Checker cabs. Anyone into them?

In reply to Antihero :

What year Caprice??

We weighed my buddy's '88 Mustang GT (5 speed, all options except t-tops or sunroof) on a truck scale when it was new, and it was 3240.  My Challenger convertible (no options whatsoever, not even a floor shift) with a 440 automatic and fiberglass front fenders was 3400.  My other friend's Challenger R/T with a 383 and loaded, including A/C was 3720)

That sounds incredibly low for a BoF Caprice.

They weren't strictly taxi cabs, you could buy a Checker Marathon in 4-door sedan or wagon form if you wanted to.

Cooter said:

That sounds incredibly low for a BoF Caprice.

I don't know what BoF means, but if you're talking about older full size cars like from the 1960s, for their size they weren't as heavy as people often think.  They didn't have all the heavy crash structure, miles of wiring, insulation and interiors, infotainment systems and so on that cars have today.

In reply to stuart in mn :

Body on frame

This article shows what could have been for checker into the 1980s with vw rabbit and chevrolet citation based vehicles.

https://www.hemmings.com/blog/2015/08/12/galva-and-galva-ii-the-checker-cabs-that-could-have-been/

Cooter said:

In reply to Antihero :

What year Caprice??

We weighed my buddy's '88 Mustang GT (5 speed, all options except t-tops or sunroof) on a truck scale when it was new, and it was 3240.  My Challenger convertible (no options whatsoever, not even a floor shift) with a 440 automatic and fiberglass front fenders was 3400.  My other friend's Challenger R/T with a 383 and loaded, including A/C was 3720)

That sounds incredibly low for a BoF Caprice.

 

84 for mine although i imagine that figure works for the whole 77-90 range

OK, Checker fans, this place in the Tampa Bay area seems to have a fleet of old Checker taxis for sale, including wagons. NMNA

https://tampa.craigslist.org/pnl/cto/d/multiple-vehicles-for/6745564603.html

LOL, So I brought this up at dinner last night saying how cool an old Checker would be as a family cruiser.  Both the spousal unit and the offspring said, in unison, before I could even finish 'No it wouldn't' in that emphatic way that only the female of the species can muster that conveys the message 'No, don't think about it and never bring it up again'  The scary thing was how in sync the two of them were!

Adrian_Thompson said:

LOL, So I brought this up at dinner last night saying how cool an old Checker would be as a family cruiser.  Both the spousal unit and the offspring said, in unison, before I could even finish 'No it wouldn't' in that emphatic way that only the female of the species can muster that conveys the message 'No, don't think about it and never bring it up again'  The scary thing was how in sync the two of them were!

So, when are you getting one?

I always thought that if I wanted to do a bonkers street car (not that I have the money or time or talent), this would be fun to make into a fast hauler.

Antihero said:

Cooter said:

In reply to Antihero :

What year Caprice??

We weighed my buddy's '88 Mustang GT (5 speed, all options except t-tops or sunroof) on a truck scale when it was new, and it was 3240.  My Challenger convertible (no options whatsoever, not even a floor shift) with a 440 automatic and fiberglass front fenders was 3400.  My other friend's Challenger R/T with a 383 and loaded, including A/C was 3720)

That sounds incredibly low for a BoF Caprice.

 

84 for mine although i imagine that figure works for the whole 77-90 range

The 77 to 90 caprices are roughly the same size and wheelbase as the pre 78 gm a bodies which were around similar weight.

scardeal said:

I always thought that if I wanted to do a bonkers street car (not that I have the money or time or talent), this would be fun to make into a fast hauler.

From the mid 60s all v8 checkers used small block chevys so getting horsepower out of them isant difficult.

ShawnG said:

They weren't strictly taxi cabs, you could buy a Checker Marathon in 4-door sedan or wagon form if you wanted to.

I wanted a Checker Marathon back in the '80s. Thought it would make a better future tow vehicle than the Austin Princess Vanden Plas limo I had (that had a similarly sized back seat expanse). There was a $300 Marathon available in the neighborhood. Had a Chevy 305 in it. Couldn't convince SWMBOed.

It seemed to be a selling point to advertise "never used as a cab".

I swear one of my retirement projects is going to be a full on restomod Checker. I love these cars.

Sad to see them leave the City. Considering just how many made, kinda weird how rarely you see them these days. 

MotorsportsGordon said:

Antihero said:

Cooter said:

In reply to Antihero :

What year Caprice??

We weighed my buddy's '88 Mustang GT (5 speed, all options except t-tops or sunroof) on a truck scale when it was new, and it was 3240.  My Challenger convertible (no options whatsoever, not even a floor shift) with a 440 automatic and fiberglass front fenders was 3400.  My other friend's Challenger R/T with a 383 and loaded, including A/C was 3720)

That sounds incredibly low for a BoF Caprice.

 

84 for mine although i imagine that figure works for the whole 77-90 range

The 77 to 90 caprices are roughly the same size and wheelbase as the pre 78 gm a bodies which were around similar weight.

My 95 9C1 weighed in at 4,200lbs. That's about as stripper as it got.

Danny Shields said:

OK, Checker fans, this place in the Tampa Bay area seems to have a fleet of old Checker taxis for sale, including wagons. NMNA

 

https://tampa.craigslist.org/pnl/cto/d/multiple-vehicles-for/6745564603.html

So what is the number in parentheses for each vehicle?

1. 1967 Checker Wagon (10)- $4500.00 
2. 1981 Checker Marathon (30)- $3500.00
3. 1981 Checker Marathon (40)- $3500.00
4. 1977 Checker Marathon (50)- $6500.00
5. 1979 Checker Marathon (60)- $6500.00
6. 1963 Checker Wagon (Monster)- $6500.00
7. 1998 Lincoln Limo (75)- $2500.00
8. 2000 Lincoln Limo (85)- $2500.00
9. 2001 Lincoln Town Car (33)- $1750.00
10. 2000 Lincoln Town Car (99)- $1750.00