The Vega was Chevrolet’s first foray into subcompact transportation beginning in 1971. A lot of planning went into the little car. But it fell short in execution, and the early Vega’s were plagued by engine and premature corrosion woes. One of the body styles was a 2-door wagon designated as a “Kammback”. The seller or a predecessor has attempted to turn this wagon into a miniature El Camino of sorts, with plenty of work remaining. Located in Milford, Pennsylvania, this turbocharged project is available here on Facebook Marketplace for $4,000. Thanks for the interesting tip, Barn Finder Gary.
Across its seven production years through 1977, more than two million copies of the Vega were built and sold. Of these, 468,000 were Kammback wagons. However, you seldom see a Vega today unless it happens to be a Cosworth, which was a special performance edition that has developed a following. The troublesome inline-4 that populated the Vega is long gone, having been replaced by a 3.8-liter V6 lifted from a Buick Grand National. It’s turbocharged and paired with a TH-350 automatic transmission.
The transformation of this 1972 Vega into a “Vegamino” looks to have been done crudely over a few weekends rather than at a professional shop. The bed area needs more work, and some unresolved rust is present. We’re told this thing runs and moves, and with the Grand National engine and more (including a 12-bolt rear end), this could be a future barnburner.
This pickup has been on the market for a couple of months, so the right kind of buyer hasn’t found his/her way to the project vehicle. The interior appears to have some custom touches, and we’re betting this former Kammback had a 4-speed manual because of the narrow pedal now being used for the brakes. The odometer reads 98,000 miles, but we have no idea about the V6 and other transplanted hardware.
Wild find Gary.
The word “Vegamino” reminds me of “Vitameatavegamin” from I Love Lucy. Or maybe a Veg-O-Matic. (“Now how much would you pay?”)
Slices, dices, minces, rices just $19.95, but wait! There’s more!
This thing looks like it’s already been sliced and diced! With that turbo V6 I’ll bet it’s scary hard to handle.
Beat me to it….
I totally read this is “Veg-a-Mino”…
Me too.
Yeah, I also saw a soft “G”, when I saw the RSS feed. I thought it was going to be a hopped-up old delivery van with Vegemite branding on it.
Mmmmm…that’s come good bass!
Bass-O-Matic. Dan Akroyd was the pitch man if I recall.
Also “Mr. Popeil” by Weird Al. (style parody of the B-52s)
@Bill D
“But wait, there’s more…..”
Posted 10 weeks ago, i wonder why it has not sold yet?
Seriously?
Not even!!
I did the same thing with my Pinto wagon in ’86 but it actually looked like a pickup when it was done. I used it to haul my ATC. My Pintero.
That engine is worth the price if it runs good.
What scared me was the wiring job they did!! Did anyone see the plug going into the coil pack? The white wire is broken in a few places. Other wires also. The interior wiring is a nightmare!! The bed need a complete do over! And who know what condition the V6 is in! I seen V8 Vegas in much better shape and done right then this one!!! $4,000 is too much for this mess! This for me would be a hard pass!! 🇺🇸🐻
”Vegamino”…why?
Engine, trans and rear end worth $4K? I would part it out.
hummm, might do this toa falcon.
Naw… just geta ’60s chero 8^ )
All ways wanted to do a turbo to the
144/2.36 but even foran i6 the bottom
end might not B best. Ned more research~
I actually like the looks. Very dubious about a GN engine. If I had nothing to do and the price was much lower it might be interesting.
Don’t like the rust, though.
It’s got tilt steering, what’s not to love?
As ugly as this piece of s*** is, it still looks better than any ford pinto.
At least they picked probably one of the best V-6 engines GM ever made.
How many quarts of firewood you can fit in that thing?