I grew up a car nut, from a long line of car nuts and I consider myself the world’s leading authority on the GM B Body of 1977-1996. Why is this, you may ask? Well, my family had the unique experience of owning and operating a fleet of taxi cabs. You could say I was raised with cars as part of the blood stream. I have driven every iteration of B Body literally hundreds of thousands of kilometers. So where did you say I’m taking you? B-town; right.
The technical aspects of the B Body have been described many times and I will not go into great detail about them. The impetus for the B Body was the Great Oil Shock of 1973. By this time, the basic Chevrolet had grown into a 4500 lb monster with middling quality to say the least. GM’s own profitability and quality had also taken a pretty big hit, too, and something was needed to address both issues. The solution was typically GM: adapt an existing frame and bolt a new body onto it.
In this case, the 115.9 inch wheelbase of the A body was offered up. When introduced in 1964 it was one of the most sophisticated systems available, with four wheel coil springing and the steering box ahead of the front wheels. The geometry was some of the best in the business and the package drove well. The new body was higher and boxier than the A body so very little interior room was sacrificed, almost none in most dimensions that really mattered. The New Chevrolet of 1977 weighed in at something around 3700 lbs and was an immediate success. People knew that they were onto a good thing.
Finally, some sensibility had gotten into the mainstream North American sedan. The cars drove very well. Even the base suspensions held the road very well and there was no wallow at all. The F-41 Sport Suspension on the Chevrolet was truly a revelation; the cars drove at least as well as any European sedan available at the time. What was more, the cars used thirty percent less fuel than the previous year’s car, drove better and was easier to park to boot. There was a B Body to suit any budget, from a stripper Bel Air to loaded Buick LeSabre, although I can only recall ever seeing one Bel Air that was not sold as a police car.
The 1977-1979 cars were by far the best of the lot. They had the classic V-8/TurboHydramatic 350 pairing. Lock up torque converters? We don’t need such fancy-schmancy things! These cars were all about torque, creamy, velvety torque. The Chevrolet version had a 250 CID six cylinder as standard but I never saw one. About sixty percent of the ones I saw were 305s and the rest 350s. The 305 could move around a lightly optioned Impala just fine, thank you, and the 350 had loads of useful torque. The cars were simple and reliable and all the parts from the A Body bolted right on. This made the new car reliable and the mechanics at the dealerships knew how to fix them without going to school, something mechanics are not terribly fond of in my experience.
Of course there were different versions for each division and the best was the Oldsmobile 88 Royale Brougham. The ones from 1977-1979 could be had with Olds 350s and 403s and after 1980 the 307. Here is the major turning point of the B Body. After 1980, GM was doing everything it could to cheapen the cars out. This had a very negative effect on the Chevrolet versions. Everything that could be made smaller, was. This is particularly evident in the truly horrible THM200 that went in the 305 cars and the smaller rear ends. The cars were so bad that they could not be used for taxis. This is when we switched to Oldsmobiles only.
A loaded Royale was a very nice car to drive in FE3 heavy duty suspension form. The motor, while not especially powerful, made useful torque and cars handled very well. The overdrive four speed gave very good fuel economy on the highway. The interiors were comfortable and durable. The electrical accessories lasted pretty much forever and passengers loved the cars. It appeared that there was enough profit in each car that GM could still make them with some quality.
My first real exposure to a B Body was at the age of fifteen, when my dad factory ordered a 1979 Chevrolet Impala with 350, a/c and F-41 suspension. The car was delivered in March of that year and I had read the owner’s manual a hundred times by the time I got my license in October of 1980! I still remember the car cost $9200, or $28,000 in today’s money. That’s a lot when you consider the car didn’t have any power toys. I still remember going to the dealership and driving it away, a pretty exciting experience for a 15 year old. Soon after, we found the car was a quality disaster. There was a huge dent in the top of the dash and the paint job must have been done by a drunk. The drive train was, however, bulletproof and went over one million kilometers (the motor, anyway!) before the car, by then a taxi, was retired.
My most lasting memory of a B Body was one I bought used for taxi use at a later time. It was a totally Plain Jane 1977 Impala with a 305 and no a/c. One sunny summer day about 1984, my girl and I took a road trip up the east coast of Vancouver Island in it. The car was baby puke brown with tan interior.
