who had them and know any one who is selling one? they are friggin insane.
they never came with a V8 they where 4 cylinder only only the Monza came with the V8 in the spider and the V8 was 265cid the wagon was A Pontiac astra the same as a vega with minor front end redisine only the 80 sunbird coupe came with a V6 buick engine but no V8 model
[This message has been edited by bubbajoexxx (edited 01-27-2014).]
what you posted here is faulse as i stated the monza spider was the only car in the series to come with the V8 check the gm list and you will see the vega and astra line only came with the l4 single over head cam and the vega gt was avalable with the cosworth head version
http://www.pontiacsonline.com/SAFARI%20P5.htm there where dealers who did conversions on vegas and astras but GM never did a v8 in a vega platform the link is for the pontiac brouchers for its wagons including the astra and sunbird
None of the wagons - Vega, Monza, or Astre - came with a V8. They came with fours and a 3.8 V6, I think. The 262 V8 came in the 75 and 76 Monza Coupe and 2+2. The 262 was upped to a 305, and was available in the Monza, Sunbird, and Starfire (I believe.) The largest engine available in the Skyhawk was a 3.8. None of the Vega - bodied cars got anything larger than a V6.
I tried to cut a deal on a Vega, can't remember 75 or 76, that was a 262. It damn sure looked factory. That engine only had like 110 HP. At any rate, a quick google search turns up an awful lot of 305 Sunbird stuff. It only takes 150+ to get those H bodies moving good. 200 is fast.
[This message has been edited by weaselbeak (edited 02-02-2014).]
None of the wagons - Vega, Monza, or Astre - came with a V8. They came with fours and a 3.8 V6, I think. The 262 V8 came in the 75 and 76 Monza Coupe and 2+2. The 262 was upped to a 305, and was available in the Monza, Sunbird, and Starfire (I believe.) The largest engine available in the Skyhawk was a 3.8. None of the Vega - bodied cars got anything larger than a V6.
My brother had a '75 Monza with the 262, what a dog.
Chevrolet's new 4.3 liter (262 cid) V-8 engine was optional. The smallest V8 ever offered by Chevrolet, it featured a Rochester 2-barrel carburetor and generated 110 horsepower (82 kW) at 3600 rpm.
For 1975 only, Monzas sold in California and high altitude areas met the stricter emissions requirement by substituting a version of the 5.7 liter (350 cid) V8 engine with a 2-barrel carburetor tuned to just 125 hp (93 kW).
All the above just proves you cant always trust even official documentation, on anything. The only way to know if any of them came with the whatever engine from the factory is to look at the VIN tag, build sheet, RPO tag, or original window sticker. If its not on one or more of them, its not ... period.
[This message has been edited by rogergarrison (edited 02-23-2014).]
For 1978 and 1979, the station wagon from the discontinued Astre series was added to the Sunbird line. They continued to use the same front fascia as the Astre with Sunbird badging. The 2.3 L engine was simultaneously discontinued.
For the 1978 & 1979 model year, the Chevrolet's 5.0 L (305 cid) V8 engine was made optional in the notchback and hatchback (RPO LG3, 481 for 78 & 986 for 79), while the Sunbird Safari wagon continued for its final year with a revised vertical styled grill. The 1978 & 1979 engine options included the 305-V8, 3.8L-V6 and an 2.5L-I4.
Yes, I know it's Wiki. Looks like the wagon was the Vega wagon while the coupe was the Monza equivalent. Not sure if the V8 could be had in the wagon, but it was available in the Monza/Sunbird coupe/hatchback.
My sister's boyfriend back in the 80's had a 70's era (not sure what year) Chevy Monza with the V8 and a 4-speed. It was stock.
[This message has been edited by Formula88 (edited 03-02-2014).]
Originally posted by Formula88: ... My sister's boyfriend back in the 80's had a 70's era (not sure what year) Chevy Monza with the V8 and a 4-speed. It was stock.
I never saw a wagon with the V8, and I was a huge Monza fanboy back in the day.
I had a 75 Monza 2+2 with the 4.3 V8, and automatic. Sounded great, but wouldn't get out of its own way. I had a 77 Starfire with a 3.8 and a 5 speed. Ate clutches like Pez. I had a 76 Monza 2+2 with the 4.3 V8 and a 4 speed. The 4.3 got yanked and replaced with a 350/300 from a 70 Impala in 84. THAT one was fast. It would eat current year Vettes and IROCs for lunch.
You can see the azz end of the 76, in front of the GT. I might have some other pics, if I can find them.
[This message has been edited by Raydar (edited 09-03-2014).]
Unfortunately, almost all still left have been converted to drag cars. Searching for Chev Monza brings up Corvairs - there seem to be more of them around.
I actually just stumbled on a 1978 Oldsmobile Starfire, so I bought it. No drivetrain but it's a Southern car. I have plans to install the LSx engine with six speed manual transmission. After the Fiero is finished that is.
Wife's first car was a 77 Chevy Monza 2+2 with a factory 305. Ran pretty good. One weird thing I remember about it, the wheel covers pushed on VERY easy, but were a pain to pull back off. Also used an electric fuel pump along with an oil pressure switch that would cut the ignition when the oil pressure was too low. Took a while to figure that out one day, back in the early 80's when I was not so car smart.
I put a 305 in a Monza for a buddy. I was happy with my 3.8 liter in my Sunbird. My Starfire was a lot of fun with the 3.8 and 4 speed. For economy I ran an '80 Monza with a 2.5 liter. I also had a '76 Astre that I tried to convert, but I didn't have welding capablities, not could I afford to pay someone at the time. The more bizarre engine that these cars got was the 3.8 liter odd fire. This engine was a V8 with 2 cylinders cut off. Had that one in a '77 Sunbird. The crank journals were not off set. Every one of these cars that I owned required off set bushings due to body sag. It was the only way I could get them aligned. So if anyone is wondering here is my history with these cars:
'76 Pontiac Astre 140cid unable to convert scrapped '77 Pontiac Sunbird 231 cid oddfire engine failure and rust scrapped '78 Pontiac Sunbird 231 cid even fire totaled '79 Pontiac Sunbird 151 cid converted to 231 cid traded for my '85 Fiero '78 Olds Starfire 231 4 speed, frame failure, spun bearing in engine. '80 Chevy Monza 151 cid 4 speed. Traded for Chevy Beretta.
And yes with a V8 these cars are rockets. I tried to buy a stock Chevy Monza Spider with a 350 in it. At the time the owner wanted $2200 for it and I was in college and couldn't afford it. It was an auto and could break the rear tires loose at almost any speed just by stepping on the gas.
Originally posted by silver 85 sc: ...The more bizarre engine that these cars got was the 3.8 liter odd fire. This engine was a V8 with 2 cylinders cut off. Had that one in a '77 Sunbird. The crank journals were not off set.
My 77 Starfire had that same engine. Had very soft engine mounts so that the vibration wasn't transmitted to the rest of the car. The engine used to dance around like a paint shaker under the hood. Unfortunately, it also allowed the engine/tranny to twist insanely when you got on or off the gas. Made it hard to shift gears because the damned shifter kept changing positions with the tranny. It had the goofy Borg-Warner T50 5 speed. I say "goofy" because reverse and 1st were in line. 2nd and 3rd were in line. 4th and 5th were in line. Was a very quirky car to drive. The flywheel was also huge and heavy. Seems like it was an inch and a quarter thick, and weighed about 35 lbs. (Probably not, but it seemed like it at the time.)
