It’s my duty to document all the remaining ’77-up GM B-Bodies left on the street here. That involves an ever shrinking pool of eligible candidates, and an increasing percentage of them are now well-kept or even renovated examples like this one, and ever fewer beaters. Which is a bit sad, from my warped perspective, as I seem to like these cars better in an advanced state of decay rather than pristine, like this one. Why? probably because I wasn’t too wild about them after the first couple of years of them, especially so by 1986, when this Caprice Classic was new.
I own my prejudice, but by 1986 I thought these were getting just a wee bit stale. But then some folks love stale bread; it makes great toast! And the sides of this one does look like nicely-browned toast. Actually, it is of course wood-grain vinyl applique, or Di-Noc, or whatever you wan to call it, and it is doubly fake, as this is clearly new.
This is what it’s supposed to look like, with a bright trim molding wrapping the wood grain applique. And the wood is a different grain and color.
So maybe this was originally a non-woody Caprice wagon? The tailgate is also missing the wood touch.
The interior is in equally commendably nice condition. Someone will tell us just which Delco audio system this is.
And there’s those fake wire wheel covers; also doubly fake as these are not like the originals, which were one of the relatively better examples of the breed.
No, it’s not exactly original, which is a makes this one a more forgettable example of the species. It’s just not working well for me. But then it clearly is for its owner, and that’s what counts. Who cares what I think anyway?
that radio was the AM/FM manual tune version of the 2000 series Delco radio.
I think this car was the poverty spec wagon.
Or it could be just the AM radio. I also see crank windows as well.
I agree with you 99% of the time–like now!
The 1977-79 large cars were great! Yes, they had standard 6-cylinders, but 99% of them came with V8s–the Chevy 305s, or various GM 350s. The worst was the Pontiac 301, which was not too bad.
Things went downhill starting in 1980. The cars got uglier, and the interiors seemed cheaper. More V6s in the mix, including a new 252 cid for Buick, and we had the “new” 265 or 267 V8 which was lame. Then we got the lame 4100 aluminum V8 from Cadillac, and the much worse V8-6-4…..
So, 1980-82 was the depth of malaise for these cars, the only positive being the 305 4-speed auto. But that didn’t do anything for the anodyne interiors…
Just look at the dashboard and instrument panel in the feature car, then look at one from a 77-79 Caprice/Impala.
Also, by 1986, yes, the car was TEN YEARS OLD.
The 1980s were the dark ages for GM, despite some flashes of light, from which they never recovered.
You’re right: that dashboard is awful. I still kinda like the exterior, though.
Don’t forget the Olds 403, an engine we had in our 1978 Buick Estate Wagon. Only a meager 185hp from a 6.6 liter engine but a whopping 320 lb-ft of torque at 3200rpm….A real stump puller.
The silver trim on the dash only was around for 1985 and 1986. By 1987 the loads of fake woodgrain was back in spades, circa 1977. The dashes really didn’t change at all over this generation. The instrumentation was updated, and they switched to that goofy headlight switch in 1985, otherwise, it was pretty well the same as a ’77. If anything, I found the 1980’s cars were somewhat better trimmed overall, many of the late 70’s Chevy’s had very plain interiors. Part of it was likely more upscale versions being sold in the later years.
If you want a wagon with the full 70’s experience from this era, just get a Pontiac Safari. It even had the pull light switch.
Here is a 1977 Dash:
Here is a 1984 Dash:
A 1989 Dash:
The small updates Chevrolet did to the 1977 instrument panel all made it uglier. Someone decided the original gloss black/gold stripe/woodgrain aesthetic was too ’70s to still be using in ’86 so instead we got this cheap silver aluminum-looking stuff around the radio and A/C controls. The headlamp push/pull knob was replaced by that weird toggle switch GM used in the ’80s and ’90s that was never as convenient. The font on the gauges got funky.
I’m trying to think what the last car to have a factory mechanical dial-tuned radio was; these were largely phased out by the end of the decade in favor of digital electronics.
The old-timey script Caprice badge this owner put on the grille is a nice touch that I like much better than the block CHEVROLET lettering this car originally had. It should really be on the RH side of the grille though.
Interesting question on the radio. The last dial-tuned one I can remember actually using came on a mid-80s Subaru. I’m guessing they held on a few more years, though.
After a quick search, I see the Chevette – perhaps not surprisingly – had a manual radio as late as ’86.
My ’87 Caprice Classic is about is as stripped as it comes. I swear GM forgot to put some trim on it. It has a two speaker manual tune AM radio.
Wow, how much would it have cost in *1987* to include FM reception too? $1.49 per car?
I didn’t even realize AM, in manual tune, only was an option that late in a Caprice. No mention of an AM radio in the GM Service Manual. I can’t even imagine how low the take rate must have been.
Another theory (which I am sure is wrong) is that the car was manufactured shortly before Detroit Clark Avenue Assembly was closed. They threw whatever in stock parts they had at it, and didn’t worry about other things. The original paint is of incredibly poor quality for instance.
I still live by the rule that wood belongs on Ford wagons and is best avoided on GM wagons. These were at their best wood-free.
I kind of lost interest in these after 1979. If I were going to get one from the 80s I would be an Olds or Buick guy for the better interiors.
For the Mideast market in 80s Alot Of These wagons came with 350&manual transmission.i don’t think North America ‘s market got many of those.
