78 Monza...er VegaMonza

I can't remember any recently...Chevy Monza..er Vega. Should be rustfree in Albuquerque

http://albuquerque.craigslist.org/cto/4748857609.html

 

The 3.2 liter V6 is a rare little monster. Cut down from the Buick 3.8 liter V6. It is NOT the same as the 198cid "Fireball" V6, as it measures 196cid. But it was available in 77-78 Monza sized cars and 78-79 downsized A-bodies like Century, Cutlass, Malibu, and LeMans.

I had the opportunity to drive a '79 Malibu wagon in '95 with the 3.2L engine and was impressed that it was as slow as it was. I chose a '79 LeBaron T&C instead with the two-barrel 318 and working AC. Hey, when you have chump change to spend you gotta pick amongst the repos in the back of the lot.

 

3.2 liter? Huh - an engine I never heard of?
I guess part of the reason is that you couldn't get it in California. There, they substituted a 231 cu in V6 (the old 3.8).

 

A little pet peeve of mine (I may have covered this before...)

Here's the story....

Chevy Monza wagon, formerly the Chevy Vega wagon:


Now that is a pretty boring front end. Even the original, and second edition of the Vega front end was more interesting to look at.

Now, at the same time Chevy was selling a Monza coupe, with a pretty similar boring front end:


But they were also selling a 'Sport' coupe, the same car, but with a completely different front end, the same front end that was on the sporty hatchback Monza:


This is a neat-looking front end.
Unfortunately, you couldn't get that nice-looking front end on the wagon. The front sheet metal, although looking quite similar, was actually different between the wagon (former Vega) and the coupe/hatch (developed later for the Monza).

 

Sadly the Sunbird wagons got the same fate, Vega/Astre front clip:



I do like the "2+2" front end treatment on the notchback Monza and the hatchback, but I think it's pretty rare on the notchback. That said, I'd still take one of these Monza wagons with the "dorky" front end. I like it better, and it would be a great place to drop a late model S-10 2200/4L60E powertrain. And these chrome wheels...



Unless I do a 5-lug swap and then it would be 98+ S-10 wheels:



I am a closet RWD H-body fan. Watch out if I ever get to own one.

 

Krash - that being said, will the front clips interchange on all of them? -i.e. - would a Monza Spyder clip go on a Vega wagon?

Mid sized Fords from the mid-late 70's can all interchange - it's a matter of fitting the right parts - I think the 77-79 T-Bird clip on a ranchero looks good - or how 'bouts a T-Bird clip on an LTD II wagon?

 

From what I understand, the answer is no, they will not interchange. I believe the fenders of each type have different contours, so one will not match up to the doors on the other. The inner fenders (aprons) could be similar, or even the same, but that doesn't matter.