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| Username | Post: MaddJeff's 1966 Caprice Project Thread | |
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maddjeff Forum Newbie Posts 79 
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 07-29-12 09:32 PM - Post#2253547
So I "officially" started the project today, so I thought I would start up an ongoing project thread to keep track of progress. I'll post periodically as stuff gets done. My goal right now is to have the car streetable by next summer, at least in rat rod form. Paint may take a little longer, we'll see how things go. My goal with this project is to do everything I can with my own two hands, not only to save money but so I can say I did most of it.  I've got a good base to start with so I should be able to handle most of the work.I'll be posting pics to my photobucket as I progress here: http://photobucket.com/66caprice I've got a separate build thread for the 327 and will post motor work here: MaddJeff's 327 Build Thread And this is what we are starting with:   And here's what she looked like when I first bought her in 1983:  This should be fun!
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maddjeff Forum Newbie Posts 79
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07-29-12 09:35 PM - Post#2253549
Prior History Sorry for the rerun, copied this from my intro thread. Thought I would consolidate some of this info. 1966 Chevy Caprice 2-door hardtop. It was my first car, purchased the summer of 1983 as a project/starter car for my senior year of high school. The car was pretty stock (283/Powerglide) but also included a ready to put together 327 with double-hump heads. I got it all for $600. Put it all together and drove it for 1-1/2 years until I cracked a couple piston skirts and parked it when I stumbled over a sweet deal on a '67 Chevelle. In the late 80's I pulled the motor and then we wrapped the entire car in shrink wrap plastic and put it up on blocks in a barn in SE Washington. There it sat, out of the elements for 25 years. Waiting like a long-lost first love as life went on, wife, kids, the usual. I got out of hot rods and focused on career and other boring grownup things. I've had other vehicle projects since then, but the old Caprice was always in the back of my mind like an itch I couldn't scratch. She looks worse than she is. Body is straight, some surface rust from the wet Pacific Northwest winter this year (even though it was covered under a temp car port) but no body cancer. I sprayed a bunch of primer over some of the bad spots before I stored it. I've got an extra set of doors with all the power window stuff. I have all the parts to get it back running except a transmission.
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maddjeff Forum Newbie Posts 79
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07-29-12 10:05 PM - Post#2253557
So, first real day of work on the body. The goal today was to get the front sheetmetal off in preparation for getting the body off the frame. Got the old girl up on jackstands and off the rotten old flat rubber and started stripping.   I've been soaking all the bolts with PB Blaster the past few weeks so most of the bolts came loose pretty well, with only a few cage nuts breaking on each fenderwell. The only real issue today was the lower rear fender bolts under the car. Both spun the cage nuts, so after getting some good advice from several of you I'll be cutting those bolt heads off and then the fenders will be off.  Both inner fenders came off smoothly and are in good shape with only minor surface rust in a few spots. This car had some pretty heavy undercoat and the inner wells are still completely covered.  My plan was to get them sandblasted and powdercoated, but the undercoat is in such good shape I may rethink that plan. I'll be taking the core support and all those assorted bumper mounts and other parts down for coating. After spending some time under the car today I'm really surprised how solid the pan is. My plan was going to be sanding and prepping the pan and then lizardskin the thing, but the existing undercoating is still in good shape, to the point I think it would be too much work to try and strip it off. This stuff is like rhinohide bed lining!   I may look into getting it cleaned off and degreased, and then maybe a coat of lizardskin to freshen it up. Need to research that. The body mounts look good, no rust. The rubber is in surprisingly good shape for a 45 year old car. It's all getting replaced however.   Lots of bag & tag!  All in all a good first day. Just need to get those last two bolts cut off and then the front clip will be off. Stay tuned! 
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capricesport66 "3rd Year" Gold Supporting Member Posts 1208 
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07-30-12 03:47 AM - Post#2253585
Excellent thread. I'll make sure to keep up with this one to maybe help out where I can. I've done so much to my car, but just didn't document. Maybe we can help you when something comes up. Good luck on the project and I'm sure you'll enjoy working on it yourself. I know I have!!! By the way, I just want to warn you that this probably will get expensive, because you'll want to take advantage of every possibility while certain components are out. Just like I'm going to suggest upgrading brakes while the engine is out. Much easier to get to those brake lines!!! And change all of the bushings and rubber mounts that you can with everything torn apart. Will make your life much much easier!!!
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wagonmaster Moderator Posts 8006 
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 07-30-12 05:15 AM - Post#2253603
What a labor of love and history for you! Keep it up!!
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100% CHEVY Very Senior Member Posts 5437 
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07-30-12 06:45 AM - Post#2253631
Trying to be helpful here! Those baggies with the sharpie writing on them?It will fade/wear off very quickly! I ended up buying some of those paper shipping tags to put inside the bags with the parts and using an ink pen.Works better for me. Mike.
