New Girl with 88 Caprice Estate

I have seen GM paint peel right off. Almost bought a 78 Caddy paint was peeling off with the primer,leaving galvanized steel behind to rust.

 

That's a shame on a Caddy. Wouldn't a good run with rubbing compound take off the oxidized pigments on her wagon. I thought I read about a de-oxidizing compound too. Either way, it would need a lot of waxing until she could get it repainted.

 

if you wanna FANCY her up a bit ....then wheels and tires are the place to start...in my humble opinion

Nothing changes a car faster than some good wheels n tires

with this link you can change them...and the height of the car!
be ready to waste an hour tho

http://www.autowaretech3.net/nextwheels/fountain.htm

this is gonna sound a lil cheesy...but its refreshing to meet a gal thats got the self confidence to roll a old 'woodie' and be proud!!
to all things wagon...glad ya found us

 

Deciding which style you want to go with will be the biggest decision.

I would sand down the paint and get it repainted, then find a good set of wheels, maybe change the ride height, but that does put some un needed wear on the suspension parts....

Post up some pics and I will see what I can do with photo shop and see how it turns out for ya...

 

The young guys are always wanting to change the ride height. It brings up a new set of problems. I would leave the height alone but wheels are ok but expensive too. I like these wagons just the way they are. This product I mentioned will bring up all that's there and give it the patina that's hiding there. Take your time and do research to see what you like that others have done before jumping in. One thing, most often, leads to another and can get more expensive than anticipated. These box wagons have class the way they are and, in my opinion, will draw more appreciative attention when they look stock after all these years later.

 

I think if you change the wheels, it looks WAAAAYYYYY better when you lower the car, but yeah, it does bring up other issues. I am going lower

If it is something you drive all the time, I would not lower it, you have to worry about alignment problems, camber wear, plus your shocks wear out way faster, not to mention you do loose some ride comfort....

I am just throwing out ideas....got to love the new generation foxxy...

 

Thanx for the ego boost it is appreciated. BTW one of the first things I added was a stereo with DVD. I was using the screen for a back up cam. But the cam eventually failed due to being out in the weather.

 

I don't know about that. I have yet to have any problems due to my ride height. A good rule of thumb is 5 inches. That will clear most any speed bump. The only thing I have scraped is the spare tire well. And I did that before lowering it, and my second Custom Cruiser also is busted in that area. I solved that by taking the hump out and welding in a flat floor which still gives room for a space saver spare. Now my car does have a firm ride in the front end but alot of that is because it came with the F41 springs which are the sport springs. The Eibach lowering springs were quite a bit softer.

 

I have had every car lowered, and I can tell you unless you do it right it will wear the stock parts faster!!

Dragging is expected, but that is why I am going air ride.....yay!

 

Hey guys....we are talking to a mom with 2 kids here. I have no problem with the mods mentioned but i don't think she would want the ride or the ensuing problems. JMHO

 

I will get the paperwork out on the motor, it was purchased in Nashville ans shipped apparently. The really nice thing is, I have a folder that has every single thing that was ever done to the vehicle, even wiper blade replacements, so the entire history is there in date order.

 

Thanks for the website, that will certaily make things much easier! The color has faded, as it has never been repainted. There is a bit of rust down the center of the hood on the crease, so repainting is actually something I would like to do. I saw a pic of a black paint job that looked incredible...just not sure if I want to do away with the wood, or if you even can and have it look right? There are some spots on the wood that have flaked off, or disintegrated, so it needs to have something done as well for sure!!

 

Oh come on moms can have bags too......

That is why I said if it is a daily, leave it stock ride height, wheels will still make it look alot better...IMO

So here is my idea for her....

Prep surface....MACCO paint
Tint Windows
DVD player, maybe even the head rest too
Cheap Wheels


Cheap fixes and should make for a nice car!

 

Glad to have found you guys for sure! The wagon has new whitewalls, and the original chrome spoked wire rims, that are in perfect shape, so Im not sure that I want to change those, they look so sharp! This car was really babied, and it really just has some surface damage, the faded paint, the couple of spots of rust, the rubber or whatever it is that is between the body and the bumper, disintegrating, by being left out in weather for a while I think (which accounts for the body surface stuff too). The interior is mint except for one door hand hold that needs to be fastened back on, and one crack in the dash which is thin, but its there none the less.

 

Keep those. Especially if they are in good shape. Again...I have something that will refresh your finish, including the wood, but this is the last time I will mention it. Need to see pix. Big time.