[Greg Reimer 7376]

I worked at Economy Chevrolet in Alhambra from August '75 and February '78, and a few Cosworth vegas came along. They were black,had gold colored wheels, a gold colored engine turned dash, gauges, the most exotic looking engine you ever saw with a stainless steel header, dual overhead cams,a littlre better suspension,a stronger rear end,etc,and they were a rather lively piece.The engine was smaller than a regulat Vega motor, 122 cu/in as opposed to 140 for the regular Vega. I never worked on a Cosworth while a dealer mechanic,but the son of some of our friends had one in the late 1980's, and he was replacing the spark plugs,broke one of them, and the porcelain particles and the stem of the plug fell in the cylinder, and he didn't catch it.The resultant engine damage was the head,the cylinder wall,and the piston.Finding parts for it then was nearly impossible. The one difference to the stock 140 inch Vega block was a threaded hole for a steel fitting for an oil drainback pipe from the head and the block so oil could get back from the head to the sump.Putting the Cosworth head on the 140 block would result in insufficient piston to valve clearance,so a piston manufacturer would need to build a set of pistons with the necessary valve clearance eyebrows.Anything could be done if you're dedicated enough, just hope it would pay off. The trans in these cars I saw was an aluminum case Borg Warner T-50.When the Olds Quad 4 engine came along in the 90's, I had to admit thet I'd seen it all before. That's where they got the idea for it,I'm sure.