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maddjeff Forum Newbie Posts 79
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07-30-12 09:03 AM - Post#2253686
Trying to be helpful here! Those baggies with the sharpie writing on them?It will fade/wear off very quickly! I ended up buying some of those paper shipping tags to put inside the bags with the parts and using an ink pen.Works better for me. Mike. Yeah, that was temporary. I usually throw 3x5 cards in the bags with notes but didn't have any cards yesterday. I'll be picking some up this week.
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maddjeff Forum Newbie Posts 79
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07-30-12 09:06 AM - Post#2253689
By the way, I just want to warn you that this probably will get expensive, because you'll want to take advantage of every possibility while certain components are out. Just like I'm going to suggest upgrading brakes while the engine is out. Much easier to get to those brake lines!!! And change all of the bushings and rubber mounts that you can with everything torn apart. Will make your life much much easier!!! Everything on the frame will be refurbished or replaced before it gets rolled back under the body. That includes all rubber, new suspension, brakes, hard lines, etc. I'll take every advantage while I can easily get to things on the frame.
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maddjeff Forum Newbie Posts 79
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07-30-12 09:19 AM - Post#2253692
Just for grins, here's a preview of the work I have to do in the interior. The wet winter was not kind to the fabric, and even though it was fully covered I got a lot of mold spots in the fabric. It was shot anyways, but I was still a little miffed how bad it got over one winter. She's had 25+ years of dry SE Washington weather in a covered barn, the poor thing was not used to the wet SW Washington weather.       I think I mentioned it before, but I have a second set of perfect doors (with glass) stored in the trunk. They have unmolested door panels, and even better, full power windows and motors. I look at those speaker holes cut on the door panels and wish I could go back in time and kick my 17 year old self in the butt for chopping those. Stupid kids... 
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nicke Contributor Posts 578 
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07-30-12 09:37 AM - Post#2253700
She's had 25+ years of dry SE Washington weather in a covered barn, the poor thing was not used to the wet SW Washington weather. Did this 66 have any brother's or sister's in said barn in SE Washington?  I dont know if its just me, but I think there is something really enchanting about a barn find... -Nick
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maddjeff Forum Newbie Posts 79
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07-30-12 09:44 AM - Post#2253704
She's had 25+ years of dry SE Washington weather in a covered barn, the poor thing was not used to the wet SW Washington weather. Did this 66 have any brother's or sister's in said barn in SE Washington? I dont know if its just me, but I think there is something really enchanting about a barn find... -Nick Well, some cousins and friends. We still have a '71 Malibu down there along with a 39 Ford pickup and a '56 Chevy pickup.
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427SS65 "9th Year" Platinum Supporting Member & Moderator Posts 12260 
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07-30-12 08:17 PM - Post#2254024
I was going to make a comment about those 6" speaker holes in the doors, but now I won't! 
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slammed1 Contributor Posts 669 
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07-30-12 08:46 PM - Post#2254031
I know its a shame but about 15 yrs or so ago I traded 2 ralley wheels for a 1966 4 door Caprice Hardtop with a 275hp 327 and glide. it was yellow with black vinyl roof,black strato interior and all.I dont remember it having a 12 bolt as I would have removed it but I did take out the glide and 327 and gave the rest to a salvage yard. I also around that time bought a heavily frt end crashed 66 Impala 2 door hardtop that had a 12 bolt posi and 4.11 gears,the frt was smashed hard enough that the firewall was not even saveable,same salvage yard got that one after I yanked the rear. Live and learn. 2 door Caprices are growing on me alot,you have a nice project with a nice story,that always helps.
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Caprice 396 Senior Member Posts 441 
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07-31-12 08:34 PM - Post#2254351
Subscribed for updates. And motivation. 
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maddjeff Forum Newbie Posts 79
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07-31-12 09:16 PM - Post#2254363
Went out and tackled the two stubborn bolts this evening. Ended up drilling the bolts until the heads came off. I didn't cut them as I didn't like the close quarters and didn't want to cut into something I shouldn't.  So the fenders are now off! As I thought, no rust anywhere, fenders or the lower fender mounts. It's funny, the surface rust looks way worse in the pics than real life, not sure why. Right Side:  Left Side:  Fenders got a quick washjob. Just needs a good polishing!   Next up will be dropping the tank and getting the brake cables and lines disconnected and the body bolts loose. I'll probably dig into that Sunday.
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slammed1 Contributor Posts 669
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07-31-12 09:28 PM - Post#2254367
so nice to uncover such a solid foundation.
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maddjeff Forum Newbie Posts 79
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07-31-12 09:32 PM - Post#2254368
so nice to uncover such a solid foundation. No kidding! After seeing the mess you had to deal with the other day I'm counting my blessings.
