It’s not every day you see a used car ad that calls the vehicle a “little monster” that you will “undoubtedly roast the tires with,” but then again, it’s not every day that we see a V8-swapped Chevrolet Vega for sale.
That’s how Gateway Classic cars in Detroit describes this 1976 Chevrolet Vega, which is hiding a 350 cubic-inch V8 under its hood. The V8 replaces the vehicle’s stock four-cylinder engine and makes “about double the horsepower” of the original 2.3-liter motor, according to the dealership. That estimate seems a bit conservative, seeing as the Vega’s four-cylinder was only good for 90-110 horsepower, but it’s hard to say how powerful this particular 350 V8 is without knowing much about it. Regardless, the V8 helps make this little Chevy much quicker than before and, perhaps more importantly, gives it the type of noise you’d expect to hear from a 1970s American coupe. The engine is paired with a TH350 three-speed automatic transmission.
Other notable features of this car include chrome Weld aftermarket wheels, front disc brakes, aftermarket gauges and a stock AM/FM radio. It also has a “well maintained” cloth-vinyl combination interior. The car has just over 30,000 miles on the odometer, according to the listing, which we imagine is the amount of mileage the car has accumulated since the V8 swap was performed. The dealer is asking $21,500, which seems high for a Vega, though we suppose the V8 swap is driving the price up here.
The Chevrolet Vega is a frequently modified vehicle due to the car’s relatively low price when new and its small, lightweight stature, with V8 swaps being particularly common. Chevrolet itself even built a V8 Vega prototype in 1972, which featured an all-aluminum 286 cubic-inch V8, though it never entered production.
Check out the listing for this car at this link for some additional information and photos and feel free to let us know what you think of this build in the comments down below.
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Comments
V8. Vegas, cool. , a nice blast from the past there. How about a vega with twin turbo 3.6 v6 and 8 spd automatic. That’d be really cool. The thing about the vega was it had a good chassis and suspension design basically copied from the opel manta/ ascena sold here as the opel 1900. Like alot of cars. Vega was made before better rustproofing and new alloy steels were used. But so were lots of us cars also in the same boat there.
In 1976 i went to my favorite speed shop in New Orleans, Jake’s Speed Shop where his son had a 1971 vega GT with a stock 327. I purchased the car and went to my Chevy dealer and ordered a LT1 and a set of boty angel plug heads. Back to Jake’s i bought the fest, solid lifter isky cam and kit, Edelbrock intake, 3500 stall B+M converter and a slew of performance parts. This was my second small block after a 1970 Z/28 camaro. In 1971 i ordered a LS6 corvette and was totally ruint with Big block power. But my little vegawas faster than my vette. I miss both cars so much.
Chevy made the V8 Monza, why not the Vega?
Pontiac had a V8 Astra – their version of the Vega.
That’s probably why the Vega never got a V8.
Must have been a COPO. I never heard of it
Pontiac never had an Astre (correct spelling) factory V-8. You must have been mistaken by the Sunbird which had optional 305 cu in (5.0 L) engine.
Really? I’ve owned 44 H bodies, and never seen one, ANYWHERE. maybe a sunbird but, if they made a factory pontiac Astre, it’s news to me. If you can find one, let’s see it.
In my youth the Vega was a fun car. Albeit an oil burner, then steel sleeves, and rust. First car I ever bought was a used 73 Vega GT for $500 bucks-boy was I in my glory the day I brought that car home. I’m sure the v8 has plenty of get up and go power, but I’ll pass. The Vega is best left as a distant memory from my youth.
I bought a1971 vega GT from jakes speed shop in new orleans,La. In 1976. It had a 327 with A/C i miss that car all most as much as my 1971 454 LS6 vett. Well all most as much.
What color was the Vega?
Took my driving test in a Vega in 1974. Thanks Grandma.
Bought a new Vega in 1975. All it required besides regular maintenance, brakes and tires was 3 voltage regulators and two fuel pumps in the 10 years I owned it. Drove it to the junk yard in 1985 with 232,000 on the odometer. Wasn’t safe to drive anymore due to 10 years of road salt.
I built a v8 vega way back had fun I did a lot of cutting and welding I copy corvette with radiator used hooked headers and motor mounts had to cut drive shift fit rar end i cut tunnel for 350 tran and 350 eng had to flip heater core i didnt have to but did reinforced the frame welded 1/8 inch steel on the boxed side of it and tied it so it wouldn’t eventually push out front wheels i had good success no problems which hooked motor mount also helped with a down force instead factory wedge type pushing wheels out i probably forgot what else I done but wasn’t many cars out ran that car I should’ve kept it
NASCAR fabricator material right there son
Probably the best “stock” engine for the Vega was have been the Olds (or Buick) 215 V8 from the early 1960s.
