Was a V6 ever a option in a vega wagon

junkyardjeff · July 14, 2012, 11:51:44 PM

I was scrounging through my favorite old junkyard today and found a vega wagon with a V6 in it,I know the monza wagons had the vega body from the doors back but this one had the vega front sheetmetal. I tried to look at the mounts but this one has been sitting there a long time and had a bunch of leaves and weeds in the engine compartment and I think it was the 229 V6?,this wagon looked to the last years of production model.

Rrumbler · July 15, 2012, 04:33:21 AM

To my best remembering, no; the "hot rod engine" was the Cosworth.

junkyardjeff · July 15, 2012, 10:33:37 AM

Thats what I thought so its probably been adapted,I will look it over the next time I am there to see what mounts it has and see if its been welded in. It probably ran good with the V6.

Crosley.In.AZ · July 15, 2012, 10:54:50 AM

Never seen a V6 Vega from GM.. many V6 were installed via the junk 4 cylinder engine removal.

A friend of mine ( RIP ) , Paul and I ran a small side job business replacing bad Vega 4 cyl engines with steel sleeved blocks a local company built. Engine Supply was our supplier. Paul and I worked on so many Vega cars, the word spread around and we were very busy for about 2 years. Then POOF ..... overnite people must have figured out the cars were not worth a fresh engine

junkyardjeff · July 15, 2012, 01:42:10 PM

I would like to have a early vega to put in a chevy II 4 cylinder but there are no good ones left since they rusted up in a few years up here in the rust zone.

wayne petty · July 15, 2012, 02:05:13 PM

think a throttle body fuel injected 2.5 iron duke from an S10 pickup or Camaro.,.

the 2.5 was an option for the slightly larger monza..

the port fuel injected 2.2 chevy S10 motor might be a better selection..

either port or TBI .. its about the same wiring to hook them. up if you get the engine control harness..

seems to me the saturn ion motors could be turned to a rear wheel drive.. but putting an aluminum 4 back where an aluminum 4 came out of feels kinda wrong..

if somebody installed a full feedback carb 3.8 motor.. those can knock down 25MPG numbers if done properly..

if it has a 229 V6.. those can be retrofitted with TBI from a later donor to bring the drivability .. some of those were also feedback... and probably got better mpg than the TBI..

UGLY OLDS · July 15, 2012, 06:45:10 PM

Quote
Quote from: "Crosley"Never seen a V6 Vega from GM.. many V6 were installed via the junk 4 cylinder engine removal.

A friend of mine ( RIP ) , Paul and I ran a small side job business replacing bad Vega 4 cyl engines with steel sleeved blocks a local company built. Engine Supply was our supplier. Paul and I worked on so many Vega cars, the word spread around and we were very busy for about 2 years. Then POOF ..... overnite people must have figured out the cars were not worth a fresh engine

Up here a lot of them rusted out before the engines went bad .... :?

Bob.....

rumrumm · July 16, 2012, 04:03:30 PM

All Vegas had 4 cylinders. The only real upgrade was the Cosworth option, and that was still a 4 cylinder.

GPster · July 16, 2012, 05:58:37 PM

At one time I heard that the station wagons got a different 4 cylinder and they were referring to the 151" (?) Chevy II style. That would have been the shortened (by two cylinders) six cylinder which would have had the same bell housing pattern as the V8. That would have been before the "Iron Duke" and it would have had intake and exhaust manifolds on the same side of the head. If that is the case then the transmission would take the 90 degree V6. The engine would probably be short enough to seem factory. GPster

tomslik · July 16, 2012, 07:33:21 PM

i've had a few vegas, my wife had a 74 gt wagon and we both had a 77 and NOT 1 had anything but a vega motor.
some of the monzas had iron dorks but if any of that chassis had a V-6, it was the starfires and the olds versions and thode were buick 231's

sorry, vegas had vega motors, nothing else.
monzas were a different matter but i still never seen a v6 in one
305's and a few 350's (ca models)

tomslik · July 16, 2012, 07:34:10 PM

Quote from: rumrummAll Vegas had 4 cylinders. The only real upgrade was the Cosworth option, and that was still a 4 cylinder.[/quote

yep, a DOHC 2.0L 4 cyl...

Crosley.In.AZ · July 16, 2012, 11:29:06 PM

who knew tomslik is a Vega car expert

river1 · July 17, 2012, 12:02:36 AM

Quote from: "Crosley"who knew tomslik is a Vega car expert

kinda fitting tho

later jim

rumrumm · July 17, 2012, 08:34:32 AM

We had two Vegas, a 74 GT, orange w. black stripe, and it was a fun little car to drive. The second, a 76 wagon, was one of the most frustrating POS I have ever owned. But to its credit, my wife put over 120,000 miles on it before trading it off.

tomslik · July 17, 2012, 07:06:47 PM

Quote from: "Crosley"who knew tomslik is a Vega car expert

i've owned/scrapped enough of 'em...

piece of crap motor until they were sleaved and then, mediocre...
73 was the 1st year for a real 4 speed, 1st ones were opels...
who cares if they even made an auto, the stick ones could barely pull their own weight.
had a real nice 77 wagon with a/c, ps, and a 4 speed...couldn't pull a fat girl off a tricycle.

don't get me going on chevettes...although i know where there's a t1000 that ain't in bad shape;)