FrankenVega / FrankenCosworth

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Re: FrankenVega / FrankenCosworth

Postby 74_Vega_GT » Wed Nov 09, 2016 11:44 am

Our work area
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1974 Chevy Vega GT Hatchback
1982 Chevy S-10 longbed 2.8v6 A/C
2005 Chrysler Crossfire SRT-6 Coupe,Black
2005 Chrysler Crossfire SRT-6 Coupe,Silver Sapphire Blue
2005 Chrysler Crossfire Roadster N.A., Silver Sapphire Blue
2005 Chrysler Crossfire Roadster N.A., Aero-Blue
2008 Dodge Ram Longbed, Brilliant Crystal Pearl Black
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Re: FrankenVega / FrankenCosworth

Postby 74_Vega_GT » Thu Nov 10, 2016 10:25 am

I went back out to the boneyard with a piece of cardboard and made a template of the hole we left in the Gen.2 Sunbird firewall when we removed the AC unit so we can have the best fit. Not sure what to do about the lower part of the hole for the evap coil where the bottom half of the hole is "embossed" into the metal about an inch.
>I Love the H-Body forum and am grateful for it and all its members contributions, disclaimer below is directed at search engines.
> Photographs posted by this user (74_Vega_GT) are the sole property of this poster. Any use without express written permission is prohibited.
1974 Chevy Vega GT Hatchback
1982 Chevy S-10 longbed 2.8v6 A/C
2005 Chrysler Crossfire SRT-6 Coupe,Black
2005 Chrysler Crossfire SRT-6 Coupe,Silver Sapphire Blue
2005 Chrysler Crossfire Roadster N.A., Silver Sapphire Blue
2005 Chrysler Crossfire Roadster N.A., Aero-Blue
2008 Dodge Ram Longbed, Brilliant Crystal Pearl Black
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Posts: 455
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Location: Central Florida

Re: FrankenVega / FrankenCosworth

Postby 74_Vega_GT » Sun Dec 11, 2016 12:58 pm

That embossed section turned out to be no sweat for my master sheet metal brother helping me on the project. The A/C inside unit has been completely disassembled and all rust removed from the vacuum operated doors, new foam insulation added re-assembled and ready for installation. The engine bay has been reinforced and smoothed, firewall deck smoothed. Hatchback rim has new metal, as well as the quarter glass area. We dropped the fuel tank which looks great and cut out the spare tire bottom to prep it for new metal. Tail light areas on both sides are in great shape. We removed the rear end and haven't determined exactly which rear end it is yet. I did notice an extra bar on this Cos. above the rear end that connected back to the passenger underside that the GT did not have. We will be using that. The rear fenderwells underside are about to receive new metal.
We have a lot of parts with years of rust on them and have discovered a way to remove much of it quite cheaply and safely by filling a large container with a mixture of white vinegar and water mixed 1:4. I think Jaques Cousteau used this method on his Vega...haha. It works great with light brushing under the water with a stiff nylon brush. We are doing some body wet sanding with the vinegar water. We are using "Rust Fix" spray product like ospho after drying the part from the vinegar water before priming with an epoxy primer. We are close to putting the entire interior shell in epoxy primer. The heat reflecting inner firewall blanket would be soon , followed by fittment of the AC from the 77 Sunbird.
The Sanderson shortys are in for the 94 ,4.3L V-6 Vortec. This is a balance shaft Z motor, Tonawanda block, TBI. We have yet to find the intake manifold for a 4bbl and there seems to be some confusion as to which intake to get. Square bore, spread bore, Rochester, Holley, Edelbrock...something from a Mercruiser Marine ...no they wont fit, yes they will..I still have time to sort that I am sure.
About upgrading to the 5 lug S-10 setup, which seems to be the way to go after reading many of the posts. My upper CAs on this Cosw, had been screwed with as they were all aluminum with no rubber and a place for a zerk fitting and a cobbled up looking job at that, so were gonna ditch them and use the ones off of the 74gt. After a vinegar water job, they look brand new. The lowers are from the Cos and have extra bracing around the cup where the sway mounts and now that they've been vinegarized, they are like new as well.
Now comes to the tricky part I have been reading about concerning the positioning and size of the lower ball joint opening to accommodate the larger ball joint from the s10 spindle. My mechanic hadn't a clue about this and had it not been for this awesom forum, I would never have known. I will need to re-visit those instructions with photos. I remember seeing one where the member cut the hole in the wrong position and outlined where he should have cut. I seem to remember some confusion among the posters of that thread as to the exact location of the 1/4 in. mod. Until I get this sorted out, the sfront sustension will be on hold.
We picked up a bellhousing (30 buks) for the 4.3 (200 buks) and will attempt to use the Saginaw 4-sp from the 74GT . Soon we will mate the motor, bellhousing and starter and tranny with the Sandersons for fittment.
We are still sorting out which radiator to go with, although we did decide on a serpentine belt setup for the 4.3. I see many of the radiators being used that hang a little below the lower cross support which concerns me.
Color?-- Boy the Spectrachrome sure looks tempting and their factory is a few short hours away.....more later...Peace
>I Love the H-Body forum and am grateful for it and all its members contributions, disclaimer below is directed at search engines.
> Photographs posted by this user (74_Vega_GT) are the sole property of this poster. Any use without express written permission is prohibited.
1974 Chevy Vega GT Hatchback
1982 Chevy S-10 longbed 2.8v6 A/C
2005 Chrysler Crossfire SRT-6 Coupe,Black
2005 Chrysler Crossfire SRT-6 Coupe,Silver Sapphire Blue
2005 Chrysler Crossfire Roadster N.A., Silver Sapphire Blue
2005 Chrysler Crossfire Roadster N.A., Aero-Blue
2008 Dodge Ram Longbed, Brilliant Crystal Pearl Black
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Re: FrankenVega / FrankenCosworth

