Has anyone seen a 1978 Monza wagon U/S(or u/say)
 

I was just looking at the numbers for the '78 Monza wagon w/ 231 v6.
Has anyone seen one or have thoughts on the combo?

Re: Has anyone seen a 1978 Monza wagon U/S(or u/say)
 

Cool car. Find one that the metalmites haven't found yet. It would be even cooler with a 305 and a 4 speed.

Re: Has anyone seen a 1978 Monza wagon U/S(or u/say)
 

According to Dwight's excellent site, in order to do the 305, the car would have to be a Sunbird wagon. Double cool.

Re: Has anyone seen a 1978 Monza wagon U/S(or u/say)
 

Rick Utersah has a Sunbird wagon in his fleet waiting its turn. But I dont think it's a v8.

Re: Has anyone seen a 1978 Monza wagon U/S(or u/say)
 

Billy I couldn't fiind where the wagon came with a V8 of any size. The 231 v6 engine is listed as a Buick piece.

Re: Has anyone seen a 1978 Monza wagon U/S(or u/say)
 

I'll have to look at that one 👍

Re: Has anyone seen a 1978 Monza wagon U/S(or u/say)
 

Wasn't the '78 Pontiac Sunbird Safari Wagon based on the Vega/Astre body? Don' remember that one getting a V-8.

Re: Has anyone seen a 1978 Monza wagon U/S(or u/say)
 

Pretty sure that none of the Vega body styles ever got a V8 - that was Monza only. If there were V6 cars, I never saw or heard of one. And though there were a couple of rooflines I don't think there was a Monza wagon.

Back then I was service manager at a shop and knew of what was going on with the aluminum 4 cylinders. My parents asked me to recommend for a small car for my mom. I specifically moved them up to the Monza V8 (which they didn't need or care about) simply because I wouldn't have to deal with the aluminum engine.

I couldn't wait to drive it. But like every smog motor of that time it was a shamefull dog.

Re: Has anyone seen a 1978 Monza wagon U/S(or u/say)
 

Dan stands correct on the Vega never got the V-8,only got the OHC aluminum 4 cylinder engine. I also worked in a GM store as a line technician from 1975 to 1990. So i worked on lots of those OHC motors under the 5 year 50 K mile warranty burning oil.The Buick Sky Hawk is the car that got the odd/even fire 231 V-6. The V-8 Monza was a rare car that had a 262 ci V-8 engine.

Re: Has anyone seen a 1978 Monza wagon U/S(or u/say)
 

It would take a good one to run 1 sec. under in P/stock..It would be fun trying though.
A few hp off, and Q/stock would be better .
Those 305's that are still at 180, should be evened up to the one Nova that's low 170's.

C'mon NHRA tech. You think the Sunbird wagon is a worse body style than the Nova, same year?
Remember the wholesale 302 2v reduction? You even brought the 82 HO back to it's original 157...a completely different combo.

What do you think, guys?

Re: Has anyone seen a 1978 Monza wagon U/S(or u/say)
 

I worked in various Chevy dealers from summer 1975 to late spring 1980. Never could find that many that you wanted to work for, although the last one,Allen Gwynn Chevrolet was a good store with an excellent service manager. I left them for a job with the County fixing sheriffs cars. Benefits, paid days off and a retirement package were a novel concept for me back then. In 1975, the Chevy Monza came along, and the out of state Monzas had an optional 262 V8 with a 4 speed. The California only Monzas were a 350 with a Turbo 350 and a stronger rear end. That was the car that took a few special tactics to change some of the spark plugs on the left bank. Also, the 1975 HEI ignition specified a spark plug gap of around .060" or something like that. It was easy to gas foul the plugs and then the car wouldn't clean them off, you had to replace them.The only Monza body styles I ever remembered was a fastback coupe with a hatchback, and a two door sedan with a separate trunk. It seemed to me that the only two engine choices were a 4 cylinder OHC unit that had definite block issues, or the 2 barrel V-8. Pontiac had a version of the Vega called the Astre, and I think Buick had a version of it as well.Don't quote me on that, however. The cars weren't that durable, I don't think a V-8 version of one of these would hold up as a stocker since you couldn't add enough stiffness to the unit body with just a roll bar or cage to make it work. As it was, when the 350 Vega swaps got popular, those cars soon got to where the doors didn't open and close very well, front fenders didn't line up, and they had very serious rust issues. Not a good place to start.

