67 Caprice 427 - Any thoughts?

[Shevelle]

Hi Verne

Thank you for the additional info on what to look for. Looks like it is what we originally thought...an Impala SS Convertible but not an original 409. Most of the drivetrain is looking like it is 1964. In addition to that, the new things you said to look for...Exhaust is not welded, ballast resistor has solder, not converted from manual trans. And here's the numbers:

Block 3844422 - 324 - X
Heads 3819333 - GM3 - CFD - 289
Intake 3767578
Trans Pan C0904N
Trans Tail 3789080
Rear GM T3 - 3726899 - E2366
Carb 01-552 - 6-1518
Alternator! 1102174 - 1E17

Still a cool car, but I don't think we are going to be retiring any time soon...



Oh, yeah...and too!

[Shevelle]

The Caprice is in Oklahoma She's still in the trailer (going through the spider extermination process ) Thought I'd share a couple of pictures of her out in the sunlight and going in the trailer....





And here's one of me with the original owner, Sue Hardy. Although she doesn't look like it in this pic, she was a little sad to see the old gal go. We talked about ordering the car new and how the dealer at Valley Chev in Roswell, NM told her how rare the interior would be... and she had some very interesting stories... about how she used to drive the car to the drag strip where her husband, Don, was every weekend, about the racing days in places like Carlsbad, KC and Indy, and about how she would like me to get a message to Helen letting her know "Sue says Hi" .



Steve, can you decode the Protecto Plate for me??
BTW...Anyone around here ever heard of her husband - I mean ex--husband??




Just kiddin' - I know you have.

[budnate]

Must be the one and only Don Hardy, used his kit to build a V-8 Vega waaaay back when.

[CC Rider]

Sure are a lot of hand prints on that car!

Thanks for posting these pictures, great story.

[67Z24rag]

Jacquie, looks COLD down there in Texas ! WOW what a find ! Cant wait to see it clean !!


Jon.

[kwhizz]

Jacquie................Perfect Power Tour Car......

Ken

[Xplantdad]

I agree! Don Hardy's old cars...how cool!

[Tarrytown SS427s]

Jacquie,
Here is a breakdown:

P - Interior color, Plum

M2 - Royal Plum exterior with black vinyl top

VIN - 43,783 vehicle out of the Arlington, TX plant

C - Cater 4BBL Carb

T0130IJ - 427/385 with TH400 tranny, assembled Jan 30, 1967 Tonawanda NY

ER - 2:73 Open rear axle assembled December 3, 1966, possibly with Metallic Brakes.

P - Assembly month code, February

67B329 - Turbo 400 (B=427) built 329th day of 1966

3 - Power Steering/Brakes
5 - AM/FM Radio
1 - Factory A/C
1 - Power Windows

Being that this car is built in Arlington, a BOP plant, there is a great chance you will find a broadcast sheet in one of the seats, but the best place to look is the back seat, as they have been found there several times.

Steve

[sYc]

Don Hardy was a well known chassis buidler, built cars for the likes of Dick Harrell, Kelly Chadwick, and many others, and yes, the man behind many, many Vega kits. I believe even Joel Rosen used some of his parts.

Sue is a very interesting person to talk to about the good old days of racing. We had a couple of nice visits when I was researching my funny car.

[Shevelle]

Yes, it was COLD in the panhandle of Texas where there wasn't so much as a twig to block that North Wind! Sue was freaking out on the guys for making fingerprints in the dust. They told her to stop chastising them and get her hands dirty and start pushing.

Steve, thanks for decoding the POP. I will get a photo of the vin, deck stamp and trim tag and Monday will pull the back seat and see if we can find that buildsheet.

Tom, Sue told us about Don selling the funny car. Said the gentleman he sold it to didn't quite get all the info about the car he wanted out of Don, so he took her out to dinner to hear what she remembered about it. We wondered if that could have been you.

Ken, great idea! Once we get her all cleaned up and get that AC working the Caprice would be a killer power tour car! Way more fun than Glenns 502 Camaro that we figured we would have to use. I hate riding in that thing because the only way he seems to know to drive it is sideways!

I plan to hang on to the Caprice and enjoy it for a while. I'm really looking forward starting the clean-up. The trunk lock is frozen and we haven't been in there yet. Maybe we will find some Christmas presents hiding there! We found a like new 64-66 wood wheel in the trunk of the Impala. Glenn wants to go ahead and sell the Impala but would first like to talk to Don and see if he is the one that put the 409 stuff in it and learn a little more about it...but Sue didn't think he would be too receptive. I don't think he was happy about losing his cars.