Skip on the 3.8l 229CID V6 in the Norfolk add. That engine is a Chevy and it's a dog. No where near as powerful as the Buick 3.8l 231CID V6
There was no aftermarket support when I had my Malibu Wagon with one.
I'm surprised they even used that engine in the Caprice. I would have thought it was a 4.3l.
i had a late 80's example for about amonth in hogh school, loaned to me from my chemistry teacher. my daily at the time was a 70 duster with drum brakes, manual steering, and no sway bars/working shocks.
it was a quadrajet, automatic, v8, with all the bells and whistles (cruise, power everything, a radio, etc)
this was in the mid to late 90's, so memory a tad fuzy.
I remember it handled better than my car, was just as quick, we could fit 9 high school kids in there without using the trunk for any of them.
went to the beach on a half tank of gas from charlotte.
fit EVERYTHING for a beach weekend on the way down, and a junkyard motor and all the gear from the beach on the way back.
crusied effortlessly at 90mph through SC.
rode great
that's about all I can remember.
go build one while I read the bangshift thread.
RealMiniDriver wrote: Donk
That makes baby Spaghetti Monster cry.
Toyman01 wrote: Skip on the 3.8l 229CID V6 in the Norfolk add. That engine is a Chevy and it's a dog. No where near as powerful as the Buick 3.8l 231CID V6 There was no aftermarket support when I had my Malibu Wagon with one. I'm surprised they even used that engine in the Caprice. I would have thought it was a 4.3l.
They went 4.3 in 86 in the states, 87 in Canada. Like always, canada lagging behind the states. 
I reeeallly don't want a V6. Feels wrong.
RoughandReady wrote: I reeeallly don't want a V6. Feels wrong.
The best thing about a V6 car? It makes a cheaper donor chassis for the real engine. I would imagine a $500 engine/trans takeout from a 99-01 with the 4.8 would be a healthy improvement over any V8 that came in those. 275hp/285tq compared to the 305's at 170hp/250tq or the older 307 with 140hp/255. Hell, even the 9C1 with the "good" 5.7 was only a 195hp/290tq.
EDIT: holy E36 M3 that thing was a turd. Sure didn't feel like it in 1994.
In reply to Bobzilla:
A full sized boat sedan really should have a lazy, archaic V8.
RoughandReady wrote: In reply to Bobzilla: A full sized boat sedan really should have a lazy, archaic V8.
Not the way I want to build one. Hot Rod's 451hp/384tq N/A 4.8 that pulled to 7k (before the boosted the living E36 M3 out of it) sounds PERFECT for a primered Box caprice lowered down on Hotchkis bits with a pair of nice Corbeaus's and a T-56 in it.
I was thinking there is plenty of platform left for turbo plumbing on one of these.
There's been a $600 '83 caprice reposted on my local craigslist monthly for nearly a year.
In reply to TRoglodyte:
Get under the engine bay... once you strip the AIR Pump plumbing, the clutch fan and shroud and stupid crap, there's a lot of room under there.
V6 means I'm going to want a manual, and that would defeat the whole column shift lay-z-boy chair idea.
Never seen the Memorex ad?
I had a 77 Sedan, a 78 Coupe, and a 77 Wagon. These were all in the 1980's so they were not as old as they are now, but parts should still not be an issue.
I felt that I could keep an Impala running forever with basic hand tools. The engines are big, simple and straightforward. You could swap out almost any ancillary in the driveway. The 3-speed transmission was bulletproof, not sure about the later 4-speeds. My Wagon and Sedan had the 350 and I think that was the best option. The coupe had some V6, and I did not like it. Gutless and it broke down a few times.
The only issues that I ever had was the rust here in the N.E. and that only affected the folks at the inspection station. As far as the car was concerned, it would soldier on as fenders fell off and the floor dropped out.