Postby Monza Harry » Mon Dec 12, 2016 11:31 am

74' the lower ball joint tab on the S/G[S10/ GN/Monte...] body spindle is approximately 1/4" longer than the H-Body spindle so moving it in that much is minimum mod required, but these cars with a bolt in crossmember sometimes suffer from "Frame Spread" so personally I would deal with that separately [see Tim McCabe's post, I'll try and edit it in later, if he or someone else doesn't]. Cars from that era usually had very little "Caster" as well [trying to save fuel] but more makes an easier driving car and also enhances handling slightly so most also move the BJ mount forward 1/4' as well. That is the quickie on this set up. As for the hole size the BJ's come in 2 sizes OE and Over Size [the most common part store piece] a press fit from my original truck parts were between 0.003" and 0.007" so shoot for 0.005" and that should be good. You can also buy them I'll poke around later and add that as well. Harry
As Promised wrote: Here is a link to a few mentions from Tim: search.php?st=0&sk=t&sd=d&sr=posts&author_id=112 And this more accurate shot in one hit: viewtopic.php?f=10&t=38354&p=222050&hilit=+frame+spread+#p221943
Last edited by Monza Harry on Fri Feb 10, 2017 7:29 pm, edited 2 times in total.
I'm not a hoarder I'm a preservationist 78 Monza Spyder (~Soon(ish +/- I guess) To Be 2+2 with Spoilers)
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Re: FrankenVega / FrankenCosworth

Postby hurleyc33 » Wed Jan 25, 2017 12:08 am

Hey I have a re-buldable 75 Cosworth engine (appox 25000 miles)I could be talked into selling if your not in a hurry. I'm old and do not have heat in the shop so I will not be doing much till spring. I have all the necessary parts and gaskets needed to have it rebuilt.

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Re: FrankenVega / FrankenCosworth

Postby 74_Vega_GT » Thu Feb 02, 2017 12:07 pm

hurleyc33 wrote:Hey I have a re-buldable 75 Cosworth engine (appox 25000 miles)I could be talked into selling if your not in a hurry. I'm old and do not have heat in the shop so I will not be doing much till spring. I have all the necessary parts and gaskets needed to have it rebuilt.

HurleyC33

Thanks for the offer, but we will be installing a 4.3 vortec .030 over, mild cam, 4bbl, Sanderson shortys, '77 4sp saginaw, new hydraulic clutch, 3:73 locking 75 Cosworth rear end, manual steering, s-10 spindles and axles and maybe Spectrachrome paint.
>I Love the H-Body forum and am grateful for it and all its members contributions, disclaimer below is directed at search engines.
> Photographs posted by this user (74_Vega_GT) are the sole property of this poster. Any use without express written permission is prohibited.
1974 Chevy Vega GT Hatchback
1982 Chevy S-10 longbed 2.8v6 A/C
2005 Chrysler Crossfire SRT-6 Coupe,Black
2005 Chrysler Crossfire SRT-6 Coupe,Silver Sapphire Blue
2005 Chrysler Crossfire Roadster N.A., Silver Sapphire Blue
2005 Chrysler Crossfire Roadster N.A., Aero-Blue
2008 Dodge Ram Longbed, Brilliant Crystal Pearl Black
74_Vega_GT
 
