High fuel prices, uncertainty in the Middle East and at home, economic troubles, tightening CAFE regulations. No, it’s not 2012, but 1980, a year that marked the start of the long goodbye for the classic full-size American car. The fact that it took so long would have been highly unpredictable during those grim years of 1980 – 1981. But gas prices receded, the economy recovered, and The NEW 1980 Chevrolet became an evergreen. Or Classic, more precisely. Here’s its story as told through my own 1980 Caprice Classic.
This was a time when these cars were referred to by its maker as “The Chevrolet”, not Impalas or Caprices. For decades, the full size Chevrolet had been the standard bearer of the Chevy lineup, the meat and potatoes American family car. But the writing was on the wall, when in 1980 the hot new Citation sold over 800,000 units, (a staggering 811,540 to be exact, over an admittedly long model year but still quite a feat). As they say…things would never be the same again. For the Chevrolet, for GM, and for the way that people looked at full size cars.
The timing of the launch of the Citation couldn’t have been better. Introduced as an early 1980 model right after the 1979 oil embargo, the Citation and its X-Car brethren represented the wave of the future: front wheel drive, space and fuel efficient with transverse mounted 4 and 6 cylinder engines. With the Citation and its most modern layout and packaging, cars like the Caprice and its competitors were done for. What was new and revolutionary just three years before in 1977 was now the dinosaur staring at the comet of the 1980’s raining down on it.
All the big GM B and C body cars were given an aero tweak to lower drag and increase fuel efficiency, but it was mainly a stopgap; the B and C body cars would barely receive any more changes through the remainder of their days. For example, so little changed on the Caprice between ’80 and ’85 that most people compliment me on how nice my ’84 or ’85 is. They seem to be confused when I tell them it’s a 1980.
It’s not like it looks ultra modern either way, but 1980 through 1985 Caprices were virtually unchanged until they received some slight styling changes for 1986. By that time the Caprice’s B-body coupe and sedan corporate cousins (save the Pontiac Parisienne 4-door, in its swan-song year) had gone on to the big used car lot in sky. By 1987 the Caprice was the last of the Mohicans, save the B-O-P wagons. Chevrolet managed to sell only 385,657 full sized cars in 1980, ’81 was bleaker still with only 219,425 going off the lots.
Often the best finds are the ones you weren’t even looking for; I was thinking about finding a big B-body RWD GM car, and after checking out a few disappointing ones on Craigslist, I had sort of given up finding one that was in decent shape. Then one morning while on my return trip back from my pseudo-exercise bike ride, I came across my Caprice. It was parked in a small strip mall near in one of the parking spaces closest to the road. Out of the corner of my eye I noticed her, a clean two- tone Caprice…wait, what was that? Those lines in the roof…did that Caprice have a sunroof?
Sure enough; I doubled back and found out that she did not only have a sunroof, but looking through the window, I spotted Comfortron, which was the brochure speak for automatic climate control, unusual on a Caprice. I looked at the VIN and took a stab at it being an ’80 model from the letter in the ID number. I quickly looked over the car thinking that this could be too good to be true, there must be a DIESEL badge somewhere around here. This can’t be for real.
For the last several months I had been looking for a good 2nd car. I wanted something full size and older and most probably GM (surprise?), I had looked at sad beige 77 Caprice Classic sedan a month before, but it was a tired old smoker with missing wheel covers on white walls. That gave it a great undercover car vibe, but in reality it was a dog; and now here in front of me was not only a clean Caprice, but a loaded-to-the-gills one. There was a phone number about three inches tall written on the right front corner of the windshield; no big safety-orange FOR SALE signs or anything else. I committed the number to memory, and after a few phone calls and a meet with the owner, the Caprice was mine.
The seller told me that the Caprice belonged to his neighbors; the original owner was a 95 year old man that had passed about a year or so before I bought it. The car sat in the carport for about a year until the neighbor asked about it. He bought it as a 2nd car too, but then he had second thoughts about leaving it where he worked and his wife never liked driving it, so he decided to sell it. That’s where I picked it up.
I gave it a quick once over after I bought it. Here was a fairly clean, though slightly neglected 1980 Caprice Classic with just under 58,000 miles, with a 305 CID 4 barrel V8, 3 speed automatic, loaded…..seriously loaded! I looked underneath, it was even better. At the rear there was a big fat sway bar, indicating that there was a heavy duty suspension underneath, and then I noticed a tag on the differential. Posi-traction? No way, who ordered this car?
Ah. A sweet little old man car, right down to the St. Christopher medallion on the sun visor and that AAA Plus bumper shield. There was some slight neglect, nothing serious, some of the tan interior parts had faded to the GM trademarked “applesauce pink” color and some of the plasti-chrome had started to flake. There were a few other things like three different brands of tires, burned out bulbs and a missing dome lamp lens. All easily remedied.
This car was assembled late in the model year, in July 1980, and in Canada to boot, though it is of course a US spec model with MPH speedometer. It’s an interesting artifact, being so loaded and made late in the year. I had first thought it was some sort of auto show car, but it would have been made earlier in the year. I’d like to think that it was perhaps ordered by the owner of a Chevrolet dealership or some sort of zone rep.
I was once told by a zone rep for an automaker that usually they ordered cars with everything on them, since they aren’t paying for them; they just drive them around for a few months and then they get sold at GM at employees’ sales or they are sold to dealerships as “program cars”.
The 155hp 305 V8 had decent twist for the era, and since it’s a 1980 model year car, it’s the last year before the dreaded “check engine” eternal flame-lamp started appearing on the dashboard. It has a nice, simple Quadrajet and the three speed automatic as well as economy gears in the rear, which does allow it to get around 20 MPG on the highway. Pretty decent for the time.
I gave her the full service: oil, filters, plugs, wires, lube. I wasn’t sure of the condition some of the works, so it was better to take no chances. Now that she was serviced, I had a chance to get familiar with the Caprice. The F41 suspension is wonderful on these cars; more should have been ordered with them. One can take off-ramps with speed, there’s nice, fairly flat cornering for a two-ton domestic sedan.
Inside you are constantly reminded of the era: the 85mph speedo with the orange 55 highlighted. This car has the “gauge package” which consisted of a temperature gauge and a fuel economy gauge.
The seats are covered in broughamy “special custom cloth” camel colored interior with a 6 way power drivers seat and a reclining passenger seat with individual armrests! What a country!