My dad bought a 78 Malibu Classic wagon (new) because he could get it with a 4-speed stick. All of his cars up to then were Oldsmobiles with manual transmissions, so when we went to the Olds dealer he was told “auto only”, and sent to the Chev dealer down the road. The chev guys also told him the Caprices were auto only, but he could order a Malibu with a stick. We had it for 10-11 years, until just before I got my drivers license. I wish I had taken pics of the inside!
I think it looks great. like most here i lost interest around the mid 80’s. i owned a green 78 Caprice wagon it was a really great vehicle.
I never much liked the 86 refresh where the headlight sections became separate modules from the grille. I’ve always been in the minority preferring the 1980 refresh to the 77, but only truly up to 1985 before the Impala was dropped. Between that and some of the detail changes the 86+ just remind me of the final Panthers. I never liked the B body wagons, they all looked the same, but of them all Chevy is the blandest, make this the Buick and I may be more excited.
While I am happy for the owner and hope the restoration is just as they planned, the more I look at this, the more it looks like Ecco Homo retouched….
I don’t know if I would go THAT far. Actually, I think that replacing the original Di-Noc is an opportunity to add a personal touch, like resurfacing wood floors in an old house.
I’m glad some one took the time to restore it to the best of there ability.
Simply a extreme nice daily driver. Always was my favorite car, and still is.
I like the plastic seat organizer and the little transmission tunnel trash bucket. That’s what everyone used in the days before center consoles and built-in cupholders. Hardcore period accessories, though the Rubbermaid version of the organizer is a bit too recent. I had the same bucket in black, and an organizer that had two cupholders and a rack for cassette tapes.
I rented a new Chevy Caprice woody wagon in January 1984 when I was in Baltimore doing environmental work.The city was hit with ice then snow in a big winter storm just as I landed at the airport. Having grown up in Florida, I never drove on ice before and I was in for an education. Traffic was fortunately light as the city was pretty much shut down. Perhaps it was survival instinct that caused me to realize to take things slow and not do anything sudden. I made it to the jobsite in one piece despite a few scares. There was a big empty parking lot so I practiced sliding around for a while to test my limits. Then I had to drive across a large grassed lot with a very slight sideways slope. This is where it got weird – the grass was iced up and I lost traction. I began to slip sideways in very slow motion. Steering, brakes, accelerator – nothing helped. For at least two full minutes I continued to slowly slide until I came to rest very gently against a tree trunk. I got traction then and was able to gingerly drive away.
This one still serves as a daily driver, at least in summers, locally. The owner told me he has updated all the mechanical aspects, and the body is still very solid. I shot this one last summer, and having seen it just the other day I can attest it is still in the same relatively fine condition.
The restorations?/modifications on this Caprice remind me of what would be done to a rather basic Caprice for prominent use in a TV show or movie that takes place in the 1980s.
By ’86 the woodgrain look was getting distinctly stale (although it would linger as factory equipment into the mid ’90s), so the take rate then must be much lower than the demand among old-car seekers for what’s now a distinctly retro look.
I wonder if it had the Chevrolet 305 (LG4) or Olds 307 (LV2) V8. I know the wagons switched from the LG4 to the LV2 V8 on 11/1/1985. And the ones with the factory wood-paneling would say Caprice Estate on the tailgate.
I don’t care what anybody thinks, I love this car and would make it my own if I had the space for it. Renovated or not, it has beautfiul lines. These were the best-looking large wagons around in the ’80s and sure beat those ugly boxes from Ford.
I really miss woody wagons!
It does look like this guy added the woodgrain after the fact. At least he tried to mimic the factory setup. Finding the genuine trim would be very difficult, so his solution of the stick on door trim works okay. I just would have used squared up ends rather than the pointed ends.
I agree that this wagon was not done in my taste (I don’t like woodgrain on any wagon), but it’s not my car. Quite honestly, I just happy to see one being cared for and still seeing regular use.
The ’70’s B-bodies were good, but these 80’s versions, although dated, were very good on their own right. The big advantage to the 80’s cars was a significant improvement in fuel economy. Most of the 80’s wagons had the OD transmission as standard equipment and these cars got great mileage for the era, far better than late 70’s cars. The 305 powered wagons were decent performers, especially once the LG4 got a compression boost. Too bad the later wagons were all LV2 307’s. While they were dated in the 80’s, I’d argue these were one of the very few decent cars GM still made during that time.
There were a couple B-wagons in the neighborhood I grew up in, with accident damage. One of them had un-wood grained panels like the pics up top, and one had totally mismatched “wood” panels… I’m gonna vote for the car up top having had a partial repaint at some point and the owner didn’t want to pay for replacing ALL the “wood”, or to have what “wood” he had left, taken off. Or something.
What really care is that someone love this example. It is better than many others that are relegated by its owners, that use them to haul every kind of thing and do not care at all about their ride. It may be not 100% original, but I appreciated to see it is still running, bringing happy memories for each one of us, car lovers , from a different time, when it ran slow and life was simpler than now.Congrats for the owner. Double faux wire wheels and double faux Di-Noc are not a problem, at least to me.
Bit late to the discussion, but have some history on the Classic Caprice. Belongs to my wife and is her vintage trailer hauler. Wagon came originally from Montana to Oregon.
Has a documented 58,000 miles on it. Was told it sat in the original owners garage for 17 years after they passed and was finally sold by their relatives. Do not know about the possible faux woodgrain, but do know it has only AM radio. We are the 4th owner of this 33 year old survivor and enjoy turning peoples heads.
Thanks for all the replies and comments, everyone !