Posts: 455
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Location: Central Florida

Re: FrankenVega / FrankenCosworth

Postby 74_Vega_GT » Fri Feb 10, 2017 10:24 am

Thanks Harry for the detailed explanation of the lower s-10 ball joint mod...1/4 inward AND 1/4 forward. The link you posted has 17 pages of posts to wade through. Are you sure this is the link I need for the lower ball joint s-10 mod?
... I mistakenly said that the Saginaw 4-sp. we are using is out of my 74, but as the alzheimers clears, I remember it came from a 77 Monza along with the rear end that we are not going to use. We now have the s-10 axles with new bearings and seals installed into the freshly painted 3:73 locking pumpkin. The drive shaft has fresh u-joints and the Saginaw has fresh (metallic cranberry) paint. We hillbilly-chromed the bellhousing and now find that we will go to a hydraulic type clutch for the 99 V-6 Vortec.
The rear trailing arm bushings along with the bushings for the panhard bar and the torque arm bar are in and will be fitted today.
Sent the dash out for re-covering. I saw repairs to dashboards on U-tube where they filled in the dash cracks and divots with a combination of super glue and baking soda which worked well to level it out before recovering. The other alternative was 850 bucks at justdashes dot com.
more to follow.
>I Love the H-Body forum and am grateful for it and all its members contributions, disclaimer below is directed at search engines.
> Photographs posted by this user (74_Vega_GT) are the sole property of this poster. Any use without express written permission is prohibited.
1974 Chevy Vega GT Hatchback
1982 Chevy S-10 longbed 2.8v6 A/C
2005 Chrysler Crossfire SRT-6 Coupe,Black
2005 Chrysler Crossfire SRT-6 Coupe,Silver Sapphire Blue
2005 Chrysler Crossfire Roadster N.A., Silver Sapphire Blue
2005 Chrysler Crossfire Roadster N.A., Aero-Blue
2008 Dodge Ram Longbed, Brilliant Crystal Pearl Black
74_Vega_GT
 
Posts: 455
Joined: Thu Jun 16, 2016 2:40 pm
Location: Central Florida

Re: FrankenVega / FrankenCosworth

Postby Monza Harry » Fri Feb 10, 2017 8:34 pm

That link is all of Tim's posts, the board wouldn't let me refine my search that day and is causing difficulty today as well, byt here is another hit for you: viewtopic.php?f=19&t=23253&start=45 and I added one to the upper post. Ta Da! This was a hard one to find for all its mention: viewtopic.php?f=10&t=874 I hope this answers some questions for you. Harry
I'm not a hoarder I'm a preservationist 78 Monza Spyder (~Soon(ish +/- I guess) To Be 2+2 with Spoilers)
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Re: FrankenVega / FrankenCosworth

Postby 74_Vega_GT » Mon Feb 13, 2017 9:13 am

Thanks Harry... very much.
>I Love the H-Body forum and am grateful for it and all its members contributions, disclaimer below is directed at search engines.
> Photographs posted by this user (74_Vega_GT) are the sole property of this poster. Any use without express written permission is prohibited.
1974 Chevy Vega GT Hatchback
1982 Chevy S-10 longbed 2.8v6 A/C
2005 Chrysler Crossfire SRT-6 Coupe,Black
2005 Chrysler Crossfire SRT-6 Coupe,Silver Sapphire Blue
2005 Chrysler Crossfire Roadster N.A., Silver Sapphire Blue
2005 Chrysler Crossfire Roadster N.A., Aero-Blue
2008 Dodge Ram Longbed, Brilliant Crystal Pearl Black
74_Vega_GT
 
Posts: 455
Joined: Thu Jun 16, 2016 2:40 pm
Location: Central Florida

Re: FrankenVega / FrankenCosworth

Postby 74_Vega_GT » Thu Feb 23, 2017 5:44 pm

Rear end is ready to install, KYB shocks are on the way, picked up S-10 spindles ' 88, cap, washer, adjustable type UCA bushings arrived, new stainless brake lines arrived, still need to locate a flywheel for the 99 vortec v-6, need to order hydraulic clutch parts. The underbody is all reinforced and rust free, all seams sealed , all welds underneath have been grinded smoothe, rust treated and bondoed smooth, sealed with modern undercoating. It's hard to realize that this Vega will essentially be new with zero mileage except for the 4 sp saginaw and the chunk in the pumpkin. Still...lots of work ahead. I can't wait to see how the dash turns out, it should be ready soon.
Last edited by 74_Vega_GT on Sun Mar 19, 2017 10:07 pm, edited 1 time in total.
>I Love the H-Body forum and am grateful for it and all its members contributions, disclaimer below is directed at search engines.
> Photographs posted by this user (74_Vega_GT) are the sole property of this poster. Any use without express written permission is prohibited.
1974 Chevy Vega GT Hatchback
1982 Chevy S-10 longbed 2.8v6 A/C
2005 Chrysler Crossfire SRT-6 Coupe,Black
2005 Chrysler Crossfire SRT-6 Coupe,Silver Sapphire Blue
2005 Chrysler Crossfire Roadster N.A., Silver Sapphire Blue
2005 Chrysler Crossfire Roadster N.A., Aero-Blue
2008 Dodge Ram Longbed, Brilliant Crystal Pearl Black
74_Vega_GT
 
