Vintage Vega

[herr_oberst]

The narrow camaro. Like someone said, it would have been nice if GM would have developed it a little better, but between the body panels that were pre-rusted at the dealer and the aluminum engines that were on life support the minute the customer first turned the key in his new car, and the disaster that was the Cosworth Vega (which coulda/shoulda/woulda been iconic in the spirit of the Lotus Cortina), the poor Vega and it's Ford stablemate the Pinto, were just sad examples of the shirtboxes that Detroit was spitting out in the 70's.

[HobieMarty]

Okay so, I got that box of stuff back out and found another Hang Ten ad, a Hobie ad, and the Lightning Bolt chain.
The bag says Lightning Bolt Jewelry so I was wrong about that. I know their surf board ads said "A Pure Source",
Here ya go Baz!!!

Sent from my SM-N950U using Tapatalk

[Baz]

That's cool, Marty.

I had friends with Hobie Cats & would go out with them on certain days when the waves were flat. Like my friend Tommy in the photos below. Lot of days like that in the summer here!

[gchappel]

I used to tow my 16' Hobie with my fiat 124.
Thanks for bringing back great memories.
gary

[WPOZZZ]

And how GM shipped the Vega.

[speeder]

Originally Posted by gchappel

I had a 75 vega hatchback.
You could actually hear it rust. I think the tires even rusted.
gary

That's hilarious and only a slight exaggeration. In Minnesota, they would start rusting while the new car salesman was showing you how to use the radio and the defroster.

Originally Posted by Jeff Higgins

Bill "Grumpy" Jenkins dominated NHRA Pro Stock with his Vegas in the early '70's. The NHRA got tired of the Hemis winning everything, so they introduced "weight breaks" by engine type. Hemi cars had to run seven pounds per cubic inch displacement, small block cars could run 6 1/2 pounds, everyone else (big block Chevs and Fords) were 6 3/4 pounds per cubic inch. It killed the Hemi cars. Grumpy ran a 331 inch small block, a slightly over bored 327. He was unbeatable.

Grumpy was a rare double threat...no one could build better engines and no one could drive better, at least not in his class.

Originally Posted by Jeff Higgins

My favorite feature was the unlined cylinders in an aluminum block. Not even plated cylinders or anything. Fortunately, two guys could lift the motor out without any kind of a hoist. We did that a lot on those cars.

I think that they won the automotive malpractice award a couple of years in the '70s but there was stiff competition from the Triumph Stag and the diesel Cadillac and Olds.

[creaturecat]

buddy's had a worked over LT1 in it.
lucky to be alive.

[Baz]

Originally Posted by gchappel

I used to tow my 16' Hobie with my fiat 124.
Thanks for bringing back great memories.
gary

Thanks and you're welcome, Gary.

I'm grateful I had the presence of mind to take so many photos at times like this in my life. I wish I had taken even more.

Back then it was all film so many of us were a little too conservative, maybe.

That's pretty cool about towing your cat with the 124...I bet that was a sight!

[jamesnmlaw]

[asphaltgambler]

If I remember correctly, the block was aluminum, but the cyl head was cast iron. To adjust valve lash, there were a triangle / pyramid shaped adjusting screws in the tappet followers. You turned them in or out to increase or decrease the lash. Problem was they would be either too tight or too loose with no exact adjustment. Also, for cars that had air conditioning, there was a switch on the accelerator pedal that cut the juice to the compressor when flooring it

[Racerbvd]

Originally Posted by HobieMarty

Okay so, I got that box of stuff back out and found another Hang Ten ad, a Hobie ad, and the Lightning Bolt chain.
The bag says Lightning Bolt Jewelry so I was wrong about that. I know their surf board ads said "A Pure Source",
Here ya go Baz!!!

Sent from my SM-N950U using Tapatalk

LOL, I had that necklace...

[gregpark]

1975 or 6 my boss owned a 1968 911 that I thought was so cool. He drove it like a grandma. He finally let me drive it, with him in the passenger seat, and never again. I scared the crap out of him showing him well it could go around a corner. A year later he traded it in on a brand new Chevy Vega. Lemon yellow and he had to give the dealer $2,000 on the trade in. That's when I lost all respect

[Rodsrsr]

I like the Opel Kadett wagon in the background of the first pic. Used to have one when I was a kid. Great little car.