Full-on Quadrasonic sounds d’elegance are available from the AM-FM Delco 8 track stereo which reproduces music with reasonable adequacy; like a Disco, if a disco sat six and had an old cardboard speaker that kinda came and went. Some say that these nicer big Chevrolets were almost too nice and that they almost encroached on Cadillac territory with their trim. Having owned both makes, I have to say no. The car is very nice, but it’s…Delta 88 nice, LeSabre nice, but not Cadillac nice – the window switches laying flat against the door panel remind you of that.
Out back there is a spotless 20.5 cubic foot trunk with a full size spare, which was another one of the items I had to replace as the one that was in the trunk had the elasticity of a four-week old glazed doughnut.
Although it’s pretty square, the Caprice does wear Bill Mitchell’s “sheer look” pretty well. The way the rear deck tapers down, and that nice airy greenhouse give excellent visibility in sharp contrast to the thick-pillared small-window cars of today. While waiting outside my favorite Chinese take out place, I had chance to look at the Caprice from a distance. A Chrysler 300 parked next to it seemed so thick and blocky in comparison. Its funny that these now seem so big to so many people after being “just right” when they were introduced. It’s not the Caprice that is too big; it’s the world that has shrunk around it.
Impressive. Even my parents ’83 Delta 88 Royale Brougham didn’t have the individual armrests.
They might be old but when you’re on the highway you do get a lot of attention the Chrome and white walls always do the trick, any conversation with a car enthusiast and it’s always the same they don t make them like that any more and the ride is great . Just started restoration on mine RHD 305
Carmine! Congrats on crossing over from the commentariat! I’m sure Niedermeyer is prepping two or twelve more GM Deadly SIns in response.
Had to sigh at this little detail:
“Chevrolet managed to sell only 385,657 full sized cars in 1980, ’81 was bleaker still with only 219,425 going off the lots.”
Mopar c-bodies stopped hitting those kinds of numbers after ’73!
Anyway, good car, great color combo. You should wear a camel-colored leisure suit when rocking the disco 8-track.
How quick they forget: http://www.thetruthaboutcars.com/2010/09/curbside-classic-gms-greatest-hit-3-1979-chevrolet-caprice-classic/
I’m more likely to scream deadly sin on this one but I won’t. V8, F-41 performance Suspension and a Power Sunroof? And none of the pillow tufty crap that you’d find in the B’s and C’s above it. It’s pretty much the only way I could stomach a B-Body.
Very nice car, indeed, and comfortable to a degree many new cars can´t attain. I had two 4-door Caprices, one ’79 and the other, an 80 from my mother and my father, respectively. I kept the second for about 25 years and sold it to a “collector” who was very interested and wrecked it two weeks after the purchase. I still have the 8-track player somewhere at home, awaiting for another Caprice to come, but they are becoming more and more scarce. Nice memories, though.
Hi Angus, My mom who just passed has an ’83 white/blue interior 4 dr Caprice with under 44k mi in very good condition if you’re still interested in buying another. We are located in north central Tx.
If you do reply please put ’83 Caprice’ in the subject line.
Thanks, Linda
811,530 X-bodies in one model year. Imagine where General Motors would be today if they had designed and built them properly . . . . . . . . . . . .
That number always stunned me,,,,,,,and you have to work hard to find one now, they are all gone.
It is stunning. As noted in the article, it’s for an extended model year, but 1) that’s just the Citation (not all X-bodies, just the Chevrolet version) and 2) this number was rung up in the teeth of a terrible recession.
IIRC, the Citation figure for just the 1980 model year proper was something like 680K. I’d bet that no passenger car model has even attained that level since then.
Someone from my church started driving an early Citation lately. Off-white over tan. Looks a year or two old, that the kind of condition it’s in.
I was shocked.
The As, Bs and Cs…and I’ll also argue the pickups…reminded us that GM was indeed still capable of building great vehicles. But you had to watch. You got the 305 and, as you describe it, “a three-speed automatic”.
But there was more than one three-speed automatic. The old “metric” trannies were so poorly built the default repair was to toss it away and put a TH350 in its place. Hopefully you have the TH350, they’re bulletproof.
Then there was the 267 V8. Probably the worst SBC ever. Billed as having the power of a V8 with the economy of a 6…in reality it was the opposite. Besides, the 262 (4.3) V8 introduced in the ’75 Monza gave V8 power and 6-cyl fuel economy quite nicely.
And then there were the diesels…less said the better.
But optioned properly…can’t beat ’em.
For me, speaking from experience, these cars are best enjoyed with the 350 and post-1987 TH700-R4.
We’ve jawed back & forth about GM quality issues during these years, and I’ve been harsh in my comments. That’s part from my admitted affection for the Mark Of Excellence combined with what I’d call a chronic Bart Simpson complex for many years…GM underachievements that should have been greatest hits. Like the Vega, or the X, J and FWD A bodies…Syke nailed it…”Imagine where General Motors would be today if they had designed and built them properly”.
And honestly, it’s not that Ford and ChryCo were all that better those years…it’s that GM had spent the better part of the previous fifty years simply being the best on so many levels. The expectations were higher.
Cars like yours showed GM could still get it done…The ’91 wagon I own today is my second ’77-’96 B-body. I’ve driven several others and always liked them from when they first rolled off the line.
I hope you get many years of enjoyment from it.
I haven’t seen a Chevy Citation in ages. I noted how many of them were sold in ’80. I’m guessing then that they were not very good cars and did not inspire their buyers to keep them in decent condition. And so they were sold as used cars in ‘meh’ condition to poor people who couldn’t afford anything better. But the poor folks who bought these cars really didn’t like them much, either, and only did the barest minimum to keep them running. And then . . . The Scrap Heap. Can’t say I’d ever be interested in owning a Citation.
USED CAR ADVERT FOR CHEVY CITATION circa 1986:
1980 Chevy Citation for sale. Runs. $350 obo
Your 1980 Caprice, Carmine, looks quite tidy. I’d be proud to motor down the highway in one of those.
GM would still be in the crapper, as they would have seen no reason to change them because, hey, we have built the best car ever!
It looks like you found a really nice one. I had no idea that these ever came with sunroofs. I hope that the ATC does not come back to bite you – my experience with these GM units has not been all that good. I also hope that your 3 speed auto is not one of the dreaded THM200s. A slightly later 4 speed version of one of these did not treat me well.
