CarDomain Blog » Caprice

Plotting and Scheming

David Clarke — Mon, 02 Aug 2010 09:56:10 +0000

The other day, I finally sold my 20 inch Dayton wheels that I’ve had for 4 years. With only about 5,000 miles on the tires, they sold for my asking price of $900 bucks–and naturally, I’ve already been mapping out exactly how I’m going to put the proceeds back into my ride. Like many of us, I love to plan out my next move when it comes to my car, and selling the wheels was something I had to do to take my ride in the new direction I have planned for it. With a bit of artistic talent and the help of MS Paint, I’m forever creating renderings to help me get a visual of how things might look if I did x, y, or z. Then once I have the look pinned down, it’s on to the internetz to price out parts and crunch numbers. Half the time I think doing the research for my next move is as exciting as looking at the final project when it’s all done. So the question today is–do you plan out your automotive moves like a 4-star general, as I do? Or are you more of a shoot-from-the-hip type who adds mods to your car on a whim? Follow the jump for more on what I’ve been plotting.

In this case, my newly hatched plan is to replace the 20 inch Daytons with stock steel wheels painted the same chocolate brown as the bottom color on my Caprice’s two-tone. The rims will get dog-dish hubcaps from a Caprice cop car and BFG rubber all the way around–225/60R15′s to the front and 245/60R15′s to the rear. And I’m not stopping there–the car will also be dropped an inch and a half with Edelbrock lowering springs. The rendering above shows the general look I’m hoping to achieve. In a perfect world where money was no object, you’d better believe I would be going bigger and badder like Corey’s 1980 Malibu , but I think this will look cool nonetheless.

Was it Cool Then? Is it Cool Now?

Chris Bicknell — Fri, 16 Jul 2010 10:22:25 +0000

Thinking back, most of us have a particular car that was the starting point for becoming a gearhead in the first place. For me, there were actually several–but it definitely started with my grandparents’ ’66 Impala convertible that they bought used in the early ’80′s, and that proudly sits in my garage today. My grandfather also had a blue 4-door 396 big-block Caprice with a white vinyl top, and a gold 2-door ’69 Caprice with a 427, not to mention the several full-sized Pontiac wagons that he used for work. I also spent countless road trips up and down the West coast in the back seat of my great aunt’s 1971 4-door Caprice, and later remember my dad busting his knuckles on its small block 400 in the driveway after he bought the car in the late 80′s. With such exposure to late ’60′s and early ’70′s GMs in my childhood, it’s no surprise that today my garage is home to an ’05 Corvette, a ’66 Impala and a ’96 Blazer. My family bought these cars not because they were stylish or particularly desirable at the time–they were just reliable, inexpensive used cars. Like the convertible Impala: Grandma liked it because it was yellow and Grandpa liked it because of the price. It would be like if I were to go buy a reasonably well maintained early ’90′s Cavalier convertible today. It’s only been in the years since they regularly ran those cars that this era of GMs have become sought-after, so I guess you could say that my chosen cars are cooler now than they were when they first got me into the hobby. How about you? What car or cars caught your eye at a young age and how old were you? Were these cars cool then? Are they cool now?

Antonio’s 1968 Project Pro-Touring Caprice

Does It Work? Yes. Am I Happy? No.

David Clarke — Fri, 21 May 2010 15:53:14 +0000

It sucks when perfectionism denies you any sense of accomplishment in a project. I’ve tried pretty hard to make my cars as perfect as they can realistically be. My Caprice, however, has other ideas. Some of you may be familiar with the complications I’ve endured just trying to get a set of headers onto my this car–it was one of those deals where whatever could go wrong, did. First came modifying multiple accessory brackets to bolt the headers on. Then came a car that refused to go into gear, requiring a custom shift linkage to clear the headers. Then came the saga of the crossmember–the later-model Caprice one that everyone said would fit but didn’t, the botched fab-shop butchery of my original crossmember, the cutting into the header that that in turn necessitated. In the end, the exhaust guy did wind up doing a good job except for one pipe that I feel could have been better. But then, as the icing on the cake, on the way home from the exhaust shop my throttle linkage broke at the carburator. All in all, this project was a nightmare, but the important thing is that it’s done. So am I happy? No. Does it work? Yes. Does it sound good? It sounds great. So really other than getting my perfectionism subjected to an extreme trial, everything did work out in the end. So I guess I should be happy–or should I? More pictures after the jump.

Trial and Error: Where Would We Be Without It?

David Clarke — Wed, 12 May 2010 09:47:12 +0000

When it comes to building cars, these two simple words put together illustrate a depressing picture of hope and failure. But without trial and error, none of us would learn anything when it comes to building a car. I have experienced many trials and what feels like many errors in the course of working on my Caprice. Trying to adapt non-factory parts not specifically designed for your application is always an adventure. My current error comes in the form of a 1994-1996 crossmember. One that everyone from online forum blow-hards to a supposed “B body guru” absolutely swore would fit my ’84. Well, I’m here to tell you that every single one of them was very wrong. But without trial and error, I never would’ve figured out the correct answer. Luckily my error didn’t cost too much, and now I’ve decided to send my original crossmember to a local roll cage fabricator for a little cosmetic re-shaping. Here’s hoping that the “error” part is behind me for now. How about you? What notable trials and errors have you been through in your projects, and what wisdom did you come away with?

NYIAS: The New Chevrolet Caprice Cop Car–Why Can’t We Get a Civilian Version?

Jim Brennan — Wed, 31 Mar 2010 21:45:23 +0000

Well, here is the new Chevrolet Caprice police and pursuit vehicle. It’s rear wheel drive, has a 6.0L V-8, and it’s not available to the general public. This is so sad, as it would make a radical muscle car. It would definitely make an Obscure Muscle Car!

Performance figures are under wraps for the moment, but expect this vehicle to perform as well as the GT version of the departed Pontiac G8. Go here for the special web site set up for the vehicle. Tell us what you think!

Wow, I Guess It Really Is All About The Benjamins

Jen Dunnaway — Sun, 14 Mar 2010 09:48:56 +0000

Ben Franklin and a gun isn’t necessarily the first combo that’d come to mind if I was trying to come up with an airbrushed hood mural for my donk, but I guess that’s why I don’t own a donk. For a better look, check out Uncle Ben’s ’72 Caprice, “Benji Lopez”. The bodywork sequence is really cool!

Magenta 1972 Chevy Coupe High-Rider

Jim Brennan — Tue, 03 Nov 2009 23:14:35 +0000

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?

Sponge Bob Caprice

Jen Dunnaway — Mon, 02 Nov 2009 23:40:25 +0000

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.

New Chevy Caprice Cop Car!

Rob Einaudi — Mon, 05 Oct 2009 20:53:11 +0000

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

Fun With Backfires

Brian Lohnes — Thu, 17 Sep 2009 17:41:46 +0000

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.