1971 Vega Panel Express - Dolfn
Started this long ago and now back on the stages of finishing it. Last registered in 1999 it has been parked in the garage for over 15 years. It got its Dolphin nickname from the light blue body and white belly.
8/22/1988 titled in my name. I picked up the car with no engine. It had been punched out (firewalled) for a Big block chevy engine. Lots of parts loaded inside. Much of it junk or sold off. I put the car back to stock for a few years with a nice low mile four cylinder. I drove it like that for a few years in the late eighties.
On a whim we installed the engine and transmission into a hatchback for my sister and the delivery went back the way of a V-8. I had a leftover steel cranked 283 out of an old vette. Having never played with the spray I put together a nice little Nitrous oxide motor for it.
I put it together using parts I had on hand with the intent to put together a nice driver and weekend drag car for my wife.
It has a narrowed 9" Ford big bearing rear axle. 3.92 ratio on a detroit locker. Rear tires are Cooper Cobra 295/50R15. Rear suspension is stock four link boxed and narrowed. I like the 2" cowl hood. Not too much. Just enough for a good intake, spacer and air cleaner. The hood was purchased June of 1995 for $115 from Unlimited Performance products.
It was a little rough in the build and fit. I had the bottom Line-X by Custom Tucks here in Ontario, OR. That added some support and hid lots that needed work. It is a bolt on hood. I added a bar under the latch to help support it.
Front received Moroso trick front springs. The car has just over 71k on the clock so everything is still tight and drives very nice.
I added a passenger seat and hid the "bottle" under the front storage compartment. The rear compartment houses the battery.
The interior was cleaned up and not in bad shape.
New carpet and seats reupholstered. Still need to paint it and I thought that was what I would work on this winter. Looking closer at it I did have some loose ends to finish first.
Years and ethanol did no favors to the fuel lines. All the rubber hoses now replaced. Brakes system fluid neglected. Flushed and refilled fixed that.
Now having driven it a little more I remember the cooling issues.
I am running a stock Monza V-8 radiator. it is just not enough even with a crank driven flex fan and a 12" electric pusher. Finally ordered a new aluminum replacement.
I know a shroud would help, but have yet to figure one out that will work. I may have to do that if the new radiator doesn't do the job :)
I added an air dam underneath to enhance the low pressure zone behind the radiator. The cowl hood helps vent heat at low speed usually, however mine is sealed to the intake for cooler air induction.
Back when I started this project there are several things I wish I had gathered. The front and rear valances. Mine are cracked and as I see now...impossible to find. So repair those I must. The radiator...OMG price has quadrupled on that Griffin radiator.
Off and running... back in the chase for parts!
( BTW- I might have a good stock 1976 Monza radiator for sale soon ... if anyone is looking? )
The Griffin radiator showed up. It is nice. They really do quality work.
Ordered an upper radiator hose, but it must have been incorrectly tagged as it is nothing like what I need. Hopefully the correct one shows up today.
With the relocated upper hose, my hope is that I might also be able to get a shroud to work with this one.
With the Valentine's - Present's Day long weekend I hope to get it installed :)
No room for the engine driven fan. Looks Like i will go all electric :)
If the single 12" fan doesn't do the job I'll need to order a pair of smaller fans.
After the Friday nite cruise in Payette it became clear that better fans were needed.
I came across these 1000 cfm 10" fans in blue for $17 each! Fit nice and should help low speed cooling for sure.
4-13-2018...Friday the thirteenth!
Off to the Body Factory for an extended stay. The day has come for body and paint ...
Lining it all up first. New hinge pin kits from Total automotive ( TAI - GMHK35 ). Nice stainless steel hinge pins. the bushings that come in the kit are a little too loose. Substitute Bunting Bearings FF520-5 Flanged Bearings that are indeed a better match to the TA hinge pins. Much tighter. They come in packs of three, so be sure to order three packages. Door check rollers with stainless steel #10 clevis pins.
Roof stripped and epoxied May 2018
Buff'n Bumpers
Grill'n on Memorial day 2018
Saturday Night Lights 6/2/2018 ...
June 2018 (dusty stage) The Body Factory is busy. Vega waits for slow times ...
Front Marker lights-
July 2018 progress...
Over 40 holes welded dent pulled and bondo removed. Lots of passengerside damage repairs corrected.
August 2018... Right front fender not as bad as expected.
Doors getting very close.
End of August progress...
Side swipe damage ended middle of the fender.
Sadly the holes drilled to pull the dent went all the way through the inside too. Water intrusion from the holes led to rust damage being more extensive on this side.
Drivers side quarter not as bad. A little rust and a few dings.
Lots of patch repair panels fabbed for rear fenders. Passenger side rear quarter worse than driver side. August was slow for the Body factory so Bert had lots of Vega time! Hood doors, front fenders , quarter window panels, rear hatch all ready to go.