Isn’t it funny how everyone these days remarks about how “huge” these downsized full-sizers are. Everyone refers to my son’s 89 Grand Marquis as a land yacht. I still think of these as fairly petite, compared either to the dwindling memory of the really big cars that came before them or to the Suburbans et al that came after.
Congrats on the HD suspension. As another fan of large cars that can actually corner, I share in your joy. I still get excited when I remember finding out that my 77 New Yorker came with HD suspension and 70 series tires..
It always seemed to me that the Chevy was the B body that survived the 1980 restyle better than the others (except for Cadillac). Buick was OK, but the Olds was a huge step down to me. But between CAFE and the flatlining economy, the full sized car seemed to be dying in 1980. You have found a rare one here. Thanks for letting us all in on the fun.
I think for me growing up in these, and then owning their replacements, or currently owning a European (sorta) contemporary of them, you realize how space inefficient they were for their size. Or how hideously space inefficient the 71-76 barges they replace.
These always seemed plenty wide to me, but legroom isn’t fantastic until you get up to the Caddies. They barely seem roomier than the A-Bodies that are nearly 2ft shorter than them. Maybe it’s the driveshaft tunnel that always makes my feet seem super crowded, always accompanied by the auto parts store plastic cupholder unit ubiquitous to the ones that were/are in my family.
Or the fact that a vast majority of them didn’t get sold with handling packages, and seem like Mr. Stay Puft on wheels….
Curses Laurence! You got the song “Ghostbusters” in my head! AUUUUGH!
Ray Parker Jr. is NEVER a bad thing!
I know Ray Parker Jr. is never a bad thing, but “Ghostbusters” is a VERY catchy song and I HATE it when a song gets stuck in my head and when that happens, I hum or sing it to get it out of my head and others hate it when I accidentally get a song stuck into their head by doing that.
Great score! The sunroof alone sets this car apart and the F-41 suspension is icing on the cake. The point about the TH200 is well taken, I hope yours has the TH350. It’s an easy swap if the worst happens.
For some reason this car makes me want to dig out my old “Get the Knack” casette….
Shes a TH350, it was one of the things that I liked, in addition to the lack of “computer command” OBD what not.
Wow I don’t remember ever seeing a sunroof equipped Caprice.
Nice score. There is a similar Caprice wagon around the corner from my house thats for sale, I keep meaning to stop but always busy. I have a feeling the guy is asking a lot for it, it appears to be mint, garage kept, etc. I am guessing he may be the original owner, or inherited it from an elderly relative who was. My wife would never let me buy one, but I have always had a soft spot for these big classic cruisers, especially the wagons.
Our 79 Caprice lasted until 1999 maybe 2000. It had a sunroof that still worked(and leaked), though it was quite rusted. As For the 1980s squared up look, I loved The Two Tone Green Ones I remember seeing. I Like That Creamy light green offset by the Metallic green, its seems you have found the Brother color.
I’ve seen an 80 coupe with a black over gray that was really sharp, with the same interior as my car in light grey, that was nice.
Colour me envious! Very nice purchase of a car that is getting very thin on the ground. I don’t recall every seeing one with a sunroof, and that interior shows why sales of higher end units from Buick and Olds suffered, as there was nothing given away to the more “premuim” brands. Smart move to wait until a really clean/loaded unit came along before taking the plunge.
There a few things you could get on a higher end make that you couldn’t get on the Caprice, like a power passenger seat, lamp monitors, plus the higher end cars have little touches like the power window and lock switches mounted facing up in a pod, instead of flat against the door, but for the most part the if you didn’t know the difference I could see how you would be tempted into the Caprice, especially after 1980, when the “big” engine choices like the 403 and 350 started to disappear on the BOP B-C bodies.
Great write up and a great find!
Thanks!
Ditto!! Hope you give us more writeups. If you ever want to do something on Model Ts I can help.
Very nice Caprice pics!:-) I spotted a picture of a 1980 Canadian Bel Air, the 1980-1981 models was the last laspe for the Bel Air name in Canada. http://www.productioncars.com/gallery.php?car=15730&make=Chevrolet&model=Bel
Although the Caprice was the last of the Mohicans for GM minus the BOP wagons, it still got the company of the Ford LTD Crown Victoria and Mercury Grand Marquis.
When I was younger, I used to think that the Bel Air was available in the U.S. until 1977. This belief was based on having seen a Bel Air with the 1977-and-up body while on vacation in Hampton Beach, NH as a child, and having seen a magazine article covering the introduction of the new cars for the 1978 model year which made no mention of the Bel Air. I deduced that it must have been made through ’77, then dropped for ’78. I have since come to understand that that a Bel Air I saw must have been a Canadian model, probably driven by tourists from Quebec or the Maritimes, many of whom vacation at the beaches in New Hampshire and southern Maine.
I don’t have any figures to back it up, but I believe after maybe 1970 or so, the majority of Bel Airs went to fleet buyers for taxi and police use. According to the Standard Catalog of Chevrolet, the Bel Air was actually discontinued in the U.S. after the ’75 model year and replaced by a bare bones Impala “S” model for ’76.
There were still some BelAirs bought by ‘budget’ customers in early 70’s around my area in Chicago. My middle school friend’s parents had a brand new ’73 BelAir, wanted the cheapest big car. But it had nice dark green paint and black interior, and whitewalls. Nearly an Impala except for the fewer tail lamps.
That’s why I always appreciated looking at those old Chevy Bel Air’s (especially the ’68 model): The one less taillight! Thought they all looked better with 2 tails on each side instead of 3.
What an amazing find. Carmine, you and this car were destined for each other.
Hope you didn’t pay more than $500 for it….
C’mon, Suz – lighten up a bit. 🙂 There are lots of these out and about for $500 – and they are rusted, leaking, smoking, dented pieses of crap with torn up seats, no headliner, and bald tires. I’m not the biggest GM fan in the world (I hereby nominate myself for the understatement award of the day) but Carmine found himself a really sweet one that is worth WAY more than $500. It seems to me that anymore, anything less than about $2500 (with noteworthy rare exceptions) doesn’t get you a car, it gets you a car kit (some assembly required). Ya gotta pay for quality. I have learned this lesson the hard way a time or two.
If I could get one of these for $2500 that wasn’t “donked” beyond recognition, I’d take it and drive it happily. (Although I’d like the “aero” coupe version.)
