Maintenance & Restoration

Brian B-P · 03-09-2013, 12:35 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Donna D.

Aluminum alloy block, cast iron heads, antifreeze diluted with water = disaster. If everyone put straight antifreeze in the radiator... no water, everything was fine.

That must not have been anywhere that it gets cold, or very hot. The freezing point of straight ethylene glycol (antifreeze) is -13 C (9°F), and it doesn't transfer heat very well; it is not a very useful engine coolant by itself - straight water is better if the weather stays above freezing. Many long-produced and long-lasting engines have combined aluminum alloy and cast iron (although usually iron block and alloy head); coolant additive chemistry is important, but they use normal water/glycol mixtures.

On the other hand, the Vega engine was somewhat experimental, and certainly problematic.

What were we talking about? Oh, right, trailers... has anyone seen a trailer called a Vega, pulled by a Vega?

Francesca Knowles · 03-09-2013, 12:43 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Brian B-P

What were we talking about? Oh, right, trailers... has anyone seen a trailer called a Vega, pulled by a Vega?

Did Chevy ever export the car to Australia?

Vega Caravan

carlkeigley · 03-09-2013, 03:52 PM

Now that VEGA might have been my pick for a stick trailer if I were in the market for a stick home.

Thomas G. · 03-09-2013, 04:22 PM

As long as we are digressing, I read an insider's article about the development of the Vega. GM management was obsessed with taking out cost from their cars (remember the Chevette Scooter version with no back seat?)

Quote:

Non-air conditioned cars had a small 12-inch (300 mm) by 12-inch (300 mm) radiator core. The reason for the relatively small radiator was the aluminum engine block and its superior heat conductivity as compared to iron.[8] At the very beginning of the experimental engine program at GM engineering staff, Ed Cole stated in a meeting that there would probably be no need for a traditional radiator, due to the excellent heat rejection to the air from the aluminum block. He felt that coolant could simply be passed through the heater core, with outside air ducted through the core and exhausted under the car to provide auxiliary cooling. Several pre-prototype cars were built this way at his insistence, and all of them were dismal failures from a cooling perspective. After having one seize up while he was driving it at the Milford proving grounds one Saturday, he backed away from his theory and allowed the design to continue with a conventional cooling system.[5

http://www.thefullwiki.org/Chevrolet_Vega