Conversion - Rear End
I originally planned to run the existing Vega 6 ½" rear end for a while, but I decided it would cost more to fix the car after it blew and I didn’t want to be stranded on the side of the road in the middle of nowhere. I got a 7 ½" rear from a ’80 Monza from my local wrecking yard for $75.00. I got a whole S-10 rear end from another yard for $100.00, pulled the axles, drums, and pinion yoke, and swapped them into the Vega 7 ½" housing. I chose 3.42 rear gears for a nice compromise between low-end torque and top end horsepower and quiet running for street driving; and added an Auburn posi unit. (For more information on this swap, see Bob Gumm’s "Building the V-8 H-body" website at http://www.zianet.com/v8monza/.) I replaced all the rear control arm and torque arm bushings with Energy Suspension polyurethane bushings. These are available in a kit, #4-3141, from Suspension Restoration (http://www.suspension.com/ ) for $42.00. I upgraded this with custom Moser axles and a Torsen rear differential carrier as described later in the article.