Ahem, I’m not sure I should tell you that, suzulight… but guess what: over here, on the European side of the Atlantic, this very car, with this mileage and in this condition, would certainly be put up for sale for 10-15 times that figure. Worse still, I’d probably snap it up and be the happiest guy in town! Never underestimate the power of the “where-have-these-big-US-cars-gone” part of the brain (although some have other names for it, I know… Oh well). Beautiful find, Carmine!
Nice color combination. I always liked these cars in profile despite the hood and trunk having nearly the same shape. It shouldn’t work, but it does. How about an ad jingle from ’77:
http://blogfiles.wfmu.org/HW/2_Now_Thats_More_Like_It.mp3
I’m very envious of you. I would still prefer mine as a 1989-90 model with fuel injection on my 305 but damn that is a GREAT car. If I found one like that I’d put my business card under the windsheild whiper with a solid cash offer written on it.
What a beautiful B Body! Really a great find, Carmine. Funny how these things just pop up when you least expect them.
This is the penultiumate Caprice; the only one better would be a 1979 with 350. In fact, there is not a huge difference between them, except the 350 has a little more power and the ’79 has better brakes.
Most of the Canuckistani built cars had the THM350. The reason is, I am told, that all the cars exported to the Middle East came from the Oshawa plant.
Now it just needs a LLY Duramax and 6 speed Allison to be the Diesel Sleeper.
Thanks for sharing. A beautiful car and it also has the cornering lights that I have rarely seen except on the C Bodies. I owned a 1979 Mercury Marquis Brougham Coupe I bought new in May of 1980 at a great price. It was a beautiful car but I would have rather had a Caprice, Just could not afford an 80 and liked its looks better than the 79 at the time. Great write up and enjoy the car.
Marquis and LTD coupes are rare…..I still see one every once in a while. Yep, cornering lamps, I have had a few cars with them, its one of those brougham touches.
What happened to corning lamps – were they that expensive to produce? I’ve had only one car with them, believe it or not it was a loaded 1996 Altima GLE (Nissan had dropped them by the time I bought a Maxima and G37), and I really liked the way the provided a bigger lighted sweep of driveway as you turned in before entering a garage. My recollection is that cornering lamps were introduced on the 62 Cadillac. A good feature I wish was still around.
Great article, very handsome car – thanks!
Can anyone clarify it to me : Can cars of that era exceed 85 mph? In Europe speedometers are generally exaggerated – I mean even small cars equipped with tiny engines have 220 or 240 kph gauges. It seems that in the US you`ve got different approach to this even in modern cars.
Yes many can exceed 85mph, it was a federal law that limited the the max indicated speed to 85mph and also required the 55mph mark be highlighted. In some cases where the automaker didn’t want to do a completely new speedo, they left the marks above 85mph but didn’t number them to comply with the law. The law went into effect for the 1980 model year and although it was repealed just a couple of years later it took a number of years until that practice was changed. For example a 92 Crown Vic has a 120 MPH speedo but the same year Grand Marquis still had an 85 mph unit despite the fact that both had all new dashes and instruments that year.
85 MPH speedos went into effect in 1977 MY.
My first car, a ’78 Buick Century 4-door slantback, had an 85 MPH speedometer.
No, the speedometer rule was adopted in September 1979 for the 1980 model year. I can’t find a date for when the rule was tossed out, but already in October 1981, the NHTSA had proposed eliminating the 85 mph speedometer.
1979 RX-7s had speedometers that went to 120 mph. 1980 models had 85 mph ones instead. My 1981 has an 85 mph speedometer.
Various cars kept the 85 mph speedometer after it was no longer required because the manufacturers didn’t bother to spend the money to change it. Some cars prior to 1980 had 85 mph speedometers, but this was a coincidence.
My 92 Ranger still had the 82mph speedo though I have gone beyond it, perhaps as high as 90 or so on several occasions in it for short periods, and yes, it still marks the 55mph with a red dash.
I thought the 55mph law didn’t get repealed until sometime in the 1990’s and I don’t recall seeing or hearing of the speedo max changing beyond 85 until much later as well.
I think both laws probably stuck around no longer than 15 years, or so it seems anyway.
yes, 85 is a comfortable cruising speed in a full size yank tank. it’s only the ratio of the 3 spd trans that stops these things from easily climbing past 100 mph. it’s a real beauty, carmine. i hope you live in a mild climate or can keep it garaged.
Eighty five miles per hour is pushing it on any B body not a 9C1. The front end tends to lift off the road at anything above 75. I have done more than this but it is not a comfortable experience. In fact, my 1978 Rabbit Diesel was better at 80 mph than my 1978 Buick LeSabre which had FE3.
A B body with 305-4V will top out at just over 100 mph regardless of what transmission. In fact, the four speeds couldn’t pull top speed in hi gear. The cars had too much frontal area, to high a Cd and too little horsepower to go any faster.
Top gear is not a gear its direct drive same as a manual 4th is drect
Deleted. Someone said it better as I posted.
Yes, you can trust me, I’ve had this car over 85 ( for testing purposes only on a closed course…your millage may vary) a few times, it has an economy axle, so it still has some pedal left at like 90-95, but not much more, at that speed your exceeding your hp x boxy to wire wheel ratio.
The 85mph speedo thing varies, my 79 T/A has a 100mph one, some of the few performance cars kept them for a couple of years after 77. All the new downsized big cars got them. The 77 New Yorker I had still had a 100mph speedo, so did the 78’s too.
The KPH scale on the bottom also varies from year to year, Vegas had them as early a 1971.
The switch from 85mph to regular speedos was in ’86 for most cars. The F-body Camaro had an 85mph speedo in ’85, then 145mph in ’86.
Yeah. Even that Caprice with a 305 will probably top out at 110-115.
@Sam, that was generally my experience, at least at close to sea level.
Lucky you! These two tone color looks great on this car. And the seats look so fuzzy and comfortable. A well loved cars like this deserves to be preserved, and used by loving new owners who will appreciate it like it should be appreciated. Long may it be of service to you.
Nice car its in great nik for its age, downsizing at GM happened over here from 6 seaters to 5s in a european sourced body shell but using antiquated engines from the 60s great idea but Ford kept building their large Falcon and selling them as fast as they could stamp them out. Keep that car Carmine there cant be too many that nice about now.
Carmine,
Congrats on owning a stunning example of the last of the new “Chevrolets”. I kind of miss when Chevy used to refer to the Imp/Caprice that way.
