Hello. I am considering buying a mid-late 60's BelAir/Impala/Caprice wagon and am trying to do some homework first. I figured this was the best place to ask since there is not a lot of information on wagons out there and you guys have some nice looking ones. I've restored other cars (currently have a '72 Skylark 455), so have a good idea how it's done, but am concerned about wagon-specific parts, so please bear with me. 1) Are the 66-69 Chevy full size interior parts essentially the same as 4-door sedans? I'm thinking about door panels, rear (middle) seat, glass, trim, dash, etc. What do I need to look out for? 2) Does anyone reproduce parts for the back half of these cars? I'm thinking patch panels, interior pieces, etc. It appears that the front half of these cars are identical to the 4-doors. Even the wheel base is the same, according to the info I've found online. I appreciate any help anyone can provide. I haven't found the car I want to buy yet; just want to know if I need to hold out for a turn-key survivor or if there is a parts market to support a reasonable restoration. BJ
Make doubly sure the four door door panels between the Impala and the Bel-Air/Biscayne are interchangeable. We have a '67 Biscayne. We lucked out when we got it and the interior was in good shape. You cannot find 2 door Biscayne/Bel-Air door panels unless they are NOS. Lots of other stuff you would think would swap from an Impala wouldn't. My guess is swapping between Impala and Biscayne/Bel-Air would be easier on the four doors/wagons. Wagons SHOULD have the four link rear suspension (standard was three link) and V8 cars were standard with a front sway bar. Body patch panels can be a little tough to find, but they are out there.
Basically all interchange... nicer appointments the more up the scale you go, but the Caprice wagon is basically the same as the Impala wagon interior save for the Caprice emblems. It was only on the 2dr coupes and 4-door sedans/hardtops that you seen a distinct difference between the Caprice and Impala interior, when the Caprice interior was much more luxurious so to speak. The Caprice wagons never used the nice luxury interior that the sedans had... at least not until the 80s. I had a 69 Caprice sedan with the really luxurious interior, but a Caprice sedan interior could be installed into the Caprice wagon or any of them for that matter. this link will help too.. http://oldcarbrochures.com/static/NA/Chevrolet/1969_Chevrolet/1969_Chevrolet_Brochure/dirindex.html
Thanks for the replys, guys. I guess my biggest question was in regards to the interior pieces as finding replacement parts for a wagon-only application seemed nearly impossible to me. In fact, just finding a wagon proves to be a challenge. But, if the 4-door sedans can help out with those parts, then maybe there's hope. The body panels can always be repaired by bending my own sheetmetal. There are currently only two wagons within driving distance to me to look at. One is a '66 Bel Air with a straight six and the other a '68 Bel Air with a 327. I like the '66 styling a little better, but not the motor. That can be addressed, however. Both cars may be too much of a project anways, so I'm still looking. Wouldn't mind a Buick astro roof car either. Anyway, thanks for the link; I've got it book marked now.
Not sure about your particular years but I was told in my 87 Caprice wagon the rear doors aren't the same size as the sedans.
