76 Caprice Estate from Florida to California or bust!

Still hoping for a February ship date to Australia?

 

Hey, keep us updated? We're in you're corner! In getting this beautiful 1976 GM wagon back to your home!

 

News, Mike?

 

Hey sorry John, I have been working hard today to get this thing happening again (my day off!), it really is on the slow burner at the moment. I have got a figure from the paint shop only in the last couple of hours, and it has come in at the lower end of the original guesstimate, which is good news, but this has also been offset by our tumbling dollar though, but either way I will try and get this paid over the next couple of days so I can get it out of the shop.

The next thing to do is to contact Mike at woodgrain 4 wagons (once I have it back in neutral ground) to reproduce the sample of nos wood grain I found last year and have that re applied.

I was hoping that I would have a real update by now complete with pictures, but this is where I am stuck at moment though.

Cheers Mike

 

Best of luck, Mike!

We're in your camp! So glad I could point this CE in your direction!

 

Hi Mark, great to hear from you! Yes long story short, the car has been in Ca having the paint completely restored. It was supposed to be 3-4 months but work has really slowed up over the past 4 or 5 months. It is looking great so far but nothing has been done to it for ages. Hopefully I can have the project up and running again next week. As you know the rego and collision insurance runs out mid Feb so it would have been great to have had it finished and on the ship before then, but it does not look like it now though. Hopefully I can start adding something constructive to this thread soon though.

Cheers Mike

 

I was starting to get a bit concerned for you and your Caprice Estate, Mike.

I used to do some auto insurance damage appraisal in the southern California area, so I wanted to see if I knew the shop. Did a little bit of digging based on clues in your pics, and found out who they were. (won't publish the name, but they're on 7th St. in Victorville).

Unfortunately, I don't know these guys.

Hopefully, it's done, or very close to being done. Even as a 'fill-in' job for when it gets slow, taking a year to do what should be maybe a 3-4 week job for most shops is a bit unreasonable.

You now also have the issue of getting the wood grain done. Mick with Wood grain for Wagons I believe works out of his home down in the Long Beach area. (Also think he's got a regular '9-5' job, Mon-Fri - guessing). You've probably got to get the wagon down there, and then back to your friend in Phelan.

Grabbed this pic off the body shop's FB page - taken last August:



EDIT: Well, maybe June......
Marshall

 

Thanks everyone for your concerns, it is great to know that there is such a great network of people looking out for each other on this forum. Great detective work Krash and thanks for putting in the effort to find out as much as you have been able to. I am hoping I can get things revved up next week and hopefully begin to get some decent updates soon enough as well.

Cheers Mike.

 

Best of luck, Mike. Keep us posted.

 

Any more news?

 

John, finally yes!

Ok the car has finally been put back together and it is looking fantastic!
The bumpers have also been re-chromed while they were off. I am not sure if I am putting the black rubber strip back on either as I like the more classier look of the chrome rather than the more functional but dated look of the rubber strips but I will see if I can find some new over riders as I think they will finish it off. Mine were totally toast!

If it was an Impala it would be looking brilliant in white, by now but I can't wait to see the contrast the new wood will make though.

Before


After




Before


After


Hopefully more to come soon.

Cheers Mike

 

wow,ice, things are moving along; i plead for the black rubber strips

 

The wagon is looking great. I love it with the wood on it. But would be happy to own it with those holes filled and all white.
I'm undecided on the bumper black trim. No biggy to add it later.
Also clean without the front bumper guards.

 

Congrats on the progress, Mike!!!! If we were voting, I'd say put back the black bumper rub strips and front bumper guards, but that's just me.

Has the front end radiator grille been blacked out?

 

Oh my, it looked so much better in the before pictures.