73 Vega Panel Chopped 84 Vette suspension

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Re: 73 Vega Panel Chopped 84 Vette suspension

Postby 72 SS PNL » Thu Feb 04, 2010 12:27 am

id keep the original panels as a whole , and either keep or sell them , and make new 1's to fit what you need

im still wondering how its all gonna sit , since the C4 has a slightly taller chassis , and you actually sit down inside the C4

im kinda leaning towards the idea of a custom chassis with the C4 suspension hanging on it , over the C4 would be better and easier to do
first and best car owned 72 GT(changed to SS) panel wagon

pictures of the car from 86 - http://www.myrideisme.com/Garage/06_IBM_GOAT/955
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Re: 73 Vega Panel Chopped 84 Vette suspension

Postby Hondo » Thu Feb 04, 2010 10:12 am

monza75tc wrote:Hondo,

If they can fit an early Nova onto the Vette chassis, It should fit on the Panel even better. I would check on the width as it might be better(safer) to keep the original frame rails, just extend them a tad to match the wheel wells up. If you need to narrow it some just shorten the crossmembers along the frame and work with the steering and rear. Heck, if Eric of Norway can fit a Jag rear under one you should be able to fit the Vette rear under it. Check his Vega wagon out. I think he has some garage pic's on this site. He also made his front spoiler/bumper from a Toyota 4 Runner.

Dick


The width of the offset in the frame is the biggest concern with the project but If I did narrow the entire frame it might fit without any other modification to the frame itself. When I get the C4 stripped down to the bare frame I will be able to tell better what will be the best route to take but sectioning the frame to to remove the offsets is not a concern to me as much as narrowing the entire frame. The mud truck that was mentioned earlier in one of my posts here was a long wheelbase truck that I shortened to a K5 Blazer length wheelbase. It was raced for five years with a couple of very bad wrecks that would have folded most stock frames (broke the TH350 transmission in half one time from the impact) but was still in good shape when we retired it. I am sure that I can make the frame even stronger than original with bracing in the right places and the roll cage that I plan on tying into the frame in at least six places. I have most of the details of the build worked out in my head and in measurements that I have taken but I know from several different build in the past that something always comes up to cause the plans to have to be modified to make the final desired outcome happen.

The front spoiler/bumper from a Toyota 4 Runner on Eric's fine looking wagon is a good example of what I want to do with my Panel and I hope that I can find something on a later model vehicle that will complement the front of my earlier style front end as much as that does on his wagon.

Thanks for the encouragement Dick and I will try to keep you and everyone else posted on my progress with the Vegavette. :th:
Image
Some men talk 'cause they got somethin' to say.
Others talk 'cause they got to say somethin'.


FYI
In the basement now:Image
97 Blazer AWD getting a Vortec 5.7 installed
74 Corvette Stingray getting restored to original sepcs.
46 Willys Jeep getting restored to original specs.
1978 Honda CX500 motorcycle restored to original (waiting on warm weather to ride)wife's
1974 Honda CB750 motorcycle restored to original (waiting on warm weather to ride)mine
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Re: 73 Vega Panel Chopped 84 Vette suspension

Postby Hondo » Thu Feb 04, 2010 10:40 am

72 SS PNL wrote:id keep the original panels as a whole , and either keep or sell them , and make new 1's to fit what you need

im still wondering how its all gonna sit , since the C4 has a slightly taller chassis , and you actually sit down inside the C4

im kinda leaning towards the idea of a custom chassis with the C4 suspension hanging on it , over the C4 would be better and easier to do


Yes, I'm planning on taking the side panels out fabricating the shorter ones because it would be much easier than cutting the originals and trying to put them back together (that would be a nightmare to get them straight). I have been looking at buying a bead roller (24 inch) to do the metal work that is going to be needed on this build and would like to hear from anyone who might have a used one just sitting around that they want to sell.

By using the C4 frame and floor pan I am sure that I can get the ground clearance/ride ride height close to the same as the C4 body. I have not measured the C4 and Vega to compare the ground clearance but I will a s soon as I can so i can incorporate that into my built concerns. I want to get the Vega center of gravity and overall weight under the stock C4 specs (3200 lbs.). I know that is a very ambitious undertaking but what the heck, if you don't know where you want to get to you will never get there.

