He did however sell Yenko Vegas, albeit, the turbocharger would not be part of the package, but available separately as an aftermarket item. A relatively large displacement engine with good low speed torque was chosen. All four Vega models share the same hood, fenders, floor pan, door lower panels, rocker panels, engine compartment, and front end. It's entire design hinged upon its ability to be built rapidly with as much machine labor (instead of human) as possible. CarGurus User. The Cosworth Twin-Cam, a limited production, performance model was introduced in March 1975 featuring a 122 CID (121.7 cu in) all-aluminum inline-4, the 16-valve, DOHC cylinder head design by Cosworth Engineering in England. It has many other good qualities, but the roadholding impressed and surprised me most of all. Unwilling to face fuel efficiency criticism that Mazda withstood, GM felt it could meet 1975 emissions standards with the engine tuned to provide better mileage. The first sand cast aluminum blocks were actually produced a full two years prior to the corporate decision to build the Vega. Collectible Automobile in April 2000 said, "One thing that helped the Vega sell was its timing. A key consideration in the engineering design of the XP-898 was the advantage of improved crash worthiness of the sandwich construction technique. Due to its "Modular Construction Design", a Vega sedan with 578 body parts has 418 fewer parts than its full-size Chevrolet counterpart. Although the optional L-11 engine became a mainstream part of the Vega development program in December 1968, the Chevrolet engine group had an intense dislike for the tall iron cylinder head with its unusual tappet arrangement and side-flow "Heron" combustion chamber design that had been thrust on them from GM engineering staff, and set out to design their own.The design evolved rapidly as a "crossflow" aluminum cylinder head with a single centrally-mounted overhead camshaft (OHC) and roller rocker arms operating intake valves on one side and exhaust valves on the other, remarkably similar to the Ferrari V12 cylinder head design of that period; it was almost 4" lower than the Vega production head, was a lot lighter, had true "hemi" chambers with big valves, and made excellent power. Below the cam carrier is a 16-valve cylinder head constructed of an aluminum alloy using sintered iron valve seats. Mar 12, 2020. 1974 Chevrolet Vega Specifications and Photos 0-100/h, 0-60mph, dimensions, weight, photos and specs Compare with: select: Technical Information / Specifications: Model: 1974 Chevrolet Vega Category: Engine Position: Front: Engine: 2285 ccm (138,73 cubic inches) Engine type: Inline, 4 cyl: Max. MotorMax 1:24 1974 Chevy Vega Metallic Green Street Racing Sweet Cherries. Copyright © 1995-2020 eBay Inc. All Rights Reserved. Chevrolet paid a price in its rush to introduce the Vega with the other 1971 models. Ending Wednesday at 6:22AM PDT 3d 3h. GM Research Labs had been working on a sleeveless aluminum block since the late '50s. Chevrolet's "bright star" received an enduring black eye despite a continuing development program which eventually alleviated most of its initial shortcomings. The front bucket seats accommodate two adults very graciously with little difficulty getting in or out...Back seat room in the wagon is restricted but livable." Safety regulations and crash tests resulted in the Vega being nearly 300 lb heavier than the original goal. Jerry L Brockstein, assistant to Henry Haga, head of the Camaro/Corvette studio where the Vega prototype was restyled, recalls finalizing the Vega bodies. ", Car and Driver selected the '76 Cosworth Vega one of the "10 Best Collectable Cars" (1976-1986) in its fourth annual "Ten Best" issue in 1986, saying: "We're talking about historical significance here. All have two doors and hold four passengers, with the exception of the panel delivery which is designed for one passenger. The overall chassis suspension was to be tuned to a new A78 × 13 tire that was being developed concurrently with the vehicle. A total of fifty engineers were assigned to the Vega engineering team broken down into body, power train, and chassis design groups, the product assurance group, and the pleasability group. Low exhaust and evaporative emission characteristics. 1974 Chevrolet Vega Pictures: See 33 pics for 1974 Chevrolet Vega. The Astre used the Vega 140 CID engine through 1976. By the end of 1970, ever-increasing insurance rates put a stranglehold on the once-flourishing musclecar market, and it was clear to Don Yenko that Chevrolet was planning to stop offering high horsepower engines for their cars and would begin producing small cars for this new, burgeoning market. C $34.29. New options included BR70-13 white stripe steel belted radial tires, full wheel covers and body side molding with black rubber insert. Estes had previously decided to let the Corvair, another Cole project, expire well before the celebrated attacks of Ralph Nader. All 2,061 Cosworth Vegas for the 1975 model year had black exteriors with black or white custom vinyl or black custom cloth interiors All featured gold accent striping, gold-colored aluminum wheels, gold "engine turned" dash bezel and gold-plated plaque with Cosworth ID and build number. The Vega engine is a 140 CID (139.6 cu in) aluminum-block OHC inline-4.The Vega competed directly with its domestic rivals from Ford and AMC and imports from Toyota and Datsun as well as the rear-engined VW Beetle. Motor Trend Classic, in the Fall 2010 issue said, "Chevrolet spun the Vega as a more American, upscale car. Regardless of the cause, damaged cylinder walls were common. 