Thoughts & Opinions Wanted: Boxy and Long Roof Chevy Wagons

I am casually lurking about in search of my next wagon and am interested in gathering your thoughts and opinions particular to mechanical differences between the model years of the boxy Chevy wagons ('77-'90) and the model years of the long roof Chevy wagons ('91-'96). I say "casually" because I have a little further to go in saving up enough money to buy one that would not be a total resto project, but it doesn't need to be "perfect" either. I want one that is presentable, dependable as a weekend driver and of course safe (rust free frame and structure)...I'm totally fine with one in need of TLC.

Within each of these generations (I like both designs), are there model years that have proven easier to maintain/repair mechanically than others? I will say that I am gravitating more towards the boxy generation, carrying the thought (correct me if I'm wrong) that the older the car, the simpler the design.

Thanks in advance for sharing your thoughts, opinions, experiences, knowledge etc!

 

All comes down to personal preference.

I would have to say I'm a bit disappointed (so far) with the performance of my Safari. That being said, I haven't done anything about it yet. So, as far as box wagons go, most anything you get will be fairly slow (exceptions: some 'big block' early cars; a few with Chevy 350's, etc.). Most of them have the Olds 307's it seems.

My recommendation would be to save your shimoleans for a nice RMW, '94 or newer.

 

I don't know sqwat about your emissions testing and what is required to pass, let alone cut of year but for you in Cali, I would keep that in mind when it comes to the later years of the "box" wagons. The computerized whale wagon seems to be easier to pass all the smog crap to my understanding.

 

I grew up with two boxys ('78 Grand Safari/'86 Electra Estate) and have owned one boxy ('89 Custom Cruiser) and two round-bodies ('92 Custom Cruiser/'96 Roadmaster Estate).

Here we go!

Boxy Pros:
- Classic Styling
- Last BIG GM V8's in the 77-79 models (350-400-403)
- View over the more stylish long hoods
- Better interior build quality (more fabric and vinyl, less hard plastic)
- Stouter door handles, latches, and window motor parts
- More storage room behind second row/ higher roof that goes further back..
- Not as wide (a plus or minus depending on what you like)
- More chrome, and stouter bumpers.
- Bigger and thicker seats in front and middle rows
- QUIET and SO SMOOTH, great ride!
- power slide-down rear tailgate window
- Most all mechanical parts are still easy to get and cheap
- Tried and true components, and easy to work on.
- Posi rear axles, heavy-duty brakes, and stout suspensions are all common
- More front-seat legroom

Boxy Cons:
- Most 80-90 have the gutless Olds 307 or even worse the Pontiac 301 or Olds Diesel (that said a pre-smog Olds Rocket 350 is a great and easy fix)
- Getting harder to find trim and interior/body parts, especially the older cars
- Not as popular with hot-rod - mod folks, so almost no aftermarket support.
- Weak 200R4 transmissions on 80-90 models
- Interior plastics fade/discolor/turn to chalk
- Issues with factory paint checking/cracks
- Power window motors get slooowww

Round-Body Pros:

- MUCH BETTER POWERTRAIN! The TBI Chevy 305 is not a rocket, but is reliable as the sun, and worlds more powerful than the Olds 307, and most 92-93 cars have the even-better Chevy 350, which is also reliable as the sun and has very decent power. Also easy to work on. The 94-96 cars are frankly in another world compared to the boxy cars, all having the LT1 350. When looking at an LT1 car, check for a belt-driven fan, which indicates a tow-pack car, with better cooling and lower-geared rear axle, giving these cars nearly Impala SS speed and power!
- Better transmissions, either a 700R4 or 4L60. Either one is MUCH better than the old Metric 200R4 in the Boxy cars.
- Big following, very popular cars still, most Impala SS parts and mods will work on the round-body, and especially the LT1 cars.
- Much more modern styling (easier to "sell" to your spouse in most cases!)
- Bigger front and side glass area
- Better a/c with larger vents and more vent pressure
- More modern toys (keyless entry, better radios/speakers, cupholders, ect)
- TONS of shoulder/elbow room!! Door panels so far away it's a reach to put your elbow on the sill with the window down.
- Still ride great
- Trim and interior/body parts easier to find in the salvage yards still
- Vista roof on Buick and Olds, just neat!
- Factory dual exhaust on 94-96 cars (swap the factory mufflers for Flowmaters and WHAT a sound! Leave the resonators and still quiet until you boot it, then listen to the car! Awesome!
- Considered future classics/collectables, especially the '96 models and LT1 cars in general.