C4 Specifications Hatchback
Wheelbase, inches 96.2
Length, inches 176.5
Width, inches 71.0
Track, inches front: 59.6 rear: 60.4
Height, inches 46.7
Curb weight, pounds 3,200

The original C4 frame is very strong and if I can improve on the structure while making it work under the Panel I will keep it but that is a decision I will have to make when I get into the frame a little more.

:th:
Last edited by Hondo on Thu Feb 04, 2010 10:57 am, edited 1 time in total.
Some men talk 'cause they got somethin' to say.
Others talk 'cause they got to say somethin'.


FYI
In the basement now:Image
97 Blazer AWD getting a Vortec 5.7 installed
74 Corvette Stingray getting restored to original sepcs.
46 Willys Jeep getting restored to original specs.
1978 Honda CX500 motorcycle restored to original (waiting on warm weather to ride)wife's
1974 Honda CB750 motorcycle restored to original (waiting on warm weather to ride)mine
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Re: 73 Vega Panel Chopped 84 Vette suspension

Postby vegon71 » Thu Feb 04, 2010 10:50 am

I got to admit when you first posted this I was thinking (pipe dream) but after following thread awhile im getting the he is serious vibe and looks like he knows what he is doing :th: you now have my attention :wink: keep at it, very interesting :th:
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Re: 73 Vega Panel Chopped 84 Vette suspension

Postby Hondo » Thu Feb 04, 2010 11:48 am

vegon71 wrote:I got to admit when you first posted this I was thinking (pipe dream) but after following thread awhile im getting the he is serious vibe and looks like he knows what he is doing :th: you now have my attention :wink: keep at it, very interesting :th:


Thanks vegon71, to get peoples attention is exactly what I want this Panel to do when they see it after I get it to where I want it to be.
I'll have to admit that I have been thinking about this build for a while now and did not decide to post the build here until I had made up my mind that it was going to be a serious project that I intend to get it done. I know it will take a lot of work to get it done by myself but that is just more satisfaction I get when done.

I think that I will keep the TransAm tilt steering that I put in years ago as seen below.

Image

And use the seats and console from the C4 which will look like this (except in black) when I get it finished.

Image
This photo from my non-donor 84 Corvette (driver).

By using the C4 floor pan I can use the seats and console from the donor C4 (black interior). It will lower the floor and seat (which has a very short bottom) to give the C4 feel when driving and needed headroom with the 4 inch top chop. It may take me a while to make it happen but I know it can be done with a lot of determination and even more hard work. :th:

Now I need to get to the basement to work on the 5.7 install in my 97 Blazer so I can get it finished up and make room for the Vegavette in the basement.
:bang:
Some men talk 'cause they got somethin' to say.
Others talk 'cause they got to say somethin'.


FYI
In the basement now:Image
97 Blazer AWD getting a Vortec 5.7 installed
74 Corvette Stingray getting restored to original sepcs.
46 Willys Jeep getting restored to original specs.
1978 Honda CX500 motorcycle restored to original (waiting on warm weather to ride)wife's
1974 Honda CB750 motorcycle restored to original (waiting on warm weather to ride)mine
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Hondo
 
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Re: 73 Vega Panel Chopped 84 Vette suspension

Postby Hondo » Thu Feb 04, 2010 2:56 pm

monza75tc wrote:Hondo,

If they can fit an early Nova onto the Vette chassis, It should fit on the Panel even better. I would check on the width as it might be better(safer) to keep the original frame rails, just extend them a tad to match the wheel wells up. If you need to narrow it some just shorten the crossmembers along the frame and work with the steering and rear. Heck, if Eric of Norway can fit a Jag rear under one you should be able to fit the Vette rear under it. Check his Vega wagon out. I think he has some garage pic's on this site. He also made his front spoiler/bumper from a Toyota 4 Runner.

Dick

Did a search for a 1974 Vega Kamback in the garage and only three came up and none were his.

Do you remember Eric's user name if he has one here? :?:
Some men talk 'cause they got somethin' to say.
Others talk 'cause they got to say somethin'.


