An 89 Caprice for $800

Koo Koo Mouse · Post by **Koo Koo Mouse** » Sat Sep 04, 2004 7:57 pm

You don't find a deal like this in MN!! expectialy two blocks from home! saw it on my way to to work and darned if I didn't fall from the wives hand me down 91 Ods calia to see see if the gas tank sraps were good.. rolled more. this aint bad!! In fact looks good under there.. Hmmm..
But really...
Been loolkng for one these for a while.. Anything between 80 and 90 and threre it is! V8 rear wheel drive old school car. And only 92,000 miles..

ll

May pick this up..

Your thoughts...

Pugsley · Post by **Pugsley** » Sat Sep 04, 2004 9:21 pm

O hells yea! i have had an 84 and the 85 wagon and they both had (have) over 250,000 miles on them with a minuimum of work. as long as you change the oil and keep up on it it should last along time. thats a great deal for one that new. Has it got the quadra-junk crab or is it injected?

Koo Koo Mouse · Post by **Koo Koo Mouse** » Sun Sep 05, 2004 12:45 am

Not sure about the carb.. but I do know its a 305 not the 350. Shucks!
But talked to the OLD man for 30 minites on the phone and drilled him on the history of it.. Also called the shop that it sitting in front of as to why its threre..
The mech told me that its had major front brake work done about 6 mounth ago. Cost him $600 to fix.
The seller tells me can't affored to drive it anymore because of that.. HUH?

Allrighty then!

Pugsley · Post by **Pugsley** » Sun Sep 05, 2004 2:40 pm

I have done pretty much all there is to do short of an engine swap on this type of car and the brakes i have totaly redone on my car. Its not that hard. you take the tires off... take 2 pins (bolts) out and the whole caliper comes off. One more bolt to remove the line and its free. then chuck the new one in and put it back together. Changing the rotor is about the same. while the caliper is off you take the nut out of the center and the whole thing come off. the bearings and seals come wiht it, but if your going to change rotors might as well get new seals and bearing while its apart.

The_Frapster · Post by **The_Frapster** » Tue Sep 07, 2004 1:53 am

Yeah, it's not that hard, but a lot of people let a shop do it for them and it costs an arm and a leg to do so. When I bought my first car, it needed new back brakes. I took it to a shop for an estimate, well they beat the back drums off and give me an estimate. There estimate was like 600 bucks, I told them thanks but no thanks. They then put my car back together and didn't even do anything to the back brakes. Just left the hardware off of it and put the drums back on. Needless to say I took it somewhere else and had the work done right then, cause I had too, but I still didn't like spending the money. Especially now that I've seen how easy it is to change this stuff.

If you don't get the car, I need something depretely. My wife and I are sharing a vehicle right now and it's kinda insane to be getting home at like 1 in the morning, checking e-mail and such, and then getting to bed at like 3 or so, only to get up at 5:30 to take her to work.

Koo Koo Mouse · Post by **Koo Koo Mouse** » Tue Sep 07, 2004 8:37 pm

Fraps.. You live in this area? If you do and looking for a car I'll keep a lookout for you.

But anyways, I picked it up this evening and even sat at the DMV for an hour wait to tranfer title. Heck I was out and about testing it so why not? (commited now!) Insurance goes on tommow.

The brake job was done and paid for by him about six mounths ago. Not sure why he said he coun't affort to drive it anymore if the bill is paid off.. Dunno..(making payments?) Brakes feel great. zero warp, high pedal..

Other things looked/sounded ok for its age. Font end seems solid, No Ujoint slop, doors shut with no hang, Interoir is great cept for the roof liner coming down in the back and the dash is cracked but hey.. no biggie.

Only thing it don't like is the tranny shifts waay late.. into second at 30.. 3rd at 50.. First off I'll have to get a book on it and study up. Could be a bad modulator, Vacuum hose? Also won't down shift if ya floor it.. (If in second wanting 1st or third wanting second)

But overall seems good.. I realize I'll putting a some work into it fer sure and is expected. (15 years old!)

Ahh I can now sell the 91 calis 4 banger and not worry about geting to drive the new 2000 century we bought that I never get to use!! Very Nice car but pretty much hers.

Now I got a car I feel like working on..

Pugsley · Post by **Pugsley** » Tue Sep 07, 2004 11:02 pm

Is it a TH350 / 400 or a 700R4 trans? Od or No OD i should ask that will tell me which one it is. Could be the kick down cable is stuck or not hooked up. I wish my car would hold gears like that. I even made some adjustments but i still cant get it to shift up higher like yours is.

Mines in 3rd by 30 and locked up at 35, goes into 4th at 40 and stays locked up. I would like it to go up to 15 in first then about 30 in second then 45 in third and 4th at about 55.

