smell like the E36 M3-house door on a tuna boat...

spitfirebill wrote: I once heard (but you would never get a GM engineer to confirm it) that the Vega engine was intended to replaced periodically. It wasn't intended to be a long lasting engine like Volvos of the same era.

Wiki sez they were supposed to get rotaries. But instead, the Vega got a boinger that was designed not to last very long! Sorry, but that just strikes this rotard as amusing.

SkinnyG wrote: Spend some time at Dave's Vega Village in Port Moody BC (if it's still there). Fascinating place. Back in '95 I had a '75 Pontiac Astre (Vega wannabe) with a 4-bolt LT1, Offenhauser manifold, Isky Mega-Cam, and Saginaw 4-speed. Faded orange paint, whitewalls and hubcaps. Fun and cheap. The left lower control arm on the axle ripped out of the floor, so I installed ladder bars - AWESOME for traction, not so good for cornering. Shortly afterward the doors didn't open properly. Succumbed to rust though.....

In something like 82 I owned a pretty blue 74 hatchback vega with a white stripe or two down the middle of it. Monza parts, 260hp crate motor from gm in front of a well done TH350 with a ratchet shifter. It has 225 section or so radials under it and an open diff. even without tons of power and not so much traction the floor pan under the passenger seat would oil can and the doors started to get hard to close.

I sold it. Is was pretty dammed fast and wasn't punching a very big hole in the air so it kept at the acceleration thing hard until it was out of gearing.

It stopped terribly, steered vaguely, and felt cheap. And that was 30 years ago.

Shaun wrote: It stopped terribly, steered vaguely, and felt cheap. And that was 30 years ago.

I think that this sums up what I'm taking away from this thread...
I'm not (yet) enough of a GRM-style badass to make this car what I'd want it to be.
Thanks for the input guys!
(though if anyone has anything else to add, feel free, it'll be more to see for the next schmuck who is looking into a Vega)

SnowMongoose wrote: First off, I'm a little offended by the whole 'Learn me' thing,

Any chance we could retire the phrase?

mguar wrote:

SnowMongoose wrote: First off, I'm a little offended by the whole 'Learn me' thing, but it's too amusing not to use. (this is the part where I should turn in my Degree in Literature, sad day) Anyway, what can y'all teach me about Vegas? Search pulled up a couple of Monza references, but that's aboot it. This is what prompts my question : http://bellingham.craigslist.org/cto/2899294723.html Other than standard rust issues and normal swap-done-by-a-stranger concerns, anything in particular I need to know? The Monza swap seems pretty well documented, not too worried on that front. Thanks in advance guys!

If you have a solid one the 72 Vega GT is an awesome car.. I once drove across country, averaged 98 MPH door to door from San Diego to Balsam Lake Wisconsin. Most of the time I had my foot flat on the floor. That engine loved that treatment. I later bought a new 1975 Monza which is the same thing except it had the little 262 V8 in it.. When the clutch went out I replaced the 262 with a 350 and it bolted in.. (the rear end was tiny so I never dropped the hammer on it until it was rolling) You could do a V8 swap into a Vega and actually get better fuel mileage. (if you could somehow keep your foot out of it) They did have the 4 valve Cosworth heads available in them which I drove once.. and that was absolutely awesome.. Where the stock engine began to be breathless the Cosworth sang!!!

the Cosworth was more than just the head- it was the whole engine with it's fancy futuristic multi port efi and i think they got a different trans and rear end, too.

My first car--back in '81--yeah, I'm kinda ancient...

Anyways, it got rubber in the first 3 gears when I put new, hard snow tires on it (Upstate, NY) while powershifting. I was a true bada$$ back then... lol

RexSeven wrote:

spitfirebill wrote: I once heard (but you would never get a GM engineer to confirm it) that the Vega engine was intended to replaced periodically. It wasn't intended to be a long lasting engine like Volvos of the same era.

Wiki sez they were supposed to get rotaries. But instead, the Vega got a boinger that was designed not to last very long! Sorry, but that just strikes this rotard as amusing.

The Monza was supoposed to get the Rotary.

The Vega was actually supposed to get the rotary. I have a pic of a pallet of Vega rotories in late 73. There was a "Vega V8 Prototype" sold at auction a few years ago that actually had teh modified floorpan for the rotory, not the V8. They also built an electric four wheel drive Vega wagon called the Snowbird.

I owned a Vega GT many moons ago. It steered well, cornered flat, had proper gauges and a nice steering wheel, mini rally wheels and comfy seats. All that in it looks like a 3/4 scale Ferrari 250 GTE(really-check the side profiles). Mine eventually expired and the rust hit around the windshield area. Just a bit of rust-proofing and a decent engine away from being a sport compact legend instead of the punchline for jokes.

I've owned between 2 and 3 dozen cars...so far. About halfway through that number was a brand new 1972 Vega Panel Express. I went "bare-bones" with the exception of the more powerful engine (had a 2 barrel carb instead of the "standard" one barrel) and a 4 speed transmission. Yeah, Japan was getting ready to send Corollas and Coronas and Celicas to the 'States with 5 speeds...and GM still charged extra for more than 3 speeds. My Vega had no radio, no passenger seat(s) and had a rubber mat on the floor.

As everyone here says, they rust big time. Tho I didn't own mine long enough for that to happen, it was the worst assembled car...from the windsheild forward, I ever would own. The fenders didn't line up with the hood all that well (the gaps between the hood and fenders were HUGE by today's standards), and the headlight surrounds(sp?) looked about 2 sizes too big for the headlights. Yes, the doors closed with a heavy thunk, but to me it wasn't re-assuring, it sounded like the doors were about to fall off.

For me, the only reason to buy a Vega or Pinto, is so that you can swap a V8 into them...if they aren't already so equipped.

Back in 1993 (or 1994; getting fuzzy) the Dairyland Datsun Roadster club met at Road America at the July Vintage races and had a spot picked out until the Cosworth Vega Club came along and got into an argument with us on whose spot we were in. So we had to move to a crappier spot. (not like there isn't any land around Road America)

So I now hate Vega's. (JK)

In reply to Pete240Z: This doesn't suprise me at all!

I've had the pleasure of owning around fourteen Vegas now... I still have the remains of several of them! I am getting quite good at cutting them up. My IMSA Cosorth is really fun to drive, but there just doesn't seem to be a way to keep it from leaking oil. It's a pain. Any engine that can spin 8,500 is impressive, but with 1975 technology it's really impressive!

I spent a lot time in Vegas, and there is not much to recommend in stock form. They do almost everything badly. However, they are simple cars and can be modded fairly easily, and I think they look pretty good for the time.

RexSeven wrote:

spitfirebill wrote: I once heard (but you would never get a GM engineer to confirm it) that the Vega engine was intended to replaced periodically. It wasn't intended to be a long lasting engine like Volvos of the same era.

Wiki sez they were supposed to get rotaries. But instead, the Vega got a boinger that was designed not to last very long! Sorry, but that just strikes this rotard as amusing.

I seem to recall that.