I’ll try to get a pic of the 79 Coupe that our local Deli owner/Veterinarian has. It’s Powder Blue with a Deep blue interior and it’s riding on 8″ Ralleys. Like yours it’s a “survivor” aside from the rims..
Sean, those look like original GM faux-wire-rim-hubcaps to my eyes.
Yup looks the like the rattle caps that were standard on some versions and optional on others.
I think hes talking about the blue one. Yep its got the whites and wires package, but it has the larger rims underneath, I don’t know if their police car sized, but they are bigger.
I snagged another set of wires for $30 at a swap meet last year, they are actually better than the ones on the car.
Yeah, the local Blue one has the 8″ ralleys on all 4 corners. I know they never came stock too..
I like the “rattle caps”. That sound was a part of my childhood.
“I’ll try to get a pic of the 79 Coupe that our local Deli owner/Veterinarian has.”
Please tell me that was a reading comprehension test…
otherwise LOL! and I’m not eating any sandwiches when I get to your neighborhood… PBJ all the way!
geozinger, Maybe BHO would be interested in stopping at THAT delicatessen for lunch !
Oh mercy, that’s a fine automobile!!!
This has me written all over it 🙂
As much as I try to stay on top of these things, I too have never seen a Caprice with a factory Roof. Car collector Matt Garrett from Texas says that a C-Body’s factory roof is 30% of the cars value, so I would imagine that this could apply here as well.
One thing I noticed though, the grille is not from a 1980 model. The 1980 models had a unique grille, that featured a smaller egg crate pattern that looked more Cadillac.
Still, great car, my compliments to you!!!
I’ve seen those Matt Garrett cars, that is full on broughamporn. My car is like a claptrap compared to those cars, still I like her.
Great find – this car is a real time capsule – and I’m glad to see it has found an appreciative owner.
The writeup on this Canadian built car makes a nice tribute to the Oshawa plant, which sadly sounds like it will be closing soon.
Thanks for sharing Carmine!
Yup, Harper and the CRAP bailed them out with borrowed money (Harper being a classic Borrow and Spend “conservative”) and now they are moving everything away from Canada to either the USA or Mexico. Our petro-dollar has priced our industry out of the market.
I’ve always liked the look of these cars, especially with two-tone paint, and you’ve got the Queen of the Prom there. It even has an 8-track player? That is especially cool.
Very nice Carmine. you lucked out on a clean Caprice with a nice colour combo, seats and sun roof. It must be a beautiful driver on long trips.
Dad bought a red on black ’80 Impala in ’82. It had a V6 and was pretty slow. He wanted gas mileage at all costs and he was not happy with the 14 miles per gallon (average) it got. That was better, though, than the THREE mpg the ’72 Caddy he traded in for the Impala got (kid you not).
Despite the V6 I really liked that car except for when I had to sit on the hump in the back seat. With three brothers we’d beat each other up trying NOT to get, “the hump”.
Dad liked the car too but thought it very small.
In the closet, I always loved these cars.. until my parents got one. It was a brand-new 1988 Caprice Classic wagon, which was loaded in odd ways and not in others – typical GM of the 80s. Like broughamy interior, climate controls, fancy “honeycomb” wheels but saddled with the horrendously terrible for the size combination of a carb’d Olds 307 and a 4 barrel carb.
It was still a good looking car, even to this day I’d say it was one of the top “lookers” we had for a family car as kids. Driving wise? It was a dog. All of that weight behind the second-lowest powered engine available in the Caprice just didn’t do much for it. On a family trip to the Black Hills of South Dakota, Dad had to get out and let Mom drive because he “couldn’t take it anymore”, it was all he could do to hold 45 going uphill and cower so people couldn’t see him. More often than not following the first vacation in the car we’d take Dad’s 4-door Celebrity, which he really seemed to like, instead of the wagon. He outright refused to drive the wagon after about 6 months.
He outright said that had the car had even the roller 305 – at the time making 35 more HP! – it would have been a different story. Instead he tolerated it for another year and traded it off on a 1990 Plymouth Voyager, which he also hated, but for different reasons.
Still, I’d jump at the chance of something like what you have. I’d bet that’s one heck of a cruiser.
RE: 307 vs 305, I’ve always been amazed that GM used two different engines with roughly the same displacement in the B-bodys for so many years. The 307 Quadrajet was torquey but ran out of steam quickly (especially faced with hills to climb) and only made a lowly 140hp unless someone made the 442 or Hurst/Olds modifications to it. The 305 on the other hand made roughly 170hp and pulled well in the top end.
The funny thing is you could have two similarly equipted cars on a lot (say an Olds and a Chevy) that drove very differrently based on what was under the hood.
To further complicate matters GM used the 307 almost exclusively in the Cadillac and in the B-body wagons that were heavier. Yes it got you going off the line but made speeds over 60 to 65 excruciating. Making the waters even murkier is the fact that during 1989-90 the 305 became fuel injected and was sedans only while the 307 stayed carburated and was wagons only.
Nice find Carmine! I’ve been a fan of the killer B’s since they came out, and fell in love with my wife’s 77 Delta 88 (and her, too).
A very wealthy man I worked for back in the 70’s and 80’s always drove big Chevys, as his company is/was a Tier 1 supplier to GM. He had a 77 Impala Coupe that he seemed to really like, he kept this one for nine years. Most of his other cars were traded out much earlier than that (he could afford to, that and much more, quite easily).
I’ve often thought that said a lot about the original Killer B’s…
Up thread, someone said loaded Caprices hurt Buick and Olds B bodies, but not really true. After economy warmed up in 1983, new Delta 88s and LeSabres sold like hot cakes. It was the FWD change-over that hurt Buick/Olds later in 80’s.
IMO, it was the relatively-much lousier seats in the B-body Buicks and Olds. My ’89 Caprice seats are FAR better than the many Eighties RWD Buicks I owned . . . most w/ the “doggy” Olds engines.
I love that this car is the first year of a body style that carried until 1990 almost unchanged, yet it has the older features like that 8-track deck and the Comfortron. And the sunroof makes it super rare! Is it metal or glass (I’m guessing metal)? Very cool!
The only thing I never “got” about the new 1980 Chevrolets was why they eliminated the wraparound glass on the coupes. I guess it was cheaper, but the new version was so plain-looking, it’s kind of a shame.
Great find, congrats!