September ,October and November were busy for the Body Factory....no change to the Vega.
December 1st 2018 Neil in SanDiego , CA sold me a fender to use as a patch panel.
December 14, 2018
Patch panel cut and section cut out for fitting...
Inside was really pretty good. Not nearly as rusted as was expected. All treated now (black) and ready to go.
Here we are into the new year. January 2019!
Big patch panel almost done.
March 2019 progress. Right quarter is all back together waiting on epoxy primer.
One year this week and one more quarter to finish.
Left rear quarter not as bad for rust. Still has small replacement patches and the body seam welded to match the other side.
July 17, 2019 Getting closer all the patching done.
August 2019 Patching all done. Last quarter epoxy primered and just needs some bondo to smooth it out.
Rear quarter window panels sanded and waiting for paint. Soon will have to start practicing my airbrushing skills.
The inspiration for the art work: 1975 Holden Sandman - Mad Max
Practice, practice...practice.
August 16, 2019. Last quarter smoothed and close to ready for epoxy primer.
Rear quarter windows painted. Once clearcoat cures they will get a light wet sand and I will airbrush the artwork.
Last practice. House of Kolor paints.
Labor Day Weekend 8-31-2019. Bob Elson wet sanded the panels and I took them home. Airbrush art work complete and ready for clear coat.
Express Panels done September 4th 2019
September 24th 2019 Last panel in primer. Blocking and final sand then jambs get color.
Bought a pair of GT front turn signal lenses from Wayne Herz in Washington. He cast them himself. Nice stuff.
The Body Factory has been busy the last three months with no end in sight. No progress on the Vega. I decided to take some vacation time and spend it working on the Vega myself. December 13, 2019 to Christmas I plan to do as much as I can.
Sanding jambs and small parts. Valances and headlight surrounds ready for paint. Inside hood sanded seam sealed and then Custom Trucks bed-linered it. Should be durable and cleans it up nicely. Vortex generators scrubbed and ready.
December 20,2019 Window trim cleaned up. Sanded all the stuff that I could. Jambs, doors, all the smaller front end parts and valances, leaving the big flat stuff to the experts. Now just waiting on Bob and Bert to get some time to paint and block.
December 23 small parts all got color! The color is 2016 Blue Streak Pearl
The rest comes home in one piece. Doors, hood fenders and body all need to be lined up before it comes home.
December 27, 2019 Decided to clean up the undercoating and black some before final sand and paint.
January 10, 2020 Every panel ready for final sanding, or in the process of final sanding. While working on it during Christmas break a failure of the fiberglass reinforced filler was found in the passenger door. All that has been removed and replaced. Pretty good progress.
New replacement window trim clips arrived and I added them to the parts ready for reassembly. Good start to the new year.
February 7, 2020
Jamm'n
Cleaning up latches. Final sanding getting close on left rear quarter. Then ready to finish up seam sealer.
Feb. 14,2020 Valentine's Day! Seam sealer done. Tires back on the car. It has been a very long time since we have seen it with it's "shoes on" (August 2018).
Everything final sanded except the hood. Back door and top nose base coated and soon to be cleared.
Presidents day Feb. 18, 2020
Nose is done. Turned out great. Hatch has a problem. Tiny shrink fractures deep underneath showed up after baking the clear. Bob insists on doing it right so the hatch goes back to square one. Sand it all out and start over.
Found the lost mirrors! Got misplaced and forgotten after bead blasting. Probably a year ago. Leap day 2-29-2020 mirrors painted and assembled. The old remote assembly was a damaged mess. Using and old Formula 400 Firebird mirror I was able to put it all back together in working order.
One week after finding the problems in the rear hatch it is finished again:
March progress. Vega moved to paint side of the shop. Started right up after almost 2 years sitting. Fuel leak in an o-ring on the dual feed. Had to order a carb kit for parts.
Next step is paint over the top. Hinges are tied down and ready.
March 23, 2020 COVID-19 has slowed everything. Well except the free time in the body shop for Vega work. Lots of progress.
Doors , hood and fenders last pieces left.
4-3-2020 Doors back on. Getting ready to finish the silver on the sides.
4-5-2020 COVID distancing, Bob is spending time in the paint booth. The hood is all that remains.
4-10-2020 Four bolts and paint the hood...then it comes home.
4-16-2020 It is done with paint and comes home for assembly.
It came home on Thursday the 16th so I took a couple days off. The next three days were kind of a blur getting all the parts off the shelves and tables back onto and into the Vega.
4-19-2020 Finished:
Before and After...
Thirty years to get it to where it is now.
4/25/2020 Photo shoot below the Owyhee Dam