Round-body Cons:
- Watermellon Jokes, jokes on wood cars.
- Lots of cheap plastic inside, prone to rattling, cracking (door panels/trim), with wide panel gaps.
- Door armrests warp and break off!
- NEVER slam the door on a round-body car, door panels can and do crack and window regulator clips shatter. Doors close easy, so close them easy!
- Dashboard wide and deep enough to land an airplane on.
- Failure-prone power window sliders. Annoying!
- Weak hinges/latches and lock on tailgate
- No sliding tailgate window, SUV-style swing-up glass. (boo!)
- Paint de-lamination issues (peeling)
- Painted bumpers not as stout and prone to fading
- Trim issues in and out (peeling/fading/cracking)
- Curved roof design gives front seat rows more room, but 3rd row/cargo area is smaller do to shorter and lower roof in back.
- WIDE. These cars are wider than Suburbans, and are hard to park in cities and prone to door dings in the Wal-Mart parking lot.
- Rust issue...water leaks. The round-body cars seem to be much more rust-prone, especially behind the rear wheels/tailgate, and lower body, front fenders.
- LT1 is harder to work on, more complicated, and more expensive parts-wise than the older motors (Opti-spark, difficult plug wire changes, generally more electronics, note '96 cars are OBD-II).
-Tiny door mirrors on 91-94 cars.

I love ALL these cars, but my pick for a daily runner or future collector would be a 95-96 Roadmaster or Caprice Classic. Behind that would be a '92 Custom Cruiser with the LO5 350 engine. I would avoid the base Caprice models, the Classic trim is much nicer and the cars all cost the same now.

For the boxy cars, the Buick has the nicest interior and great style. The Olds models look great outside and have a classy dashboard but the seat fabric and door panels is very industrial grade. The Chevy models are nice as long as you get the Classic trim. Base Caprices are plain.

My personal favorite on the boxy side is the Pontiacs, both the "real" 77-81 Bonneville-base models and the newer Parisienne Safaris, which are basically a Caprice in drag. The 77-81 Safari had a fantastic dash design (full engine gauges optional) and the last real Pontiac 400 was an option in 77-78, a real stormer of a motor. The 79 model could still be had with the Olds 403, a good strong engine but not quite the beast the 400 was. The 80-81 Safaris have great exterior styling, but the interior was made plainer...the Brougham option was cancelled, and the engines were the 301-307-and...diesel...yikes.

The Parisienne models share a lot with the Caprice, but I like the Pontiac steering wheels, dash trim, tail lights, grill, and Pontiac Rally II wheels look fantastic on these. And since almost all had the Olds 307, and Olds 350 will drop right in.

Oh one thing to point out, if you can find a 80-90 Canadian boxy, you may find a Chevy 305 under the hood instead of the Olds 307. Really a nice find. More powerful and reliable than the Olds 307. For some reason our friends to the north got the Chevy motor a number of years, NICE!

One more thing on boxys, in addition to the weakend engines in 1980, GM went on a weight-saving (and money-saving for them) kick in 1980. The power window motors and regulator mechanisms were all changed. The windows on 77-79 cars FLY up and down and the motors in the doors are strong enough to work in a trash compactor. The 80+ cars used a much smaller window motor, a simplified regulator, and a plastic slide (guide) clip on the glass that rode in the window channel (and is prone to failing, letter the windows fall forward into the door.... These worked ok when new but get slower and slooowwwer with age. Even the motor in the tail gate was changed in 1980, which is stupid as the gate glass is SO HEAVY. The 77-79s power windows just work so much better, are faster and last longer. It somewhat shocking when you compare the window speed on a 79 vrs an 80+ car. Just an FYI!

Hope that helps!

-Mike

 

What he said....

My vote - go for a 94 to 96 Chevy, Buick or Olds. Or a '69 Fairlane....

 

I remember the first time I looked in a box Custom Cruiser, I thought it was a mid grade upholstery shop redo. I don't care for the fabric either, but it does wear like iron.

 

Buy Silver's wagon.






Call Bryon at 608-753-2585 or 608-753-2203


http://www.stationwagonforums.com/forums/newreply.php?do=newreply&p=273142

 

It's still up for sale?

 

Thanks Krash. You're right, it is a matter of personal preference. Even though I'm not too concerned about speed/performance, but now that I think about it, all of my classics have had either a 350 or a 400 engine. I also appreciate your recommendation to get a RMW, and I have nothing against Buick at all, but I have always been a Chevy guy and still have my heart set on another one. Thanks for the affirmation though to stick with a 350.

 

Good point and thanks FT. Here in CA, any model older than 1976 is exempt from "smog" testing (as it's called here). ("I had it good" with my '75 Clamshell!). Your comments about the computerized models is encouraging me to keep looking at '91-'96 wagons...even though the computer components scare me a bit. Thanks again!

 

WOW, Mike...thank you for this! You've given me a lot to think about and I'm grateful. I think you may have swung me a bit closer to the LT1's. MY problem may be my own pickiness in wanting only a Chevy (absolutely nothing against Buick or Olds, I just have Chevy in my blood, lol). Thanks SO much for taking the time to write all of that out!

 

Fannie: I wish! A loving home and a dedication to keep it as it is, I have; the seven G's to buy it, I don't.