POSSIBLE... LAST VEGA EVER MADE

Research results, details, and so on

Moderator: Moderators

POSSIBLE... LAST VEGA EVER MADE

Postby ski.dive » Sun Apr 22, 2012 11:50 am

HI EVERYONE, I'M NEW TO THIS FORUM & THIS IS MY FIRST POST

I JUST PURCHASE A 1977 VEGA ESTATE WAGON IN GREAT ORIGINAL CONDITION

THE PREVIOUS OWNER TOLD ME "IT WAS THE LAST VEGA OUT OF THE ASSEMBLY LINE IN 1977"

IN OTHER WORDS... THE LAST VEGA EVER MADE

I HAVE NO WAY TO VERIFY THIS INFO & ALL THE RESEARCH I'VE DONE LEADS ME NOWHERE WITH THE 'LAST VEGA MADE'

***IT'S IMPORTANT TO LOOK AT THE FOLLOWING DETAILS ON THIS VEGA

STAMPED ON THE INFORMATION PLATE:

MANUFACTURED DATE: 7/77 [JULY 1977]
JULY IS VERY LATE IN THE YEAR,CONSIDERING THAT THE 1978 CARS ARE IN THE SHOWROOM IN SEPTEMBER,
ONLY A MONTH AND A HALF LATER, THE 1978 YEAR CARS ARE AVAILABLE FOR SALE.

THE VIN# OF THIS CAR IS WHERE IT GETS GOOD
VIN# 1V15B7U179272
ACCORDING TO ALL THE RESEARCH AND WEB PAGES I LOOKED INTO,THEY ONLY MADE 78,402 VEGAS IN 1977
ACCORDING TO MY VIN# MY VEGA IS THE 79,272 VEGA TO COME OUT OF THE ASSEMBLY LINE
SO IF THEY ONLY MADE 78,402 VEGAS IN 1977,WHY IS MY VEGA THE 79,272 TO COME OUT OF THE ASSEMBLY LINE IN 1977?

IF ANYONE CAN GIVE ME SOME INFO ON THE LAST VEGA EVER MADE,[HOPEFULLY IT'S THIS ONE]
I WOULD APPRECIATE IT
`THANK YOU
You do not have the required permissions to view the files attached to this post.
Last edited by ski.dive on Wed Apr 25, 2012 11:54 am, edited 2 times in total.
ski.dive
 
Posts: 133
Joined: Sat Apr 21, 2012 11:06 am


Re: POSSIBLE... LAST VEGA EVER MADE

Postby doogiediamond » Sun Apr 22, 2012 12:05 pm

If anything it's "One" of the last to be made.
Not sure if being Thee last one really adds anything to its value, most people would still look at it as "a Vega" :bored:
These cars have more value to us owners than total strangers. I love em' because they are not a catalog car like a nova, mustang or camaro.
That and they aren't a cookie cutter car like the new cars on the road today.


P.S. You might want to click off your caps lock button.
Doug
doogiediamond@hotmail.com
74 Vega wagon
doogiediamond
 
Posts: 1766
Joined: Mon Jul 24, 2006 8:55 am
Location: Washington

Re: POSSIBLE... LAST VEGA EVER MADE

Postby HI WINDING MONZA » Sun Apr 22, 2012 12:18 pm

One of the members here has the 9th Astre built in the USA, and I have the 35th 1982 GMC pickup built sitting in my yard . :th:

Probally had some leftovers to built at the Oshawa ( Canada) plant that they "threw in" at the end that GM forgot to add to their totals since it was the end of a model. ( 7th digit is a 1 on your car)

I think someone here can get that GM Canada info for you since they kept better records than GM USA.

Doug in AZ 8)
My Old Monza now lives in Arizona with its newest owner.