Re: Has anyone seen a 1978 Monza wagon U/S(or u/say)
 

The NHRA class guide does show a 1978 and 1979 Pontiac Sunbird 2 dr station wagon available with a 305 V8. However, in both cases, the station wagon is lighter than either the 2dr coupe or hatchback. Both are also lighter than Monza or Oldsmobile Starfire models with the 305 V8. With that info, I would not get excited about trying to find that rare body.

Re: Has anyone seen a 1978 Monza wagon U/S(or u/say)
 

Huh..I didn't even notice that earlier. Most likely lighter because it was a Vega in disguise.

Re: Has anyone seen a 1978 Monza wagon U/S(or u/say)
 

In 1981 I bought a 1978 Monza Wagon with the 231 Buick even fire V-6 and 4 speed manual.

One of the greatest car I ever owned

Re: Has anyone seen a 1978 Monza wagon U/S(or u/say) (Maring
 

Double Post

Re: Has anyone seen a 1978 Monza wagon U/S(or u/say) (Maring
 

Mark is that the hot 302 / 2 Barrel in 1992 Mustang GT (Marine Cam)@157
engine. I would not think so as that engine was FAST. That engine was prop
rated in a boat (Not Flywhellt

Mine ran 14's at OCIR on the rock hard P Metric Tires - Bone Stock
and 80,000 Miles straight from Dealers Auction

2835 R/S according to Guide.

WOW :That is enough to turn me into a Ford Racer again!

I used to build and sell boats back then = That engine was rated
200 HP AT THE PROP not the Flywheel and it would out run a 305 Chev.
rated at 230 easily.

Re: Has anyone seen a 1978 Monza wagon U/S(or u/say) (Maring
 

I remember when the 1982 Mustang GT came out. Made good torque even with a 2 bbl. carb.

Car magazine editors loved that car because it was the 1st factory hot rod since the 455 Super Duty Trans Ams.
Weak by today's standards, but low 15's back in '82 was quick

Re: Has anyone seen a 1978 Monza wagon U/S(or u/say) (Maring
 

Yes (82) About the only carbed car I would build. I don't know where all the Fox bodies went to but they're not in Phx area anymore..Been watching for 5 years.
Various state police agencies used those as pursuit cars when they were new.

Re: Has anyone seen a 1978 Monza wagon U/S(or u/say)
 

Greg, I beg to differ on that statement. Took several years to build while raising a family of 5 children and getting them all through college, I took on the venture of doing a 1975-76 Monza stocker during the 80s and 90s. Raced that car for over 30 years until it puked a rod in 2014. Initially ran brackets with it and finally was able to complete it as a legal stocker around ‘99. Installed Alston frame connectors and 6 pt. Roll bar. Tied them all together. That car would print time slips, very consistent. Ran both the 262 and 350 combos at one time or another. Made more money with that car going rounds than any other car I have raced. Some CCRA racers who post on here can attest to that. Also, don’t forget Briane Philbrick’s Monza out of Canada who I believe is the current National Record Holder in R/SA. His car was built by Don Quinn in the early 80s, painted white at the time and called “Plain Vanilla”. By no means is a Monza V8 stocker a dime rocket though. I was bracket racing my Monza back in ‘83 at Island Dragway in N.J. And this guy comes up to me and says “that car would make a nice stocker “ and I replied that was my eventual intention. That guy was bracket racing a ‘67 Camaro that day. That guy - Billy Nees.

Re: Has anyone seen a 1978 Monza wagon U/S(or u/say)
 

How tough is it to get a 9" radial under the back of one of these H bodies?

Re: Has anyone seen a 1978 Monza wagon U/S(or u/say)
 

https://www.ebay.com/itm/1978-Chevro...MAAOSwjFpekg0t Searched just for the hell of it, mainly just to see one. This one on eBay now!

Re: Has anyone seen a 1978 Monza wagon U/S(or u/say)
 

You`d need to cut the fender wells a lot. A 26" slick is pushing the boundaries.

Re: Has anyone seen a 1978 Monza wagon U/S(or u/say)
 

Ya know, I've never looked closely at Philbrick's car but he has a 9" radial under it.