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nicke Contributor Posts 578
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08-01-12 07:53 AM - Post#2254461
Looking great! Nice work! -Nick
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slammed1 Contributor Posts 669
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08-01-12 04:19 PM - Post#2254651
Im lucky,mines not really that bad and will show when I post the repair pics.Yeah I hated to see it but I knew there was an issue there before I bought it,I just didnt know the extent of the shoddy repair. All the other work I seen before i bought it looked ok,so I went ahead with the purchase. I hate seeing rust buckets that need tons of sheet metal surgery,but commend those who take the challenge and get the cars back into shape. I also like seeing such solid low mileage cars come out to play like yours.
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maddjeff Forum Newbie Posts 79
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08-02-12 02:45 PM - Post#2255036
Posted a couple more pics. The one really stupid thing I did to the car back in '83.  It will be removed and patched. Here's a quick pic of the spare set of doors. My existing doors on the car are actually in better shape than the spares, but I got them for free years ago and they have good inner door panels (along with the rear seat panels), and best of all power windows, hardware and extra glass.  Check out the paint under the trunk lid. Clean off the dirt and it's almost factory fresh! 
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SS_in_Seattle "4th Year" Platinum Supporting Member Posts 1397 
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08-02-12 04:04 PM - Post#2255060
Love the pictures Jeff ! Did you install the sunroof so the space shuttle could see your mullet? Greg
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nicke Contributor Posts 578
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08-02-12 04:18 PM - Post#2255068
Love the pictures Jeff ! Did you install the sunroof so the space shuttle could see your mullet? Greg Hahaha!
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maddjeff Forum Newbie Posts 79
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08-02-12 06:29 PM - Post#2255121
Love the pictures Jeff ! Did you install the sunroof so the space shuttle could see your mullet? Greg But it was a super-sweet mullet! Now I can't even remember what it felt like to have hair blowing in the breeze...
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slammed1 Contributor Posts 669
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08-02-12 08:29 PM - Post#2255170
Those door are extremely HEAVY,I took my drivers door off today to start cutting the rusted area out of the lower a pillar and had to have help moving it around.
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WBrownIV "5th Year" Silver Supporting Member Posts 92 
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08-04-12 07:22 AM - Post#2255583
Jeff, Excellent thread and congrats for starting your project. I'm still trying to get to that point with my 64. May I ask a question about your garage area? It looks in the pictures like you are using a portable garage. Is that the case? If so, may I ask what brand is it, where did you get it, and how do you like it? I was thinking of going this route for some of the more "dirty" jobs that I can't do in my garage which is under the house. My wife is VERY sensitive to smells and odors! Bill |
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maddjeff Forum Newbie Posts 79
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08-04-12 09:19 AM - Post#2255624
Jeff, Excellent thread and congrats for starting your project. I'm still trying to get to that point with my 64. May I ask a question about your garage area? It looks in the pictures like you are using a portable garage. Is that the case? If so, may I ask what brand is it, where did you get it, and how do you like it? Bill, I'm using a carport from Costco that I picked up last fall after trailering the car down here. It's about 10'x20' and they run about $250 or so. It has a steel frame, with heavy tarp material, 2 windows per side. It made it through this past winter with no problems so far. It's no 20x40 shop, but it does the job. When I bought it I was mainly just looking for something to cover the car for the winter until I figured out how I was going to work on it, but now it's going to be an integral part of the project. I have a garage but it a typical newer "2 car" garage that is really just one car and some extra room for bikes and shelving. My plan will be to use the carport for body storage while I redo the frame and suspension in the garage. However, I'll also be using the portable garage for the really dirty work as well such as sanding work, etc. Between the 2 spots I might just pull this off using what I have. What really grinds me about my working area is I had a beautiful 3-car garage at our last house. I'd kill for that now!
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novice66 Frequent Contributor Posts 1113 
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08-04-12 04:37 PM - Post#2255741
Those door are extremely HEAVY, Heck yeah. I just installed both of mine by myself. The scary part was trying not to scratch any of the fresh paint!
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WBrownIV "5th Year" Silver Supporting Member Posts 92
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08-04-12 08:29 PM - Post#2255826
Jeff, Thanks for the info. I will have to head over to Costco and take a look at those! That's a shame about garage space. I kind of went the opposite way. The old house had a 2 car detached and the new house has a 4 car under the house. Strange thing is, I still seem to have less room! Not sure how that happens
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maddjeff Forum Newbie Posts 79
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08-11-12 05:15 PM - Post#2258245
So, didn't get much done this week on the '66, between a busy work week and swapping in new CV axles/rotors/pads on my Regal GS. But I have some big plans for tomorrow if it doesn't get too hot. Picked up some junk tires thrown on some crummy chrome rims so I have something to roll the frame around on. Told the tire shop I didn't care how bad of shape they were in as long as they held air. Of course, one of them ended up flat a day later and I had to take it back down so they could fix it. My plan for Sunday will be to get the tank dropped and anything else connected between the body and frame removed so I can get this frame rolled out soon. I may get some more trim removed/stored if I can get to it. Not sure how much I'll get done as it's supposed to be in the 90's I think.