I just realize how hard it is to find parts….I feel like I got a 1st gen monte
How can I get one or two of these in the NY area? I am shooting a movie very early September and I really want to use these cars? Are there any clubs for the 1980 Caprice, the Wagon, the Monte Carlo or the Malibu?
D.
i have a 1981 Caprice Classic with 10,000 actual miles, running well, excellent condition!!! 662-417-9835
When I was a kid my mom drove a 1983 Caprice Classic that was light metallic brown over dark metallic brown, with dark brown cloth interior and split-bench front seats. Outside, there were wire wheel covers and skinny tires with wide white-walls. Unfortunately it did not have the F-41 suspension, but worse of all, it had a weak 3.8 V6 instead of a V8. I remember not liking that car very much, mostly because of the engine, but recognizing that it did look pretty good with its elegant two-tone paint in that oh-so-1980s brown/brown combination. That generation of the Caprice was the most elegant of all, and in fact, for me it’s hard to believe that it’s just a restyling and not a completely new car. While the 77-79 Caprice looks blocky and unrefined, the restyled 1980 model looked positively sleek and elegant.
Coming back to our 83 Caprice Classic, in the summer of 1983 we drove all over western US and it never missed a beat, despite carrying six people and the huge trunk full of luggage. I remember the soft rear suspension bottoming out constantly, which drove me crazy as I was starting to develop mechanical sympathy. There were also a few times where my dad pointed out that the wheezing V6 engine was barely able to hold the grade. Now with age and nostalgia kicking in, I miss that big road boat. Actually, I miss all those big american sedans and coupes that were so much a part of my childhood in the 70s and early 80s.
Love these. Absolutely my favorite GM model to date. I have very fond memories. My parents had a 1983 Caprice Classic Wagon, and then a 1988. Very durable, takes whatever you can dish out!
Great cars, i have a 1980 with a 267CI. I’m in the middle of building a blue printed 350 for it. My one has most of the options inside without the power roof and comfortron (my 1977 caprice had comfortron that worked badly!) I cant find the RPO codes for it so i’m unsure if it’s got the F41? It has a rear roll bar but no posi drive (well it didn’t untill i fitted a 8.5″ posi from a 1978) Love the car though, mines the same pretty much but black n silver with custom cloth ruby interior
Fantastic article and that 80 Caprice looks great. Top of the line. My family never owned this line of cars, although my father was a Chevy guy with a 64 Impala, a 70 Impala, and a 72 Impala 4 door hardtops he also had a 70 Pontiac Catalina at the time. He graduated to Oldsmobile in 77 and Buick in 89.
Than he got into Nissan Altima’s and Kia Optima’s. When the Altima got into an accident he bought at 03 which he really liked and gave to my sister. Searching for another, the prices went through the ceiling. So he ended up with a 2010 Chevrolet Malibu as a 2nd car. Decent car-however when I sit in the car and close my eyes seems like I am back in the 1972 Chevrolet Impala He drove one car and my Mother the other. Bac when he had a 58 Chevrolet Bel Aire 4 door and her a 57 Plymouth Belvedere 4 door-miss both of those like crazy.Anyway to the subject of this post, I have a 1980 Chevrolet Caprice Classic up for sale that I purchased last month.
I decided to trade around with these Caprices and have found several, however did purchase the one in the picture. We spend two days traveling north to bring the car back to Phoenix. This is a r although my price is high, I can only sell it once to someone who wants a great driver or to customize her. The car has 4k miles driven per year and was senior owned. Very clean in and out. The clearcoat is peeling on the back side, and she needs a new tire, and window regulator. The tire and regulator will be fixed when I get an option to purchase down on the car. She drives like a champ and I don’t want to look at this car too much because than I will want to keep here. I had a 80 Chrysler Newport during my three years back east, and a 80 Plymouth Gran Fury back when. Also two 1977 Fury Wagons before they were downsized. I love station wagons and now have a 1990 Toyota Camry Wagon, to leverage out my driving miles on the 09 Sonata that I was able to buy because my 06 Elantra was wiped out in a hailstorm three years ago in Phoenix. Now the dealer wants to give me the money I paid the Optima as a trade in on a 2013 and people are stopping me all the time offering me 4000 for the Camry-when you consider that the price of a new car is upwards near 20k, and that cruiser cars like the 300 and Charger are selling for 10k and up to 25k, the value of a good 80 Caprice follows suit. If anyone is interested in purchasing this Caprice I am asking 5000 with a 500 dollar discount toward the shipping to anywhere in the United States, or Canada. Your welcome to visit the car in Phoenix-we love visitors-or have the funds wired in and I can shipp out on the truck.
Thanks for reading my story. Walley Rand Owner-602-320-5987 Phoenix, Arizona or write to taranctula@yahoo.com
My second favorite line from GM with the mid size A/G body being the first. Growing up these cars were everywhere. My next door neighbor had a 1983 two tone light/dark blue sedan with 305/200R4 trans and that car gave them over 10 years of reliable cheap service. It was not ordered with posi or F41 but did have the gauge package, full power, CL seat package with the dual front armrests and no exterior vinyl roof. A set of HD gas shocks went a long was in cleaning up the rear end bouncing and cornering and even with only 150 HP that 305 sure moved our rather well. His car had 2.73:1 gears which all 1981-84 overdrive equipped 305 V8 cars got as std fare.
Some interesting factoid about 1980-1990 Caprices. 1980 cars as mentioned did not get the C3 computerized emissions system unless California equipped but certain cars did get a hydraulic lockup torque converter. It was a crap shoot whether you got a 200 metric or 350 transmission in the early years. 1981 introduced the 200R4 overdrive transmission but it was only offered on the 305 and diesel that year. The 5.7 diesel was initially only available for 1980 on wagons. The small 267 2BBL V8 was offered for models years 1980-82 only and was the std mill for all wagons. For 1982 you could equip your 267 with the overdrive transmission and 3.08:1 gears. The 229 Chevy V6 was offered up to 1984 and saw a gain of 20 on it’s rated torque in 1983. There were no Caprice coupes in 1983. The coupe was re-instated in 1984 and lasted until 1987. The coupes and sedans got a new header panel, side marker lights and grille in 1986 and flush headlamps in 1987. 1985 saw silver replace much of the wood grain in the interior but much of that made a return by 1987. 1986 saw new seat trim, the Impala name was dropped and a base Caprice was now affixed to that car. A new Brougham trim level and LS Brougham soon after also joined the lineup. 1985 dropped the 229 V6 and 150 Hp 305 and was the last year for the diesel. A new 4.3 liter TBI V6 with 130 HP was now std in coupes and sedans and wagons now came std with a higher compression 165 HP 305 with knock sensor which was an option on all other Caprices. The 4.3 made 140 Hp in 1986 and then 145 in 1987 with roller lifters which the 305 also adopted and Hp was now 170 on that engine. Starting late in the 1986 model run Caprice wagons switched plants of manufacture and joined the Pontiac, Buick and Olds with a 307 Olds V8 instead of the 305. The 305 gained TBI in 1989 and the 4.3 was dropped from the retail lineup. 1980 and 81 were the only years that I am aware of that offered a factory power roof. No Caprice Classic was ever offered in these years with buckets seats and floor shifter as they were on certain Buick, Olds and Pontiac B-body’s in the early 80’s. 1980 was also the only year that an alloy wheel was offered on this car line as seen in the ad above and are extremely rare to find. All in all there was a lot more going on with this car through the 80-90 time period than many would think.
