What's this guy been smoking?

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Originally Posted by KG4CGC

At least the Pinto's engine was a real engine that had seen service as an engine prior to being a Pinto engine whereas the Vega engine was a V8 that GM cut in half long ways and didn't even change the way the firing order worked to help balance the thing out.

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The Vega engine was an all aluminum engine. To save weight GM chose not to sleeve the cylinders, and that was it's downfall. Many did not run 1500 miles before they detonated. It made them real cheap for a young drag racer like myself (and many others). It didn't take much to make them fast. I bought my first Vega for $20 and the previous owner had already removed the engine and transmission for me. 2 weeks later a 300HP 327 and a Powerslide transmission lived in the car.... Slapper bars and M-50s (Tire size back then... About 12 inches wide) on the back and drag tires (skinnies)on the front. That car ran many 13 second quarters before I traded it for a 67 Mustang.

The original 4 banger in the Vega was a cut up V8 with a piece of flat metal plate slapped up on one side. I'm looking for a picture but all they're showing is performance stuff. If you've ever seen one, you'll never forget it. I was 15 and and the first words out of my mouth was, "What the hell is that stupid shit?" Yeah, there were no adults around. We didn't talk that way around adults because they were always so squeemish about such language.

When the Vega was introduced (1970), I was 9 and in love with my Dad's new (for him) 1968 or 1969 (I think) 383 Powered Dodge Dart. It was yellow with black stripes. He called it his Bumblebee.

I'm sure you remember John DeLorean,

According to DeLorean's 1979 book On a Clear Day You Can See General Motors (a whole chapter of which is titled "The Vega"), "[The Vega] produced a hostile relationship between the corporate staffs, which essentially designed and engineered the car, and Chevrolet Division, which was to sell it. From the first day I stepped into Chevrolet, the Vega was in trouble. General Motors was basing its image and reputation on the car, and there was practically no interest in it in the division. We were to start building the car in about a year, and nobody wanted anything to do with it. Chevy's engineering staff was only going through the motions of preparing the car for production, but nothing more. Engineers are a very proud group. They take interest and pride in their designs, but this was not their car and they did not want to work on it."

DeLorean and his dispirited staff were particularly unimpressed by the Vega's new 2.3-liter engine, which used an unlined aluminum block and an iron cylinder head containing a single camshaft. While the block's aluminum construction was innovative, the rest of the engine was almost old-fashioned. And with an output of only 80 hp in standard form, it meant that the Vega was hardly thrilling to drive.

From: http://www.popularmechanics.com/cars...t-destroyed-gm

As you can see, the Vega engine was a "all new" Unsleeved aluminum engine. It was also a SOHC engine.


More on the Chevy Vega:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chevrolet_Vega

I'be owned several Vegas when I was younger (teens and twenties). I remember the engines very well. I yanked every one.

You must be thinking of a different engine.

"All new." They could conceivably cut a motor in half and call it all new.
I'm going to have to let you have this one. I can't find a picture of a standard Vega engine but I remember the car well.
This picture however, did come up in the search terms.




http://i25.photobucket.com/albums/c7...y/c812ea50.jpg

Quote:

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Originally Posted by KG4CGC

"All new." They could conceivably cut a motor in half and call it all new.
I'm going to have to let you have this one. I can't find a picture of a standard Vega engine but I remember the car well.
This picture however, did come up in the search terms.




http://i25.photobucket.com/albums/c7...y/c812ea50.jpg

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That is because you pretty much have too:

Right side (very hard to find):

Attachment 7195

Left side:

Attachment 7196

Did ya notice the cool hole in the right side?

And this, is what it should have had:

Attachment 7197

Ah that wonderful Vega, nice car but with that POS engine terribly underpowered. It wouldn't get out of its own way and slowed to a crawl on even shallow inclines. I drove this one belonging to my girlfriend's best girl friend, that's my honey sitting on the hood. She had a yellow '69 Camaro, never made up my mind which was hotter, she or the car. Mine was a '73 Impala, typical 350 that served well, the Hy Gain commercial 25-30MHz NMO mount antenna on the trunk was the finishing touch and I had a collection in the trunk for the scanner. Anyway, why did GM decide to call it "fertile plain"? The Gran Torino was named "grand touring car" (loosely translated) rather appropriately, maybe Ford had more sense.