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Well guys....here is my first post and long winded story of my car. I hope you all enjoy and I look forward to contributing to the awesome community you have assembled here!
The History!
My grandfather purchased this 1981 Caprice Classic from a neighbor of his Ft Lauterdale Florida condo in the late eighties. It had nothing for miles and was in pristine condition. It rolled off the showroom floor with a 229 Chevy v6 and a TH350-C transmission. He drove the car back to Westfield MA and parked in the garage of his car lot where it sat until 2008. He would take it out on Sundays to church, or use it to run up town or to the NADA meetings...but it lived a very lonely life.
In 2008....I come along and pick it up with bad intentions from the word go! I had always loved the car from the time I was a little kid....and I feel extremely lucky to have had to opportunity to purchase it. I bought the car with only 42k miles on the clock! I to this day, have yet to see a Caprice with as clean of chassis and undercarriage...
The first Transformation
Within a month of buying the car....I already ripped into it hard! The motor and trans were out and a mildly built 350 sat on the stand. This car was really a huge learning curve for me, and I feel like it has played a massive role in teaching me many of the techniques, work ethics, and fabrication skills that I have today. I had a lot of "firsts" with this thing....and it shows.
I did so much goofy stuff when I first started on this car that I would need a few chapters just to convey my nonsense lol.
So I will save everyone the grief and just high-light where I was with the car when it was done, driving, and running some numbers!
The motor was a fuelie headed 350 .020 over with a set of forged flat tops and i-beam rods.
Transmission was taken care of with a TH350 that I built at my friends Transmission shop....him helping me every step of the way. We built it with an Art Carr trans brake manual valve body....it was a badass unit!
I am really big into nitrous, and I had my own plate design machined up, and I went to town on the stand-alone fuel system.
The rear end was an 8.5 out of a police car with a set of 3.73 and a welded diff! Some parts were crude but effective .....until one day when it wasn't.....
....The car had a really colorful history...but it eventually got me to this point where I was daily driving it for a year. Hitting shows, getting to the track....and ripping up the streets.
The History!
My grandfather purchased this 1981 Caprice Classic from a neighbor of his Ft Lauterdale Florida condo in the late eighties. It had nothing for miles and was in pristine condition. It rolled off the showroom floor with a 229 Chevy v6 and a TH350-C transmission. He drove the car back to Westfield MA and parked in the garage of his car lot where it sat until 2008. He would take it out on Sundays to church, or use it to run up town or to the NADA meetings...but it lived a very lonely life.
In 2008....I come along and pick it up with bad intentions from the word go! I had always loved the car from the time I was a little kid....and I feel extremely lucky to have had to opportunity to purchase it. I bought the car with only 42k miles on the clock! I to this day, have yet to see a Caprice with as clean of chassis and undercarriage...
The first Transformation
Within a month of buying the car....I already ripped into it hard! The motor and trans were out and a mildly built 350 sat on the stand. This car was really a huge learning curve for me, and I feel like it has played a massive role in teaching me many of the techniques, work ethics, and fabrication skills that I have today. I had a lot of "firsts" with this thing....and it shows.
I did so much goofy stuff when I first started on this car that I would need a few chapters just to convey my nonsense lol.
So I will save everyone the grief and just high-light where I was with the car when it was done, driving, and running some numbers!The motor was a fuelie headed 350 .020 over with a set of forged flat tops and i-beam rods.
Transmission was taken care of with a TH350 that I built at my friends Transmission shop....him helping me every step of the way. We built it with an Art Carr trans brake manual valve body....it was a badass unit!
I am really big into nitrous, and I had my own plate design machined up, and I went to town on the stand-alone fuel system.
The rear end was an 8.5 out of a police car with a set of 3.73 and a welded diff! Some parts were crude but effective .....until one day when it wasn't.....
....The car had a really colorful history...but it eventually got me to this point where I was daily driving it for a year. Hitting shows, getting to the track....and ripping up the streets.
I like yours.
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