LS1 in a Chevy Vega?
Thread Starter
Launching!
Joined: Nov 2012
Posts: 206
Likes: 1
From: Bowling Green
LS1 in a Chevy Vega? I've come to notice that the older Chevy Vegas were basically miniature Camaros. They look almost identical, but the Vegas are smaller, lighter, and use a 4 cylinder engine. I've seen several people do V8 swaps in these and I was wondering exactly what would it take to drop an LS1 into a 1971-73 Vega?
Staging Lane
Joined: Sep 2012
Posts: 85
Likes: 0
From: Virginia Beach, VA
Try locating a copy of the book before you start your project. Just finding a Vega w/o rusted out frame rails is going to be the first hurdle. The next hurdle is beefing up the drive train from the transmission to the rear axle to handle the additional torque and HP. Once you've solved that problem, the front/rear suspensions are the last hurdle in the race.
Good luck with the conversion!
Good luck with the conversion!
A friend of mine has recently done a SMC swap in the Vega. Not impossible; it has the Hooker Engine Mounts and Header swap but every thing in that car is TIGHT. The Hooker Engine mounts hold the front of the engine; a good way to do this with an LS may be a Competition Engineering Motor Plate Kit. They have them already fitted to the LS Engines' all you have to do is trim the plate to fit the car and weld in some brackets to bolt the motor plate to. These are readily available; I usually have them in stock
Headers would probably be one of the hurdles to over come.
Headers would probably be one of the hurdles to over come.
Exhaust I think is the only part I would have a issue with. I don't want to make my own. My mig welder just doesn't like to get in there with my big hands for that type of work.