What I remember of this car was it was just so honest. Cruising up the Island Highway with the 4/100 air conditioning (four windows down, 100 km/h) on a sunny day with a pretty girl in a Chevy was as close to bliss as I have ever been in my life. The car rode well, handled well and wasn’t bad on fuel. It was as big as a house inside and you could really stretch out on that bench seat and have your honey sittin’ right next to you while you listened to country music on the one speaker AM radio, which is exactly what we did, There were no rattles and squeaks. It was the high point for GM and I knew at the time at the high point of my young life to that moment.
How long could I go on about the B Body GM cars? Well, until all my readers fell asleep. I still think they were the last honest products GM made, a good car for the money and way ahead of their competition. The Ford didn’t drive nearly as well and had awful steering and electrics, not to mention the horrid AOD. The Chrysler was an also ran, not even worth considering.
Then in 1996, GM finally pulled the plug on the B Body. The real end was in 1985 when the last RWD Oldsmobile 88 was made. There hasn’t been a GM car since I have been remotely interested in owning but if I came across a Plain Jane ’77 Impala in good shape, I’d snap it up in a heartbeat. I have the pretty girl, the road is still there and all I need is my Chevy.
(Len Peters is also known hereabouts as Canucknucklehead)
Hello out there.
I am aware that most of these posts are now over 2 year old but I would like add my 2 cents. I bought my 1978 Chevy Impala in May 1978. I paid $55 extra for a 350 4 barrel.
Taxes included: $8,008. The car has its 36th birthday next month. I continue to drive it in Canadian winters although not as often as I used to. It has 454,000 km on original engine and transmission. It runs like a charm and I plan on getting an emission test done on the car next week.
Hello,
I have had one of these (caprice 1987) now for 15 or so years and it’s been the most cost effective machine I’ve ever owned. First one I ever sat in was a 73 caprice estate wagon (bought new as a family car). BTW does anyone know where the rear defrost relay is on an 1987 caprice? I would sure appreciate it.
G. Neil
I’m happy to see some related Canadian content on the history of this vehicle, found in related articles in Curbeside Classic. (Curbside Classic: 1978 Pontiac Bonneville Brougham – No, Pontiac Didn’t Just Make Firebirds In The ’70s). Canadian Pontiac’s often varied with our large cars, with nameplates such as the entry-level Laurentian and the upscale Parisienne. Here is a photo of a 1986 Parisienne Brougham.
Have owned and driven loads of B-bodies over the past 20 years. There indeed seemed to be a problem with the 1980 models as if quality control, paint and other things were cheapened. After 1981 things seemed to get better. My buddy had a 1982 Caprice coupe with the 267 and 200R-4 with 2.73:1 rear gears and that was a really nice solid long lasting car that served him for 6 years. It was no powerhouse but wasn’t nearly as bad as some here claim. It would get up to 26 on the open road cruising at 65 and was a far better setup than any 229 V6 ever thought of being. My other friend also had an 82 coupe but with the 305 and 200R4 plus F-41 setup and that car felt pretty brisk back in the day and was was light years more fun to drive than his previous Ford LTD II.
The 3.8 V6’s indeed really had no place in these cars just as Chrysler’s 85-90 HP slant six in the R-bodies for 1979-1981. The peanut V8’s were okay if in proper tune but the best engines were the 305’s for the 1980-1990 cars and the 350’s during the 77-79 run. I have fond memories of a family members 1987 Caprice sedan with the 170 HP 305 tied to the 700R-4 overdrive tranny and optional 2.73 rear gears with limited slip and F-41 suspension. That car felt quick and nimble at the time and never once left him stranded.
I am still seeking out a 1978-1981 Delta 88 Holiday or 1979-1981 Bonneville coupe with bucket seats and a 350 V8 as a Summer driver next year. Those are very rare birds to find today.
I met a couple this year at the Oldsmobile Homecoming that had a 1980 Delta 88 Holiday coupe they were wanting to sell. The car was Beautiful!!!
Holy smoke that is a beauty! A set of Olds rallys would make that car perfect. I wonder what engine this car had? Hopefully not the 231 or 260.