Barely more weight than the stock motor, close to double the horsepower, and an easy fit in the engine compartment.
Unfortunately, GM sold all of the rights, tooling, etc to Rover in the late 1960s (to become the Rover 3500 and later derivatives), so this option never existed for the Vega – from the factory.
Aftermarket kits existed though, and having had a ’73 GT with the Old 215 I can only say “I miss that car”.
I bought a1971 vega GT from jakes speed shop in new orleans,La. In 1976. It had a 327 with A/C i miss that car all most as much as my 1971 454 LS6 vett. Well all most as much.
Back in the day I owned a couple Vegas. Had a 1971 coupe (Notchback), 1972 GT Hatchback (Flipped it 3 times in 1980), 1974 Hatchback, 1975 & a 1976 Kammback, 1977 GT Hatch and onto 1975 & 1976 Monza 2+2 original V8 cars. Always wanted one but never found an Astre nice enough so few were made. I like their Firebird Tail lights & thought about swapping a tail panel onto a Vega but never did, easy to switch, doghouse, doors bolt right up I’m sure.
While at our local junkyard back in early 90’s I stumbled upon a drivers side Hugger Orange Vega door, no Vega in sight just the entire drivers door laying on the ground and printed right on the door handle was “Millionth Vega”.
Now several years after seeing that poor door I’d still get upset from time to time for my not being able to save “the” “millionth Vega” from the crusher thinking what dummy did this to it? You can see I do have an attachment to these cars one might say, so why wouldn’t I want “the” millionth Vega saved, right?..lol
Okay’ just a few yrs back I got to looking at Vega’s online (like right now..lol) and darn it I read they made well over 6000 One Millionth Vega’s. Now why the He!! did you do that GM? So’ now I no longer care about that one, the sneaky jerks I thought it was a really special “One” like it should have been but nope’ its not..lol
Anyway’
Like others I originally bought my first Vega for a to/from work car because they were good on gas for cars back then but’ then I learned how dirt cheap they were then because of their bad rep so most for sale were like brand new for very little money it simply shocked me.
Just how cheap? Whats a car worth that no dealers in the country take as trade in & almost nobody but a junk yard will buy because news articles keep on saying “All” Vega’s are junk? You sure didn’t need to wear your poor folk clothes in to go buy one anywhere or even borrow your small niece/nephew to look like poor parents to get a good deal either back then…lol
I could wear a tuxedo and still buy a perfect looking Vega for $50 non/rough running and $100-$275 from local car lots with the Iron Duke/Monza engines, they were all dirt cheap all day long man. I got the 72 GT I flipped for $65, had under 60k miles and it ran drove perfect for more 2yrs. Had just put an Iron Duke engine in it by myself that Christmas day and shortly after my left front tire blew rounding a curve, I over corrected & barrel rolled it 3 times. Like all old GM’s roofs collapse even though these cars weigh 2k.. GM’s are not only Junk they are death traps folks. I lived of course but I’ve lost 2 friends in others over the same issue, their tops failed to support the cars weight. YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED!
I drove most till their junk aluminum engine with no steel cylinder sleeves GM refused to install to save them money (like roof safety supports) fail and then Id drop an Iron duke or 400 small block V8 in it. These were certainly the cheapest transportation around, with scaled down Camaro suspensions the GT’s drove good for their day.
btw- I’ve read comments/articles claiming the Vega had Gas tank fires, this is not true!! The Ford’s exploding Pinto did that due to driveshaft puncturing gas tanks when rear ended and Ford actually had their accountants calculate if it was cheaper to recall and fix Pinto’s or just pay off each burn victims/families instead. True Ford done this!
I had a factory black 1973 V-8 vega back in 1976 straight as an arrow i wish i would have kept it.
It must have been one of one. In a imaginary world.
Everyone talks about how the aluminum engine was crap because it would wear out and start drinking oil. I worked on many Vega four bangers. The block was not the problem. It was the head. The way the overhead cam worked the valve back and forth as it rotated, it made the valve guides oblong. Then they would pour the oil into the cylinders making everyone think it was the cylinders.
I own a 1978 Monza S. Look this up. It is a 1977 Vega body (left over) with a Monza nose. In 1977 Chevrolet Vega’s last year, GM had about 2200 Vega body’s left over. Rather than junk them, they put a Monza grille and header panel on them, and headlight buckets.(buckets are different from Vega’s) Still were 4 bangers and all other Vega parts. Mine does now have a 377/glide/9″/514’s ect. It gets the old Vega guys telling me it’s not a Monza, till they see the grille/emblems/vin #. Always loved the Vega hatchback body..