Well, Now I'm In Trouble.
 

let me begin by saying i used to build cars and hung out with guys who built cars.
my folks just got in from florida where they spend the winters.
me and my pops ran over to ace to pick up a few things for around the house. we were passing a chassis shop a little ways from the house and they had this 72 vega out front. (one of my favorite cars)
clean body tub, 12 bolt rear and all metal.
all glass was there and clean. no motor or tranny but i have a small block from my last vega in my garage. i would guesstimate it at around 650 to 750 horsepower. i never ran it on a dyno but it pushed my old vega into the very low 9's, all motor.
so my pops gets me all souped up and next thing i know i'm makin this guy an offer.

1. if he takes the offer, my wife is gonna blow a gasket.

2. if he takes the offer, i'll never get the boat in the water.

3. if he takes the offer, i'm gonna build the baddest little 9.5 inch footbraker you girls have ever seen.

4. if he takes the offer, my boys will learn just like i did. (my 1st car was a 71 amc matador with a trunk full of craftsman tools. didnt run).

5. it took me almost a year to get that old sh!tbox runnin and i still have the tools.

6. i'm pretty excited and terrified at the same time.

7. i miss goin to car nights and workin on cars til sunnup in the driveway and gettin all greasy and hangin out with a bunch of other grease monkey dirtbags and negotiating cash street races and blowin the doors off of dam near anything that pulled up next to me. (one night i'm drivin home from a cruise night and a county cop pulls next to me and starts revvin his engine. i look over at him and can tell he's one of the good guys so the light drops, i give him a couple cars and stomp on it. by the next traffic light i have about 40 cars on him and by the time he catches up to me he's like "holy sh!t! thats one badass little car". yup).

I don't know my friend, sounds like you have a dillema. It is like having a hot blonde on the boat waiting to be taken out for ride or a smokin brunette in the garage all greased up, tough call.

I think that one way or another I would have to do both, but that is just me:beer:

Vega, Ha Ha I am surprised GM didn't go under for good after making them loads!! About the only thing they are good for is striping and modifying them!!
They rightup there with a Ford Pinto!!:nut: Stick with the boat!!

Good Luck!!

Stick to something you know what you're talking about. A Vega tub was an awesome platform for both Pro Street or Strip.

great race cars but low 9's you hadn't better rev it at my old Camaro. 7:40's in 1/4 all motor SBC as well.

hey skools, low (very low) 9's on street tires through mufflers grannyshifting. nothing racecar about this one. . . pure street hell.

thank you chumbooty. yes, they were about as light as you could get for a wicked pro streeter.

hey maco, i also had a pinto with a 289/toploader. wasnt as fast as my vega but just as fun to drive.

sh!t willy, if i had your money i'd burn mine and build em both.

My dad before he passed away raced with a guy who was obsessed with turbocharging GM iron duke engines. He had a VEGA with a turbod iron duke GM 4 cylinder making a true 700 dyno horsepower. It was his version of a sleeper back in the 80's. It was said to have been pretty quick since it had virtually no weight to it.

Read what I said :cen: Thats what they were good for!! They were junk for stock cars!!

Don't get me started:bat:

my 1st vega, purchased from original owner, 76 with 63k original on it. drove it home for $50. bucks. cleaner than sh!t. my buddy, jimmy bush had a t-type with the turbo intercooled 231 v6.
wrapped it around a pole one night racing a hemi cuda. we dropped the motor and tranny (not really dropped, it was a hell of a fight) into the vega and off we went.
swapped in a disc rear from a monza spider with 3:73's. took it out on the turnpike and took her up to 40 mph. cracked the throttle and the tires just broke loose and smoked forever.
broght it to the track on sunny sunday, dialed it in at 14.00 (looked stock so nobody said a word).
went through the water, staged and let er rip.
went up with a 71 big block camaro.
well, we got er up to about 25 mph and thats when all hell broke loose (along with the tires).
the tires just started spinning and got faster and faster.
had a 9 inch dot on there.
we ran the entire 1/4 mile blasting smoke from the rear tires and still peeled of a 10.80.
if we coulda got her to hook we were sure we woulda seen high 8's or low 9's.

my second vega was a 72 sbs th400 with a dana rear with 4:11's.
all throttle no bottle.
street tires and mufflers.
pump gas(sunoco 110 octane @ $7.99 per gallon).

this one may just be my third.

Remind me to stay away from this thread. I've managed my addiction for 18 years now...I wish the Mustangs would stop running through my head now :love: