Barnfind 1972 Vega GT parked since the 70s! Bucket list V8 swap car!

Welcome back! I know it's been a while since we posted a video on the channel! I hope everyone is doing well. I've missed making videos and talking with everyone. We didn't need another project to add to the list and this one is going to sit stored away in the barn again for a few years until we get caught up on the houses. 1972 Chevrolet Vega GT hatchback. Chevys answer to the gas crisis of the 70s. Small, light, cheap economy car. Except a lot of them ended up with v8s, although the government failed the people, the hotrodders didn't give up! My dad being one of them. He bought a 1972 or 1973 Vega wagon; he wanted a panel wagon but couldn't find one. He drove it a few months while he gathered parts. Then with just a few thousand miles on it he tore it down and swapped in a 1969 LT1 based small block he built, backed by a M21 muncie 4 speed, and a 12 bolt with 4.88s. The car ran 10.31 at 134mph in the 1/4 on a set of slicks he borrowed from a buddy. That was FAST for the early 70s! I had hunted for a good Vega wagon for years and never found one that wasn't rotten or cost a fortune, until I met my friend Mike at work. See when you're the known car guy at work and you get moved to another shift folks immediately introduce you to the other car guys. Fast forward 3 years after meeting Mike and finding out about the Vega GT and I get a text message one week and said Hey man I'm ready to sell some stuff if you still want the Vega? So of course I couldn't let it slip away! Hooked up the trailer a couple days later and rolled out. He found this car with a couple El Caminos and some other stuff in a barn when a gentle man had passed away and his widow wanted to sell it all. The car has some sort of 70s Toyota 4 cylinder in it and an automatic, although thankfully the third pedal for the 4 speed is still present. I had always wanted to build a Vega based off the car my dad had built and run the streets of South Carolina with but recently sold a 69 LT1 block and all the goodies I had been collecting for it. So now I'll probably build an aluminum LS heads/cam/intake for it and still run a muncie 4 speed, some kinda stout rear end. Still a streetcar and will still be fast and fun! Thats a few years from now so we will see what the future holds.

Added 24 Jul 2026