1989 Chevrolet Caprice 9C1

Photo Gallery

City of Las Cruces, New Mexico Car 7880

VIN 1G1BL5175KR203742

Wow, lots to update!  In the fall of '07, I completely stripped this car down to the bare minimum necessary to drive it around a body shop and into a paint booth.  I had it hauled to the shop in November, had the body thoroughly massaged, and completely refinished with basecoat/clearcoat GM WA8554 white.  This is no Maaco either, this is a real shop.  They did an awesome job.  Only minor touch-up was required on one door, which they are making right at no charge.  The total damages came to $2369.25, exactly the estimated price I was given.  As of this update (5/6/2008) the car is mostly done.  I still have to finish up a few odds and ends here and there, but the bulk of the work is done.  Pretty soon, I hope to begin work on Phase II, which will be a similar, though more expensive process with my '94.

	This is the boxy 9C1 I should have bought back in 2001.  Like my '94 Texas car, this car will never be operated in road salt.
	The engine is identical to the engine in my old '90 9C1.  It is the L05 throttle body fuel injected (TBI) 5.7-liter (350 cubic inch) small block V8.  In 1989, per GM corporate policy, the only Caprice factory equipped with this engine was the 9C1 police package.
	The interior needs quite a bit of clean up work, and as you can see, the dash top is shot and needs to be replaced.  Nothing else is in really bad shape, it just needs cleaning.
	This is the certified speedometer and seven-digit odometer 9C1 instrument cluster.  The dot at the top end of the speedometer represents 125 MPH if I recall correctly.  It is fairly accurately matched with the car, because at the Michigan State Police patrol vehicle tests for 1989 models, the L05-powered Caprice topped out at 122.1 MPH.  1989 retail Caprices only had an 85 MPH speedometer and a six-digit odometer, including the tenths place.  That means that when the odometer rolled over from 99,999.9 miles, it looked like the car had zero miles.  Not so with the police package.  My '85 retail Parisienne has a seven-digit odometer, so I'm not sure why GM went cheap with the retail full-size Chevy.  These cars were built to last well over 200,000 miles.  This car had 64,659 miles on the odometer when we picked it up in Las Cruces, New Mexico.  By the way it handles and how the suspension feels (and looks underneath), the mileage is accurate.
	The trunk lid on this car has been swapped at some point with one from a retail Caprice Classic.  I can tell because of the Caprice crest over the lock cylinder.  1989 base model Caprices, on which the 9C1 option was exclusively available, did not have a crest over the lock cylinder.  The nameplates were swapped as well, so the car was suffering an identity crisis, having only a Caprice badge with an emblem over the lock cylinder.  This is not a Caprice Classic, it is a base model Caprice, essentially the lower trim level replacement for the Impala after production stopped in 1985.
	The car rolled out of the garage after stripping, ready to go to the shop.
	Another view of the car just before loading up and heading to the shop.
	A look at the driver door and inside, at the '95 9C1 passenger side "shit seat" AJ loaned me to put in the car while it was in the shop.  Didn't quite look right in a boxy, but it was bolted in.
	I went so far as pulling the entire dash assembly out to keep it from getting filthy while in the shop.
	Loaded up and off to the shop!
	Body work in progress!  There was no rust to deal with, however the body needed a good working over to fill some holes and smooth out the dents and dings accumulated over 18 years and at least two considerable accidents originally repaired by a less than reputable firm I like to call On-The-Border Body Shop™.  Photo courtesy AJ Clapp.
	Tarped and waiting, almost ready for paint.  Photo courtesy AJ Clapp.
	Tarped and waiting, almost ready for paint.  Booths are visible in the background.  Photo courtesy AJ Clapp.
	Just off the truck, back from the shop!
	It looked good, but still needed a lot of cleaning up before beginning reassembly.
	A view of the nice work the shop did filling the rivet holes from the emblem over the lock cylinder.  Since this car is a base-model Caprice, it should not have an emblem over the lock cylinder.  Due to the trunk lid being a replacement, these holes had to be filled before refinishing for the trunk lid to be accurate.
	Most of the dash reinstalled.  There was still a lot left to do at that point, however, but the dash was probably the hardest.
	Antenna install for two-way equipment.  The low band is on the left, and the VHF high band is on the right.
	Most of the work is now done, however there are a few things still left to do.  I had the car to the point where it was worthy of being photographed, though.  I still need a correct face bar for the front bumper with no rub strip and no vertical guards.