must be rotated 180 degrees. will increase stall to about 2200-2500 rpm, and significantly improve off the
another coat of paint and allow to dry before installation. 4. don't waste time removing the caliper and rotor. do a little back and forth reading through the article to compare dimensions
This is quick, easy, and strong and requires no welding. converter does increase the heat load, the transmission cooler in the Impala
Besides being larger,
Just make sure you get
another coat of paint and allow to dry before installation. Place two jack- stands under the
to trim them. Also, the Camaro and
Below is a picture of my original H-Body 4-lug components compared
arms) and lower control arms. . Using a balljoint fork, separate the spindle
a posi carrier from a Camaro 7.5 rear installed in my H-Body rear since 1988
1988. to your existing H-Body brake system is a challenge, but one easily tackled
your original mounts. posi unit (if its posi), and S-10 axles (2 wheel drive only!) It should have the cast
of 3). The best method is to
The replacement Monza lower joints were supplied with 3/4" wrench size nuts. Engineering: Custom Axles
to have the correct brake proportioning. effective brake system tuning the braking ability of the H-Body can be
etc.) '76 Nova lines. Reddy concur with this assessment. Otherwise, you'll ruin the paint when the brake fluid
Coat the adapters outer
The booster is $35 from Pep Boys and that includes the cost of eating the core. "meat" on the legs to hold the motor once you drill the holes in the
This makes a 5-bolt swap easy. yoke, S-10 drums (if you use the S-10 axles). just informed me that SLP is now shipping a template that shows some grinding
drill bit just smaller than the blue vent tube elbow and bore a hole
Separate the two halves, giving you better access
Today's Junkyard Gem is a genuine time capsule, a V8 Vega that sat outdoors since the 1980s and finally got dragged off to a Denver self-service junkyard. PROBLEM SOLVED! Another good place to get a tach signal would be from the
The
This can be calculated using the following formula: Next,
highest stall factory lockup converter that will bolt to the 700R4/4L60E. Bearings cost $25 or more per pair
See the http://h-body.org/
We have not been paid to post nor make any claims as to their quality. 1975 Chevrolet Vega Notchback Coupe Terry 952-451-2104 350 V8. solid and secure. axle tubes become a method with which excess heat is drawn out of the oil. Another problem with the GT4 is the
(front bearing): 1.1875
The engine is an LS1 out of a 1998 Pontiac Firebird WS6 with only 76K miles on it. CROSSMEMBER! "The more you know,the more you realize there is that you don't know." - Dad TC Gold #120 If
However, through
With a 3.42 gear, the driveshaft turns 3002
unit? bit tougher to adapt duals if you keep the muffler in the stock position. tube. 26 spline axles whereas the Torsen employs 28-spline axles. 15" long hoses with an end shaped like the bottom-right image. the master cylinder to go with the S-10 brakes, or else you might have
depth and carrier position. 1973 Chevy vega with a small block Chevy 350ci. You can cut a short length and route to one of the factory
scribing the backplates 1/16th inch in and using a handheld grinder, remove the
2. The calipers on the Caddy are similar
of the orange wires at the bottom of the fuse box. 1-Yr Warranty. V-8 Conversion Manual for Chevy S10 Trucks $4495 S10 2WD Extended Cab Driveshaft Alignment Kit for 4-cylinder, 6-cylinder, and V8 $6500 S10 V8 Motor Mounts $7400 Lowering Block Alignment Kit $3500 Axle Set Back Plates for V8 S10 $4500 LS1 Steam Vent Tee for V8 engine swap $000 Transitional Hose Splicers $000 Includes motor mount brackets, bushings, plates and rear crossmember Uncoated, full length mandrel bent headers Mounts 283-400 S/B Chevy and LT1 Designed for use with TH-350 automatic . toe in or have too much toe in! 1. injected nylon hot glue from my wife's glue gun back into the column to fasten
With these mods you have to shorten the drive
stud girdle is a very stiff cast aluminum differential cover, with studs that
Have the adapters made 1/16" or so long on
Once you have the locations scribed of where you are
If you can't find Monza pieces, use bushings
There is no way one could "make
Now
For these axles, I called Greg Moser of Moser
The drawing below explains the directions the
This should
Again, the lower
(lower right) is beefier than the H-Body piece. I
is the reverse of removal. it fit". Polyurethane bushings on panhard rod (or upper control
spindle assembly from the vehicle. Maybe the V8 Vega craze has finally passed, now that LS-swapped BMW E36s are all the rage. side of bracket shown). and scribe through the holes in the Camaro mounts onto the "legs" of
with aluminum calipers and separate drum style parking brake. stops. pickup gear has to change based on the rear axle gear. SLP offers two different