Well today I put a deposit down on this 87, it has the 4.3 V6 power everything and 46,000 miles. It’s only had one owner (95 years old) and after an extended test drive I had to do it. I think I’m falling in love. Neat fact , I put $50 down. This Friday I pay $500 and than $250 a month. Total $3000. Hey guys tell me I did good. I need to hear it. I
Nice car! The two-tone was an option, but wasn’t seen much after the 1986 facelift. It looks to be a Caprice Classic, as the basic Caprice (used for fleet, taxi and police) did not have the wide rocker chrome trim. Above that was the Brougham, then the Brougham LS. I wrote a CC on a Brougham LS last July: https://www.curbsideclassic.com/curbside-classics-american/curbside-classic-1990-chevrolet-caprice-classic-brougham-ls-embarrassing-fwd-cadillacs-since-1987/
It looks like you have found something very similar to what my son found about eighteen months ago. https://www.curbsideclassic.com/curbside-classics/curbside-classic-1989-mercury-grand-marquis-ls-panthers-run-in-the-family/
Old low-mileage cars come with their own set of problems, because so many normal repairs have never been done. We just recently dealt with a water pump that had been untouched by human hands for 24 years. But for the person with some patience to deal with the issues of a nice but old car, the rewards are certainly there.
Well I think you did VERY well! And those 4.3 engines are good, just a little loud.
If I were you, I would seriously consider having a high quality theft alarm installed, as these have a high theft rate.
Bobby West, I bought my low-mileage ’89 Caprice Brougham, 305 TBI, w/ the F41, dash gauges, etc…. for $1500.. about 7 years ago.
What was the deal with the check-engine “eternal-flame” lamp [great slang]? My dad’s ’80 6.0L Sedan DeVille had that too, & I don’t remember it ever being solved.
Yes it is a Caprice Classic. It has the V6. I would have preferred the 8 but the 6 in it runs well. If this car works out long term I will look into a motor swap with something more modern.
I read the article you wrote about your son’s Mercury. I must say I’m very impressed with the quality of writing I’m finding on this site. I’m hoping that I have made a good decision in purchasing this and it is nice to think that I have a “Classic” of my own.
Thanks Richard, I am aware that these cars are a target of thieves (they’ve had plenty of time to get their technique perfected) fortunately I live in a nice neighborhood and I can park behind a locked gate. You mentioned the motor, I don’t know anything about it other then my prejudices against any American 80s V6 . I am fairly knowledgeable when it comes to cars and engines. I went to Toyota Technical Education Network but left because of a job opportunity. I did learn alot and I’m looking forward to doing some standard (as opposed to metric) wrenching.
I brought it home! What do I need to do first? Tell me some secrets.
No real secrets as far as I know (but I am not a mechanic, just a B-body fan). I know you mentioned a possible engine swap. Before you do that, may I suggest driving it with the V6 a while? If you have another car with more power, you may enjoy the difference between the two–just a thought.
I would also check tires, belts, hoses and replace where necessary. These are very stout, reliable cars, so I can’t imagine too many issues cropping up, unless it hasn’t been driven for a while.
If you plan on driving it regularly, I would change out all of the fluids and filters and replace all of the belts and hoses (including heater hoses) unless they seem to have been done fairly recently. Perhaps a water pump if you are in the neighborhood. Chevy guys, correct me here – my experience in Fords is that OEM water pumps like to die at 60-70K miles.
It might not be a bad idea to flush out the brake fluid as well, as that stuff sops up moisture and plays havoc with the hydraulic system’s innards. That fluid has undoubtedly been there a long time. At that mileage, though, brakes should have been done at least once, so maybe its not as old as all that..
So I had my first adventure with the Caprice today.I live in South Florida and I had heard some place I think through my spam in my email that there was a Barrett Jackson auction and car show going on in West Palm Beach. Step one, back the car into the ditch in my front yard … My neighbor very carefully pulled me out and assured me that he would inform anyone who didn’t actually get to see it. So I’m off. My first My first leg is, about 70 miles I’m heading down to Fort Lauderdale to pick up my best friend. As soon as I get up to speed I find out that I’m going to be getting some door weather stripping. She cruises nicely at 73, the steering is light or maybe you could say loose. I arrive in I arrive in Fort Lauderdale and head over to my buddies house. He is suitably impressed by my lovely new car. So we’re off to West Palm Beach which is 40 minutes or so north. Ten minutes after I get back on to the turnpike this time headed north the way I’ve come I run out of gas. I Call FHP and within fifteen minutes we’re gassed up and on our way. Finally we arrive and stand in line for tickets and then stand in line some more. I really enjoyed the test drives and people watching but I won’t be doing it again. Too crowded. So back to his house than my house for a total of about 300 miles driven. I also filled the tank with 22 gallons of gas! That’s alot of gas. All in all a great time. An adventure as my Dad used to say.
I found this car’s twin in Sweden, http://www.blocket.se/stockholm/Chevrolet_Caprice_47392241.htm?ca=14
OK guys I need some help. My 87 with the 4.3 has developed it’s first problem. The ac compressor is cycling on and off every three seconds or thereabouts. It also never seemed to get really cool unless it was raining or night time. So… low refrigerant causing the pressure switch to cycle? Bad compressor, clutch, flux capacitor… I’m on a budget so a repair shop is probably a no go. Where should I start? Thanks in advance.
