1976 Chevrolet Vega 2,078 ORIGINAL MILES documented Additional Info:
YouTube Videos at bottom.
I am selling an ALL ORIGINAL Chevy Vega with ONLY 2,078 miles from the factory. I have all of the paperwork that came with the car including the purchase agreement, build sheet, finance paperwork, extended warranty that was purchased, Owners Manual, and numerous other documents that came at time of purchase. I purchased this car locally (Oklahoma City) after the granddaughter of the original owner posted it online. She said she went her grandfather the day he purchased the car from the showroom floor, on the drive home he told her "I'm going to park this car in the garage and only take grandma on dates in it". He racked up a whopping 2,078 miles. She said none of the grandkids were allowed in the garage unless he was with them. The car was in the daughters name, they lived at the same address that the purchase agreement was made to in 1976. The car was well taken car of and very well preserved.
I cleaned out the fuel tank, blew out all the lines, pulled the plugs and lubed the motor prior to turning it over. I replaced the spark plugs but I did keep the original ones and they will stay with the car. It fired right up and idles smooth. I have drove it forward and backward as well as drove it onto a trailer for a show. I have not physically drove the car down the road yet but may do so prior to it being sold. I have not changed the differential fluid or the gear oil in the transmission yet, so thats why I haven't driven it on the road yet. It is currently tagged, titled, and insured in Oklahoma.
The first Vega's had issues with the aluminum 4 cylinder engine, GM redesigned this engine in 1976 with hydraulic lifters and steel sleeves to prevent piston wear. They painted these Chevy Orange in 1976. This is the original paint on the motor, you can see where it has started to peel in several areas from oil changes, etc. I thought about repainting the motor, but decided to leave it exactly how it came. The car stayed in the garage with a cover until a few years ago (after his passing) they moved it outside and under a carport with the cover still on. It does have a few very minor defects from a leak in the carport. The front valence has a spot about the size of two dimes where the paint started to peel, I put white rustoleum on it to prevent it going further. It had a few rust colored stains in various places which ALL hand buffed right out. The bottom of the passenger door has a small area of rust where water ran down on the inside of the door from the window seal and did not have a place to go. I also replaced the battery tray due to the original battery leaking and causing corrosion. I put a matching AC Delco side post battery in the car to match the original. This car was a "Vertipack" car meaning shipped on its nose in a train. GM designed the side post battery for this particular reason, they needed a battery that would not leak during transport.
The only thing the car is missing to make it 100% complete original, is the chrome side trim that went down the middle of the car. The daughter said that was the only thing she remembers him taking off because he didn't like it. There are a couple spots where it has light scratches from him removing it, but if you find the actual trim it will cover those spots up.
If you are bidding on this car, please keep 2 things in mind:
1. This car was meticulously kept and cared for inside a garage for 40+ years, this car DOES NOT NEED TO BE PUT ON A RACETRACK WITH A V8!
2. This is near museum quality, please don't try and have this car shipped on an open truck exposing the ORIGINAL PAINT to all the salt, sand, and rocks that U.S. highways have. Please consider paying for closed transport.
Please call or text 405-361-1725 with any questions.
***Videos posted on YouTube showing more detail and vehicle running.
Video 1 of 2: 1976 Chevy Vega RARE Garage Find with ONLY 2,078 Original mileshttps://youtu.be/d-KB4WYHx0M
Video 2Video 2 of 2: 1976 Chevy Vega RARE Garage Find with ONLY 2,078 Original Mileshttps://youtu.be/o0u47eS0F38
On Mar-05-18 at 20:24:43 PST, seller added the following information:
Update: I was mistaken on the steel sleeves from the factory. Here is info I found about the changes made to the 1976 making it a "Dura-Built engine:
The '76 2.3 engine & cooling system were upgraded and improved the most to date, including- quieter hydraulic valve lifters, stainless steel head gasket, redesigned valve stem seals, water pump and thermostat, also changes in the block cooling slots for improved coolant flow. The engine, now named "Dura-Built" 140 even looked different, now painted Chevy orange.
Also, the shipping by train is called Vert-A-Pac. This is on the build sheet, so it was a Vert-A-Pac car.