For Nick, who seems to like all my used car pics and stories.
So I posted a '79 Caprice in the For Sale section earlier today. Reminded me of a car from about two years ago. Dug around a bit and sure enough I saved the pics...
So everyone at my job knows I'm a total car nut. A co-worker came up to me and said he had an old car in his driveway he needed gone, and would I like it? He said it was an old Caprice that he'd inherited from his grandfather in Illinois, given it to his 16-year-old daughter, and she'd wrecked it. Said it had been parked about a year, but "should" start up. The car was hit in the rear and the trunk would not latch. He'd thrown a tarp over it and his neighbors were giving him trouble. He was about to call the salvage yard and have it hauled off.
Never one to pass on a free car, especially a Chevy, I said sure, let me come look. I was expecting a real POS, and drove over to his house that night. Pulled the tarp off and there was a CLEAN and very original 1977 Caprice Classic sedan. This car would just break your heart folks. The rear seat still had plastic on it. It had just under 78K miles on it, and a stack of service paperwork from new. Very solid for a northern car, hardly any rust I could find. Low optioned car, but had a/c, ps, tilt, cloth, but no power windows or locks and only an AM radio. Just an average 70's sedan, but in 2008.
I walked around the car and it was indeed hit in the back. SO SAD! He said his daughter had been in line to pull out of the high school parking lot and some kids in a 4x4 pickup hit her. Have no idea how but it knocked a hole through the rear bumper, cracked the tail lights, and buckled the drivers side rear 1/4 panel. Looked like a forklift had hit it.
He said the car still ran and drove but the trunk wouldn't latch and with the broken tail lights he'd just parked the car and bought his daughter the newer small car she really wanted. She'd hated the Caprice.
I opened the door and put the key in the ignition and was greeted with a loud 70's door buzzer. Those of the you the right age will know this sound well. Turned the key and amazingly the car cranked over, but wouldn't catch. Popped the hood to find a clean 305 2brl. Pulled the breather off and sprayed some Chemtool in the carb, turned the key and the little V8 fired right up, choke came on, no weird noises, and the a/c was blowing cold. Amazing! Let it run a minute and kickled off the choke and the car idled smooth as silk.
The next day I had a friend run me out to the guys house, and I put some red tape on the cracked tail lights, aired up low tires, and drove the car the 15 miles to my house. It ran like a watch and was smooth and quiet. A/C was ice cold, and even the AM radio worked fine. My wife flipped out, as usual, and I promised to sell it fast...haha.
That weekend I put a ton of elbow grease into cleaning it up. I hooked the rear bumper to a tree with my tow chain and pulled the rear out a bit...redneck engineering at it's finest, and got the trunk to latch and open normally. I washed and waxed it, detailed the interior, than I installed a used CD player I had laying arounf and some good speakers, and a newer Caprice dashcap I'd nabbed for the 86 Caprice I already had. I changed the oil and replaced a leaking fuel line near the fuel pump, installed a new headlight, and that was basically it. If the poor car hadn't been hit it would have looked nearly new. SO SAD it was hit.
I didn't think I could sell it with the rear hit the way it was, so I piddled around with it for a while until my wife brought up the "D" word...ha. It really drove well and went right through state inspection. It looked good next to the 86 Caprice I was working on at the time, and I also had the 89 Olds Custom Cruiser then, so had three big "box" cars at the house...much to the joy of my wife...
I finally ended up giving the car to a friend that needed transportation down in South Austin. It's still running and I see it time to time. I wish it'd get washed more.....
That's tonight's bedtime story gang. Enjoy the pics!
-Mike
As found at my co-workers house. Trunk lid was bungee-corded down:
And after a weekend of elbow grease:
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Thu Sep 30, 2010 12:59 am