My parents bought a new Chevrolet Caprice Classic in 1978. I was 6 years old at the time and still remember how excited I was that we were getting a new car. Loved the “sporty” wheel covers. Had 3-speed auto trans, power windows, power door locks, vinyl roof, nicer FM stereo, pretty much every option for back then except it had only the 305 V8. It was the car I got to drive when I turned 16 in 1988. Got rid of it for an S-10 Blazer shortly afterwards, however. It was a big family sedan and not the type of car that was cool for high school. Except for the burnouts in the high school parking lot. Courtesy of rear wheel drive. I remember that it kept losing wheel covers, which were not always cheap to replace. I also remember spending lots of time along the road where Dad thought the wheel cover might have come off. Back then, they didn’t bother to bolt them on, apparently.
This top-luxury variant of the B-body Caprice was mentioned earlier, but here is a photo of it. Also, it has a very long name: this is the 1990 Chevrolet Caprice Classic Brougham LS sedan. It comes complete with Cadillac-style half-vinyl roof, opera windows (yeay!), hood ornament, whitewall tires, wire wheels and flush headlamps. You might say that it is the younger brother to the earlier (and by then defunct) Buick LeSabre Limited and Oldsmobile 88 Royale Brougham LS.
In reply to the talk about cheapening of the 80s models. I do think there were some things sacrificed after 79, however the 80s models were available with the 8.5″ rear end (my 86 caprice parts car has a 305/700R4/2.93posi 8.5″ even though it’s not a 9c1 or f41 car. 80s Oldsmobile delta’s could have the crappy 7.5″ rear and so could the late 70s Chevy. My friend in south Carolina has a 77 impala his dad bought new. 305/th200/7.5″ rear. Has way over 300k miles. Original th200 was rebuilt at 120k and blew up again at 150k or something like that and was replaced with a th350 that is still working. Axles were replaced in the cheap rear end.
I think the op isn’t aware or some of the possibility of a late 70s car having the th200/7.5″ or the fact that many 80s cars did not have the crappy th200 (my 83 had a th250c) which I swapped for a 2004r from an 89 caprice with only 240k on it for better mileage. I would rather have a 77-79 but I don’t think they were cheapened as much as the original poster believes.
Thanks for posting your website. I’m a big fan of these vehicles.
I’ve had about 35 RWD GM “couches on wheels”. My first was a ’68 Impala.
The main thing I didn’t like about the ’76 downsize was that they never made a hardtop and my dog (and I) really miss that.
I’ve had 3 of the wagons and really miss the electric rear windows.
Other crappers about these vehicles are the rear side windows not going to the bottom, only 1/2 way (at best). The chrome strips that run along the bottoms of the windows are of a design that encourages rust big time. And except for some of the “better” wagons like the Buicks the driver’s power window switch location was awkward to say the least.
But overall I love these cars. On several I used a pre-emissions (the ones with a serial number starting in “7”) Q-jet and installed a TCI kit so you could discard the computer and run the 700R4 analog style, which had the bonus that you could put a switch in so the torque convertor locked up in drive, not just overdrive, which was fantastic on steep hills.
I also hated the rear view mirrors that were glued to the windshield because they fell off a lot. But overall they had super simple yet sophisticated technology done in mainly by the CAFE laws.
Hard to believe that people think they are antique gas guzzlers when you compare their weight to a 2016 Sienna or their gas mileage to a new Tahoe. Man were people conned. There are more overweight gas guzzlers on the road in 2016 than at any other time in history, so much for the energy crisis.
I think they were the best high production cars of all time.
I think GM made the best interiors in the 80s B Bodies, with the Electra (the Lesabre a close 2nd). The pillowtop seat were improved and continued on into the H bodies of the 80s. The colour options and quality fabrics were impressive. Though the 78-79 Lesabre and Electra looked sharper outside and had the silver gauges, the interiors improved much in the 80s.Sure beat anything GM offered in early to mid 70s.
I am running a 1985 Buick Lesabre Collector’s Edition as a daily driver in 2016. The green interior with pillowtop seats is stunning and I really don’t mind the 307. It is very smooth, quiet, and surprisingly efficient.