The 90's just keep rollin' along........
1990 Chevrolet Silverado Regular Cab Long Bed 350 TBI V8 700R4 118K miles
1992 Pontiac Sunbird Coupe 2.0 OHC MPFI I4 TH125C 157k miles
User avatar
HI WINDING MONZA
 
Posts: 3196
Joined: Thu Jun 29, 2006 7:37 pm
Location: Salinas, Puerto Rico

Re: POSSIBLE... LAST VEGA EVER MADE

Postby marco_1978_spyder » Sun Apr 22, 2012 2:26 pm

Look under the rear load floor carpet...sometimes the workers will sign there names in the trunk of the very last model down a line.

Try to find a buildsheet and post the the trim tag #s for some detailed info..

7/77 is a good build date for the possibility your looking for. Vega's could have gone right up to 8/77 Since late August(8) is the model year changeover time.
EDIT 11/5/13 ... It's now known Vega production came to an end July 22,1977. And that matches the above Vega's build date of 7/77.

The buildsheet, if found should list 7-22 as the build date.
Could be that vega's cut off with a few weeks to spare to help with the transition to the monza and company..
1978 Monza Spyder V8 4speed, posi
1978 Sunbird Formula V6, 5 Speed, Hatchback
1980 Sunbird Hatchback 4cyl, 4spd.
2006 Chevrolet Aveo 5 speed Hatchback
Yes, you can refer to me as Mark
Please visit my blog... http://chevymonza.blogspot.com/ Follow if you like!
Featuring special guests; Carl Beraytor and Ray D'atore

My Red spyder now has a youtube channel please Like and Subscribe!!!
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCOzzSR ... ISuing7KLA
User avatar
marco_1978_spyder
Senior Moderator
 
Posts: 5283
Joined: Sun Jun 25, 2006 5:20 pm
Location: Western, New YorK / Rochester

Re: POSSIBLE... LAST VEGA EVER MADE

Postby kgroombr » Sun Apr 22, 2012 4:09 pm

I have heard a lot of lies by folks selling cars to try to move 'em. Unless the previous owner has proof of such, it, IMHO, is not true.

Ken
User avatar
kgroombr
 
Posts: 1168
Joined: Thu Nov 20, 2008 8:27 pm
Location: Evans, GA

1972 Chevrolet Vega Kammback GT

Re: POSSIBLE... LAST VEGA EVER MADE

Postby HI WINDING MONZA » Sun Apr 22, 2012 7:26 pm

From a real old post................................(hbot)

"Too many cars sold in the US, that must be why,
in Canada, they have all the records of all the GM
sold, I ordered the built sheet for my 69 Z/28, it cost
$42 Cdn. and they have it all in details, but if the
car was originaly sold in the US, I would be out of
luck.

It would be nice if they would do the same in the
US, but they claim too many cars to keep
records."
Doug in Az 8)
My Old Monza now lives in Arizona with its newest owner.

The 90's just keep rollin' along........
1990 Chevrolet Silverado Regular Cab Long Bed 350 TBI V8 700R4 118K miles
1992 Pontiac Sunbird Coupe 2.0 OHC MPFI I4 TH125C 157k miles
User avatar
HI WINDING MONZA
 
Posts: 3196
Joined: Thu Jun 29, 2006 7:37 pm
Location: Salinas, Puerto Rico

Re: POSSIBLE... LAST VEGA EVER MADE

Postby Kenova » Sun Apr 22, 2012 9:49 pm

GM Canada maintains records of all cars built and sold in Canada.
The Oshawa truck plant alone built ( before production was sent to Mexico ) over 300,000 trucks a year for more than a decade. All of the Canadian production and sales doesn't compare to the USA, but it's enough to cast doubt on the claim that "we build too many to keep track". I wonder what NHTSA and the EPA would have to say about a claim like that.

