Soon a wagon will be mine

I am about to go on an adventure. I posted a while back (http://www.stationwagonforums.com/f...s-chevrolet-caprice-estate.53362/#post-500661) about a hair-brained idea to find the same station wagon that my family owned when I was a kid and drive it to a family reunion this summer.

I finally found what I have been looking for: a 1983 Chevrolet Caprice Estate. (We actually had a 1984, but close enough.) The seller is located in North Carolina, and the price is right, so Saturday I am flying down and driving it back home to Philadelphia. Is it roadworthy? I'll find out soon enough! Seller said he drives it regularly, including on the highway. I asked him "does it start every time?" Yep. "Does it burn oil?" Nope. "Do the brakes work?" Yep. "Does it overheat?" Nope. Well, that's should be good enough to coax it home, right? (I've added the car to my roadside coverage.)

I suspect I'll have a lot of questions for this forum while I get this thing presentable. First up (after a thorough, qualified end-to-end mechanical inspection) is new woodgrain.

Wish me luck!

 

Good Luck and safe traveling! Be sure to take lots of pictures of your adventure!......Longroofs Rule!

 

congrats!!!!!

 

Nice score. Have fun and enjoy the trip. This is the only way I have bought cars for the last 20 years. So far no breakdown stories. I usually bring some tools and pack them in my checked baggage. Wrenches, sockets, wire cutters, pliers, screwdrivers, etc. I also try to bring a breaker bar with the appropriately sized socket in case of a flat. Give the car a basic once over. Check fluids, hoses, belts, maybe pick up some extra oil, coolant, and trans fluid just in case. Check the tire pressure and manufacture date so you know how old they are. Check that the spare tire is there along with the jack and make sure the spare is inflated. You'd be surprised at how many cars I work on where the spare is at 10-20 psi. That won't do you any good. Check that the lights (head and tail) work. Check the wipers. Nothing worse than getting into a rain storm and realizing the wiper blades are 20 years old. Good luck!

 

Nice! Hopefully powered by the venerable Chevy 305......... IMO preferable over the Olds 307, which would be the other option.

 

All good tips. I thought of bringing tools but am not checking a bag. Will be flying down and coming back all in one day. I wonder if I could at least take a small bag of a few sockets, screw drivers and pliers in my carry-on or if that wouldn't get through TSA. I could probably stop at Walmart and pick up a cheap kit for less than it costs to check a bag.

 

It is the 305! 305 engine with the 700R4 OD trans.

 

Translation....
...with jumper cables and starting fluid.
...except for all the oil that leaks onto the exhaust.
...as long as you have lots of room.
...but I've never gone more than 2 miles.

Only partially kidding. You never really know the condition until you get there and see it with your own eyes. Good luck with the trip, a long drive should do it some good.

Harbor Freight has a bigger variety of tools than Wally world and every bit as cheap.

 

Great! Not the best small block, but far better than the Olds that came in my Buick. That engine will get you home.

 

It won't get through TSA at all. But, I bet you could score a good box of basic tools in a tool box, as well as a cheap usable jack, star wrench and tire inflator, at a hock shop. Believe me, those cheap Chicom tools break so easily.

 

I made it home. 470 miles and no problems. The engine runs smoothly, transmission shifts smoothly. Some minor vibration when braking (which triggers an annoying rattle somewhere under the dash). Probably a slightly warped rotor. Other than that, it brakes well. The steering is a little "sloppy" is the best way to describe it. Not sure if that can be tightened up or if I am just not used to it. But it drives dead straight at highway speed, no wandering, drifting or pulling.

So mechanically it seems sound. Will have be having a full inspection done. All the weatherstripping needs to be replaced -- half of it is gone and the other half is brittle. The gas gauge is way off. The AC has been converted to R134a but needs a recharge. Oddly, the turn signal stalk was replaced at some point, and the replacement is missing the cruise control controls, plus the right turn won't click on, so the stalk has to be held up to get the signal to blink. Driver's side power seat doesn't work. I can hear the motor spinning, but it doesn't move. Sun set before I got home so I had to turn on the headlights, which thankfully work, but I found out the dash lights are way dim.

