[Keith Seymore]

Originally Posted by goatless

Did the Vegas have fluids in them when they were hauled this way? It looks like the guy is driving it up onto the ramp. If they did, how did the oil, coolant, gas, etc. not leak all over the place?

Originally Posted by MikeNoun

I think they were shipped totally dry. Contrary to other people's opinions, I actually thought Vegas were pretty cool looking, just not engineered to last.

Originally Posted by pontiacmonstr

did they really haul vegas like that on the trains? what about the fluids leaking? wow, unbelievable!

The actual, definitive answer on the Vega rail shipping:

The cars were full of fluids and driveable; Specially designed components were used to keep the fluids from draining out:

* Unique carburetors, with special chambers so the fuel would not run out
* Special windshield washer bottles
* Special radiator/overflow bottles, etc
* Unique transmissions
* Special battery caps to prevent acid leakage

among other things -

K

[MikeNoun]

Originally Posted by Keith Seymore

The actual, definitive answer on the Vega rail shipping:

The cars were full of fluids and driveable; Specially designed components were used to keep the fluids from draining out:

* Unique carburetors, with special chambers so the fuel would not run out
* Special windshield washer bottles
* Special radiator/overflow bottles, etc
* Unique transmissions
* Special battery caps to prevent acid leakage

among other things -

K

Keith, I didn't know that!

It's a shame that Chevrolet went to all that trouble to create special components just for shipping Vegas, perhaps they should have put some more thought into the engineering of the car instead of how to ship it?

Still nice looking little cars. My brother had a 73 GT Hatchback, 4-speed, orange with a white stripe, those cool little blacked out 4-spoke mags, and white letter tires. By the early 1980's, we hardly saw any Vegas left on the road in the snowbelt states. The Monza took over the reins.

My brothers 73 Vega ended its life in 1978. He sold it to a guy that was digging a pit in his backyard. He put the Vega in the pit, opened the hatch and windows, and filled in dirt around it. It was a doghouse for his German Shepherd.

Amazing how quickly those cars deteriorated. Imagine going that today with a 4-year old car today! Cars now will last well over 150K miles. Back in the 70's, they were usually all done by 100K, and the Vegas were off the road by the time they hit 40,000, thanks to the lack of steel sleeves in those aluminum blocks. Broken door handles (inside and out), poor materials both inside and out, cheap metal, they were one of the reasons Americans began to look at imports.

But...I still love them! I thought they looked great, especially with a V8 under the hood.

[Deadhead]

Here are a couple I found recently on another vintage photo thread:

[Deadhead]

Some other lunatics:

[Brian Baker]

Originally Posted by Deadhead

Some other lunatics:

EGAD !!! Where's an RPG or two when you need one? Hippies suck.

[Deadhead]

Originally Posted by Brian Baker

EGAD !!! Where's an RPG or two when you need one? Hippies suck.

I think Kesey has one on top of that bus. Probably to take out the Hoovers.

Is that a school or a hospital where all those choppers are parked? Kind of weird building with the red cross flag on it?

[MikeNoun]

Bad ass Vega...

[Brian Baker]

Originally Posted by Deadhead

Here are a couple I found recently on another vintage photo thread:

What's the difference between a Hoover and a Harley?

The position of the dirt bag.

[Bill Holm]

Originally Posted by Brian Baker

What's the difference between a Hoover and a Harley?

The position of the dirt bag.

Dirt bag?

[goatless]

Originally Posted by Keith Seymore

The actual, definitive answer on the Vega rail shipping:

The cars were full of fluids and driveable; Specially designed components were used to keep the fluids from draining out:

* Unique carburetors, with special chambers so the fuel would not run out
* Special windshield washer bottles
* Special radiator/overflow bottles, etc
* Unique transmissions
* Special battery caps to prevent acid leakage

among other things -

K

Boy, that seems like an awful lot of effort, along with the specially designed rail cars (and presumably loading docks too!), just to squeeze a few more Vegas onto the train!