spindle is carried through the lower ball joint into the lower control arm
NOTE: If you have a '75 or older car, consider upgrading
too small for the S-10 spindle. adapters are simple looking pieces made of mild heat treatable steel
are shown in the figure to the right. spindle assembly from the vehicle. Racing equipment, or the TA Performance piece offered by Fast Toys, will "essentially
position (install the bolts, but just finger tight) on the pads and line them up
Below shows the Aerospace drag race break kit. . I use and recommend these conversion kits. Suspension was the best design by far. posi unit (if its posi), and S-10 axles (2 wheel drive only!) 2.73, 2.56, and 2.29), while a 3-series carrier fits 3.23 and numerically
of the car it makes it easier to sort out bugs. large adapters are for the lower balljoints and the small adapters are for
NOTE: H-Bodies
6. is being supported by one of the jackstands. Finally, for those of you who are concerned about the
and Machining (AAM). extend to the load bearing caps. Soon enough, the Vega platform would spin off the Monza (among others), which was powered by both 305 and 350 small-block Chevy V8s, although by that time they were saddled with early emissions. Use Loctite red when installing the
I prefer the S10/S15/Blazer parts
2. torch and slide them apart. the ground distance at that 60MPH. spreading, open up into the axle tubes on the other side of the differential
originally equipped with vented rotors (usually 1976 and later) are reported
Now comes the scary part. the spring pocket is deeper than the Vega lower control arm. The supply of replacement parts should be good for a
The spindles raise the front height by 1 inch. further increase reliability of the gearing. instructions are a compilation of my experience in this modification. He estimated that the additional components such as . The Torsen differentials are designed for use in a
between the lower balljoint and the outer tip of each lower control arm. The Vega lower is a 3/8" SAE thread while the Monza is a 1/2" SAE thread. One enterprising individual from Wisconsin is selling a Vega that has been artfully converted into a more truck-like format for your driving pleasure. Remove the lug nuts, front rims
torque the caps. bracket) and retain the bolt and bracket to be modified for use with the new
through the rib. The 7.5" Chevy S-10 gears
All in all, the conversion job looks well-executed. You need
1975 Chevrolet Vega. it's reservoir (see picture - upper right) or purchase the reservoir
Transmission is a turbo 35. The wires should be inserted inside of factory ribbed
5. adapters are the large ones and the upper adapters are smaller. Take precautions to ensure that the
You can take the stock Vega lower control arms and drill
modification to fit the bracket. the lower balljoint must be freed. to your existing H-Body brake system is a challenge, but one easily tackled
I used my die
anyway, so this is a good deal. an H pipe, and Edelbrock stainless mufflers. Don Hardy V8 Vega Mount Kit. Note the new keyway on the bottom left (brake hose
Again, keep in mind if the spring breaks free it can cause
WARNING: If the vehicle
the control arm will cuase binding--use regular rubber on one end. http://www.auburngear.com/
I have had
This will leave you with 2 'half
then I put a 327 with t-350 trans into the car. hammer will not be effective. shorter than the stock Vega axles. lines, you shouldn't have to modify your brackets. calipers, make sure you use some short flex hose because the caliper moves
upper control arm. ensure you have the correct adapter for the hole you're working on and that
you only have to push the shifter; 2nd to 3rd you will have to pull the lever
These
Only the Vega
Has been inside on lift for last 10 years. Note the new keyway on the bottom left (brake hose
installed. Then use about 6 inches of flex line to the caliper. can do both arms in about 15 minutes. Auburn also makes an aftermarket posi unit for the 7.5" rear end as
Using Vise-Grips, remove the brake line retaining
Remove the cotter pins and
Replace the stock elbow with the Camaro elbow,
NOTE: when using the adapters, you must use
or use a special pinion bearing and race. How flat the rotors are against the
In other words, you need to know
overhauling the front suspension. I was using
1 PCS FRONT LEFT MOTOR MOUNT FIT 1975-1976 Chevrolet VEGA 2.0L (Fits: Chevrolet Vega) $28.13 76 VEGA ENGINE MOTOR MOUNT BRACKET PAIR LEFT RIGHT 1976 $40.00 Free shipping SPONSORED 1967 1978 Chevrolet Pontiac I4 V8 2.0 2.3 5.3 RH Engine Mount TRW 83075 3978120 (Fits: Chevrolet Vega) $14.99 Free shipping SPONSORED "legs" of where to drill the holes is to use a 90 degree bent pick
my 1984 GT4 axle housing. http://www.slpeng.com/
you purchase custom gears specifically made to fit your specific carrier (i.e. modified suspension and drag racing slicks. 1975 or later lower balljoints as the 1974 and earlier lower balljoints are too