FYI
In the basement now:Image
97 Blazer AWD getting a Vortec 5.7 installed
74 Corvette Stingray getting restored to original sepcs.
46 Willys Jeep getting restored to original specs.
1978 Honda CX500 motorcycle restored to original (waiting on warm weather to ride)wife's
1974 Honda CB750 motorcycle restored to original (waiting on warm weather to ride)mine
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Re: 73 Vega Panel Chopped 84 Vette suspension

Postby Astre-mutt » Thu Feb 04, 2010 7:02 pm

Hondo, I'm not sure if Eric is a member, or not. I see that you are working all the angles for your Vet/Vega build, but I havent seen where you have addressed the engine set back difference. In the Corvette the engine sits about a foot further back then a small block in Vega. (from the front suspension) I see that you have photo shop. Could you place a pic of the Corvette chassis over a pic of a Kamback? Could be a good reference. If you don't have a picture of a wagon at the right angle to match the Corvette chassis, I should have one I can send.
Scott
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Re: 73 Vega Panel Chopped 84 Vette suspension

Postby Hondo » Thu Feb 04, 2010 8:13 pm

Astre-mutt wrote:Hondo, I'm not sure if Eric is a member, or not. I see that you are working all the angles for your Vet/Vega build, but I havent seen where you have addressed the engine set back difference. In the Corvette the engine sits about a foot further back then a small block in Vega. (from the front suspension) I see that you have photo shop. Could you place a pic of the Corvette chassis over a pic of a Kamback? Could be a good reference. If you don't have a picture of a wagon at the right angle to match the Corvette chassis, I should have one I can send.


Thanks, any pictures or drawings of the wagon would be appreciated very much in figuring out what all I need to do to make this work.

I did discuss (with photos) a little about the C4 engine sitting back from the front wheel center line more than in the Vega in my posts on page 3
and posts on Wed Feb 03, 2010 5:51 am and Wed Feb 03, 2010 8:46 am.

I am sure that even more will need to be done to make the body fit the C4 frame and the more information I can put together the better I can attack the problems.

I have compiled a basic comparison of the 71 Vega and the 84 Corvette below which give me a base from which I can address every basic problem.

Image

1. The wheelbase is close so the .8 inch difference should not be a problem.
2. The track difference is the biggest concern but looking at the overall width of the Vega makes me feel better about this.
3. The length in no concern at all (except when considering the placement of the engine in relation to the original engine.
4. The overall width is narrower but is still wider than the track of the C4 (won't know what is needed until the body goes on).
5. With a 4 inch top chop on the Panel the height of the Panel will be very close to the C4 original height.
6. Ground clearance is close and with 245 tires instead of 255 tires it would be lower (tire size will determine the exact height).
7. The final weight will be more than the original Vega but less than the C4 (I will be keeping the weight as low as possible).
:th:
Some men talk 'cause they got somethin' to say.
Others talk 'cause they got to say somethin'.


FYI
In the basement now:Image
97 Blazer AWD getting a Vortec 5.7 installed
74 Corvette Stingray getting restored to original sepcs.
46 Willys Jeep getting restored to original specs.
1978 Honda CX500 motorcycle restored to original (waiting on warm weather to ride)wife's
1974 Honda CB750 motorcycle restored to original (waiting on warm weather to ride)mine
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Re: 73 Vega Panel Chopped 84 Vette suspension

Postby mldeolde » Fri Feb 05, 2010 12:16 am

i don't know how different your vega is than my 75 monza 2+2 based IMSA but my car has a C-3 front suspension grafted on and it doesent look like it was that difficult to do. i didn't do the work personally or else i could tell you for sure but it was put togther by a couple of wild and crazy Austrailians who have an auto shop near by me in Riverside,Ca. the car also has a full floater 12 bolt rear end a real rareity in it's own right.
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Re: 73 Vega Panel Chopped 84 Vette suspension

Postby monza75tc » Fri Feb 05, 2010 12:28 am

Hondo,

Check out the registry, http://monza.homestead.com/monza.html
Go to the bottom of the page to the Registry. :pook:

Scan down to Norway and he should be the first entry. His Email is there, he used to have a webpage that had the build up and pictures of him racing it. Hopefully he will have gotten another website for it, just need to find out where it is. It was a good photo spread.

