95 Caprice SS Wagon in Texas

You may recall a while back where I introduced myself with my first wagon purchase, this black beauty:


Shortly afterward I found another wagon that I fell in love with and just couldn't resist buying:


Since I don't really need two wagons, I've decided to sell the black one. Here's a summary of all the work that I've had done since buying it:

• Rebuilt transmission
  
• All new front end steering components
  
• Brake job
  
• Bondo removed from roof rack channels; proper Street Trends roof rack fillers installed, roof repainted
  
• z28 Camero instrument cluster installed with correct 60psi oil pressure sending unit
  
• Floor shift conversion with center console installed (cut away extended drivers seat so that console would fit)
  
• New Alpine CD/MP3 head unit
  
• Ravelco anti theft device
  
• Entire under body coated with POR-15 and/or equivalent Eastwood Company rust prevention material
  
• Exchanged the FOOSE wheels for a set of stock Impala SS wheels
  
• Silver powder coated RAISS installed
  

What had already been done when I bought the car:

• $8k paint job a few years ago; body is laser straight and rust free
  
• Hotchkiss suspension front and rear

What little remains to be done:

• Small starburst on driver side windshield; no cracking yet, will get a windshield repair guy to fill in the chip to prevent cracking
  
• Lower dash panel could use replacement (previous owner cut out the area around the stock radio to install a DVD player; when the Alpine unit was installed, we fabricated a cover to hide the area cut out for the DVD player screen; panel is otherwise OK)
  
• Bracket where the column shifter was mounted needs to be cut off and smoothed out

I've got a 12-way Bonneville tan leather bucket seat that will go with the car if desired. I'm keeping the DCM wagon as it had all the engine and interior mods completed that I would have eventually done to the black one. Here's what it looks like now:




I'm going to put a leather Wheelskins cover on the steering wheel to cover that deteriorating foam and clean up the engine compartment. I'm in no hurry to sell as it's sitting in a dry unit in a well secured storage facility. I'm looking for best offer that gets closest to the money I've got into it. Prefer initial contact by email: jklehe@gmail.com

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Joachim (Joe) Klehe - Exclusive Ravelco Anti Theft Distributor For Greater San Antonio Area
SouthTexasRavelco.Com NO vehicle with the Ravelco device installed has EVER been stolen!
Apply dog logic to life: eat well, be loved, get petted, sleep a lot, dream of a leash-free world!

Yes, referring to the wagon as a Caprice SS is 'tongue in cheek.' You'd be surprised how many folks asked me if it was a 'genuine Impala SS wagon!'
º°`°º¤ø,¸¸,ø¤º°`°º¤ø,¸¸,øº°`°º¤ø,¸¸,ø¤º°`°º¤ø,¸¸,ø
Joachim (Joe) Klehe - Exclusive Ravelco Anti Theft Distributor For Greater San Antonio Area
SouthTexasRavelco.Com NO vehicle with the Ravelco device installed has EVER been stolen!
Apply dog logic to life: eat well, be loved, get petted, sleep a lot, dream of a leash-free world!

Morning Joe and I really HATE you a bunch.You have 2 wagons done up the way I have always
dreamed of modding my wagons.What kind of money are we talking about or needing to get?
I am the guy that begged the original seller in Texas to adopt me.Just how bad was the under
side rust wise?
Take Care
Jim Gordon

It was almost all surface rust. My body shop guy had all that surface crud scraped and wire brushed off and then he sprayed the POR-15 / Eastwood material. There was a small hole that had worked through the right front inner fender which was repaired by welding in a sheet metal patch. There was also a patch required on the tranny tunnel to mount the floor shifter brackets. The saving grace is that overall the body is clean and free of rust. With the anti rust treatment over the entire under body and chassis, the surface rusting is stopped in its tracks. My body shop guy stated the floor pans are in good shape, no holes or spongy spots.

Right now I've got around $9k+ into the car with initial purchase, tranny rebuild, front end work, brakes, roof channels, roof paint, z28 instruments, anti rust treatment, Alpine head unit, RAISS, floor shift & console +install. The Ravelco itself is a $500 value as that's what I charge for installing the device. While I don't expect to recover all my expenses, I'd like to get close. I'm not going to let it go for any low ball offer, rather I'll leave it in the storage unit and take it out once in a while for a local cruise night here in San Antonio. I'd much rather sell it to a B-body enthusiast who'll do the little bit of finish work it needs. The heavy lifting has pretty much been done.

Joe Klehe
Boerne, TX

I just saw the post and I have to ask. Did you buy your other Wagon on Ebay a month or so ago ? If it is I watched that auction to the end and really really wanted that car.

Yes, that was me. The guy that I bought the car from in St. Louis had done pretty much everything I wanted in a wagon. It definitely lived up to its reputation - totally clean and runs like a charm. It's now my daily driver and I've only had a few hiccups, a loose ground wire that caused the instrument cluster to go bonkers, a bundle of electrical tape that somehow got caught in the front of the throttle body, and the distributor had to be replaced. Still not bad for a 17yo garage queen that got promoted to daily driver.

As the black one hasn't sold I've got it back in the body shop getting new front wheel housings and some general tightening and clean up done. Since I won't take a low ball offer for it, I'm turning it into my next long term project, an ultra tight sleeper wagon. Beef up the engine and drive train a bit, go with Dan's dual rear mount turbo setup, and some other stuff that I haven't decided on yet.

Nice I really wanted that Wagon in St. Louis that you picked up. Congratulations on winning that one. I would like to do most of the same mods to mine. I'm going to have to do some other stuff since mine currently has Blue interior. I'd like to change it all to Silver or Grey because in the long term I want to paint my car two tone Midnight or Navy blue over Silver. What are you trying to get out of your black one ?

Going to be buying Lotto tickets every chance I get and hoping for the best.When I win you will be hereing from me.Of course once the twin turbo's go on,then forget selling it right.Have all my fingers crossed.
Jim Gordon
PS Lance the black wagon is mine so forget about that one!LOL

When I had it on display locally I told a guy looking at it that I would take $8k. Depending on what the estimate is from the body shop, then I'll add that amount to the minimum. I'm having a never used hood from a '96 BBB SS put on as there's a dimple in the hood where the Caprice hood ornament was removed. I've also put the Wheelskin on the steering wheel and had the starburst in the windshield treated so the tiny cracks don't spread further. There's an intermittent rattle coming from somewhere underneath that I'm having my body shop look into and fix.

If someone from the forum comes through and makes an offer, I'll sweeten the deal by throwing in a set of never used Impala SS wheels and the original tires. And I've got a 12-way tan leather Bonneville bucket that I'll throw in as well. The wheels, tires, and hood are from a tricked out '96 SS I bought from a guy on the SS forum a couple of years ago that had only 9600 original miles.

Please stop!Wonder if I can borrow against my life insurance and sell a kidney!Just a thought.
Jim Gordon

Kidneys go for good money these days.... lol

Good luck with sale... or mods... Mods are more fun.