The first official project car I had that actually went from nothing to something, saw road time AND I was allowed to drive was a 1979 Chevrolet Caprice two-door that was purchased for $150. Originally intended to be a parts car to the 1978 Chevrolet Impala two-door that I owned at the time, it was quickly assessed that the Caprice was in much better condition than the six-cylinder wheezer Impala, and after an intake manifold and carburetor was sourced (and a quick incident of fire taken care of), I had my first rolling machine…and I had just turned fifteen. I had dreams of what that car could be, and should be…and you can see about 95% of them with this 1977 Chevrolet Caprice that is currently sitting on eBay.
“Clean” doesn’t even begin to scratch the surface of what’s going on with this bent-glass B-body. This car has 33,000 miles on the clock, and we would be absolutely shocked if the odometer has rolled at all…if you know GM cars, you know that the interior color cooks out, especially Firethorn red. Unless that car was garaged every single solitary day and only driven between the hours of 8 p.m. and 4:30 a.m., some of that interior should be faded pink. The seats still have plastic on them, for the love of all that is holy! In fact, the only out-of-place thing on the whole car are the Chevrolet Rally wheels on BFGs…and since they replaced skinny steel wheels with wire hubcaps or something equally lame, we’re quite fine with that.
It’s even a 350 four barrel car. 170 horsepower and 270 ft/lbs wasn’t bad for 1977, and while we’d love to see what that small-block can really do without changing the look underhood…is it worth it? The teenager in me is screaming for engine modifications. The adult in me just wants to take it on a long road trip on a clear, beautiful day before socking it away in a garage. Either way…what a looker.
Craigslist Link: 1977 Chevrolet Caprice Classic
I do like Caprice coupes but seeing how mundane a driver it is, modifications are in order. A LSX/6M swap would make it perfect!
Bent glass coupes were the coolest of the box era of Impalas and Caprices.
The red paint and red interior usually was baked off by 1980 on these cars.
Why Chevy never offered a rally on these cars is really a mistake. The look great.
There is something amiss about this car. It has a 1977 Caprice front end and a 1977 Caprice tail panel. And these aren\’t as easy as just swapping in a new taillight housing. Makes me think that perhaps this car has had a collision at some point, despite its low mileage, original appearance.
I\’ve had a 78 Aerocoupe since I was 16. Many years.
Sorry, I mean to say it has a 1979 Caprice tail panel. 77 front end. 79 tail end.
Good eye! I had to double-check that one myself, but you are correct…that is a 1979 tail panel with the reverse lights underneath the tail lights. Hmm…that would be a good question to ask as you’re trying to bring the price down.
Yeah, not to nit pick, this is obviously a very, very, very nice example of these cars, but there are just a couple things that make me suspect. The engine bay has been pressurewashed and sprayed with something like armor all, the spare tire has tire-wet on it. These aren\’t bad things, but they can be indicative of a dealer that would have also taken steps to hide some things. It appears there\’s a dash cap cover that doesn\’t quite match. And of course the previously mentioned rear end.
Again, super super nice car, but since the point of these website is to discuss the cars shown, that\’s my observations.
i used to own a 79 caprice with a bashed in taillight panel and found a 78 impala in the junkyard… figured it would be an easy swap; not too hard but something didnt quite line up with the bumper… better than driving around with loose fiberglass parts
Makes me long for my Firethorn red Monte I bought new for 6023.00 in 1977. I loved that car!!