Wow, Chevy had 6,030 U.S. dealers at the time of the '77's introduction. That's way down now, but I always considered their dealer count to be an advantage.
We got our '77 Impala in Nov. '76. I heard more than one person tell me at a light or in a parking lot, "It looks like a Seville!". It's the large, round wheel openings.
On the Caprice, I definitely like the '77's front and rear end details best of the model run. Simple. Not a bunch of tack-on trim on taillights, fussy grille, etc.
It's usually my take that the first year's styling details are the best, then later years are changed for the sake of change.
We had an Impala. It was quiet, but didn't have a hood blanket. My friends' parents' Caprice was, to me at the time, incredibly quiet. I remember one of the ads then said "You'll find it hard to believe that a moving automobile can be this quiet". The trait I absolutely miss most in modern vehicles.
2024 Chevrolet Corvette Stingray 2LT; 2019 Chevrolet Equinox LT; 2015 Chevrolet Cruze LS
I wonder if you could only get those scooped out "Sport" hubcaps with the 15x7 rims? Chrysler had a "turbine" wheelcover in the late 70s, that really had some depth to it, but it was only offered with the 15x7. It wouldn't fit the narrower rims. If that Chevy "Sport" hubcap is the one I'm thinking of, I always called those "fake BBS" as they did have a vague similarity to the BBS rims of the 80s.
As for styling, it's funny how sometimes a slight nuance can make all the difference. With the Caprice, for example, I had to look at the pics again, to refresh my memory. I like both the '77 and '78. Slight preference towards the '77, but I find them both attractive. But the '79, I never did like. I think it's the way they stagger the headlights, and they're not inset as far as they were on '77-78...or the Impala.
With the Impala, my first preference is also '77, but I also like the '78 and '79.
Oh, thinking back on those axle ratios, I wonder if the shift points may have given an advantage to the taller axle ratio? The Motortrend spec sheet, with the 3.08:1 mentions that it shifted into second at 42 mph. Every vehicle I've had with a tall axle (Catalina with the 2.56:1, '76 LeMans with a 2.41:1, '79 5th Avenue with a 2.45:1) would hold first gear well into the 50s. A quicker axle ratio is most likely an advantage with a higher performance car that likes to rev, but with these loafier engines that don't have a lot of hp, but still have good low end torque, maybe the quicker axle really didn't help? It probably did help, to put less strain on the powertrain if you regularly towed a trailer or carried a heavy load.
Not sure if I'll be able to get a picture of it, on a 45 mph road, but I saw 60's unibody Ford pickup on a trailer in someone's yard today. They only made them from 61 to 63.
2024 Ford F-150 STX, 2023 Ford Explorer ST, 91 Mustang GT vert
Comments
We got our '77 Impala in Nov. '76. I heard more than one person tell me at a light or in a parking lot, "It looks like a Seville!". It's the large, round wheel openings.
On the Caprice, I definitely like the '77's front and rear end details best of the model run. Simple. Not a bunch of tack-on trim on taillights, fussy grille, etc.
It's usually my take that the first year's styling details are the best, then later years are changed for the sake of change.
We had an Impala. It was quiet, but didn't have a hood blanket. My friends' parents' Caprice was, to me at the time, incredibly quiet. I remember one of the ads then said "You'll find it hard to believe that a moving automobile can be this quiet". The trait I absolutely miss most in modern vehicles.
As for styling, it's funny how sometimes a slight nuance can make all the difference. With the Caprice, for example, I had to look at the pics again, to refresh my memory. I like both the '77 and '78. Slight preference towards the '77, but I find them both attractive. But the '79, I never did like. I think it's the way they stagger the headlights, and they're not inset as far as they were on '77-78...or the Impala.
With the Impala, my first preference is also '77, but I also like the '78 and '79.
Oh, thinking back on those axle ratios, I wonder if the shift points may have given an advantage to the taller axle ratio? The Motortrend spec sheet, with the 3.08:1 mentions that it shifted into second at 42 mph. Every vehicle I've had with a tall axle (Catalina with the 2.56:1, '76 LeMans with a 2.41:1, '79 5th Avenue with a 2.45:1) would hold first gear well into the 50s. A quicker axle ratio is most likely an advantage with a higher performance car that likes to rev, but with these loafier engines that don't have a lot of hp, but still have good low end torque, maybe the quicker axle really didn't help? It probably did help, to put less strain on the powertrain if you regularly towed a trailer or carried a heavy load.
They only made them from 61 to 63.
Unibody Ford pickup--to my eyes, along with the '56, best-looking Ford truck.