Hello from Texas

Welcome new members, please make your first post in this section. Say hello & tell us a little bit about you and your car. We're happy to see you here!
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Welcome new members, please make your first post in this section. Say hello & tell us a little bit about you and your car. We're happy to see you here!
9C1fanatic
Posts: 430
Joined: Tue Dec 30, 2014 8:58 pm
Location: Texas Hill Country

Hello from Texas

Post by 9C1fanatic »

Hello,

I recently found this forum a few months ago and decided to join after reading so much useful information on a car that is widely misunderstood by the general car community and even some GM dealers alike. I even saw that at least one member here lives right around the corner from me and has an awesome modified Caprice. Thank you to all of the wonderful contributing members for providing the collective knowledge base on these cars. I have worked on, in, up fitted and driven police vehicles all my adult life and have become intimately familiar with most of them. Through this experience and being raised in a heavy GM influenced household, the Caprice 9C1 has always been my favorite car. I look forward to sharing what I have learned about these cars.

Garner Ames
New Braunfels, TX

1975 Pontiac Grand Am L77
1991 Chevrolet C1500 L03/5speed
1994 Chevrolet Caprice 9C1 LT1
1995 Chevrolet Caprice 9C1 LT1
2006 Pontiac GTO LS2
2014 Chevrolet Caprice 9C1 L77
Navy Lifer
Administration Staff
Posts: 1724
Joined: Tue Mar 19, 2013 6:30 pm
Location: Canton GA

Re: Hello from Texas

Post by Navy Lifer »

Welcome, Garner!

You're in good company here.

Bob Dannelley will give you the full "treatment" with his sleeper supercar!

Jealous of all the fun you'll be able to have!!!
Pursuit
Administration Staff
Posts: 969
Joined: Tue Apr 23, 2013 3:39 pm
Location: Omaha, NE area

Re: Hello from Texas

Post by Pursuit »

Garner, welcome to the group! There are some good guys here along with good info and advice. I hope you find us useful. I also noticed the 75 Grand Am. I am a big fan of that body/chassis of Pontiac. I have owned a couple of Grand Prixs and currently own a 74 455 SJ from Arizona. Haven't done much to it yet. But it needs alot of TLC.

Regards,

Maurice
Maurice Sheil

mhsheil@gmail.com

2011 Caprice Phantom Black 9C3
2012 Impala 9C1
1995 9C1 Caprice
1996 GMC Sierra C1500
1996 Chevrolet K2500 Extended Cab, long box, 454, 91,000 rust free miles
1974 SJ Grand Prix 455 well optioned with factory moon roof
9C1fanatic
Posts: 430
Joined: Tue Dec 30, 2014 8:58 pm
Location: Texas Hill Country

Re: Hello from Texas

Post by 9C1fanatic »

Thanks! I saw your list of cars in one of your posts and thought the same thing. I never had a B4C Camaro but the rest of your list made me think another version of me existed. You have a 73-77 Pontiac coupe, a CK pickup truck like me, a new Caprice and an old B body! I used to have an 88 9C1, an 89 Caprice Classic and a 90 9C1. I love those cars but the 90 with the LO5 and 3.42 limited slip was my favorite. I would love to see pictures of those cars you have.
Garner Ames



1975 Pontiac Grand Am L77 - 14.82 @ 92.89
1991 Chevrolet C1500 L31 Vortec/5 Speed
2002 Chevrolet Suburban 1500 LM7
2014 Chevrolet Caprice 9C1 L77 - 13.60 @ 105.87
2019 Chevrolet Express 3500 L96
User avatar
elc32955
System Manager
Posts: 2718
Joined: Thu Nov 29, 2012 10:32 am
Location: East Central Florida
Contact:

Re: Hello from Texas

Post by elc32955 »

Welcome to the system! This forum is one of the best owner collections I've ever seen, both in technical expertise and willingness to help other owners. Glad to have you on board, since you've upfitted these cars you know the in's and out's on a number of systems. It's been a while since I had to fully upfit a vehicle, things have changed a wee bit since I was installing light bars & sirens on 1988 Crown Vics!

Eric
System Manager and your tour guide for the day. 2015 Caprice w/LFX, former NC DPS staff car. Partial hybrid G8/SS/Camaro SS interior mods, SS MyLink radio upgrade, 2016 Camaro V6 rims, GMPP Malibu chrome exhaust tips, otherwise bone stock for now.
tripplea63
Posts: 19
Joined: Mon Dec 29, 2014 12:54 am

Re: Hello from Texas

Post by tripplea63 »

I have worked on, in, up fitted and driven police vehicles all my adult life and have become intimately familiar with most of them. Through this experience and being raised in a heavy GM influenced household, the Caprice 9C1 has always been my favorite car. I look forward to sharing what I have learned about these cars.

