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Topic starter
12/10/2024 3:59 pm
...that is, Chevy Vega for '72 This an Ertl "cheapy" from about 100 years ago that was virtually zero money. It just cries out for improvements, which could really help! The funny part is that Ertl marketed this as a non-Elite release, the trunk was sealed. I discovered that if I simply drilled out 2 rivets from 2 corner tabs (and then cut off the tabs ), the trunk would open.
Ertl spent MORE creating this "cheap" release.... strange! 🙄 😬 🙄 Initially loaded for transport using a newly-developed, innovated method. But it didn't last. 😯
12/10/2024 5:09 pm
LOL, Chevrolet Vega, I worked with a guy who's wife entered a contest at Bill Branch Chevrolet to win a Vega where the people entered had to keep one hand on the car, they got a bathroom break after so much time as it wore on, his wife ended up being the winner as everyone else dropped out.
Chevrolet did work with Cosworth to design a 4 valve head for the four cylinder.
Topic starter
12/10/2024 9:06 pm
@john3976 I knew a girl like that too..... tried to win a Mustang but dropped out. Yes, this crazy little Vega is a good start to an "enhancement project." If I just wasn't so lazy! I know Ertl produced a black GT Vega, and I thought Autoworld did a Cosworth edition.... but I can't locate it. I guess I'm mistaken. 🤔 🤔 🤨
Tony Perrone reacted
13/10/2024 7:21 am
Great pics of a nice model Chris. We had one for a few years - it was my wife's daily transport - though it was a 1971 model:
13/10/2024 8:45 am
Amazing method of transportation. It makes one wonder at the weight pressure upon whatever parts were supporting the car. That and low bridges!
Topic starter
13/10/2024 9:08 am
Amazing method of transportation.
Basically, GM created this, known as Vert-a-Pac, to lower Vega shipping costs. It did work, but the added engineering needed to combat fluid leakage, etc... offset some of those gains. When Vega production ended, so did Vert-a-Pac.
Topic starter
13/10/2024 9:16 am
We had one for a few years
I never had one, but my buddy owned about 4 or 5 (one always needed one or two extra, for parts! ) In fact, the last time I drove a stick, for more than a mile, was some time in 1980 or '81. I borrowed his yellow Vega (like yours ) to purchase a pack of cigarettes.
IMO, Vegas looked pretty good, but as we know, they were poorly engineered & assembled. Vegas were among the MANY reasons for GM's fall from grace.... but that's another story for another time. 😬
Jack Dodds and Tony Perrone reacted
13/10/2024 9:35 am
We had one for a few years
I never had one, but my buddy owned about 4 or 5 (one always needed one or two extra, for parts! ) In fact, the last time I drove a stick, for more than a mile, was some time in 1980 or '81. I borrowed his yellow Vega (like yours ) to purchase a pack of cigarettes.
IMO, Vegas looked pretty good, but as we know, they were poorly engineered & assembled. Vegas were among the MANY reasons for GM's fall from grace.... but that's another story for another time. 😬
We never had any problems with ours but we traded it in earlier than we wanted because of the bad publicity that had started surfacing. The wife picked out an automatic on this one.
Jack Dodds and Christopher Moroni reacted
13/10/2024 9:41 am
Amazing method of transportation. It makes one wonder at the weight pressure upon whatever parts were supporting the car. That and low bridges!
Found on the net:
The new Vega was driven onto the ramp and bolted down using sockets on the frame rails.Since cars, generally speaking, aren't meant to be stood on their nose, that required some engineering modifications, including baffles in the oil pan to keep the oil from draining into the No. 1 cylinder, and a carburetor float-bowl that drained into the vapor cannister. The batteries had caps on the rear edge of their case, and the windshield-washer fluid bottle was positioned at a 45-degree angle. When the Vega Vert-a-Pac cars were unloaded, the crew merely had to remove the plastic spacers that protected the powertrain, crank the engine until the fuel bowl filled, and drive away.
13/10/2024 10:02 am
@chris Love the article Chris. I always like the looks of the Vega but it seemed from day one the complaints from owners were overwhelming
13/10/2024 10:37 am
@perrone1 Thanks Tony, this is really interesting. There seems a lot of auto engineering going into a transportation method, but doubtless they saw this as a trial after which - should it work - all engineering could automatically be built into new models without further ado.
13/10/2024 1:53 pm
It was a decent lookin car, especially the GT version. Too bad about the various Vega shortcomings, the main one of course being the engine. I used to enjoy seeing the 350 V-8 conversions around; the ones that were properly suspension/brakes upgraded were actually pretty impressive.
Christopher Moroni and Tony Perrone reacted
13/10/2024 3:13 pm
Yeah. That silly wife of mine dropped a big block 427 into hers and only ran it on weekends a quarter mile at a time. I had to use our Corvette to get groceries!
Jack Dodds and Christopher Moroni reacted
13/10/2024 3:29 pm
@perrone1 Yeah that is a real shame; especially when she parted out your roller skates to make wheelie bars.
Christopher Moroni and Tony Perrone reacted
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