Posts: 455
Joined: Thu Jun 16, 2016 2:40 pm
Location: Central Florida

Re: FrankenVega / FrankenCosworth

Postby 74_Vega_GT » Wed Mar 01, 2017 1:25 pm

Got vinyl wrap for the face of the GT instrument cluster which will have a carbon fiber look. Soon the front suspension work will commence. The formerly rust pitted roof is now as smoothe as a baby's ... more to come.
Last edited by 74_Vega_GT on Sun Mar 19, 2017 10:09 pm, edited 1 time in total.
>I Love the H-Body forum and am grateful for it and all its members contributions, disclaimer below is directed at search engines.
> Photographs posted by this user (74_Vega_GT) are the sole property of this poster. Any use without express written permission is prohibited.
1974 Chevy Vega GT Hatchback
1982 Chevy S-10 longbed 2.8v6 A/C
2005 Chrysler Crossfire SRT-6 Coupe,Black
2005 Chrysler Crossfire SRT-6 Coupe,Silver Sapphire Blue
2005 Chrysler Crossfire Roadster N.A., Silver Sapphire Blue
2005 Chrysler Crossfire Roadster N.A., Aero-Blue
2008 Dodge Ram Longbed, Brilliant Crystal Pearl Black
74_Vega_GT
 
Posts: 455
Joined: Thu Jun 16, 2016 2:40 pm
Location: Central Florida

Re: FrankenVega / FrankenCosworth

Postby 74_Vega_GT » Sun Mar 05, 2017 7:03 pm

..Got 2 front seats from a Nissan Altima...black leather, Power w/lumbar, and a wing spoiler from a Mitsubishi.
..The steering gearbox is cleaned up, painted and ready to install. The front stabilizer bar has to come off of the 74gt yet and be moved to the 75 cos...fresh bushings. We're waiting on the tapered adapter shims for the ball joints.....so the front suspension is on hold.....Peace
Last edited by 74_Vega_GT on Sun Mar 19, 2017 10:12 pm, edited 2 times in total.
>I Love the H-Body forum and am grateful for it and all its members contributions, disclaimer below is directed at search engines.
> Photographs posted by this user (74_Vega_GT) are the sole property of this poster. Any use without express written permission is prohibited.
1974 Chevy Vega GT Hatchback
1982 Chevy S-10 longbed 2.8v6 A/C
2005 Chrysler Crossfire SRT-6 Coupe,Black
2005 Chrysler Crossfire SRT-6 Coupe,Silver Sapphire Blue
2005 Chrysler Crossfire Roadster N.A., Silver Sapphire Blue
2005 Chrysler Crossfire Roadster N.A., Aero-Blue
2008 Dodge Ram Longbed, Brilliant Crystal Pearl Black
74_Vega_GT
 
