Post by gm4ever on Sept 30, 2011 9:16:38 GMT -5
Our buddy Laird (Pacer wagon, Citation X-11, VW Beetle) called me from Florida on Friday. He's working out there for two weeks, and was visiting a friend that works at a dealership there. An older retired guy just traded in a super-clean '88 Chevy conversion van. Fold-down bed in the back, full power, cruise, wood trim, 4 pillowed captians chairs, tv, cb, fridge, fuel-injected 350, 3/4 ton so everything is heavy-duty, and 94K original miles. Laird said it's spotless and drives like a new vehicle. Laird, like me, loves goofy old stuff like this.
The dealer was going to send it to auction....Laird fell in love with it and they sold it to him for a song. He'd been wanting a tow rig and something to take camping. He'll be driving it back to Austin next week...I plan to paint "Free Candy" on the side and am going to start calling him "Uncle Rico"....ha.
ANYWAY other than to call and tell me about his new bordello van, he wanted to see if I wanted the old Caprice Classic back. He can't keep the van and the Caprice at his house...there is just no room left.
I got the Caprice at 43K miles, replaced the bumper fillers (a BIG job), replaced all the a/c equipment under the hood with new and retro'd it....blows ice cubes still, tinted it, added Rally wheels and T/A radials, a Eurosport steering wheel, installed full gauges and Brougham dash trim, added the FM-modulated CD changer in the trunk, replaced the shocks and the cat converter.
Car was sold to Laird about two years back. It had 88K miles then, has 107K now. Laird has loved it, been his trip car. Since buying it he's done brakes, new rear tires, had the trans serviced, replaced the water pump, and most recently installed cat-back dual exhaust with Turbo mufflers and chrome tips. The stock Chevy 305 rumbles nicely.
The car was sold new in Fredericksburg Tx (hill country) so zero rust ever, and I got it from the granddaughter of the original owner. She'd inherited it, and it was too big for her. The paint on the hood, roof, and trunk is sun-faded, it has once small spot of filler on the lower right rear 1/4, not from rust, but from where the original owner hit the garage backing out. It also has light hail damage which was always on the to-do list to fix. Other than that, the steering box is just starting to get a little loose...more play that it had when I bought it...and it's about time to put new front tires on it...to match the new rear ones.
I DO NOT want to see this car cruising down Riverside Drive with 3-inch-thick candy colored paint. 20-inch subs rattling the car to pieces and gold-chrome wheels wedged into the wheel wells....but I need another car like a hole in the head.
I talked to me father, and he told me "you can't save them all..." I know that's right....
It's reliable as the sun, and I know the car inside and out. I think Laird is going to ask around $3K for it, but he'd be open to offers. Gas for his new disco van is expensive. Ha!
As found in 2005 with 43K miles on it.
After my "restoration":
Dual exhaust added:
Aaarrgggghh. The joys of being a car nut.
-Mike
The dealer was going to send it to auction....Laird fell in love with it and they sold it to him for a song. He'd been wanting a tow rig and something to take camping. He'll be driving it back to Austin next week...I plan to paint "Free Candy" on the side and am going to start calling him "Uncle Rico"....ha.
ANYWAY other than to call and tell me about his new bordello van, he wanted to see if I wanted the old Caprice Classic back. He can't keep the van and the Caprice at his house...there is just no room left.
I got the Caprice at 43K miles, replaced the bumper fillers (a BIG job), replaced all the a/c equipment under the hood with new and retro'd it....blows ice cubes still, tinted it, added Rally wheels and T/A radials, a Eurosport steering wheel, installed full gauges and Brougham dash trim, added the FM-modulated CD changer in the trunk, replaced the shocks and the cat converter.
Car was sold to Laird about two years back. It had 88K miles then, has 107K now. Laird has loved it, been his trip car. Since buying it he's done brakes, new rear tires, had the trans serviced, replaced the water pump, and most recently installed cat-back dual exhaust with Turbo mufflers and chrome tips. The stock Chevy 305 rumbles nicely.
The car was sold new in Fredericksburg Tx (hill country) so zero rust ever, and I got it from the granddaughter of the original owner. She'd inherited it, and it was too big for her. The paint on the hood, roof, and trunk is sun-faded, it has once small spot of filler on the lower right rear 1/4, not from rust, but from where the original owner hit the garage backing out. It also has light hail damage which was always on the to-do list to fix. Other than that, the steering box is just starting to get a little loose...more play that it had when I bought it...and it's about time to put new front tires on it...to match the new rear ones.
I DO NOT want to see this car cruising down Riverside Drive with 3-inch-thick candy colored paint. 20-inch subs rattling the car to pieces and gold-chrome wheels wedged into the wheel wells....but I need another car like a hole in the head.
I talked to me father, and he told me "you can't save them all..." I know that's right....
It's reliable as the sun, and I know the car inside and out. I think Laird is going to ask around $3K for it, but he'd be open to offers. Gas for his new disco van is expensive. Ha!
As found in 2005 with 43K miles on it.
After my "restoration":
Dual exhaust added:
Aaarrgggghh. The joys of being a car nut.
-Mike
