83 Caprice - underneath pics during rear end swap

[caprice_2nv]

I'm swapping rear differentials on my 83 Caprice that my girlfriend uses. The old rear end was 2.41 gears and no posi, it needed brake shoes, axle seals, and one axle was worn so I took the opportunity to upgrade it to a beefier 8.5" rear axle with 3.08 gears and posi that came out of an 83 Delta 88. It already had new brakes, axle seals, etc. before it was pulled from the car it was in before.

I decided while the rear end was out to wash all the old undercoat out from under the car, so I can sand down any rust spots and do a quick coat of paint underneath before rustproofing it again for this winter. I took some pictures to show what it looks like underneath the undercoat after 28 years and about 175k miles.

 

[oggb]

Man, you're keepin' the old cars alive.

 

[xxch4osxx]

Pretty good shape considering the age!

 

[OVERKILL]

Man those cars and the panthers look similar underneath. Love the 4-link

 

[Bluestream]

To each his own...

 

[eljefino]

Garage_2nv!

 

[Billy_D]

Not bad.

 

[FirstNissan]

For 28 years of Canadian winters, that is an impressive underbody. I was expecting one big rust bucket! I cant impagine getting some of those old rusty bolts off though, must have been a nightmare.

One a side note, its a nice looking car, sure dosent look 28 years old. Any pics of the interior, since that is the dealbreaker here.

 

[oilboy123]

Swapping rear ends.....cool. Keep er going it looks good. I still miss my 68 Impala........

 

[JHZR2]

Always liked those cars.

 

[sciphi]

That's clean under there! Keep up the undercoating, and that'll last another 5 years easily.

Way to keep that old car going!

 

[mongo161]

Nice work and great shape for 28 years of age. Maybe you'll find time to replace the front end when the time comes.

I agree with the consensus...it must have been a nightmare removing rusted bolts from 28 years ago.

 

[brentalan]

Those taillights are 86+

Are you sure it's an 83?

 

[oilmaven]

Back in 1985 I had a job for about 10 months at an architectural firm. I was essentially the office grunt and responsibilities included copying, filing, going to get (and drop) the mail and most importantly, picking up bagels or doughnuts every morning. I was instructed to look outside the buildng and "borrow" whichever company car was available. These cars were driven by the company bosses and managers. The fleet ran the gammut and included a 1983 Celebrity V6, 1985 Chevy Celebrity "Eurosport",1982 Plymouth Reliant, 1981 Buick Regal, 1984 Dodge Caravan (loaded LE with the 2.6 Mitsubishi engine and "woodgrain"), 1985 Cutlass Ciera (4 cyl.) and a 1982 Chevy Caprice station wagon. My favorite was the Caprice wagon...it was (reasonably) fast, road great and was actually a decent handler (considering what it was). My least favorite?...the Reliant. I can't remember where I parked my car or where I put my glasses but I can remember those cars like yesterday.

 

[Falcon_LS]

That is a beautiful, clean Caprice and I really admire how well you have looked after it.

Are you planning anything like a disc brake upgrade for the rear end?

Originally Posted By: brentalan
Those taillights are 86+

Are you sure it's an 83?


I would say so, look at the door mirrors. 1986 was the first year for the wider mirrors, which was also used on the Camaro.

 

[demarpaint]

Not bad at all for the age! Keep up the good work!

 

[greenaccord02]

That is one clean car. Screw what the haters say. It looks like it's ready for it's next 175K.

 

[addyguy]

That Chev is in GREAT shape for 28 years of Canadian winters - most are LONG gone!

You still list the 1989 Chev in your sig...any plans for it?

When I was first looking for a car, one of my dad's friends wanted me to buy a big Chev like this - he had an early 1980's wagon like this, and said they were the only type of cars that lasted - I still remember him laughing at my 1985 Buick Skyhawk...

 

[CBR.worm]

They will probably never build a car like that again. I am pretty sure the towing capacity was within 100 pounds of a truck I had.

Not that I would buy a Caprice or Crown Vic, but those platforms being gone are the end of an era for sure. Those large body on frame cars are what I consider to be the last of the real American cars.

 

[austinlunsford]

Dude i love your caprice. I love the old full size, rear drivers. And I would pick your caprice over a fwd civic any day of the week. How have you prevented rust??! It looks awesome on the underside. Nice car