Is it worth messing with..................what's it worth

Old 06-07-2008, 08:38 PM
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ogles824
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Default Is it worth messing with..................what's it worth

Hey, I was riding down the highway this afternoon and come across a what appears to be about a 1976-77 Vega GT hatchback coupe roller. It looks pretty good from the drivers side but it looks like it paid the guard rail a visit on passengers side. All the damage appears to be cosmetic. It's going to need major work on the right rear quarter, door, and it doesn't have a front cap or hood on it. It's back halved with what appears to be a ladder bar suspension, a 12 point roll cage, an aluminum wing on the back deck, and real nice sheetmetal interior. The rear axles look to be the stock cut down variety and would need replacing (I'd do that anyway and do the differential while I was at it). It has all the glass replaced with lexan and the wheels and tires will do but I'd rather replace them with someting of my liking, the rear tire and wheel combo needs to be bigger to fill out the fender area a liittle better to make it look right and something up front to match the new rears. I like Weld Drag Lights, it has the old solid aluminum brush finish wheels on it. ALso it looks like the master cylinder for the brakes are missing. Is it worth messing with? If so, whats it worth? I am looking for something to purchase sometime in August to build my 15 year old son an 1/8 mile bracket racer.
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Old 06-07-2008, 09:00 PM
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Tod74
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If the back half job is worth a hoot...it depends on what they want for it. There is a bunch of work already done sounds like.
I will say this...in 1996 I bought my Nova as a empty roller...no wiring no fuel system no gauges etc...and of coarse no motor trans or shifter.

It is a 1970 Nova, ladder bar coil over car. 12 pt cage aluminum interior, lexan windows, had almost new 32 x14 slicks ,Wheels are ugly old Centerlines I think... strange axles and spool, 5.14 12 bolt with a Richmond Pro Gear, Fiberglass hood, deck lid, bumpers. Stock drum brakes front and rear....and it came with a set of hooker super comp headers and a radiator. Paint was recent and so so quality...
Don't know what they are asking but just making a point that there are some good deals if you look. I have never had to touch the suspension on this car it hooks in a frozen mudd puddle and goes straight.

Gave $3200 for it back in 1996




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Old 06-08-2008, 04:22 AM
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john858
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i would check out the chassis on that thing good if it has been wrecked it don't take much to knock those little unibodies out of wack. if you do buy it i wouldn't give much for it because it sounds like you want to change alot on it already.( my opinion) i would see what the guy wants for the car,take everything you want to replace , add that up and see where you stand you might be surpised that for the same money you can find a car with alot of the stuff you want cheaper or close to the same price without having to do all the switching.if you can't just make sure the car isn't out of wack.
hey Tod74 killer deal on the nova,thats my kind of find!last year we bought a 70 nova runnin 6.80's glass front,doors,decklid,backhalf,1432's in primer for 6500.00
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Old 06-08-2008, 05:14 AM
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Tod74
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Originally Posted by john858
i would check out the chassis on that thing good if it has been wrecked it don't take much to knock those little unibodies out of wack. if you do buy it i wouldn't give much for it because it sounds like you want to change alot on it already.( my opinion) i would see what the guy wants for the car,take everything you want to replace , add that up and see where you stand you might be surpised that for the same money you can find a car with alot of the stuff you want cheaper or close to the same price without having to do all the switching.if you can't just make sure the car isn't out of wack.
hey Tod74 killer deal on the nova,thats my kind of find!last year we bought a 70 nova runnin 6.80's glass front,doors,decklid,backhalf,1432's in primer for 6500.00
yup....hard part was done(chassis) I bought it off an old dudE THAT WOULD NOT TELL ME anything about adjusting the suspension...I asked what did what and all he would say was "DON'T F#$K WITH IT, IT WORKS!!" :lol:
All I have ever done is make sure the bolts are tight every once in awhile.
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Old 06-08-2008, 05:42 AM
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ogles824
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Yea, that's kind of what I as thinking, unless it is just dirt cheap I'd do far better with a more complete car. The impact damage is limited to just the sheet metal, the tires and wheels didn't have a mark on them anywhere so I am going to say that it will just need sheet metal work, the rear quarter has beed fixed at. I could proably buy a rear quarter for it aftermarket, but looking at these it looks like they had a lot of modification to make way for bigger tires so it would be as simple as just replacing the quarter panel. It's been very roughly fiberglassed and body fillered back together, but I think most of that would have to be ground out and redone. I'm also betting that it probably had one of those aftermarket glass' noses on it and that probably got trashed as well. The door is an easy fix, it has two dents in it probably less that a 1/4 inch deep from one end to the other in the shape of a guard rail. Some body filler or a new door skin would take car of that. Thanks guys.
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Old 06-08-2008, 07:20 AM
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Hey Ogles, do what makes you happy. It sounds like you are really interested in the Vega. I have never had one- but they are cool. I think you have choice right now to go overboard & spend thousands, or methodically shop here & there & seek opertunities to develop the car to a thorough-bread ground pounder with less... either way, it would be a shame if somone does not resurect the Vega!!
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Old 06-08-2008, 09:45 AM
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ogles824
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Originally Posted by Rigsby
Hey Ogles, do what makes you happy. It sounds like you are really interested in the Vega. I have never had one- but they are cool. I think you have choice right now to go overboard & spend thousands, or methodically shop here & there & seek opertunities to develop the car to a thorough-bread ground pounder with less... either way, it would be a shame if somone does not resurect the Vega!!
Yea,I've always had a hankering for one of these. My best friend in high (late 70's) school had one. It was a 71 model hatchback with a Hi/po 327, Mucie 4 speed, and ford 9' (4:10 gears) rear and ladder bar suspension. The rear end was cut to vega stock width and he ran 15 inch bias ply L 60 street tires on the back and Crager SS's all the way around 3" on the front and 10" on the back I think. It was his daily driver. You could get out in the street with this car and put it in 4th gear, give it about half of the gas pedal and let it level off, side step the clutch and stomp the gas pedal the rest of the way to the floor and it would go into a full blown top fuel style burn out and it didn't even bog. Man I loved that car! I had the opportunity to buy it a while later for $2500, but didn't for fear that I would die driving it. Now that I am older and have a lot more sense I think I would be OK with something like this.
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Old 06-08-2008, 10:47 AM
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Yep- agreed. Just think, if you bought that car, you may not talking to me now. Anyways, buddy of mine had in high school too... it was auto though... @ high speeds, the front end would bounce... that thing was scarey. Done right w/ a 4link, this one will probably serve you well & be a hell of alot of fun w/a SB.
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