What’s more appropriate than finding a classic B-Box Chevy at the hardware store? Finding one at a rock store?
This Caprice is still in fine nick too; let’s take a closer look.
By 1988, the box-B was already in its second decade, and still had a few years to go before it was finally replaced in 1992. A classic in its own time; it had earned its name.
Comfy split seats; no more pretending to accommodate a middle front passenger. That was a blessing; driving with someone scrunched up against one was really unpleasant, unless of course it was someone you really wanted to be scrunched up against. But that was falling out of favor anyway.
The back seat was the place to shove that unwelcome extra fifth person, if it had to be.
The filler panels between the bumper and body are still intact. Has it been garaged or did GM finally improve the plastic it had bene using?
This one’s powered by the equally classic Chevy 305 small block V8. It’s essentially an update of that all-time classic ’55 Chevy: no bigger than necessary and powered by that most classic of engines.
I had a similar Crown Vic when I chanced to show someone around town in a Chevy like this.
No fast driving (the Vic, an LX with a few discreet cop car parts, smoked a Monte SS and could do about 2G in a corner😆)
But the trans on the Chev was intuitive. No arbitrary shifts. (Yes the TV cable was set properly on the Ford, but it felt like the Chevy had a vacuum modulator).
And the Chev did somehow feel more “of a piece”.
Nice!! Like that its wearing the cop spec hubcaps. Maybe they improved the clips but it always seemed like these would fly off if you drove like them duke boys. I know the later whale body 9C1 caprice did away with these hubcaps after 1992 or 93 and went back to just steelies with a small chrome cap/chrome lugs
As for these vs the whale cars that came later, Chevy did manage to finally dress one of them up pretty nice in Impala SS guise(aka got rid of the brougham crap like fender skirts) But they were kinda flabby for no reason vs the box. No extra interior room in the whale but they did have a bigger trunk. Id take a clean box vs a whale now days, sky’s the limit on what you can fit under the hood of either car though.
Yes. That later to come , bloated edition was just big/awkward. The only “extra”, interior room was the endless expanse form the front seat to the windshield.
These are really good cars. I don’t know why they can’t be on the road indefinitely, parts will be available probably forever. Unless in the rust belt!
I have an 88 and I guess I am in the rust belt. I got mine in a Jeffersonville Indiana
a few years back. A small bit of surface rust. When I had it repainted about 6-7 years ago (tu tone) ithad one patch on t he l.rear fender. Everything else was good, no rust. I had some problems with the electronic Q-jet carb and after a bunch of $ and frustration just had the piter controlsk removed an d dropped in a Chevt 350 with 2X the original H.P. and torque at least. After trying to get that to run well withf the original rear gears, very high, I went to 3:72 gears. Now that woke the engine up nicely!!. Looks stock but will scoot now.
Great cars, these 1977-1990 GM full-sizers!
That’s a nice car! I’d drive it!
Huge credit, to the owner(s) for keeping it in fine condition, for such a long duration. Personally, I’ve never been that attracted to cars I strongly associate with commercial fleets/taxis/police. Feels, like a vintage cab.
I didn’t know these were ever sold with no front center seating position. Not extending the cushions there allowed GM to save the cost of the middle seat belt.”
The car itself didn’t change much from 1977 (and especially from 1980), but the market for Caprices changed drastically in that time. When new in ’77 this car was sold to, and bought by middle America, a very popular family car. Sure some were sold to fleets, police, and taxi companies, but consumer retail was the main thrust of Chevy’s marketing. IIRC the full-sized Chevrolet was the best selling car in the US in 1978, overtaking the Cutlass. By 1988, these were already 6 years beyond their originally planned discontinuation, and were now largely sold to fleets of various sorts, along with a few private buyers that didn’t warm to the shrunken/transverse V6/FWD/unibody “big” cars being sold by the other GM divisions.
It’s the optional 50/50 split front seats available on the Caprice Classic.
Yes, but earlier box Caprices with the 50/50 seats didn’t have that big gap between the seats. Here’s a photo of a 1982 Caprice with 50/50 seats and the two seats nearly touch each other in this one, and is clearly intended as a central seating position. I’m not sure when the change to the big gap was made.
It’s a bit odd; I don’t see these seats in the brochures either. Hmm…
What a nice Caprice. I haven’t seen one in these parts for a few years. By this time, GM had improved the interior of the cars, as evidenced by the nice seats of the car featured here.
I have a big soft spot in my heart because I spend countless hours driving them as taxis.
I greatly miss these fine cars .
So do any od the L.A.P.D. officers who drove them, we had special order with 350 CID engines in them so they went very quickly indeed .
-Nate
@sam the Caprices had a TV cable as well. They just shifted better than the AOD lol.
@aaron the full disc 6-slot wheel covers were available on base Caprice Classics and 9C1s thru the end of production. From ’93 (IIRC) onward hey had a gold bowtie in place of the black disc/”CAPRICE” emblem. The same full disc covers were available on the 2G Lumina 9C1/9C3s
Didn’t realize those were cop spec wheel covers. My grandpa had an 86 wagon with those wheel covers. V6, vinyl seats, manual windows, AM radio with no rear speakers. But the AC was like frost coming from the vents.
A buddy had an 88 sedan. V6 and burned oil. Brown/brown and was called appropriate words. He hit a deer at 55 mph and all it did was break a headlight.
I rode in another Caprice sedan on the way to some school function. We hit a deer at full speed. Killed the deer on impact, but we just dragged it off the road and kept on going like nothing happened.
I thought it was unfortunate that GM quit making these tough reliable cars. They pretty much had the market for cop cars and taxis. But I figure it was like so many other designs that got dropped after 1996, due to the government mandated door beams. After that, cars started getting these thick pillars and correspondingly larger blind spots. Styling took a hit too at least IMO.
These wheel covers are not police specific. A quick look at Dezo’s Garage confirms this.
https://xr793.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/10/1988-Chevrolet-Caprice.pdf
GM dropped the b-body after 1996 to free up the Arlington Texas assembly plant. To make Tahoes and Suburbans.
I think the rationale was the Arlington plant was under utlized due to slow sales of the Caprice/Roadmaster/Fleetwood. And since it was already set up to make body on frame vehicles, it required minimal retooling of the assembly line.
It was the right move financially for GM, considering how well the Tahoe/Suburban sold. And the MUCH FATTER profit margin on those trucks
I have had a number these over the years. Several Bromham’s, a lot more 9C1s. Even a Station Wagon. I now have only one left-A 1989 Caprice 9C1, It’s a Street Sleeper. Suspension and Brakes just redone 9C1 stuff. The body is solid as as hell, but has a few minor holes. Undercarraige perfect. Paint is as ugly as age can make it, you would never think it is what it is. Here’s a list-15×8 wheels with P255-60R-15 BFG TAs. A 454 bored .60 over,Hyperutectic 11 to 1 comp pistons, resized 454 rods with ARP Rod Bolts. 1970 396 oval port Heads, ported and polished with 2.19 and 1.88 stainless valves. Full Comp Cams valvetrain with Roller Rockers. A Turbo 350, Pro Built with a ratchet Shifter, Shift Kit and a 3500 stall pro built Converter as well as a 3.08 rebuilt 10 bolt posi. It will get your arrention for sure.
The rental car company that I worked for during that era sent every box Caprice we could get to Kuwait. Ford cargo vans, Chevy trucks, etc. The Caprice’s were very popular.