Dick
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Re: 73 Vega Panel Chopped 84 Vette suspension

Postby randyt77 » Fri Feb 05, 2010 1:25 am

Hondo
I have been keeping tabs on your posts since you've started here and would just like to say thanks for the insperation. you might have noticed that you are going to get some criticism on this forum but that only fuels the desire! :D Most are very interested to see and, learn from your build I am an amatuer hear but I've learned a lot and I would love to learn more from your posts so KEEP POSTING!!!!! Thanx R.T. :dance: :dance: :th:
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Re: 73 Vega Panel Chopped 84 Vette suspension

Postby Hondo » Fri Feb 05, 2010 7:00 am

mldeolde wrote:i don't know how different your vega is than my 75 monza 2+2 based IMSA but my car has a C-3 front suspension grafted on and it doesent look like it was that difficult to do. i didn't do the work personally or else i could tell you for sure but it was put togther by a couple of wild and crazy Austrailians who have an auto shop near by me in Riverside,Ca. the car also has a full floater 12 bolt rear end a real rareity in it's own right.


Thanks for the info.

I am sure that I will need all of the information and suggestions I can get to make this build happen. :th:
Some men talk 'cause they got somethin' to say.
Others talk 'cause they got to say somethin'.


FYI
In the basement now:Image
97 Blazer AWD getting a Vortec 5.7 installed
74 Corvette Stingray getting restored to original sepcs.
46 Willys Jeep getting restored to original specs.
1978 Honda CX500 motorcycle restored to original (waiting on warm weather to ride)wife's
1974 Honda CB750 motorcycle restored to original (waiting on warm weather to ride)mine
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Hondo
 
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Re: 73 Vega Panel Chopped 84 Vette suspension

Postby Hondo » Fri Feb 05, 2010 7:09 am

monza75tc wrote:Hondo,

Check out the registry, http://monza.homestead.com/monza.html
Go to the bottom of the page to the Registry. :pook:

Scan down to Norway and he should be the first entry. His Email is there, he used to have a webpage that had the build up and pictures of him racing it. Hopefully he will have gotten another website for it, just need to find out where it is. It was a good photo spread.

Dick


Thanks for the info Dick.

I will check it out to see if I can find his build. :th:
Some men talk 'cause they got somethin' to say.
Others talk 'cause they got to say somethin'.


FYI
In the basement now:Image
97 Blazer AWD getting a Vortec 5.7 installed
74 Corvette Stingray getting restored to original sepcs.
46 Willys Jeep getting restored to original specs.
1978 Honda CX500 motorcycle restored to original (waiting on warm weather to ride)wife's
1974 Honda CB750 motorcycle restored to original (waiting on warm weather to ride)mine
User avatar
Hondo
 
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Location: Warrior, AL

1971 Chevrolet Vega Panel Express

Re: 73 Vega Panel Chopped 84 Vette suspension

Postby Hondo » Fri Feb 05, 2010 7:21 am

randyt77 wrote:Hondo
I have been keeping tabs on your posts since you've started here and would just like to say thanks for the insperation. you might have noticed that you are going to get some criticism on this forum but that only fuels the desire! :D Most are very interested to see and, learn from your build I am an amatuer hear but I've learned a lot and I would love to learn more from your posts so KEEP POSTING!!!!! Thanx R.T. :dance: :dance: :th:


Thanks for the encouragement RT.

Mostly in the research stage now but the development stage is soon to begin and I will document as much as possible. :th:
Image
Some men talk 'cause they got somethin' to say.
Others talk 'cause they got to say somethin'.


FYI
In the basement now:Image
97 Blazer AWD getting a Vortec 5.7 installed
74 Corvette Stingray getting restored to original sepcs.
46 Willys Jeep getting restored to original specs.
1978 Honda CX500 motorcycle restored to original (waiting on warm weather to ride)wife's
1974 Honda CB750 motorcycle restored to original (waiting on warm weather to ride)mine
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Hondo
 
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Location: Warrior, AL

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Re: 73 Vega Panel Chopped 84 Vette suspension

Postby NixVegaGT » Sun Feb 07, 2010 11:55 am

Thanks for posting those specs. That's pretty enlightening. I love the idea of this project. It's very ambitious, Hell yeah! Since you're sorta still in the ideation phase I thought I'd just toss this in there. I have a buddy on britishv8.org that chopped his MGB down the middle to increase the track width. I'm not saying do this. Just tossing it out there... LOL. To be fair, that's a LOT of work. Good luck with this. It should make a pretty great track car. I'll be watching your progress. Cool.
- Nic '73 Vega GT "DogBoxx" Batwing LS1
http://www.cardomain.com/ride/2357894
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