In my option GM made some amazing interiors in the 80s, lots of character and interesting colour options. Despite the parts bin approach, GM took much effort to add different flavours to the interiors of all brands.
I would like to build an LS powered Olds 98 or Electra Park Avenue.
I had an ’84 Buick Electra sedan for a couple years. I found the seats to be POOR! Most of these GMs had merely two aluminum ‘shells’, one for the bottom cushion and one for the seat back, both covered with very ordinary sponge rubber.
While GM does some things better than Ford, the Panther platforms have far superior seating… with real seat frames and much greater torsional strength in said seat frames… along with superior padding and design. The Panther platforms have much greater overall car strength than a GM B-body: the GMs have torsional shake upon hitting bumps. The FoMoCos do not.
I actually prefery cushy seats to firm.
As for torsional/overall rigidity, when I adjusted all four door strike posts inward on my 1981 Buick Century, I noticed that the car seemed to wallow less, over uneven surfaces, and handled a bit more crisply. It also rolled further down the road between inputs at the gas pedal.
I’m building a resto mod 1984 coupe Deville, not a lowrider like most people do. But I was hoping to delete the vinyl top as it holds in moisture. I was curious to know if anyone can confirm if the rear glass stainless trim is interchangeable between the caprice and the Deville. Comparing pics they look real close if not the same. Any info would be greatly appreciated!
So many owners of the 1977-79 full size Chevrolet Caprice and impala sedan, but no complaints about the interior mainly the condition of the dashboard,well i have to say something about it, because I find it strange for the top of the dashboard to crack while the car still runs, I always thought that your dashboard ONLY do that if you left the car parked in the driveway or backyard and not use it anymore i don’t see that kind of problem happening with the full size Pontiac Bonneville or Catalina, and anyone knows when it comes to repairing a dashboard top, it usually cost $500 and up to get a smooth surface again.
Hey guys, i have a 1977 catalina, was my grandparents car. I grew up in wis, in florida now and drove their car down here 2 years ago when my cousin didnt have a place to keep it. Its a beautiful car, body and interior is perfect, all original. But the under body and frame, different story. All the floor and trunk pans are good, but where the body mounts are behind the rear wheels, the body is paper thin and needs some welding work but have no clue wjhere to start. Does anyone have any ideas or does anuyone know of any repair kits for that B body? Id appreciate any thoughts. Thanks Bruce Gabrielse
Nice right up, Len Peters. The 77-79 B-body Caprices and Bonnevilles (Parisienne in your country) were the smartest of the bunch, in my opinion. The Caprice especially was such a clean design, and though the ’80 facelifts made them slightly more aerodynamic, I just love the sharp lines of the Caprice, which as Bill Mitchell himself might say remind me of a tailored suit, while the Bonneville really looked very upmarket. I well remember people in my life who owned these various vehicles. I only rode in the back seat of a Bonneville when a local politician my Uncle was helping distribute campaign literature gave me a lift home. A friend’s parents had Impalas, teachers at schools had Impalas and Caprices, my Great Aunt and Uncle had a 98 Regency, and an old lady from my church as well as a classmate’s parents each had an Estate wagon. I felt that as one climbed the GM ladder, they descended the stairs in terms of styling. You mentioned never seeing a Bel Air in any other form except taxi. On a family visit to Toronto in 1979, my Dad didn’t want to drive from the downtown hotel out to the zoo in the metro area. I was intriguied that the orange and black Diamond Taxi was a current Bel Air. I was very familiar with Parisiennes and Laurentians as they were very, very popular cars in Canada at the time, but I knew that Bel Air had been discontinued with the last generation models. What a let down when the taxi taking us back was a ’76 Plymouth Gran Fury. As a GM family, I couldn’t have been much more disappointed. It seemed so outdated compared to the Bel Air. I did get to drive a ’83 Buick LeSabre that had been my Grandfather’s. Yeah, it was big, but it felt solid. In this day and age, the size is not at all absurd as it is a design that was “packaged” well. It’s a design that is actually quite sane as compared to contemporary pickup trucks. I consider these the end of the General’s golden era because the wholesale shift to front-wheel drive was disappointing. Too bad that the basic recipe of these cars wasn’t further developed because the result would have been rather interesting. Oh well, nothing lasts forever except those great memories!