Ken
My other car is a Nova.
User avatar
Kenova
 
Posts: 1641
Joined: Sun Jul 02, 2006 9:46 pm
Location: Ontario, Canada

Re: POSSIBLE... LAST VEGA EVER MADE

Postby stage169 » Sun Apr 22, 2012 10:27 pm

I would do like Marco suggests and go through that wagon with a fine tooth comb. So from your VIN there could be an extra 870 Vega's made? The wagon went on as a Monza for 78 & 79 but like that means anything I don't know.

You should be able to get a Vehicle Invoice from GM Heritage here http://www.gmmediaarchive.com/# It may give you some clues hopefully.

They also have a free Vehicle information kit download here http://www.gmheritagecenter.com/gm-heri ... -kits.html

I thought you might like seeing the number of Vega Estate Station Wagon's made for 1977. Good luck with your research and keep us posted! Brian
You do not have the required permissions to view the files attached to this post.
User avatar
stage169
 
Posts: 1751
Joined: Tue Jun 27, 2006 11:43 pm

Re: POSSIBLE... LAST VEGA EVER MADE

Postby ski.dive » Mon Apr 23, 2012 8:27 am

I thought you might like seeing the number of Vega Estate Station Wagon's made for 1977.
Good luck with your research and keep us posted! Brian


I see only 3461 of my ESTATE WAGONS were built in 1977.

And again,according to your total built sheet for 1977 only 78,402 vegas were built in 1977, mine is number 79,272

I will keep researching.

Any Vega research knowledge help from you guys will be appreciated

`Thanks
ski.dive
 
Posts: 133
Joined: Sat Apr 21, 2012 11:06 am

Re: POSSIBLE... LAST VEGA EVER MADE

Postby stage169 » Mon Apr 23, 2012 9:43 am

I would call GM Heritage and ask about the Vega VIN's. They may look up their records and tell you if the VIN's are sequential or not? Maybe they will even give you the last? It is worth a shot. Brian
User avatar
stage169
 
Posts: 1751
Joined: Tue Jun 27, 2006 11:43 pm

Re: POSSIBLE... LAST VEGA EVER MADE

Postby marco_1978_spyder » Mon Apr 23, 2012 11:34 am

ski.dive wrote:
I thought you might like seeing the number of Vega Estate Station Wagon's made for 1977.
Good luck with your research and keep us posted! Brian


I see only 3461 of my ESTATE WAGONS were built in 1977.

And again,according to your total built sheet for 1977 only 78,402 vegas were built in 1977, mine is number 79,272

I will keep researching.

Any Vega research knowledge help from you guys will be appreciated

`Thanks


Thats only 870 unit's off the mark..

Possibly there were 870 '77's that never made it dealerships...pulled off the line for some kind of defect, rejected and recycled..and rather than try to reuse the original Vin, the 77's just continued on in numerical order until there were 78,402 sold. Then the last Vin would then be 79,272.

The Vin does suggests this might be the case... pretty neat.. a buildsheet would be cool.. found any signatures in the trunk? They did this for the Cavalier..
1978 Monza Spyder V8 4speed, posi
1978 Sunbird Formula V6, 5 Speed, Hatchback
1980 Sunbird Hatchback 4cyl, 4spd.
2006 Chevrolet Aveo 5 speed Hatchback
Yes, you can refer to me as Mark
Please visit my blog... http://chevymonza.blogspot.com/ Follow if you like!
Featuring special guests; Carl Beraytor and Ray D'atore

My Red spyder now has a youtube channel please Like and Subscribe!!!
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCOzzSR ... ISuing7KLA
User avatar
marco_1978_spyder
Senior Moderator
 
Posts: 5283
Joined: Sun Jun 25, 2006 5:20 pm
Location: Western, New YorK / Rochester

Re: POSSIBLE... LAST VEGA EVER MADE

Postby cammerjeff » Mon Apr 23, 2012 12:22 pm

Am I wrong, or isn't that 79,272 the Plant Body Sequence number? If so it would include all Bodies produced at the Plant, Monza, Astre, Sunbird, Starfire, & Skyhawk.

