By The Numbers
1972 Chevy Vega
Jeff Schwartz, 52 • Woodstock, IL
Best quarter-mile: 11.97 at 114 mph
| ENGINE |
| Type: |
'04 vintage 5.3L Gen III aluminum-block LM4, Buick Rainier takeout |
| Displacement: |
325 ci |
| Compression ratio: |
10.0:1 |
| Oiling: |
stock '04 Buick Rainier, Gen III '02 Camaro pan |
| Rotating assembly: |
stock |
| Cylinder heads: |
stock, '04 Buick Rainier |
| Camshaft: |
factory LS7 hydraulic roller, 211/230 degrees at . |
| |
050-inch lift, .591-inch lift |
| Valvetrain: |
stock '04 vintage LM4 valves, pushrods, and rockers, |
| |
Patriot Titanium retainers and locks, Patriot Gold Extreme |
| |
valvesprings; LS2 timing chain |
| Induction: |
LS1 Corvette intake |
| Throttle body: |
Camaro 75mm mechanical throttle |
| Ignition: |
stock '04 Buick Rainier with MSD coils |
| Fuel system: |
Aeromotive fuel rails, pump, and regulator; stock |
| |
Buick Rainier injectors |
| Engine management: |
'02 Camaro ECU and HP Tuners software |
| Front cover: |
LS2 |
| Exhaust: |
'04 Buick Rainier exhaust manifolds, 3-inch custom |
| |
dual exhaust, modified Flowmaster muffler |
| Cooling: |
Be Cool radiator, factory Rainier water pump |
| Output: |
400 hp at 6,000 rpm |
| DRIVETRAIN |
| Transmission: |
Turbo 350 three-speed automatic freshened by Ralph Babineau; |
| |
B&M 2,800-stall 10-inch converter; |
| |
stock Vega shifter, custom crossmember |
| Rear axle: |
'99 Chevy S-10 Xtreme 10-bolt with 3.42 gears, |
| |
Detroit Truetrac posi, custom suspension brackets |
| CHASSIS |
| Unibody: |
all body joints seam welded continuous for strength, |
| |
rear seat back brace seam welded and reinforced |
| Steering: |
stock with Flaming River 16:1 Quick Ratio box |
| Front suspension: |
custom tubular control arms, Chevy S-10 Xtreme spindles, |
| |
custom engine bay reinforcement bars, stock Vega springs, |
| |
Afco shocks, Addco sway bar |
| Rear suspension: |
custom tubular control arms (stock Vega four-link geometry), |
| |
stock Vega springs, Afco shocks, shortened |
| |
Chevy S-10 Xtreme sway bar |
| Brakes: |
Chevy S-10 Xtreme discs, front and rear |
| WHEELS & TIRES |
| Wheels: |
Superlite 15x7, front; 15x8, rear |
| Tires: |
225/50R15 BFGoodrich G-Force Sport |
Jeff's '72 Vega ended up taking...
Jeff's '72 Vega ended up taking Second Place in Car Craft's Real Street Eliminator, and lost to Randy Johnson's Camaro when the Vega's "spray 'n' pray" nitrous system failed in the drag portion of the test. The Vega also won the Popular Hot Rodding Speed-Stop challenge in the DOT race tire class at Holley's LS Fest.
Dark orange metallic is the...
Dark orange metallic is the Vega's original color. Jeff says the paint was pretty decent, so he scanned it and had the paint supplier mix up a matching batch. Jeff and company performed all the bodywork, and rented a spray booth to lay down the PPG shell. Jeff says: "It was Ziebart rust-proofed when it was new, and it was real low mileage, sitting in a garage forever, basically not running. It hadn't been exposed to much salt."