'64 Impala or '66 Caprice?

[Race4Peace]

I just talked to one of my friends at school, and he's got a '66 Caprice with a 4-on-the-floor *HALLELUJAH!*, but the trannie needs some HELP!The engine is a 6 cyl. 396.
the interior, he says, has been rained on, but never-mind-interior has been my attitude.
the reason he hasn't driven it is the trannie, so he got a '01 Grand Prix (hood looks like a wrinkled sheet of tin foil, but it's tricked to do 140 mph)

I haven't seen the Impala yet to get a look at what i'd be putting up with, but the ad disappeared from the newspaper since I last talked to him, so i'd hafta ask if it's still there.

I haven't actually SEEN the body for either car yet, but I already know... i'll be having an emotional breakdown every time I go to the pump.

I still have the '91 Escort in the garage with a driveshaft replacement due immediately, but historically, it's a bitch(an old one, too: +250k miles!)

[BrotherBuzz]

1. 6 cyl. 396?

[Spirochete]

2. 396?

That's a big-block V-8 - not a 6-cylinder.

[Oeditpus Rex]

3. If it's a four-speed

the engine's at least a 327. They didn't put four-speeds behind six-cylinders then, and I don't think the 283s had 'em either.

The '66 Caprice has beautiful lines. I had a '66 Bel Air and lusted after the Caprice's lushness.

Witness:

[Gold Metal Flake]

4. If it IS a 396...

and the 396 is original or at least it's a true 396-optioned car (even if the original 396 was replaced), with a FACTORY 4 speed, then what you have there, depending on condition, is a car work a crap load o money.

The big block cars pull good jake. Think about fixing it up some, selling it for a tidy profit and buying another. If you decide to keep it, it will be an asset. One tha you could, for example, sell into Europe for Euros.

[Race4Peace]

5. he said 6 cyl. 396, but he's an italian-american. UPDATE ON IMPALA:

she's still available. to clear it up, she's 2-door, 3-on-the-tree(trannie is a little messed up on this one, too), and a 6 cyl. engine that could use some help(can't recall the engine specs right now).

the interior HAS to be disposed of, and apparently there's a hole in the floor, like the Flintstones, and that's because the car was in a low-lying area for a while(it isn't anymore, but it was)

and i figured out where the car is, it's about 20 miles away.

[Gold Metal Flake]

8. Floor pan rust is a real pain.

Any more info on the Caprice?

[ronnykmarshall]

6. As far as body styles go.

I say go for the '64 Impala.




The '66 looks good too, but I prefer the '64.

[sendero]

10. I agree..

... but I'd steer very clear of any vehicle with a rusted out floor pan. If that's rusted out, there's other rust problems too. Fixing it correctly is a major job.

My first car was a 1962 Impala much like this one :)

[Race4Peace]

7. Hmm. at school today, men perfered the Impala, women perfered the Caprice

I wonder why?










eh? "Nudge-Nudge?"

[DancingBear]

9. Leave the Impy alone

Too much work on a 6 cylinder three-on-the-tree car that won't be worth much after you sink big $$ into it.

The Caprice, OTOH, you should look at a little closer. In '66, Chevy made the 396 "mouse motor" (as opposed to the 427 "rat motor") in various HP configurations (I used to own a '67 with a 396/375 HP engine). Check around and see if it is a 396/325 HP (which was the "base" 396) or perhaps something with a little more juice.

Since it's a '66, you've got the high horsepower/manual tranny combination. Later in the decade (and into the early 70's) automakers started coupling big HP motors to automatic transmissions to save on the insurance for buyers - this is why you'll often see a '69 396 Chevy Nova with automatic transmission!- insurance companies did not see AT cars as being race worthy. In '66, however, that wasn't an issue.