So those are the first things to tackle. I think the turn signal issue will prevent the car from passing Pennsylvania inspection, which means I won't be able to register it.

I have so much to learn. I've owned and worked on only German cars for the past 20 years and this is the first American car I've had since 2001.

 

sounds awsome. very good score! have fun

 

The basic theories behind operation are the same, electrically. Dim lights are probably the rheostat, which is built into the light switch, by turning the knob. The turn signal switch is likely broken, which would keep it from holding up. Changing it out requires a special tool to compress the steering lock plate and spring, but is fairly straightforward to replace. Look for YouTube vids on it.
The gas gauge--is it 'way off' as in not reading correctly, or not registering at all? Because the diagnosis depends on whether it works a little or not at all. And when you're ready to tackle it, PM me here and I can walk you through it.
The brake pulsation can be either a warped rotor, or an out-of-round drum. You can check the drums by adjusting them more snug. If it's the drums, the pulsation lessens under closer adjustment. Rotors you can re-snug the hub bearings, then test-drive. If adjustment on the drums and adjustment on the bearings don't make the pulsing go away, then it's one or both warped rotors.
The A/C, you'll need to check if the system has pressure or not. You can have a full charge but no action because of a compressor failure. So start with a pressure test, it'll tell you if it's charged but not working, low charged and barely working, or not charged at all.
The steering could have a worn 'biscuit' at the input shaft coupler, but check the entire system.

 

Yeah I turned the knob all the way up and down and it dimmed to dark and then to as bright as it would go. I wonder if a few squirts of contact cleaner might do it? If not, I'll maybe try replacing the switch. Not sure if is the bulbs or rheostat. The HVAC backlight was actually a bit brighter.

It is actually the replacement stalk that is causing the issue. It bumps into the steering column trim, prevent it from clicking on.

The left (i.e. down) does click and cancel normally. I'll be replacing this, since I want the cruise control! No idea how that wires in... Will need to dig into that more. I hope it's just a matter of replacing the plastic end of the stalk and not replacing the entire shaft. Here's a picture:


And another with me lifting the stalk. You can see it bumps against the steering column. I could probably dremmel down the plastic part of the stalk to see if it clicks, but would rather just replace it.

When full, it is way past the F mark, and as the gas gets consumed, it doesn't move for a while (like 100 or so miles). Eventually it will start dropping, but not nearly as far as it should. Here it is right after I filled up:


I stopped to refuel after about 225 miles. This is where the needle was right before I filled up. I put 10.7 gallons in.

I think this is a 21-gallon tank, so after 10.7 gallons, it should be at least past the 1/2 mark, right? Probably closer to the 3/8. I don't know if this is a fuel tank sender issue or a gauge issue. Would love any diagnosing tips. Will send you a PM.

Two other things you will notice in those pictures: The gear indicator is not centered correctly. It's left of P when parked and points to N when in D. I wonder if that can be adjusted. Second thing, half of the speedometer needle is broken off. I have no idea how that could happen, since it's behind plastic. Low priority, but it will bug me.

Thanks for all tips, really appreciate the knowledge-share!

 

The float arm, I bet, is hanging up. As for the turn stalk, I see the cause. You *will* have to replace the stalk in order to get the switches and electrical pigtail. That pigtail follows the turn signal switch pigtail. Anyway, I think I might know why the arm is positioned the way it is. The arm is connected to a pivot cast into the housing. The pivot is connected to a bar that attaches to the pivot with a single screw, and that bar is what moves the switch cam. The bar might be bent or mis-positioned on the switch cam. Unfortunately, thanks to GM engineering, you still have to pull the steering wheel assembly and lock plate assembly to access it.
The shift indicator is attached to the shift collar on the column with a spring clip. Remove the cluster trim, then use a thin screwdriver to move the clip sideways till it reads correctly. I would make the adjustment with the shifter in D, as that's about the center of the indicator.