Desert Valley Dog - 76 Vega GT wagon

[sportriderok]

Warning! This is going to be a very boring build compared to most of the ones I've been following on here! No custom fabrication, no frame connectors or suspension re-engineering, heck, not even a V8. I just wanted a build that I could accomplish on my own and learn skills that I've always wanted to. I've had other H-body projects in the past, but I either had most of the work done for me or they wound up going to the junkyard when I got beyond my ablilities. The goal for this car is to be a dependable daily driver that gets good gas mileage, but is still fun to drive. But my main motivation is to clear my shop of levtover H-body parts from yet another aborted build. I had found a Monza coupe near my house in 2008 that was the start of this project. My goal was to build a stock looking but quick V8 car, which is what I've always wanted in an H-body. The car was clean but had been beaten with a hammer by a bored grandchild at some point, and then parked when the owner died. I drug it home and had it running in a matter of days when I encountered my first dilema. The 2.5 ran like a top. Unfortunatly the car had been parked with a full tank and the fuel system was shot. Along came Monza 2, the cream Cab top coupe. It was advertised as the ugliest car in Tulsa, but had a new fuel tank and pump, and the people were driving it every day. Of course when I changed the oil, that daily driver became a mess of blowby. Discouraged, I retreated to Ebay to scrounge parts when I came along the 77 Coupe in my signature. Its a factory V8 car, clean as a pin, and was going for next to nothing, way under what the engine I had in my head for the Blue coupe was going to cost. I bid on it, but did not meet the reserve. After the auction ended, the seller contacted me and we negotiated a deal on the car. So now I had my v8 Monza, and two really nice parts cars. And they sat.

[sportriderok]

Fast forward a few years to late 2011. After discovering the Forum here and lurking for a while, I decided I wanted to try another build. But I didn't want another Monza. After reading a lot here, and following some of the incredible builds, I decided my new project would be a Vega wagon. I read the FAQ's, I asked questions of you all, and I learned that my blue Monza with the sweet little 2.5/Saginaw 4speed could transplant into a late wagon. So I began looking for the cleanest 76-77 body I could find. Enter Desert Valley Auto Parts in Phoenix. I had watched their show on Discovery and had bought parts from them in the past for other cars, so when a 76 GT wagon showed up on their site, I knew I had found my car. Besides, the under hood shots showed a 2.5 had already been transplanted into the car, making my job that much easier, or so I thought. Buying it was a bit of a hassle, transporting it took forever, and when I got it, the car was missing a lot of stuff they didn't mention, but it is a great blank canvas to start with.

[sportriderok]

I started tearing the car apart as soon as it came off the transport. The inside was loaded with crap, but I did find ywo brand new in the box shocks under the folded-down seat, and the mising door panel at the bottom of pile in the back. The dark blue Monza seats and carpet will look good with the code 28 Light Blue metallic outside, which I will repaint myself. Besides the engine and trans, the Monza will donate the tilt column, power steering box, power brake booster, and all wiring to the Vega. I had planned on adapting the AC box as well, but came up with another solution.

[sportriderok]

Digging through the glove box turned up enough evidence to show this is a two owner car bought new in Scottsdale AZ, and moved to Phoenix by 1982. It's had use, the clutch cable area has been re-inforced and it has a lot of stress cracks in the hatch and around the hood latch, but no rust through anywhere. The 2.5 conversion, however, was a bust for the previous owner. The engine was never hooked up, and they apparently did not change the frame plates. I'm sure they are still talking about the motor leaning to the right so much!

[sportriderok]

Disassembly phase...

[sportriderok]

And here is where the car stands today. Next up is a trip to the car wash to get rid of all the desert-dust covering everything on this car, then a good undercoating on the inside and reassembly can begin, starting with the wiring. I have to get the Monza stripped down so it can go to it's new home with a fellow board member. And then I have to strip the dashboard and AC stuff out of the parts car I got from the field of H-bodies I've been posting about in the general discussion area. That car also has a T50 5-speed which intrigues me, if the torque arm and crossmember are not too rusty. Since this is going to be a daily driver with a 4 cylinder, do you guys think the T50 would be a good choice?

[sportriderok]

This is my parts car, a 76 GT with 36k on the clock. The glove box dig indicates this was a one owner car that went belly-up in 1981. The car was bought new by a 20-year old girl in Plano, Texas, according to the insurance application I found inside it. She took it to a repair shop complaining of oil use in April of 1981 and it apparently never left. I have no idea how it made it to Oklahoma. The car is complete except for the cylinder head and back seat, which are missing. The passenger seat, headliner and visors are like new. The carpet looked new, too, but it disintegrated when we tried to remove it.

[Kenova]

Looks like you are off to a good start.
Don't forget to neutralize the rust before you apply the under coating. It would probably cost and weigh more, but have you considered using a spray on bed liner product? It goes on thick and has some sound deadening qualities.

Ken

[sportriderok]

That's probably what I'll use instead of traditional undercoating. I use that stuff on a lot of projects. I plan on wire-brushing the whole floor down and using a rust converter paint as the primer.

[HAULIN' IT]

Looks like a good starting point! Long way to go though Lorne

[jb3426]

Looking good. I look forward to seeing these in person when I come to pick up the monza.

[vegastre]

Warning! This is going to be a very boring build compared to most of the ones I've been following on here!

You have a very interesting start to your build, heck just the idea that you bought your car from Desert Valley is interesting in and of itself. Not to worry, fabrication skills does not mean an interesting build by any means. Romance based on the dream in your head with a cool result is what it is all about and I really like how you described your plans. Good job so far and I'm sure others will be checking your progress.

[sportriderok]

I made some decent progress this weekend, but nothing camera worthy. I got the interior of the Monza mostly gutted out, just carpet and wiring left to pull. The 2.5 and Saginaw are about ready to come out as well. My engine wiring harness looks kind of rough, I'll have to trace the wires with my diagram to see what all the cut and bare wires go to and if I can repair it. I've got one heater hose I'll probably have to cut, but everything else has been pretty trouble-free so far. I hope to be finished with the Monza in the next few weeks, so I can get it off the lift and get the Vega parts car in the air to check out the crossmember and torque arm for the T50.

[sportriderok]

The Monza is interior and wire free now, but I still haven't got the engine and tranny pulled. I got the driveshaft and torque arm out, got the last stubborn heater hose loose, but I need to cut the front exhaust pipe so I can weld it up to the Vega exhaust, and my Sawzall would not cooperate. I've also decided my shop is too messy and I'm tired of hunting for tools, so a reorgainization is due. My goal is to have the engine out this week, because life is looming in the background, and the car project will have to slow down soon. I want to get one of my new shops wired and lighted before winter, and I have 2 rent houses going on the market, so the budget is going to be limited. But I think I have enough parts to keep moving forward slowly. I'm depending on this forum to keep me motivated and moving through the lulls in progress.

[sportriderok]

I was near my shop last night so I stopped in for an hour and made some good progress on the Monza disassembly. I got the big vent assembly out of the dash and pulled the steering column. I have all the bolts loose on the engine and trans crossmember so once I get the exhaust pipe cut the engine can come out. One question, has anyone left the clutch cable attached to the transmission when pulling the engine? I think if I disconnect it from the pedal and zip tie the cable to the engine, I can leave it on and not have to challenge my limited skills yet. I'm really concerned about the condition of the torque arm and crossmember on the Vega with the T50, so if I can't use it and have to stay with the Saginaw I'll be that much ahead.