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maddjeff Forum Newbie Posts 79
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09-21-12 07:00 PM - Post#2272038
So, not too much progress this month, it's been a busy end of summer for me. However, thanks to Greg (SS_in_Seattle)and his awesome generosity I made the trip up to Seattle today to pick up a '66 Caprice roof he had available. Now I have a complete roof skin to use as a repair for the sunroof fiasco. Dude, you rock! I also got a chance to see his beautiful red '65 in the flesh, and it's as awesome as it looks in the pictures. He's done a hell of a job on that car, really gave me some needed inspiration to get back on the job. Greg, thanks again buddy! It was great getting to meet you today.
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nicke Contributor Posts 578
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09-21-12 08:15 PM - Post#2272074
So, not too much progress this month, it's been a busy end of summer for me. However, thanks to Greg (SS_in_Seattle)and his awesome generosity I made the trip up to Seattle today to pick up a '66 Caprice roof he had available. Now I have a complete roof skin to use as a repair for the sunroof fiasco. Dude, you rock! I also got a chance to see his beautiful red '65 in the flesh, and it's as awesome as it looks in the pictures. He's done a hell of a job on that car, really gave me some needed inspiration to get back on the job. Greg, thanks again buddy! It was great getting to meet you today. Agreed! He's one of the nicest, and most generous guys I have met. -Jeff, you and I are lucky he is so close! His 65' has been my inspiration for quite a while! -Nick
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HAL_396 Member Posts 2706 
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09-22-12 08:47 AM - Post#2272187
I'm glad I'm not the o0nly one to deal with a sun roof option. 
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427SS65 "9th Year" Platinum Supporting Member & Moderator Posts 12260
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09-22-12 09:24 AM - Post#2272210
Who does this kind of thing to a car?
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maddjeff Forum Newbie Posts 79
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09-22-12 10:12 AM - Post#2272215
Stupid 17-year olds who didn't know better. At least in my case... =)
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maddjeff Forum Newbie Posts 79
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09-23-12 05:04 PM - Post#2272673
Well after an unproductive month, I finally got out and got some more done to the Caprice. Nothing spectacular, mostly finish stripping the firewall and misc bumper parts, a lot of tag and bag, and finally got the wipers off the stems. The good news is I got the tank dropped and most of the body mount bolts off, so I'm really close to having the body off the frame. Next weekend I'll be getting some stuff finished in the garage and then hopefully the weekend after I'll have the car in the garage and ready to yank the frame out. Fuel tank looked good from the outside once I got all the 46 years of dirt washed off. I'll probably try and recondition the tank and reuse as it has no rust, leaks or dents.   
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427SS65 "9th Year" Platinum Supporting Member & Moderator Posts 12260
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09-23-12 09:30 PM - Post#2272803
Save the rubber isolation cushions for sizing. The ones you get new won't be much like the originals! That's a clean trunk floor above the gas tank. It is like mine!
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maddjeff Forum Newbie Posts 79
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05-03-13 01:25 AM - Post#2341407
Hey all! I know, it's been a long winter without any updates. =) Best laid plans and all... Unfortunately, I got very little done over the winter months. I was hoping to have the frame done, the suspension rebuilt, and the motor ready to fire up by now, with the goal of having it drivable by early summer. That's not happening. I haven't even been on the site in months as it was too damn depressing knowing I wasn't getting anything done.The good news is I now have money and time to get back on the project! So hopefully the updates should be starting anew. It's good to be back! Now I have to catch up with 11+ pages of back threads to read...
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slammed1 Contributor Posts 669
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05-03-13 05:17 PM - Post#2341631
Nice to see you back posting,I didnt get much done this winter either.Now I am foaming to get it back on the road in time for this nice spring weather and a few shows.
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maddjeff Forum Newbie Posts 79
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05-08-13 09:03 PM - Post#2343376
Placed some orders today, should have some interesting new posts in the next few weeks.
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SS_in_Seattle "4th Year" Platinum Supporting Member Posts 1397
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05-08-13 09:35 PM - Post#2343387
Jeff ! It's good to see from you ! It sounds like we've both made the same [non] progress on our '66s this past winter. Like everyone else (especially we Washingtonians), I'm looking forward to hearing & seeing what you're up to. Greg
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nicke Contributor Posts 578
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05-08-13 10:28 PM - Post#2343397
I'm looking forward to seeing the progress on it too! If the rest of summer is like this week has been for us, it will be perfect for working on the cars! -Nick
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