The Building Of An Icon

[LUNCHBOX]

Built in the winter of 1975 and first run in 1976 (I'm sure Historian can help me with these dates if I am wrong). The body came from a scrap yard as just a shell and by looking at the pictures it was originally a light blue. I believe the body is a 73? The chassis was custom built. Original engine built by Merkel. It was said that it was ran in a few drills in 1976 before the Stars and Stripes paint scheme was added. It is believed that it was painted Stars and Stripes because of the country's bicentennial in 1976. Special thanks to Donald Smallwood who received the photo's from a co-worker who had a hand in the build. These pictures are from the very beginning and further preserve the legend of this racing icon.

Original sketch given to the builders from the Alerts with the question, "can you build this?".






































The vega through the years

[NANOOKS]

Priceless photo collage !!! Love It !

[Historian]

:-*Beautiful contribution. Do you think the photo of the Vega in the corner of the garage, with the Hillborne Injectors is part of this group?
The Alerts rig was built a few years after injectors were outlawed on C-trucks, and even the earliest photos of this build shows a tunnel ram carb set-up, and there is a fuel tank where the radiator was on the Alert rig...?
Maybe it is a sample photo for the build? It is very similar, but there are some differences. Thanks so much again for finding these pearls!

[LUNCHBOX]

You may just be right Historian. It looks like A Vega. It just might not be THE Vega.

[ranger2212]

the one in the corner is a vega but not great necks! he built another one not for drill team! pics got put all together! thats just the one pic though! all the rest is the the vega of the alerts

[unclekevie]

Who was the builder of this rig? I don't think it ever ran in a drill in blue. In 1976 the drill honoring Harry Buck, run by Westbury on a course on the south parking lot of the High School on Jericho Tpk. the Vega was Stars and Stripes. It was an unusual year as Lindenhurst was not the season opener that year. Could it have possiblly have been that the powder blue was an undercoat for the pearl white paint? These pictures are great and I enjoyed them very much!!!!!!

[ranger2212]

the builders name is tony vertucci! he is also a motor builder and is looking to build some some for a decent price! his # 631-846-3011! tell hime donald told you to call and he will hook you up! he just loves building motors

[LUNCHBOX]

An ex-chief of the Alert's, Ronnie thingys also had a hand in the building of the Vega.

[ofdndfd493]

To bad we were not still building trucks like this today. In the era of "Orange County Choppers" and the like, it could have been a great show!

[driver7789]

the harry buck drill in westbury was in 1975