Back in the saddle again with a 9C1 Caprice
Former deputy sheriff gets behind the wheel of a 9C1 Caprice once again.
In November of 2019, I was surfing eBay, looking at cars. I do that a lot in the late hours of the night — just looking and admiring. But on that night, I ran across a car that really piqued my interest. It was a 1988 Chevy Caprice with the 9C1 police package.
In the ’70s and ’80s, I was a deputy sheriff with the Greene County (MO) Sheriff’s Department. We drove all manner of patrol cars, most of them bought second-hand from the state highway patrol. Out of all the cars we had, the square-body “box” Caprice was my favorite. I felt like it handled the best and was the smoothest coming out of a corner under full power. It was a sad day for me when car No. 9, our last Caprice, was removed from service.
So, seeing this Caprice on eBay brought back a lot of memories. It was advertised as an all-original car with original paint and only 33,000 miles. I’ve heard two different stories about its history, but the undisputed story is that it never saw police service. That accounted for the pristine condition and low mileage. I contacted the seller and we had a nice conversation. He was the former police chief of a small southern town. He spent considerable time and money outfitting the car with period-correct radios, scanner, lighting and siren. He was also very meticulous with his installation. Ultimately, I made him an offer. He declined the offer and suggested I make a bid on eBay, which I did. My bid was the winning bid. During out subsequent conversation, he said the eBay rules required that he remove the police equipment, but because I was a former deputy sheriff, he would leave the equipment in the car. Everything in the car is fully functional. He offered to deliver the car to me for a very reasonable sum, and I agreed. I was glad to be able to meet him. He brought the car to me and turned out to be a very nice fellow.
Once I received the car, I found it needed very little. The tires were in good condition, but were old, so I replaced them. The wheels had some rust spots in places, so I had them sand blasted and powder coated. The seller had the car decaled with the graphics of his department, so I broke out my heat gun and spent an evening removing the vinyl graphics. He used low-tack vinyl, which made removing them easier. Several years later, en route to a car meet in Texas, both the front and rear bumper fillers blew out at 80 mph. Fortunately, reproductions are available. That, and a new battery, are all I have had to do to the car. It has been extremely reliable.
The push bumper and blue lights were on the car when I received it, along with the blue-and-amber lights in the rear deck. I found a blue dash light and period-correct radar gun and I put those in place for car shows. In Missouri, where I live, it is legal to have the blue lights as long as I don’t turn them on while driving on a public road.
1988 was the last year for the carbureted engine in the Caprice; 1989 saw the advent of fuel injection. The only Caprice available with the 350-cid V-8 engine in 1988 was the 9C1. It was not available in the civilian model. For 1988, the 9C1 police package included more than a dozen upgrades over the civilian model.
The ’80s were dark years for performance in the domestic car industry, and this car is no exception. Zero-to-sixty mph times are in the 10-second range, and the top speed is only 118 mph. It struggles to get there. For all-out pursuit vehicles, most departments turned to Camaros or Mustangs. Where the Caprice shines is in its room, comfort, huge trunk and handling ability. I would rank its handling as at the top of the scale for a domestic four-door sedan of that year. This car is tight and solid and is a joy to drive. I have driven the car to two car shows out of state and it has performed flawlessly.
For a little bit of trivia, the underhood photo shows green radiator and heater hoses. These are the original silicon hoses that were an option on the police package. The Crown Victoria police package also used these hoses.
I love this car and drive it often. Not only is it a lot of fun to drive, but it brings back a lot of memories.
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