The_Frapster · Post by **The_Frapster** » Wed Sep 08, 2004 2:18 am

Originally posted by Koo Koo Mouse
Fraps.. You live in this area? If you do and looking for a car I'll keep a lookout for you.

Ahh I can now sell the 91 calis 4 banger and not worry about geting to drive the new 2000 century we bought that I never get to use!! Very Nice car but pretty much hers.

Now I got a car I feel like working on..

First off, I live in nothern IN

How much you selling it for? And what's wrong with it?

Congratulations.

Koo Koo Mouse · Post by **Koo Koo Mouse** » Wed Sep 08, 2004 4:13 pm

Fraps I really doubt the Cali is worth the drive. I was thinking $650 but I'm guessing your looking for somthing better than that.. Will keep an eye out for ya if I see a good deal though.. Hope Ya find somthing closer..

Pugs, I found a diagram on thenet that shows pan patterns and matched it up. It's defiantly a TH200- R4. Doesn't shift on vaccum but rather a T.V. cable I figured after some study. Seems this controlls shift point, shift feel and some other things and adjusting it sounds critical. Went and took a look and its there... Weird thng is theres a little peice of wrap before the hard cable end stop.. See pic..

Hmm.. not sure what to do with it. Looks like somone tryed to take up the slack but I think the whole cable holder is ajustable. Haven't played with it so far today but just instead just checking fluid levels ect.. (limited time) If you have the same setup or any idea on whitch direction to go (pullsooner or later?) please let me know. I need it to shift a bit sooner thru town.. If I lived in the country I'd leave it just like is!
And oh the pic shows the carb.. Throttlebody 2b. Nothing much. Does make a nice little hum though while standing on it.. Wish it was a four though.
And thanks for your interest

The_Frapster · Post by **The_Frapster** » Wed Sep 08, 2004 10:41 pm

What wrong with it, I don't care about looks insomuch as ability to be able to use it.

LMK

Pugsley · Post by **Pugsley** » Wed Sep 08, 2004 11:01 pm

Oh you lucky bastard! its not a carb, its a TBI injection (throttel body injection) The "2 barrels" are the actual injectors. so if they ever go bad they are right there to be replaced!

Ok lets get down to basics. When that cable gets pulled it causes it to shift down (lower or "passing" gear). so what you want to do is make it loose when you push the gas pedel. So the looser you make that cable the quicker it will shift up. To adjust it the plastic clip thats in the metal bracker (yellow arrows) should have a "button" that you can push or rather squeeze and then you should be able to adjust the red part in and out of that plastic clip thus adjusting the cable setting.

It looks like its out quite a bit... but it might still have some adjustment left in it. I have mine all the way in and it kinda holds gears like i want but i guess we need to swap transmissions so that we are both happy!

I hope this helps you out in getting it going good. I also was going to ask if you have vacuume or hydrolic assist brakes, but looking at the pic i can see the check valve and line for vacuume ones. My wagon has hydrolic assist so it has 2 lines running from the PS pump. Ill have to take some pics of what i have so you can compare and see how they differ. For the most part minus the fact you have fuel injectoin our cars are about the same.

Oh yea the pic of what you need to do! duhh this isnt that helpfull with out it!

Pugsley · Post by **Pugsley** » Wed Sep 08, 2004 11:02 pm

hmm.. you have a different distributor then i do as well... i wonder why its not the same old HEI system.. must have to do with fuel injection... yours is easyer to change cap and rotor on. since my coil is built into the cap i have to take it out and move it into the new one when i change it.

Koo Koo Mouse · Post by **Koo Koo Mouse** » Fri Sep 10, 2004 12:10 am

Thank you so much for the info Pugs!
Haven't had time to play with it today but your info helps a lot.!!
Should find some time tomorrow or the weekend and a long road to pull over on with no traffice for tweaking.. (I miss Iowa alot for things like this!)
Its a little dense at the apartment with kids and all in the streets.. The Moms might have problem with me flooring a V-8 boat up and down the block over and over again and don't need the law on me ..Heh..
I have plan and will let you know..

Again, thanks for your help

The_Frapster · Post by **The_Frapster** » Fri Sep 10, 2004 2:20 am

Originally posted by The_Frapster
What wrong with it, I don't care about looks insomuch as ability to be able to use it.

LMK

Heh, don't offer any advice so I get ignored....

Koo Koo Mouse · Post by **Koo Koo Mouse** » Fri Sep 10, 2004 11:10 am

Ahh man so sorry about that frapster.. MY bad.

To be honest with you there is chance I might be loaning it to my son in law as his car is going to hell in a handbag and they just had a baby. Sorry but family comes first..

BUT! If he does manage to get it repaired and doesn't need it, its for sale.

Heres what I'll do. I'll send ya a PM with pictures and a list of known problems. Check you box later today.. Can't guarentee I can sell it to you though but aleast you can check out the pictures..

**edit**

Done and sent..