These days, the litmus test for what’s considered “street-worthy” is pretty much all over the place, with some folks driving straight-up race cars on public roads without a second thought. We don’t judge – if that’s how folks enjoy their rides, then more power to them. Such is the case with this Chevy Vega, which is decked out with a full drag racing setup, from the cage, to the slicks, to the wheelie bars, to the parachute.
Coming to us from the AutotopiaLA YouTube channel, this feature video is just under 21 minutes long, and includes some the car’s backstory, specs, build details, and driving impressions as it rolls down the road.
The wrenches behind the build belong to Bones Fab in Camarillo, California. According to the builder, this Chevy Vega is the owner’s very first car, purchased in 1974 off a used car lot in Burbank. The owner enjoyed drag racing their Vega at Irwindale with a mild four-cylinder under the hood, but eventually wanted more. After taking it to a shop in Orange County, the Vega was chopped up and basically just a shell, at which point Bones Fab got to work.
Details now include a full chassis, Mustang II front suspension, four-link rear suspension, and custom roll cage.
The powerplant now consists of a naturally aspirated 440 cubic-inch crate motor from Mast Motorsports, rated at 650 horsepower on pump gas – not bad for a car that weighs just 2,700 pounds.
“It’s not super light,” the builder says. “It’s all steel, except for the hood, it’s all real glass.”
Output reaches the rear through a 4L80E transmission, with 4.10 rear gears. Hoosier rubber puts the power down. The setup is good for an expected mid- to high-9-second pass.
Despite the plethora of go-fast gear, this thing is still street driven. Check it out for yourself in the full feature video below:
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Comments
Very cool. I did a Don Hardy V8 swap kit on my Vega in 1978. It was a fun little ride.
It would be a wild little ride especially on the big end!
Would be a blast.
My dad bought a 77 (last year) Vega new. It was a a good warm weather car but would not start when the temp got down near zero. I haven’t seen one in the wild for many years.
Had two ’73’s/ I had a Coup w/4speed. And wife had a Wagon. Both loaded GT’s with all the bells and whistles. Both blew the 4 cyl. engines a few thousand miles itnto ownership. Also, the front fenders rusted out from the inside in short order. Otherwise, it was a car that was needed at the time. GM just didn’t quite get it all right. Miss them both. But they were just not put together the way they should/have been.
I had a copper 1975 Kammback Wagon for ten years and later sold to a Camaro race car owner because he crashed his ride and need a good, strong body. He transfered the entire Camaro power train into the Vega and won many races.
The Vega was one of John DeLorean first good cars at GM. He also gave us the Pontiac GTO , which created the “Muscle Car” era.
Had a friend that transplanted one of the Olds 215 ci v8s into a Vega in the mid 70s. That turned out to be a pretty nice little car. Decent performance and the front end was still light enough so handling was good.
Very inspiring article ,,love my V8 Vega Hatchbacks,all 5 of them😊