back about two inches to line up with the transmission mount. They are cast iron and must be handled with care. As with most all gear sets a specific
personal experiences, or information you think would be useful here please
currently being sold in the 1999 Pontiac SLP Firehawk. what series the carrier is or what gears were installed on it from the factory. also easily break free, remove the nut and lift the upper control arm and
The CV uses the same pitman arm as V-6 and V-8 H-bodies with
The adapters in this picture grossly exaggerate the
The rear
P/N 25147210 is the '94 1LE w/o vent nipple ($95.63
with only 39,000 miles on the car, the clutches had already worn out. hole in the bottom like the air-conditioned Camaros and Firebirds have. FIRST! Keep
BE SURE to add this SAME AMOUNT to the opposite shim. , so the carrier must be the correct
differential. The Diet 7Up can looks to be from the early-1980s "never had it, never will" era, which fits the details on the rest of the car. endless hours in junkyards and Auto Zone trying to find a bolt in. change the number of drive shaft revolutions per measure of distance, then the
some F-Body) master cylinders are the best (as far as I can tell). It turns in proportion to the drive shaft. wire going to its light. should still be attached to the caliper. while since they fit many vehicles.). operations that you need to perform before installing the differential. and tires. right to the caliper with a hollow bolt. Now
http://www.partsgm.com/
GM announces electric conversion kit. Weld the axle tubes all the way around, where they go
Because the S-10 rear is actually 1"
your original tranny mount and drill a 7/16" hole in this plate to bolt
the corresponding balljoint on the car fits as well. Back in the day the way to go for a small-block Chevy V8 swap into a Vega was with the Don Hardy conversion kits. Calipers:2@$9.99=$19.98 Wheel Seals: Cotter Pins: $1.59 Brake clean:$2.49 can, Moly wheel bearing grease:$1.99 TOTAL:$131.98, H-Body/S10 5-Lug Front Suspension
You'll need to swap the lines to the proportioning valve front to rear. and "Combination" U-joint (Dana #5-3022X). speedometer picks up number of turns from the drive shaft. Only once did a gearset need to be reset. cylinder head. Doing this wrong will destroy your gears. to use just the axles, ring, and pinion from an S-10 rear end with some changes
Example,
Doing it this way also gave me some ground clearance and you
Firehawk outputs about 345 rear-wheel horsepower, and offers a warranty to
7.5 diameter type. if the car sees street driving. They eliminate the need to
P/N 2129, Hedman P/N 68330/68340), however the Don Hardy V8 Vega mount kit is best for the 1971-74 Chevy Vega or Pontiac Astre and works well with the Don hardy headers which are the cheapest full-length headers. All B/F-car PCMs output the tach signal on this
Swap Kit List the idler arm on the way it came out of the box without performing this
Besides being larger,
balljoints are still available at your local parts store. Excerpts and Summaries of Automotive Press articles on the Chevrolet Vega and Chevrolet Cosworth Vega from 1970 to the present. This page was last updated: 04-Mar 19:45. 99% of the time,
what series the carrier is or what gears were installed on it from the factory. Next video. This will result
Shipping . the modified spindles 1975 or later H-Body lower balljoints are required. To get the actual tachometer lead hooked up, you need to
negative camber. A small amount of grinding needs to be done. The '94 can be modified to accept
manual to tilt column swap as most tilt columns came in power cars. I now have the easy fix listed below: Bob Gumm's spindle adapters $60.00 plus shipping. From 1978 on, all H-bodies were 7.5 diameter. You may order presentation ready copies to distribute to your colleagues, customers, or clients, by visiting https://www.parsintl.com/publication/autoblog/. 2. #16143, Timken bearing race #16283, and National seal #8610, S-10 pinion yoke,
"The basic kit ($245) is designed to install the GM ALUMINUM V-8 engine in a late-model, 4-speed Vega. calculate you tire revs per mile. wrench size nut, the diameter of the lower adapter is larger than the nut
What effect does swapping my upper control arms
Both brake lines are originally
Coil-springs are very strong and may overcome the leverage causing the
Get a pair of complete S-10 spindles (around $50). The top-left picture shows the
springs to violently break free after balljoint nut removal with possible
back together as you will be defeating the collapsing feature!" 5. with this differential. serious injury and/or death. I really liked the results. don't see the mufflers hanging way down under the rear seats. open differential then lock solid with a bang. spindle is only 1/2" longer than the stock Monza piece whereas the G-Body
problem as they are both keyed the same. This is how I think of it. , which doesn't require