Posts: 455
Joined: Thu Jun 16, 2016 2:40 pm
Location: Central Florida

Re: FrankenVega / FrankenCosworth

Postby 74_Vega_GT » Sun Mar 19, 2017 10:52 am

...Tapered shims are in, ball joints are in, spindles are painted and ready to install, new stainless brake lines are in, waiting on springs..KYB shocks are painted (yellow) and ready to go in. Control arms have new bushings and are painted and ready to go in. Ordered caliper kit for the S-10 with slotted rotors, prepped and painted the front sway bar..( the smaller one from the 74 GT and this worries me that its not the thicker one from the Cosworth).
--Epoxy primered the body shell and wet sanded it up to 2000 grit. WOW..I couldn't believe the shine on that primer and every slight indentation showed us where we need more attention. The formerly pitted roof now is slick and nice, body seam lines have been smoothed. We are going around it with a Sharpie to mark the spots that need more attention.
-- Tested different paint color techniques on the donor car quarter to see what results we might obtain with the silver base for a candy color as opposed to a gold base for a candy color.
-- The plan of attack to re-install the running gear (so my trusted mechanic says) will be from the rear forward, that is, we will mount the rear end components then the drive shaft , then the transmission , so that we will not have to modify the length of the drive shaft or change the shifter hole position. Next would be to mock up the motor for the mounting plate adapter to the V-6 Astro van mounts.
-- We still have a long way to go. There are fuel lines to order and install, the gas tank sending unit has to be either restored or replaced, we need to decide on a fuel pump, send out the Sanderson Shorty's for jet hot coating or similar, Load up the motor and take it to the speed shop for break-in with stock manifolds on a motor stand... If we "git her done" by Christmas, I'll be surprised. Last month marked a year into the project that had been on hold over 35 years...
-Peace
>I Love the H-Body forum and am grateful for it and all its members contributions, disclaimer below is directed at search engines.
> Photographs posted by this user (74_Vega_GT) are the sole property of this poster. Any use without express written permission is prohibited.
1974 Chevy Vega GT Hatchback
1982 Chevy S-10 longbed 2.8v6 A/C
2005 Chrysler Crossfire SRT-6 Coupe,Black
2005 Chrysler Crossfire SRT-6 Coupe,Silver Sapphire Blue
2005 Chrysler Crossfire Roadster N.A., Silver Sapphire Blue
2005 Chrysler Crossfire Roadster N.A., Aero-Blue
2008 Dodge Ram Longbed, Brilliant Crystal Pearl Black
74_Vega_GT
 
Posts: 455
Joined: Thu Jun 16, 2016 2:40 pm
Location: Central Florida

Re: FrankenVega / FrankenCosworth

Postby 74_Vega_GT » Mon Mar 27, 2017 10:12 pm

We are at the point to where we have to paint the engine bay and door jams. Spoke to a painter friend who paints exotics in Orlando and has for many years who gave us some advice. The Spectrachrome paint, which he has used in the past is the toughest for any shop equipped properly to paint according to him and he advised to stay away from it. The candy color option, whether using a silver or gold base coat with added metallics, will be hard to spot fix and match if there are any damages in the future. There are some new metallics by Chrysler and Ford that have caught my eye which are deep and close to a candy effect that are only 2 step jobs that we will probably go for.
I thought I would post a few more pictures of the mess we have made and continue to make out back. They are in no particular order and do not display any technical mods that I haven't learned here on this forum. Thank you guys for all you have contributed and responses to my questions to get me this far. Still a long way to go...

Filesizes too big...I gotta go play in PhotoShop first and cut the file sizes....
>I Love the H-Body forum and am grateful for it and all its members contributions, disclaimer below is directed at search engines.
> Photographs posted by this user (74_Vega_GT) are the sole property of this poster. Any use without express written permission is prohibited.
1974 Chevy Vega GT Hatchback
1982 Chevy S-10 longbed 2.8v6 A/C
2005 Chrysler Crossfire SRT-6 Coupe,Black
2005 Chrysler Crossfire SRT-6 Coupe,Silver Sapphire Blue
2005 Chrysler Crossfire Roadster N.A., Silver Sapphire Blue
2005 Chrysler Crossfire Roadster N.A., Aero-Blue
2008 Dodge Ram Longbed, Brilliant Crystal Pearl Black
74_Vega_GT
 
Posts: 455
Joined: Thu Jun 16, 2016 2:40 pm
Location: Central Florida

Re: FrankenVega / FrankenCosworth

Postby spencerforhire » Tue Mar 28, 2017 6:54 am

Quote-"We are going around it with a Sharpie to mark the spots that need more attention"
Watch out with that Sharpie- They are ink-based, and can bleed through primer if it doesn't all get sanded off. A "dry-erase" or whiteboard marker is a lot safer, is water soluble and will wipe right off.
The "fleet"-
72 Vega HB Drag Car -383/'Glide/9"(9.35@146.19)(5.94@117.28 1/8th)
77 Vega Estate wagon- project(someday)will have TPI305/T-5, S-10 spindles/axles
76 Vega GT- 400/4spd/9" retired from active duty(rusty)
06 Silverado 2WD ex.cab daily
03 Silverado 2WD ex.cab (retired)
06 Haulin' 20ft enclosed car transporter
06 GMC Canyon Shop truck
07 Colorado project( 5.3 4L60e swap)
99 Saturn SL1- wife's car
01 Saturn SC2- son's project
07 Saturn Ion Redline project
and 4 more Saturn "parts cars"
Note- the very act of listing all of these has made me realize I have some kind of problem.....

Visit http://www.spencerforhire.ca
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