'91 to '96 Conversion?

My brother and I went on a loooooooong roadtrip today to check out a possible Betty replacement. It was purported to be a '96 Caprice Wagon with only 75,000 miles on it. We drove 3 hours to look at it. It was junk. Both quarters rotted through, interior shot. Looked like it had 275k on it. So we passed.

On the way home we stopped off in Connecticut to pick up some new rims for my limo (nice, stock ones which are limo-specific and hard to find). At least that transaction was a success.

While driving along the Merrit Parkway I was marveling at how close some of the homes were to the highway. Then I saw it: a Betty tucked under a carport surrounded by trash bags. We went by it at 80 MPH, but got off at the next exit and circled back.

It's a Roadmaster wagon, but it's a '91. It's a white woody like The Betty. I thought they were still "boxy" in '91, but apparently not. Last registration was 2009, appears to be an elderly person(s) home. Not sure if it's still inhabited. The car looked like it was driven there, parked and left to rot. Except it wasn't rotted - it looked pretty good underneath. 4 flat tires, interior is shot. The odometer is showing 91k miles. Body is in great shape except for some trim missing from the left tail light.

We left a note.

So is it worth the effort or possible to swap over the good stuff from the '96 formerly known as The Betty (the one the tree fell on) or should we keep looking for a '94-'96?

Lots of work there. Dash, door panels, engine, trans, exhaust and all are different. 91 was the first year of the round-body cars, and all had the TBI 305 engines. Your 96 is OBD II as well. Just a totally different animal.

Even if the body is solid, I personally think you'd be better off finding a good LT1 car locally and using Betty as your spare parts car for it.

Did you look at this one in Philly?
http://philadelphia.craigslist.org/ctd/3459194506.html

We've been looking at that one in Philly. It's been on CL for a while. Maybe another roadtrip is in order?

On the '91 - we figured drivetrain, exhaust and dash. A lot of work, but it's tough to find a good body in this neck of the woods.

If the '91 could be had for nothing or close to it, we may scoop it up. Otherwise Philly might be on the itinerary.

Considering your skill levels,not a problem.Your 96 is a OBII while the 91 is a OBI so all the wiring
would need swapped over.There is a notch in the frame of the 96 for AC compressor clearance
but I found a fix for that thru KWIK and their compressor relocation brackets.You guys could do it
in a weekend with a little extra time for replacing brittle parts.If the 96s frame is solid you might
be better off just swapping bodys.

Ah - hadn't considered the body swap approach. The '96 frame is solid. The damage is to the roof and hood.

We're leaning toward an OBD-II car so we can tune out certain things to get through inspection. If we swap the body, though, the VIN would still show '91.

More things to think about......

You definitely have the space,tools,ability and a bodyswap would save a ton of work and time.
Just get everything ready ahead of time and call your mechanical friends over!

A drill and rivet gun will change that 91 chassis to a 96 in about 3 minutes.....

There are a lot of little differences as well. The core support, and wheelhouses are different, although the firewall pass through for the wiring is probably the same. All the wiring under the hood is different, and the driver's side wheelhouse extension is different to allow the compressor to fit behind it. You may get a better gear ratio with the 91, because a lot of them had 3.24 rears. The interiors are totally different colors, but will fit across years. The attachment points for the door panels are different as well. You will also have some issues with the second row fold-down seat.

Hmm, I just sold a set of Fleetwood Limo rims to a couple of guys passing through CT today

It was good to meet you guys, hopefully you'll get a call and save what was mostly a wasted day. I think I know what wagon your talking about, I never stopped myself, hope you can save it!

Not to mention the fuel rail is on the oppisite frame rail, the cross member would have to be swapped to accomodate the duals......it just keeps going. For all that hassle, get a flight down to FL,TX,OK for a rust-free one, I can't buy them all. For your location FL makes the best sense, lots of flights this time of year, and straight up I95 all the way home....

QUite a difference for a car that 'looks' the same, lol.

95BRMW wrote:

Hmm, I just sold a set of Fleetwood Limo rims to a couple of guys passing through CT today

It was good to meet you guys, hopefully you'll get a call and save what was mostly a wasted day. I think I know what wagon your talking about, I never stopped myself, hope you can save it!

Small world, right? Haven't done anything with the wheels yet, but once the weather gets better I'll swap the tires over. It was good meeting you as well - I'm glad I was finally able to snag those rims.

We didn't hear back on the '91, but got a lead on a reasonably-priced 82k mile '96. Going to check it out on Friday.

Quote :

a lot of them had 3.24 rears.

I think you are confusing 3.23s and 3.42s. No 3.24s.

jayoldschool wrote:

Quote :

a lot of them had 3.24 rears.

I think you are confusing 3.23s and 3.42s. No 3.24s.

I did not think that looked right. Yeah, my brain fart, 3.23 is correct.