Garner Ames
New Braunfels, TX

1975 Pontiac Grand Am L77
1991 Chevrolet C1500 L03/5speed
1994 Chevrolet Caprice 9C1 LT1
1995 Chevrolet Caprice 9C1 LT1
2006 Pontiac GTO LS2
2014 Chevrolet Caprice 9C1 L77[/quote]

that is awesome so that means you should be able to tell me how to get my horn functioning again right??
9C1fanatic
Posts: 430
Joined: Tue Dec 30, 2014 8:58 pm
Location: Texas Hill Country

Re: Hello from Texas

Post by 9C1fanatic »

Thanks! I still have a lot to learn about his particular platform as this the first year we used them but having the GTO and a few friends with G8s Im picking it up pretty quick through the problem solving process of upfitting and doing lots of research through a contact I developed at Kerr industries. Very different world then even 10 years ago in the up fit side. Almost everything you do to the car has a potential side affect. You can no longer work on experience along. A car is not just another car. You need to research equipment, and the vehicle you install it on every step of the way.

On the 2014 cars we ran into problems with auxiliary batteries not charging, inability for installer to drill through the boron steel in the roof to mount cameras, problems with rear door panel removal and consequences that played with the BCM and operation of the rear windows. I figured out a way to cut GM keys without the fob for use by officers back up key. I have also been though the painful process of educating our local Chevrolet dealers about the car as well as our contract up fitter in working through some of the problems. I would say the biggest con of this car is the general lack of training and knowledge of the car in most Chevrolet service departments. Dealers that deal with more fleet inventory are more experienced with this car. Our experience has been positive with the cars overall and every issue we have had other than the lack of keyless entry when the car is running was due to error on the part of the installer or the delivering dealer that improperly installed additional options our dept specs prior to delivery.

Tripple63, I may be able to help. Is there any way you car was a former police car or demo vehicle that had installed emergency equipment? Most common cause for inop horn on a former patrol car is that the horn circuit is often cut and spliced into the siren amplifier for "hands free operation" of the siren tones (they can be activated, changed and turned off by tapping the horn ring a certain way). Many times more often than not, when the equipment is removed the siren amp is removed and the horn circuit is left open. A good de installer with hook the circuit back together and make sure all factory systems work. This is also common on the highbeam circuit back before they started making plug and play headlight flashers. The Caprice has upfitter harnesses that make it possible to install all of the usual equipment without having to cut a single factory wire but many installers are underpaid and or qualified to be working on such expensive and complex systems and may just fine the horn circuit with a test light and cut it.

If you bought the car new and it was not a demo, than it should be a more conventional problem. See your dealer if under warranty or invest in a service manual.
Garner Ames



1975 Pontiac Grand Am L77 - 14.82 @ 92.89
1991 Chevrolet C1500 L31 Vortec/5 Speed
2002 Chevrolet Suburban 1500 LM7
2014 Chevrolet Caprice 9C1 L77 - 13.60 @ 105.87
2019 Chevrolet Express 3500 L96
User avatar
The Tech
Posts: 283
Joined: Tue Mar 19, 2013 9:34 pm
Location: Mooresville NC

Re: Hello from Texas

Post by The Tech »

Welcome to the group. There really are some fine people on here which makes this group more enjoyable than just about any other. Look forward to learning from your experience.
2011 Alto Gray Caprice PPV 9C3, Kooks Long Tube Headers, Kooks Drag Cats and Crossover, Solo Axle Back System.
1996 DGGM Impala SS
1995 Caprice 9C1 red over white
2015 Bright Yellow Jeep Wrangler, the better half's car.
Member of Carolina Holdens
leadfart
Posts: 465
Joined: Wed Mar 20, 2013 12:00 am
Location: Treasure Island, Lake McQueeney, TX

Re: Hello from Texas

Post by leadfart »

Yep, I live fifteen minutes from SAR. I frequently play on T&T nights. My next little project is a Circle D converter, just to sixty a tad better. I love to go fast!! :mrgreen:
Bob Dannelley
2011 Alto Gray 9C3 Caprice PPV-Maggie-11.64@119.68-Sold!
1995 DCM Impala SS-409-Stroker!-11.83@115
2014 Silver Ice LTZ Silverado Crewcab 4X4
2007 Black Z51 M6-Corvette Coupe
9C1fanatic
Posts: 430
Joined: Tue Dec 30, 2014 8:58 pm
Location: Texas Hill Country

Re: Hello from Texas

Post by 9C1fanatic »

Damn and I thought I would be the first to run a new Caprice on that track! I haven't been out there in quite a while, I heard it was closing but I guess not. That's good news. Maybe Ill see you out there sometime. I would love to check out your set up. Its great living near a track isn't it! We are so spoiled!
Garner Ames



1975 Pontiac Grand Am L77 - 14.82 @ 92.89
1991 Chevrolet C1500 L31 Vortec/5 Speed
2002 Chevrolet Suburban 1500 LM7
2014 Chevrolet Caprice 9C1 L77 - 13.60 @ 105.87
2019 Chevrolet Express 3500 L96
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