You also have to know about things like vapor-lock and starter solenoids. There are no black-box brains on these things, no OBD-III you can plug into. If it doesn't start, you often have to whack something with a hammer to get it going. And some things are operated by a system called "vacuum lines" . If you are under 20, this idea will baffle you, but vacuum was used to make things happen instead of wires and electrons. How quaint.
Oh, as for handling, swap in the cop stuff. It will handle like a floating 5000# pig, but a solid one. 
pinchvalve wrote: Oh, as for handling, swap in the cop stuff. It will handle like a floating 5000# pig, but a solid one.
Actually, it was fairly stiff. I drove a couple non-9C1's right after I bought mine. I couldn't believe people actually paid money for them. Such a wallowing pig. Absolutely nothing like the 9C1 IMO. there's something to be said about the big springs/swaybars on them.
Mine, an `88 fair weather driver with the 307:
I daily it almost exclusively during the months when Ohio roads are not covered in salt. So, what's it like to live with? In a word: awesome. In my first year of ownership, I racked up 10,000 miles driving it all around Ohio and PA. If I stay out of it on the freeway (it can keep up with modern cars just fine, thank you,) I can achieve close to 23 MPG.
So long as the suspension is relatively fresh, these cars will surprise you with their competence in the handling department, bearing in mind that your expectations remember this car's original purpose. I autocross mine, and have yet to be last. In fact, at an autocross last year, I was faster than a BMW 318ti and an inexperienced Cooper S driver.
They're easy to work on, too, so long as you're not replacing the #8 spark plug. Mine's never left me stranded, though it does currently have an annoying IAC issue. I think everyone else has covered the performance aspect, but I will just echo the sentiment by saying that these truly are blank slates; you can do whatever you want with them, depending only on the size of your wallet.
They're not fast cars, however, they are entirely adequate. The headliner will sag. The bumper covers will be brittle, they will crack, and they will fall off. The wiper/cruise control stalk will very likely be finicky, and the window wash system will always suck. Hope something in there was helpful!
Toyman01 wrote: Skip on the 3.8l 229CID V6 in the Norfolk add. That engine is a Chevy and it's a dog. No where near as powerful as the Buick 3.8l 231CID V6 There was no aftermarket support when I had my Malibu Wagon with one. I'm surprised they even used that engine in the Caprice. I would have thought it was a 4.3l.
the 229 V6 is quite literally a 305 V8 missing a couple of cylinders... a 350 bolts in with different frame mounts, and all the accessories swap over from the V6.
the V6 means the initial buy in is cheaper, and it also means the car was likely never beaten too bad..
In reply to pinchvalve:
Haha. "Vacuum lines."
As an owner of Volvos and particularly Mercedes, I am a master of vacuum lines. Volvo doesn't run? Check the lines.
As for Mercedes, they seemed to run EVERYTHING off of vacuum. My wagon E36 M3 itself when oil started backing up from the engine into the vacuum system.
Also, the Mercedes wagon doesn't do too well as a utility vehicle, since you can't put anything in the back without risking a puncture to one of the soft, plastic vacuum lines.
the vacuum lines on a Volvo or Mercedes actually do something functional- the vacuum lines on late 70's/early 80's GM's are there merely to keep people from thinking they should try to work on the car themselves- to make the car look more complicated and thus scary to work on to the average person- then they go bad from heat and cause vacuum leaks.
What's the TBI system like on an SBC? I've never had TBI. I only have limited experience with carbs also. I probably would want to eliminate the feedback carb system, that jsut sounds like a bastard.
I drove them back in the day. They sucked then. They are worse now.
Just my opinion.
Get an FC.
amg_rx7 wrote: I drove them back in the day. They sucked then. They are worse now. Just my opinion. Get an FC.
Did you even read this?
In reply to RealMiniDriver:
They need to quit destroying good Impalas and Caprices. Prison time for these folks just isn't enough justice.
amg_rx7 wrote: I drove them back in the day. They sucked then. They are worse now. Just my opinion. Get an FC.
go piss in someone else's wheaties, buzzkill.
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