FORGOTTEN Chevy Vega! Pt.4 Can we bring LIFE to this old PAINT?!

In this episode, we planned to get some brake work done, but since we are waiting on parts we figured "hey, let's see if we can bring the old dude's leisure suit back to life!".
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[@roberthampton8682]

Good for you! Anyone that is willing to save a Vega, deserves special credit! They were so despised (mostly for the bad engines and rust) that back in the 80's you couldn't give them away!

[@hammersgarage]

Thanks!

[@ttocselbag5054]

I’m lovin’ this project broski. I took my driving test in my sister’s red ‘72 Vega hatchback. She passed in 2011. The memories of so long ago are bittersweet in my heart! ❤️

[@hammersgarage]

That’s awesome, thanks for your comment!

[@paulhammond3488onetime]

That Vega is in great shape for its age. Another good find. Nice set of wheels would finish it. Keep doing you sir. 👍🏾

[@hammersgarage]

Thanks, and thanks for watching!

[@DavidsExecutiveTouch17]

Good job My Friend. The little robins egg polished up nicely. Years ago I worked on a 73 Mercedes that everyone THOUGHT was heavily oxidized white..... nope, that was a light robins egg blue on that car & boy were we all surprised. Glad to see another who learned "old school" & still doing it today. You've gained a new sub. Stay Safe and Be Blessed.

[@hammersgarage]

Thanks so much!

[@gordonstroup882]

I have watched you from the beginning and I am so jealous! I've owned a couple Vega hatchbacks and station wagons and I absolutely loved all of them. My thing was the 71 to 73 GT's! Gosh dang it, I wish that I still had them. Those little cars were so fun to drive. I have to admit that I did have a 72 GT wagon, but it had a 66 Corvette 327 in it...... OH BOY WHAT FUN! HA HAA! Here's an idea, paint your wheels the body color and get some beauty rings for them, and with the center caps & beauty rings they will look amazing. Or a dark metallic Grey, either way they look great!

[@hammersgarage]

Thanks so much for watching along! You think I should engine swap this car?

[@gordonstroup882]

If you plan on driving it on long trips, yes. Your best bet for great power but not nose heavy would be a 4.3 liter Chevrolet V6. You could do a 3 or 4 or heck, even a 5-speed manual transmission or go automatic. Make sure that you get a heavy-duty 3 or 4 core radiator for it. T rear axle in them aren't very strong for being hot rodded around in. An S-10 rear axle fits good, but you'll need the arm mounts off of the old axle to weld to it. They are really fun cars if you take it easy on them, but they really don't have the "umph" for long highway drives, especially if you have to climb any mountains along the way. I used to do all of that work on them myself, the cutting, and welding, and I loved what I did to them. They are so extremely hard to get parts for nowadays, that's why people are going newer and different equipment on them. You can even have the S-10 rear axles drilled for the 4 lug pattern if you want. Same with the front spindles and brakes, or go 5 lug pattern front and back. The possibilities are endless when you want to fix, change, or customize your little Vega. I've seen you do a lot of work on the little thing. Look at pictures on-line of the 71 to 73 GT Vegas and see how the grills are different. They are black in the grill area, silver around the rest, but they also have a stainless steel trim around them. A GT grill was made differently with a step down section around it to allow room for the stainless steel trim. So many little bitty things on the GT's. Ha! Have you noticed how much I love the GT yet, ha. The swaybars were thicker, front & back, for a much better road course driving. Some even had posi-traction. I even put the GT dash in a regular Vega. They bolted/screwed right in, and they system was a plug and play! All the guages worked just by plugging the wire connection together. All of that was plentiful back in the late 70's through the 80's though. Nowadays it's hard to even find a whole Vega anywhere. Heck, 2 of mine were factory A/C cars, but that robbed so much power from them. Okay, okay, enough from me. I hope you have fun with your Vega. I know that I sure would be if given the chance. Best of luck to you, and God bless. 😀

[@gordonstroup882]

Henry is lookin' top notch. I was going to ask you if y'all are going to keep 'Henry' or what? You did put in a heck of a lot of time and $$ into getting the poor old thing back into great condition, and back home to Georgia. Please just don't keep him all stashed away. He needs to be seen and have his new tennis shoes rollin' down the road. Great Job, my friend, Great Job! ...... slightly interested in Henry if you do end up wanting to adopt him out to a new caretaker.... 😊

[@hammersgarage]

Henry has a new owner!

[@simoteng]

I had a ‘72 in my early twenties. I liked how the back seat folded down. It was a good place to sleep when I had too many sodas!

[@hammersgarage]

😂😂😂

[@user-pt2px8sr6t]

Awesome little car! You have great content you make me laugh! One of the best mechanics I’ve seen. Hope you find it a good home 😊

[@hammersgarage]

Thanks! 👍

[@michaelmixon2479]

I always liked the Vega. Could have been a good small sports car with a little bigger engine and proper suspension. Great job!

[@hammersgarage]

Thanks!

[@user-be7oh5uc7n]

That looks great 👍

[@hammersgarage]

Thanks 👍

[@allstylinone5122]

I wish I had a little toy to mess with, 👍

[@roddogg914]

Hammer, did you know that those U-haul trailer fenders fold down so you can get in and out if the drivers door. 😲

[@hammersgarage]

😂😂😂 Had no idea, that’s funny!

[@paulhammond3488onetime]

Correction the factory wheels are fine….

[@hammersgarage]

I think so too!

[@gvxclassics]

Yes, we don't want to watch you polish the wholevega. But, It looks nice. Clean the inside next (we don't really want to watch that either. ) Put that motor for the Ratmaro in this and you got something special. I watched the polish, so I'll probably watch cleaning the inside.

[@hammersgarage]

Much appreciated!

[@blakehenslee5331]

Hey just subscribed. Just saw you at the 20 Penny.

[@hammersgarage]

20 Penny?

[@blakehenslee5331]

@@hammersgarage yep. I saw the cop car and it had your KZbin on the side of it.

[@hammersgarage]

@@blakehenslee5331 oh gotcha, cool!