Just picked it up the other day for $1,400. `88 Caprice Estate with a 307 and 115k. Came with new gas and brake lines, gas tank, radiator, recent shocks, and working air. Also, finding whitewalls in the stock 225-75-15 was a pain in the ass, but I did it.
How well will it autocross? We will find out next month!
Years ago I rode in the rear facing seat of one of those at an autocross. I think that we had eight people in it total.
I wish there were wagons that clean up here.
Nice score. While growing up, friends of ours had one. I can't remember if it was the Buick or Pontiac version, however.
It reminds me that I want a Malibu wagon in the same woody theme with stiffened up underpinnings and a set of black stock car style wheels...
I drove my parents '78 Malibu while in high school. I always wondered what potential that car had.
a guy on here used to run a big waggy like that. I forget his username though (family truckster, perhaps?). IIRC his had ALOT of work done under the surface though....drivetrain and suspension from a Mustang GT or something like that...
It moved around the course pretty quick, even on a small local-event course. We laughed heartily when he beat our buddy in his stock '91 Miata!
You just bought one of my best friends dream car. No joke, he wants that shade of blue with the woodgrain. Although I think he wants the Buick version.
I grew up with almost that car. Ours wasn't blue - it was more of a creamy beige color and we didn't have the wire wheels, just regular hubcaps over the steelies. Ours also had a 350 with a 4 bbl. No rear facing seats in the way back, but there were times when there were people back there.
wagons are fun....Greg gave me a ride in his turbobrick a while back. autocrossing hadn't seemed that fun in ages.
Tons of parts available for the B-body. You already have tall spindles and they'll take cheap 12" discs/calipers. Double check, but since its the wagon it should be the 5x5 bolt pattern. If its the 5x4.75" pattern you can still do it with F-body discs (expensive) or redrill Impala SS rotors for the right pattern... or its also possible that being a wagon it already has 12" rotors.
Rear axles are a slam dunk... Any 9C1 or SS will have the 8.5" rear, but again, it might already have the 8.5 being a wagon.
Almost all B-body front suspension is the same from 1971-up (64-up on BOPCs) and there are a few companies who make tubular control arms. Tons of us Impala SS guys have ditched our stock springs and we sell them cheap - that might be a nice upgrade.
Some of the F-body sway bars will fit or plenty of Hotchkis or Herb Adams combos are out there. Bilstein 0929 and 1104 shocks are a pretty standard upgrade unless you're really serious and need adjustables.
Double check your body mounts. Some of the later B-bodies were delivered without the rubber biscuits on several of the rear body mounts for NVH reasons. Adding those back in is a noticeable difference in overall torsional stiffness.
You probably have 2.43 gears in the back and most likely have a 200-4r tranny. The 200-4r has an excellent following. Pretty weak in stock form, but then again your 307 is only rated at 140 hp.
Any (and I really mean any) of the chevy, buick, olds, pontiac engines are a direct drop-in as far as bolting up. You'll find differences in starter placement, distributor placement, etc, but you basically need the mounts and you're good to go. Caddy 500s will fit as well but the frame probably isn't drilled for those mounts so you might have to fab a bit.
Should be fun.
Curtis, I thought 65 (not 64) was the big chassis change year, or was that just Chevs?
Nope, 64 was the year they went away from the X-frame chassis.
I have a couple X-frame cars myself.
One may be going to an autocross at some point.
Shawn
stiffen it up and run some R-comps should be fun!
Without video this thread is worthless! Have fun and post some stuff quickly.
Senior year in highschool I dated a girl who drove her mom's white and wood Caprice of the same vintage. I have good memories from the back of that wagon!
She did not autocross but she was fast (the girfriend, that is)
Stealthtercel wrote: Curtis, I thought 65 (not 64) was the big chassis change year, or was that just Chevs?
64 the BOPs went to the B-body frame like we think of today. Chevys retained the strut-rod type LCAs until 71.
i had a tan 83 olds woodgrain version with the 307. how anemic... if you put some sticky tires you probably won't have to lift the entire course because you might hit 60 by the finish line 
the 83 came from the dark days of HP.... all it needs is LSx
Running a "Baby on Board" sticker will shave a few tenths.
"Now, I owe it to myself to tell you that if you're taking the whole tribe cross-country, the Wagon Queen Family Truckster... You think you hate it now, wait 'til you drive it!"
didn't wagons come w/ 12in brakes factory? That's a 307 Olds motor IIRC. There were HO heads and so on for those on the 442's. You'll still time it with a calender though. I'd still rather have this "real" wagon than any crossover or car based SUV.
pinchvalve wrote: Running a "Baby on Board" sticker will shave a few tenths.
and a used child seat.. maybe with it's own racing helmet strapped into it as if awaiting the child
Gearheadotaku wrote: didn't wagons come w/ 12in brakes factory? That's a 307 Olds motor IIRC. There were HO heads and so on for those on the 442's. You'll still time it with a calender though. I'd still rather have this "real" wagon than any crossover or car based SUV.
yup wagons have 12" rotors and 5x5 wheel pattern
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