Re: Has anyone seen a 1978 Monza wagon U/S(or u/say)
 

I had a 75 Monza with the 262 v8. I ran IHRA pure stock back in the mid 80's. Everytime I got it to run the index they would drop it again. I had no money and went bracket racing. I won 2 track Championships with it. I do know 75 only you could do a 350. Not sure but I think a couple of later years had 305. I also had an 80 model with 231 I drove to work. I raced it a few times it wasn't fast but was consistent.
Hey Joe whatever happened to yours?
And yes they were a pain to change plugs mine was an AC car

Re: Has anyone seen a 1978 Monza wagon U/S(or u/say)
 

Joe, I was talking about a stock as produced body shell. Yours as described was tied together and stiffened pretty well. More of those should have been done that way. The once common V8 conversion Vegas and all, most were street driven and weren't done to that extent. About 15 years ago, my neighbor across the street got a wild hair to build a Vega with a 350. He found a couple Vega wagons and he went to town on it. He even found new left and right panels to convert the wagon into a panel express. The end result was a very insanely fast car for the street. He got some crate 350 with some aftermarket heads and intake and with whatever cam he selected, a built 350 trans and a somewhat loose converter, and he ran around like this until he lit 'em up and absolutely demolished the rear end. He then found an 8 1/2" 10 bolt that had been in somebody elses'Vega, so he bolted it in and was done with it at that point, but he still had the stock front brakes on this thing. I know from a few road tests he took me on that it seemed like all that power was trying to twist the car in half.He got tired of it and sold the car to somebody from Phoenix, they ran around in it, and ran it one night at Firebird and it went low 11's. That's definitely fast enough to need some chassis engineering.

Re: Has anyone seen a 1978 Monza wagon U/S(or u/say)
 

ANY Monza/Astre Wagon is a rebadged VEGA body---GM never made a stand alone body for the wagons---the Monza notchback and hatchback are not the same body as a Vega--- they use/shared many of the same components and had many similarities but they are not the same cars---Also the Vega 4 cylinder engines were horrible to try to start in extremely cold weather. Because of the iron head alum block set up the spark plugs would actually cool down at a different rate and you would get ice particles on the spark plug electrodes thus preventing the engine from firing on that cylinder... The number 5/7 plugs on V8 Monza's were not that difficult to change even tho the steering shaft/ power brake booster was in the way--- you just needed to cut a plug socket down to about 1/3-1/2 the normal length and then use a box end wrench on the socket and it came right out--worked part time at the local Chevy dlr and zone rep lost a big bet with me that I couldn't replace R&R a set of plugs in under 7 minutes--- You are right they were flexi flyers I had a Vega hatch put in a a used 406 CI sprint car engine mated to a Turbo 350 and had a Mopar 8 1/4 rear with 4:10 gears 1-2 shift it would pop the hatch loose--- drive it normal and no problems get on it and it would pop every time--that Vega even had Factory AC which we hooked up after we got the correct engine compressor brackets from the Monza--FED 387

Re: Has anyone seen a 1978 Monza wagon U/S(or u/say)
 

I don't think a 231 in U would be much fun... try petitioning NHRA to accept the Motion 454 Vega for Stock. It might fit AA/S with some ballast.

Re: Has anyone seen a 1978 Monza wagon U/S(or u/say)
 

Hey Joe whatever happened to yours/QUOTE]
Chip, last place I knew of my Monza is sitting in a corner of Danny Lattimore’s shop in Va. An acquaintance of Danny bought it from me as a roller back in the Fall of 2014. The new owner may have abandoned his intended project with the car. Danny may interject
here ?
Lyn, I ran a 28.5 M/T bias ply tire on mine. Did the usual 2” trim on the wheel wells and rolled the upper lip some. Never had any issues. And yes, Billy is correct Philbrick runs a 30” radial on his car.

Re: Has anyone seen a 1978 Monza wagon U/S(or u/say)
 

'77 and later Monzas and other H-bodies have more in common with 3rd gen F-bodies than with the Vega platform. The unfortunate thing is they are not that light. Shipping weights with a V8 were all mid 2900 lbs. Several 3rd gen F bodies are that light and much easier to work on. Unfortunately, the 305 2bbl was never offered in a 3rd gen F-body.