Dirty Dan Dawkins Posted January 26, 2017 Share Posted January 26, 2017 (edited) Every had the privilege of owning a Monza? I don't know how anyone could contain themselves all wrapped up in such sophisticated European styling. Its almost like someone really good at building Pinewood Derby cars had a chance in Detroit. Edited January 26, 2017 by Dirty Dan Dawkins Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pat Riot Posted January 26, 2017 Share Posted January 26, 2017 Agh...my eyes... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Michigan Slim Posted January 26, 2017 Share Posted January 26, 2017 Uh,............................................. no Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
largo casey #19191 Posted January 26, 2017 Share Posted January 26, 2017 Kinda reminds me of a VEGA Largo Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Finagler 6853 Life Posted January 26, 2017 Share Posted January 26, 2017 I had the Pontiac version, a Sunbird. I think it was a 76. I loved that car. Ugly green color, black interior, no AC, 4 speed, Iron Duke engine. The 6 cylinder and V8 were option that had a 5 speed. Mine would really scoot. I even considered putting a small block V8 in it but couldn't find out if my transmission would work or if I had to change that too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DocWard Posted January 26, 2017 Share Posted January 26, 2017 A friend of mine in high school drove one. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Forty Rod SASS 3935 Posted January 26, 2017 Share Posted January 26, 2017 (edited) Kinda reminds me of a VEGA Largo My Vega panel wagon was a pretty good car. Economical, reliable, fair load capacity, zero to sixty in just under five minutes, top speed of about ninety. I bought it used for $250.00. Edited January 27, 2017 by Forty Rod SASS 3935 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marshal Mo Hare, SASS #45984 Posted January 26, 2017 Share Posted January 26, 2017 (edited) My Vega panel wagon was a pretty good car. Economical. reliable, fair load capacity, zero to sixty in just under five minutes, top speed of about ninety. I bought it used for $250.00. Ninety in, what, 15 minutes, downhill? Edited January 26, 2017 by Marshal Mo Hare, SASS #45984 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Loophole LaRue, SASS #51438 Posted January 26, 2017 Share Posted January 26, 2017 Hey! Easy on the Vega! My '71 got me through college and law school. I had a part time job in an auto parts store, and my employee discount was too great to resist. After adding a set of Hooker headers, a Holley 4-barrell, and some other go-fast goodies, I bet my 110 hp four banger was delivering a screaming 118 hp, applied to the ground through a 2 speed Powerglide tranny! Some folks had miserable aluminum block failures; my mechanicals were solid; it was the rust that finally caught up to me. New, it was $1995; it brought $350 used in 1977, with over 100,000 miles and advancing body rot. Wished I could have gotten my hands on a Cosworth GT version; lots of promise in those little cars. LL Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tom Bullweed Posted January 26, 2017 Share Posted January 26, 2017 The Monza, the Vega, the Pinto, the Gremlin, the Dart and very junky Japanese imports. Those were the days of the $250 car. Gas shortages and intensifying environmental concerns and the largest luxury cars of all times. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Loophole LaRue, SASS #51438 Posted January 26, 2017 Share Posted January 26, 2017 The '70's were the "transition years" in car making. Up till then, almost everything was heavyweight Detroit iron, built of steel with little concern for weight; if it was heavy, just put in a bigger engine; no worries about gas supply or prices. Very little plastic. Then came the gas crunch, and the need for higher mileage cars. More plastic and aluminum to lighten car bodies and engines; crude evolving electronics; government mandated "pollution control systems" and "5 mph bumpers" (that looked like battering rams on the front and chastity belts on the rear); suddenly, graceful design and performance were replaced by conflicting design goals, and a huge gap in quality and drivability appeared. Remember how your '70's car used to "diesel" or percolate when you shut it off? And then would not start without a screwdriver stuck in the choke to hold it open? Blissfully, we have progressed to fuel economy through higher engineering; the late model full size cars now get better gas mileage, with better performance, than did the Japanese "econoboxes" of the '70's. And they are much more exciting to drive. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Blackwater 53393 Posted January 26, 2017 Share Posted January 26, 2017 Those were pretty solid little cars with the OHV 4 cylinder or a V6 or V8! I had a '75 Monza fastback that came with a V8 4spd. It would only run about 135 mph, so I pulled out the small block and installed a 427!! We did replace the differential assy. with a better one. Gas mileage went into the toilet, but 165 mph was NO PROBLEM!! Wife had a '77 with the Vega engine! GM replaced two of them under warranty before we installed a 302 Z28 engine. These were good little platforms for a light, quick, sporty little hotrod and you could use factory parts to do it!! The Monza fastback was a pretty slick looking little car in it's day!! The '75 wound up with a full tube chassis and a REALLY big engine. I ran it on the drag strip for a year or two before graduating to a rear engine dragster. The fastback model of the Monza/Sunbird was the real predecessor to the GenIII Camaro/Firebird!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Abilene Slim SASS 81783 Posted January 26, 2017 Share Posted January 26, 2017 I had a 1973 Plymouth Duster (same as the Dart) just like this but with a 225 cid slant six and no rally stripes. Bought it brand new for $2,500. I still think it's a nice looking car. The only other good thing about it was the engine and tranny, which was a floor mounted 3-speed stick. I had to pay $35 to have the shifter on the floor instead steering column. The rest of the car was crap. Typical of the era, it was very poorly made. You could practically hear it rust. At the time I doubt the term quality assurance was familiar in Detroit board rooms or on the factory floor. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dirty Dan Dawkins Posted January 27, 2017 Author Share Posted January 27, 2017 I had a 225 slant 6 in a Plymouth. Couldn't destroy that engine. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Forty Rod SASS 3935 Posted January 27, 2017 Share Posted January 27, 2017 Ninety in, what, 15 minutes, downhill? About that... but it always started in central Illinois weather, even parked outside. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Forty Rod SASS 3935 Posted January 27, 2017 Share Posted January 27, 2017 The Monza, the Vega, the Pinto, the Gremlin, the Dart and very junky Japanese imports. Those were the days of the $250 car. Gas shortages and intensifying environmental concerns and the largest luxury cars of all times. Ford is re-introducing the Pinto, now to be named the Hindenburg. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alpo Posted January 27, 2017 Share Posted January 27, 2017 Better not be offered for sale in New Jersey. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Yellowhouse Sam # 25171 Posted January 27, 2017 Share Posted January 27, 2017 Kinda reminds me of a VEGA Largo Egad please dont remind me. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marshal Mo Hare, SASS #45984 Posted January 27, 2017 Share Posted January 27, 2017 Better not be offered for sale in New Jersey. Just put a VW badge on it and call it the Hinden Bug Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pat Riot Posted January 27, 2017 Share Posted January 27, 2017 A friend of mine forced a 350 engine into his Vega station wagon. My god was that thing fast in a straight line. It couldn't handle turns worth a darn. He rolled it....several times. He limped away from the incident. The car looked like a giant shiny cigar though. Anyone remember the ugliest cars on the planet? AMC's. That Pacer was Uuuuuuugggglllllleeeeeeeeee. I think Yugos looked better, but not by much. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alpo Posted January 27, 2017 Share Posted January 27, 2017 I remember seeing Lake Pipes on a Corvair, going doen the road. Made me giggle, seeing that on a rear-engined car. Then one day it was in my friend's gas station, on the lift getting an oil change. The owner had dropped a '65 327 Vette engine in the trunk. :! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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