3 vehicles matched "In spite of the understeer, for a wagon the handling is quite good." 19721972 models were essentially carried over from 1971 with a few refinements and additions. DeLorean mentioned to the studio chief as they were leaving that “Zollie sells more Chevrolets than anyone else on earth – he knows what the customers like.” The car went to production exactly as it was revised that afternoon. 3-door hatchback body type. It was white and had a luggage rack on top. A facelift included a revised header panel with Chevy bowtie emblem, a wider grill, revised headlamp housings and bezels — all made of corrosion resistant material, and new tri-color taillights for the Notchback and Hatchback. Plating the piston skirts was necessary to put a hard iron skirt surface opposite the silicon of the block to prevent scuffing. The 1977 Dura-built 140 engine added a pulse-air system to meet the more-strict 1977 U.S. emission standards. At its peak, production was 2,400 units per day. Get the best deals on Brakes & Brake Parts for 1974 Chevrolet Vega when you shop the largest online selection at eBay.com. Yet, in more than 180,000 miles of total driving, the cars used only 24 ounces of coolant, an amount attributed to normal evaporation under severe desert conditions. optional performance engine ("L-11" two-barrel) added; predicted production rate was 20%; actually ran at 75%. Regular grade and nonleaded fuel usage. Super Chevy selected Grumpy's Vega one of the 100 Most Significant Chevys Of All Time.SC said, Bill Jenkins' "Grumpy's Toy IV" Vega was the first tube chassis vehicle to run the Pro Stock class. By 1976, the Vega had received five years of improvements (300 new part numbers in ’76 alone). Emission control revisions made in 1973 reduced power output on the optional engine by 5 bhp, although the engine's cruising noise levels were reduced. Molten aluminum was transported from Reynolds and Alcoa reduction plants to the foundry, inside thermos tank trucks. Motor Trend '71 Buyers Guide said, " Engineering and styling the Vega from scratch in four different body styles was a total effort far more demanding in manpower than the Pinto or Gremlin programs." Watch. Understeer is much more pronounced negotiating 90 degree turns under maximum conditions." Nos 1974-78 Chevrolet Vega Panel And Station Wagon Rear Door Latch 9665285. In 1976, a torque-arm rear suspension was adopted, replacing the four-link design, thus eliminating the panic-braking induced rear wheel-hop. 3. Chevy Vega 1974, Front and Rear Bumpers by Harwood®. The reason for the relatively small radiator was the aluminum engine block and its superior heat conductivity as compared to iron. ignition was introduced on 1975 engines. The front end was redesigned three years later to cosmetically accommodate the larger (aluminum) 5-mph bumpers required for the revised 1974 pendulum bumper impact standard. The body was then dried, wet-sanded, sealer-coated and finally sprayed with acrylic lacquer and baked in a 300 °F degree oven. This proved costly for Chevrolet. Bill Jenkin's Grumpy's Toy XI 1974 Vega. Even the SCCA says so." I like it; I like it very much. He presented the program to GM's president in 1967. The hone-pressure problem was solved before engines actually went out the door, affecting only pre-production engines. The overall ratio is 22.5:1 and the curb to curb turning circle is 33 feet. 1978–1979 Chevy Monza and Pontiac Sunbird wagons used the Vega Kammback wagon body with I-4 and V6 engines supplied by Pontiac and Buick. The car's reputation had been tarnished from early model issues mainly involving the 140 CID engine while the Vega-derived Monza and smaller Chevette provided alternatives. Classified as a truck, the panel has 68 cubic feet of cargo space and a payload capacity of 650 lbs.Road & Track, January 1972 said, "Officially, it's a truck. The rebadged wagon had the new Monza front end and grill and front and rear steel bumpers, front fender namplates and the Monza steering wheel with emblem. The standard acoustical package added another 35 lbs. Total sales fell to 206,239. The 2-speed Powerglide was discontinued, leaving the 3-speed Turbo-hydramatic as the sole automatic transmission offering. (High-energy) electronic ignition and catalytic converter. Several pre-prototype cars were built this way at his insistence, and all of them were dismal failures from a cooling perspective. 1972 Vega Kammback Wagon, L-11140 CID I-4, Rochester 2-bbl. With direction from Bill Mitchell, Haga's group took a clay model and redid the engineering version of the Vega, grafting a miniaturized Camaro front end and egg-crate grille and capped the rear of the sedan and hatchback models with recognizable Chevrolet tail lamps.The original approved clay model had small rectangular front parking lights below the bumper. 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