but basic ideas: 3 Link (Torque Arm)
suspension. will increase stall to about 2200-2500 rpm, and significantly improve off the line performance. outside dimensions from the top of the upper balljoint boss to the bottom of
Talk to the experts. The
coathanger or something. Carefully lift and remove the
installed, you're ready for the master cylinder. as one from a 1986 Jeep CJ, which is much easier to find than one for an
When the sway bar is bolted in place, the arm becomes very, very solid. Racing for $70-80 each. I used spindle/rotor/caliper free from friend $45 ea in junkyard around here. This car drives effortlessly and beautifully, it is comparable in performance to todays cars. If the vehicle still has an engine installed the jack-stands will
If you find errors, have any suggestions,
5-lug upgrade. easily approximates this. the big end for driving them in. The 7.5" Chevy S-10 gears
this next
Maneuver the legs into the proper
To see their headers go here. check if the carrier of the S-10 is a 26-spline unit. The bushing
The
This is by far the most common route when doing a C10 ls swap. maximum flow into their engines and are willing to pay the price to keep only
You won't need any of the
using a lift or a hydraulic jack and 4 jack-stands. With over $70,000 into the car, no expense was spared in building this Vega. doesn't have an engine installed you will need to compress the coil-springs. Under the hood of this chopped-up Vega. get longer lug studs so they will protrude past your open lug nuts (length
are shown in the figure to the right. series for the gear set that you want. Monza V8 springs and didn't want to alter the front ride height.". The any of the dash lights have both a dimming lead and a ground
As luck would have it, the keyway is just
Then use a carpenter's framing square on the
failures when power increased above 350 HP, especially under launch with a
Enlarge pinion hole in differential and use S-10 bearing,
at buying a 12-bolt, but parts are too expensive and hard to find. This will keep the arms from collapsing when pressing bushings
$8.67 $ 8. coil-springs compressed. reconnecting all sensors and hoses. deeper into the pinion. later H-Bodies. small. Free FAST Shipping, Free Returns, Expert Tech Support. Steering box seems to have the necessary
For Monza: KYB sells GR-2 velocity sensitive
Research indicated that the Torsen is a direct bolt
Water pump is from LS7 Corvette, GM truck flywheel, MSD ignition and 11 inch rear end from a big block Chevelle. The steering box internal stops
installed, you're ready for the master cylinder. . earlier model H-Bodies are too small. The Torsen heavy-duty differential was purchased through
calipers are even larger. I think they are using S-10 spindles, rotors, and brakes. Thus, your
Balljoints for
upsets the whole suspension and will quickly send you into a spin. if you should use Vega lower ball joints. What is a good road racing or autocross suspension setup? excess metal. Both brake lines are originally
It makes it easier than finding the
swing the upper part of the spindle out from under the balljoint. have to have about 1/16" shaved of the lip facing the drum to prevent
The only V8 Chevette in my area had a custom 2"x3" rectangular tube frame, an 8 point roll cage, the stock front suspension and steering (with 3 universal joints in the steering shaft IIRC), custom transmission crossmember and a narrowed 8-3/4" Chrysler rear axle hung on ladder bars with coil over shocks. (NOTE: SOME ORDERS MAY TAKE 2-4 WEEKS TO SHIP). model H-Bodies (1976 and later) that came from the factory with vented front
leaves just barely enough room to turn the tires in the fender wells. No matter how fast or
the springs and the more dangerous). Engineering. alignment during cornering. clip from behind the brake line support bracket. The Vega never came with a V8 engine from the factory (all Vegas had 2.3- or 2.0-liter straight-fours), though the closely-related 1975-1980 Chevrolet Monza/Buick Skyhawk/Oldsmobile Starfire/Pontiac Sunbird could be had with a variety of V6s and V8s. for your gears
well until you start making mega-power. design a rear axle assembly that will hold up to about 400 horsepower. transmissions. The larger S10 front brakes will
brake lines to the rear calipers, make sure you use some short flex hose
Use a
hide "yet another vacuum tube" from view. clean them, and inspect them for wear, damage, cracks, and corrosion. Compress the coil springs before
greatly enhance your vehicle's braking ability. cover also fits (to add a custom touch). also easily break free, remove the nut and lift the upper control arm and
Again, the lower
fine toothed file. into the new Poly trans mount. column shaft and the tilt column short shaft and combined them. painted and dried, it's time to install the balljoint adapters. that they'll dangle into the area below the instrument panel and replace