But is so that would be a very low number for so late in the model year. Were they also still Making H-bodies in Canada in 77?

Just a thought, don't beatr me down to badly if I am way off base on this one.
Jeff R

1971 Catalina Freeway Enforcer
77 Astre Formula, some day soon powered by a 215 Buick V-8
1973 4-speed Lemans Safari STOCK!!!!! 1978 Catalina Safari
2006 Mallet Solstice, 6.0 LS2, 6-speed manual
2009 Solstice Coupe, 2.4, 5-speed Manual
User avatar
cammerjeff
 
Posts: 2264
Joined: Mon Jul 03, 2006 10:59 am
Location: Belleville Mi

1978 Pontiac Sunbird Safari Wagon

Re: POSSIBLE... LAST VEGA EVER MADE

Postby HI WINDING MONZA » Mon Apr 23, 2012 4:50 pm

Lets see a pic of the body tag and the vin tag :th: ( TO GET THIS ALL SORTED OUT!) :th:

Doug in Az 8)
My Old Monza now lives in Arizona with its newest owner.

The 90's just keep rollin' along........
1990 Chevrolet Silverado Regular Cab Long Bed 350 TBI V8 700R4 118K miles
1992 Pontiac Sunbird Coupe 2.0 OHC MPFI I4 TH125C 157k miles
User avatar
HI WINDING MONZA
 
Posts: 3196
Joined: Thu Jun 29, 2006 7:37 pm
Location: Salinas, Puerto Rico

Re: POSSIBLE... LAST VEGA EVER MADE

Postby ski.dive » Mon Apr 23, 2012 5:29 pm

UPDATE:I contacted The General Motors Heritage, here is what they answered me.

They built 78,402 Vegas in 1977 according to the Chevrolet records, but the Chevrolet records could be wrong.
The serial numbers in 1977 started with 100001.
So according to your vin number yours is the 79,272 Vega made in 1977.
Looks like your Vega could very well be the last Vega made. :th:
But pulling invoices at $50 each would be very expensive to go through ten's of thousands of invoices to find the last Vega.

General Motors Heritage Center
6400 Center Drive
Sterling Heights, MI 48312
(586) 276-0693
gmhc@gm.com
ski.dive
 
Posts: 133
Joined: Sat Apr 21, 2012 11:06 am

Re: POSSIBLE... LAST VEGA EVER MADE

Postby stage169 » Mon Apr 23, 2012 6:48 pm

I just don't see it? You give them your VIN number so how do they find your invoice?

If the invoice numbers are sequential then the VIN numbers would be all over the place.

If the VIN numbers are sequential then the invoice numbers are all over the place.

I bet the list they have is by VIN number. They couldn't find your car without a VIN list!!!!

Example: Bryan has the 1979 Skyhawk production total here http://monza.homestead.com/files/HBodyP ... bersWP.htm
23,139 Skyhawks made for 1979.

Here is the Buick Motor Division, General Motors Corporation Serial Number Listing - Cars Invoiced for 1979 (the end of the list) Looking at the date column there is only five days difference between all the cars but look how the Invoice numbers change. Its way more extreme on other pages. I saw one Roadhawk that had nine different Invoice numbers with three different dates!

You can see that every Skyhawk starts with number "4". Just like your Vega starts with number "1". I guess maybe the Monza starts with a different number and so would all the other models. If a model line would sell more than a 100k then it could start with two different numbers. I think that is right but I don't know for sure. All I'm saying is models would be sequential too they are not going to be mixed up how would GM use that info if they were?

I would like to know what they are saying but right now I think its a bunch of Crap!!!!!!!! :D I'm going to see what I can get out of them if you don't mind. Brian
You do not have the required permissions to view the files attached to this post.
User avatar
stage169
 
Posts: 1751
Joined: Tue Jun 27, 2006 11:43 pm

Next

Return to Factory Original Purist

Who is online

Users browsing this forum: No registered users and 2 guests

cron