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I realize this forum isnt the best for Drag Racing, but i know theres a few Drag Racers in here. So... im just getting into Drag Racing at my local 1/8th mile Strip and am wanting to buy my first dedicated Drag Car . This car is a 1973 Chev. Vega which has a 427 Big Block motor ,14:1 , with nitrous fogger , 2 speed Glide Trans, 9" rear with ladder bars , wheelie bars, with slicks . The guy claims it is 'all ready for the strip right now' . The price is a very nice $6,000 asking price and im sure he'd take $5 k . Comes with Texas title. He said it has ran a 5.84 in the 1/8th . Frankly, id have to work up to running this car balls-out having that much power ... but I can start out less aggressive till i get the feel of it. Id imagine the output is roughly 700 h.p. without the nitrous (???) .
Im having to travel 800 miles to get it , and i want to be sure i dont have to immediately dump big money into the mechancals right off the bat ... so i want to have it checked out by a shop in that area before i lay down the money. Would you recommend me getting a compression test peformed in addition to a leak down test on the motor ? What else should i be concerned about on a car like this ? What should i definetly ask this Guy about the car ? It is supposed to have seen 30 runs on the current build .
First off, I'm kind of surprised someone would go as far as stuffing a big block Chevy into such a tiny car when a small block would have probably sufficed without really throwing the front to rear weight off.
You said this car has slicks. Hopefully it's also tubbed in the rear. You're going to need it if that engine is making some decent power (which I'm sure it is) in addition to being a lead weight on the nose of the car. I'm sure this car probably also has a roll cage in it.
I would ask the seller if he has proven time slips of the car. Or even better, a video showing his trap speed and e.t. Don't forget to ask him for dyno slips of either the car or the engine, whichever is possible. Also see what kinds of 60 foots it's cutting. That is a very crucial factor in drag racing.
Not only would I recommend you having a compression test/leak down test done on the engine, but I would also recommend you find someone that knows about the do's and don't of doing a V8 Vega conversion - since they never came with V8's, that means people doing the swaps have the option of correctly and meticulously doing the swap....or using all sorts of unorthodox methods to get the engine in there. Yes there are people who do conversions incorrectly....same applies to S-10 V8 swaps.
The previous poster said "a good rule of thumb for any used vehicle purchase...(even a car to be used for racing) is to avoid anything that the seller knows the run times for.". That might be true to an extent, however consider this....no one drops a V8 into a Vega, especially a big block nitrous V8, just to pussyfoot around town in....there is clearly a reason why someone dropped a big engine into a lightweight car....so you can pretty much guarantee it's beat on at some point.
Last but not least, building your own car usually costs more to do as opposed to buying one already built. But as pointed out, it may cost more if you have to re-do someone else's backwoods shadetree project that's held together by duct tape and bailing wire. That's why I mentioned it's important to hire someone to look at how this car was put together, and point out any obvious discrepancies.
Sorry I got long winded here, but hopefully this helps you make a better decision.
Im having to travel 800 miles to get it , and i want to be sure i dont have to immediately dump big money into the mechancals right off the bat ... so i want to have it checked out by a shop in that area before i lay down the money..
We're talking racing, specifically drag racing. That nitrous kit could run lean the first run ventilating the block and causing you to shell out money right off the bat. What I'm trying to say if anything is spending gobs of money is all part of the hobby.
First off, I'm kind of surprised someone would go as far as stuffing a big block Chevy into such a tiny car when a small block would have probably sufficed without really throwing the front to rear weight off.
You said this car has slicks. Hopefully it's also tubbed in the rear. You're going to need it if that engine is making some decent power (which I'm sure it is) in addition to being a lead weight on the nose of the car. I'm sure this car probably also has a roll cage in it.
I would ask the seller if he has proven time slips of the car. Or even better, a video showing his trap speed and e.t. Don't forget to ask him for dyno slips of either the car or the engine, whichever is possible. Also see what kinds of 60 foots it's cutting. That is a very crucial factor in drag racing.
Not only would I recommend you having a compression test/leak down test done on the engine, but I would also recommend you find someone that knows about the do's and don't of doing a V8 Vega conversion - since they never came with V8's, that means people doing the swaps have the option of correctly and meticulously doing the swap....or using all sorts of unorthodox methods to get the engine in there. Yes there are people who do conversions incorrectly....same applies to S-10 V8 swaps.
The previous poster said "a good rule of thumb for any used vehicle purchase...(even a car to be used for racing) is to avoid anything that the seller knows the run times for.". That might be true to an extent, however consider this....no one drops a V8 into a Vega, especially a big block nitrous V8, just to pussyfoot around town in....there is clearly a reason why someone dropped a big engine into a lightweight car....so you can pretty much guarantee it's beat on at some point.
Last but not least, building your own car usually costs more to do as opposed to buying one already built. But as pointed out, it may cost more if you have to re-do someone else's backwoods shadetree project that's held together by duct tape and bailing wire. That's why I mentioned it's important to hire someone to look at how this car was put together, and point out any obvious discrepancies.
Sorry I got long winded here, but hopefully this helps you make a better decision.
Ive seen lots of big engined compact cars at local car shows and on YouTube. I kind of like the idea of a huge mill in a small lightweight car so long as its done right. Ive even seen a 454 Blown big block in a Honda Civic with a 6-71 Huffer.
I can ask about time slips, etc... but as a novice im more concerned about its beefiness and reliability as i wont be turning 5.84's anytime soon as a novice.
Whats a general rule of thumb for a necessary rebuild on a Drag Motor and GLide Trans ... can it be translated into Runs approx. ? Should i ask what the block and heads came out of ?
We're talking racing, specifically drag racing. That nitrous kit could run lean the first run ventilating the block and causing you to shell out money right off the bat. What I'm trying to say if anything is spending gobs of money is all part of the hobby.
If i bought this car, I would first have it Dyno / nitroused tuned at my local Tuner because i would have the same concern as you mentioned.
One thing is, you are going to have to get a "vibe" off the previous owner, see if he is a true carguy, that put his heart and soul into the car and ran it hard but babies it too. Not just beat it senseless doing stupid stuff in the name of speed.
One thing is, you are going to have to get a "vibe" off the previous owner, see if he is a true carguy, that put his heart and soul into the car and ran it hard but babies it too. Not just beat it senseless doing stupid stuff in the name of speed.
Buying people already built car is the way to go.
Sent from my autocorrect butchering device.
Yes, ill see if it was himself who did the build on it or if he had someone else do it.
I think you looking at somebody's tired race car. If you get it for 5k you will probably dump another 4-5K into it the first year.
You said you are a beginner so why not start out with a beginner drag car.
A SB Camaro or a 5.0 Fox body Mustang is a great place to start.
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