History I thought this was interesting -- Vertical Car Shipping

the verti-pac shipped H-bodys were strickly cars going to cali...


sold my blown 400 sbc 1972 vega wagon after 13 years to make room (and cash) for Lil Beast...there's pics in my alboums...as it changed over the years///fun drivin...

but not as cool as a 1938 fiat topolino....

 

The OEM batteries in Vegas had their filler caps located on the back edge of the battery top. The replacement batteries did not. Transmissions and rear axles had vent hoses routed to the rear of the car. Radiator filler necks, overflow bottles and windshield washer reservoirs all had their filler caps mounted as far back as possible. I don't remember if the Monzas and other Vega based models were the same way, ***uming that they were even shipped on there noses as well.

When I first started working at a Chevy dealer there was still a fair number of Vegas coming in for service. Our repair orders had a couple "quick check" boxes for common services like "Tire Rotation", "Lube, Oil & Filter", "Tune Up", etc. The inside joke was that we were going to get new repair orders printed just for Vega owners that added a check box for "Lube, Oil & Short Block"!

 

Explains a lot about Vegas..........

...they sure were a good looking little car. Wrong time and place, though. They kind of hit the intersection of labor relations, automation, materials, design, regulations and cost pressures -- and not in a good way.

 

I wonder how many Cosworths went vert....?

 

Why exactly is that Stupid? Looks like a good solution to save shipping costs.
The Vega was a good looking car that was built poorly. Complete rustouts within 2-3 years, Unibody's so weak that they would fold up with creases over the rear wheel wells on normal bumps, Motors that smoked like a goo Cuban cigar etc.
But the shippong deal looks pretty brilliant.

 

Hmmm. The logo on the side of that fork lift says, "The Milwaukee Road".

The U.P. and Milwaukee shared an automobile unloading facility in Kent, Washington. Maybe they shared loading duties to.

Do you think they loaded them nose down to keep the weight lower to the ground? Just wonderin'

 

That is some crazy info there! Thanks for sharing it.

 

Its about the over engineering of a car for transport but **** at the other end. Topolino Kid wrote the vert. setup was for California. What about the the other 47 states ? How does that make shipping cheaper ? We might still have all the GM lines if they didn't think over the top. Hope that makes it a lil more clear for you.

 

I was selling cars at a Chevy dealer in '71-'72. As a sales promotion, Chevy had a 'drive-away' at the Lordstown plant in '72. Our dealership sent my buddy Dennis and me to pick up two new Vegas and drive them back.

We had a great time! Robots are old hat now, but they were sci-fi stuff in '72. Chevy pulled out all the stops for our tour of the plant. The let us walk the plant floor and we were close enough to the cars to touch them in a lot of spots.

Hard to believe that was almost 40 years ago!

 

What an amazing way to ship a car!

Thanks for the pics would have never believed it!

John

 

Great old pictures and info...thanks for sharing it

 

now if one of those car's derailed and fell over, it would either be a total save,or a total loss, depending on which way it fell.

 

I saw a vega at the swap meet last Sat, kind of surprised to see it.

 

Not quite vertical but the same idea-T in a boxcar.

 

I thought your secret underlife involved socks

 

OK, so I'm an old fart. I remember when they did that. I don't think it's stupid. It's not hot rod stuff but it is kind of neat to see it after 40 years. Oh and at a buddy's shop they are building a Vega narrowed drag car. I didn't know there where still Vegas out there.

 

@ Ford, probably @ GM too, the cars are driven from the ***ymbly line to a storage lot before shipping.

 

I dunno, in the end you still have half a load of Vegas, I think it's only a win if you squished them all.

Someone asked where the railroad cars went; from the looks the Vert-A-Pak was a seperate piece from the actual flat car, like most auto racks are, so it's most likely the top unit was s****ped and the flatcar equipped with either a conventional auto rack or hitches for truck trailers. Until the recent articulated auto racks, they were kind of a strange animal as RR cars go - a railroad-owned rack on a pool-fleet flatcar.

 

heres studebakers version...

 

that's cool...

My dad almost bought a brand new vega panel, he's glad he didn't..

I wouldn't mind havin' one... It'd get the oh so glamorus 80's prostreet job... Blown 455 olds, 4spd, 9 inch (a really narrow one!) and a huge set of M/T slicks mounted on Ansen mags... Paint her black, gut the interior, fab up a sheet metal dash to hold a couple gauges and add a couple plastic racing buckets with black covers...

or... a Vega Wagon done in a 70's lowrider style... (I've seen pictures!!) Wild panel job, astros, 5.20s, I'd go with leather or vinyl guts, crushed velvet just doesn't do it for me.. And then in the back is where the juice set up would live... Lots of chrome, maybe swap in a V8 just cause... (like a 283 with a 3x2).. So many ideas, and not enough $$$...

 

I'd still buy a Vega Nomad if I could find one.
Larry T

 

... I may have found a solution to that nagging mother-in-law problem.

 

WOW I would love to have that one

 

Amazing.And insane.

 

wouldn't it be a 30 pack of tin cans?

 

my old man put a big block in one of those and it would do wheelies, probably one of the coolest things to see when your a kid.

 

One day my brother bought one of those Vegas and he brought it over to my house to show me and we had to work on it so he could get home....Ya great car!!!

 

Okay, a 30 pack of cans of ****

 

great idea. shipping costs must be very expensive. a few years back I was looking at Toyota trucks about 3 miles from where they were built. on the window sticker the shipping charge was $500.00. must cost $10,000.00 to get a car cross country.

 

Yeah, that would've been a LOT cheaper (pan baffle, leak proof battery/carb/wiper bottle.....). Good thread, I like innovative stuff like this