CARMINE wrote:
I was once told by a zone rep for an automaker that usually they ordered cars with everything on them, since they aren’t paying for them; they just drive them around for a few months and then they get sold at GM at employees’ sales or they are sold to dealerships as “program cars”.
me:
What is a program car?
also, the ’82 Caprice was the slowest 350 Caprice ever…in the 9c1 package. 107 mph top speed.
117 mph in ’77, 115 in ’78 and 79, 113-116 in ’80-81, but 107 in ’82. Then back to 115 in ’83, then 114-118 through ’88 before the 120-plus and up TBI motors.
Bellah and Sanow. Chevrolet Police Cars, 1955-1996
To Robert West:
The a/c cycling problem that you have encountered is electrical in nature. You should check the de-icing switch, and if that checks out okay, then look at the a/c relay.
I personally thought the ’80 redesign for the sedans was better than the 1977-79 sedans but not with the coupe’s, I do agree that most of the pre-Euro headlight Caprice’s you see is from 1984-85.
I’m no fan of the two tones that GM was so proud of in the 70s and 80s…the silver and black was about the only color combo I could live with.
I can confirm that the B bodies can get floaty at speed too…I had multiple occasions to drive 6 door funeral limousines in the 80s, and the 42 inch stretch Buick LeSabres without load leveling would float alarmingly above about 60MPH with 6 passengers. They would get a nose-high stance and weave all over the place.
Very nice. This write-up reminded me of the second brand-new car I ever bought, a 1981 Caprice sedan.
Spiking fuel prices and shortages had most buyers in a panic and scrambling for small cars in ’80/’81. Consequently, the used car lots were full of traded-in ’70s barges, and small and mid sized new vehicles were flying off the lots at premium prices. However, I deduced (correctly as it turned out) that gas prices had peaked, the worst of the crisis had passed, and it was a great time to go the opposite direction from the herd.
The fact I was trading in a ’79 VW Rabbit on a full-size new car made me an extreme rarity in early ’81. Not only did Chevy have few takers on full-size V-8s in ’81, most of those few B-Body buyers who walked through the door wanted one only with the diesel option. Yuck. Not me, a fact which made me ever more rare among new car buyers at the time. It was definitely a buyer’s market for anyone shopping in the full-size gas V-8 segment.
I came from a Chevy family so from the start my heart said “Caprice”, but for the sake of argument I shopped it against the Crown Vic (more expensive and felt bulkier) and the St Regis (ugh – didn’t like it at all). Once I decided I was definitely going with a Caprice, I called a friend who was a service tech at a big Chevy dealership back home for advice on what to look for and avoid on the Caprice both in general and among the powertrain choices specifically. He immediately told me to above all avoid the diesel, something in which I had zero interest anyway. He also recommended that I stay away from the V-6 which was standard equipment in the B-Body, but in reality was a drivetrain more suited for the intermediate-size line-up. He said the most common customer complaint with the V-6 was rough idle, but in his experience the weakest link in V-6 equipped B-Bodies was the transmission. He said that out of the entire Chevy line-up, the V-8 Caprice was the choice he would make.
So I told the dealer I wanted a Caprice with a gas V-8 only. That was a problem. Due to the weakness of the full-size market, particularly those equipped with gas V-8s, Chevy was building very few of them so the dealer rarely got one in stock. However, despite their obvious desire to move what they already had on the lot, I was patient and stuck to my guns about not accepting a V-6.
A few weeks later the dealer called to say a shipment of Caprices had come in, a couple of which had a V-8, and one of those was equipped very close to my option specs. I went to the dealer to look them over that evening, and a very sharp Caprice in the unloading area caught my eye even before they told me it was the car they had called me about. It was a two-tone light over dark copper with tan (buckskin?) cloth interior, V-8, all of the power options on my must-have list, and a sunroof. Like the other vehicles in the new shipment, it had just come off the truck a few hours before and was not yet prepped (plastic still on seats, mats and wheel covers in trunk, etc), so I waited in the showroom while they sent it through the prep process.
When it was finished they called me back to the service area (it was dark outside by then), and I still remember seeing her for the first time in all her glory, prepped and under the lights in the service write-up area so I could check her out. I ended up taking it home with me that evening.
She was a beautiful car, and of the 40-ish vehicles I’ve owned over the years (I still have six of them ) she’s near the top of the list of my past vehicles I wish I still owned. Unfortunately I had it for only a couple years due to a need to downsize (job transfer). During that time the only problem was with the new-for-’81 Computer Command Control (aka 3-C) system. A few times while it still under warranty (thank goodness), the “check engine” light came on for a few seconds, the engine momentarily bogged down and sputtered like the mixture went too rich, then the light went off and it ran fine again. I took it to the dealership each time it had the error, and each time they replaced what they called a “bad prom” in the 3-C. It was the only work it ever required while I had it, and I never regretted buying it.
Not that I would have ever considered buying one (as if! I was a new Caprice owner), but out of curiosity caused by the press hype they were getting in 1981, during one of the times my Caprice was back at the Chevy dealership for a service check-up or one of the stupid 3-C system errors, I test drove a Citation. Yikes. Maybe I was spoiled by my Caprice, but the new Citation I test drove was unbelievably gutless, poor handling, rough, noisy, and generally horrible. It made me even happier to get back into my smooth, quiet, roomy Caprice. I wasn’t surprised in the least when the Citation (and all GM X-Bodies) soon gained a poor reputation and were quickly dropped from the GM lineup.
Is there anybody that would like to talk to me about the history of the 2 door caprice. I bought myself a 1980, 2door that I’d like to know more about and fix up. Thanks. Becky
Loved it on patrol back in the 80’s and love my 89 now. A lot of car for the money. Happy motoring http://www.routinepatrol.com
My dad had a white 2 door 1979, 350 V8, aero rear window, same interior with the gage package. That economy gage was a blast, just a vacuum gage. I “bought” the car from my dad and kept it for a few years. The biggest problem was the bullsh*t Illinois emission testing, it could never pass and I could afford to bribe the testers. I got by faking repair receipts and getting waivers. It was my first hint the state of Illinois and Democrats are worthless.
I love your car I was wondering if you could call me and tell me if you can see a body like that model you have. I was looking for one I just pulled parts off a model just like yours at a friend’s salvage yard and just looking for a noddy to put those parts onto if you could that would be great and most helpful. here’s my number to get a hold of me 720-398-8812 I thank you very much Jeremie.