The CarDomain staff have been working all week to bring you the most noteworthy cars at SEMA–not just the best, but the worst. I thought I’d already reached the bottom of the barrel with this ugly Prius, but this Chevy hi-riser comes very close to topping that monstrosity. See more…

This ‘72 Impala coupe can only be described as an assault on the senses.  Painted an obtrusive Magenta, rolling on 26″ two-bladed chrome mower rims, tagged with Nevada “IKANDE” plates, and appropriately decorated with color-matched Truck Nutz, it is a perfectly hideous creation. Think there’s any hope of bringing it back to stock?

See what I mean about the big-wheelers this year? They’re on the tame side for the most part, and don’t go too far beyond the expected touches. This Caprice is one big billboard of Sponge Bob murals (how do they choose these themes?), rolling on only 24″ Milani wheels. The walkaround is worth a look, if nothing else for the artistry of the paint.

Ok, so first the good news: it looks like we will be getting a Holden Zeta platform-based Chevy after all. The new Caprice will come with a 6.0-liter LS2 V8 which puts out 355 HP and 384 lb-ft of torque. Now the bad news: it will only be available as a cop car. Via Jalopnik

In case you haven’t noticed, we’re big fans of dumb fun around here. The guys in this video are as well. They have a 1995 Caprice that is backfiring through the exhaust. The guys determined that the backfires are being caused by the cat converters breaking up. Whatever the cause, they sound like gunshots. Then there’s the flame part.

This Caprice makes Uncle Buck’s car sound like a BB gun.

Citing an informed and confidential source within GM’s executive ranks, Automotive Traveler has confirmed that not only will Pontiac’s highly regarded G8 sedan migrate to the Chevrolet brand, but it will be built in North America at GM’s Oshawa, Ontario plant.

Late this morning, Automotive Traveler learned through confidential sources at GM that the G8 (based on GM’s Global Zeta platform, a lighter, more efficient version on the chassis that currently underpins the G8) will be built in Oshawa, Ontario, right alongside it’s stable mate, the Chevy Camaro. We have learned that the new car will most likely be called the Caprice, and that it will be launched within 18 months, most likely at the start of the 2011 model year after Pontiac gets its last rites. Read more at Automotive Traveler.

Well let’s just say the past few weeks haven’t gone quite as planned. The original plan was to take my new 2009 Challenger R/T Classic on the Power Tour. Unfortunately, Chrysler filed for bankruptcy the day my car was to be finished, and delayed me receiving the vehicle for a few months. I decided to concentrate on my 1971 Dodge Challenger for the Tour, but that didn’t work out either. I discovered some damage to the front end. I knew when going through the damage that it would take a bit of work to get straightened out. So out came the Caprice for its second Power Tour.

The Caprice isn’t a hot rod in the typical sense, but I’ve upgraded and modified the car. It will move with the other cars in the pack, just like last year. The old girl has a V8, cop car suspension, a/c, overdrive and plenty of truck space to carry anything I need or my friends. It is the perfect cruising car.

My best friend Mike was going to do the Tour with me, but stuff came up for him at work, so he is no longer traveling with me. I’ll be doing the Tour solo this year.

Last year I had an incredible time, even after a few issues. I expect that this year will be even better then the last. I’ll  try to post daily updates up until the Tour, so stay tuned.

Click through to King’s ‘96 Caprice ride page and find out!

Yes yes, I know you all hate donks and think they’re silly. But admit it: if you had something sitting on 26″ rims, you’d probably want to take a lot of sexy low-angle pics of it, too. See more nice shots of mrsaudi’s ‘76 Caprice on his ride page!

I’m putting headers on my ‘84 Caprice pretty soon. I bought them from a friend last summer who never installed them, but did decide to give them a rattle-can paint job.  Not liking the finish from the spraycan, I sanded them meticulously until they were clean. Left with bare headers, I asked myself:  what now–to wrap or to paint?


Of course, there are pros and cons to both. I originally wanted to have my headers powder-coated, the benefits being that heat is dispersed evenly throughout the header when it’s coated. There are multiple options for color as well as finish, but cons started to develop when I found that the headers would have to be shipped out to coat and would cost over $330.00 I quickly scrapped that idea. Not to mention Jen had a bad experience where rust developed under the coating and permeated through at the welds–and that was a coating from Jet-Hot, supposedly the best in the business.

So at this point I considered wrapping the headers mostly due to the low cost and the ability to do it myself. The cons on wrapping, as I discovered, tend to vary depending on who you get your information from. Some of the more prevalent myths about wrapping are as follows: header wrap that gets wet will cause cracks and will rot your headers; overlapping your wrap too much will cause header tubes to fracture; and finally, wrapping leads to cracks no matter how you do it. All of these issues seem a little overhyped and probably preventable, so my final desicion is to wrap. At a cost of $89.00, I was able to get a DEI Header Wrap Kit through Summit, complete with 2 rolls of wrap, enough metal ties for the job and a can of paint sealant to prevent rust. Sure beats $330.00, don’t it? Tune in soon for my next installment where I show you how I wrapped my headers from step one to step done.

The Caprice wagon you see in this rather poor photo from about ten years ago was my first attempt at a demo derby car. The good news for the Caprice is that it never saw a demo derby.

The whole thing started on a whim. I happened to see a flyer stapled to a telephone pole announcing a local fair hosting a smash-‘em-up derby. That same day my friend Jess mentioned that her parents were looking for someone to take their old family car, the Caprice wagon, to the junkyard, as it had been living in their driveway for far too long and no one wanted it.

I offered them 50 bucks and the promise to have it out of their driveway by the end of the week. It was, as everything I take home, not running. On the way home dad and I grabbed a cap and rotor, plugs, a battery, carb cleaner, and some ether. We zipped the tune-up parts onto the motor, gave it some juice and a zap of ether, and the wheezy 305 sprung to life. We were going to be in the derby business!

Continue reading at BangShift.com