1991 Caprice Questions

[BiggWaukegan]

New member to this site. Curious what other chevy owners might think. Got a 91 caprice 100,000 miles, no rust, sun faded paint, super clean inside, new waterpump, alternator, starter, raditor, front/rear brakes, and new tires. Was thinking of investing about $300 in the suspension. Can get the springs and shocks done new for that price{so it sits up real nice]. Also had a problem passin emmisions last week. They said i was burning too much HC[hydrocarbons] or gas. Anyone know how to fix this? is it related to my EFI system? Anyways let me know if you think this puppy is worth the investment. Should i throw dual exhausts on this even though it has the sissy 305? can i beef up the 305 5.0 ?

[HLandin]

All depends on how much money and time you want to put into it. I don't think $300 be enough to replace all the worn suspension components unless your just buying the parts and doing the labor yourself.

As far as emissions, it could be a variety of things, but the mostly likely candidate seems to be the oxygen sensor. The oxygen sensor is what the computer uses to see if the mixture is right, and unburned hydrocarbons could indicate that the computer is getting improper or wrong signals (and is adjusting the pulsing of the injectors accordingly).

As far as performance options (such as dual exhaust or modifying your engine), it once again depends on how much money your willing to commit to your project. I'm sure the guys on this site could advise you as to what things you can do both cheaply and expensively to give you more output.

As one finally piece of help, check out this site:

http://www.goingfaster.com/spo/spo_t...y_central.html

It is dedicated to improving output of the L03 5.0L/305-cid (which you have). From the main page, check out:

http://www.goingfaster.com/spo/praisetbi.html
http://www.goingfaster.com/spo/quick_l03_buildup.htm
http://www.goingfaster.com/spo/mods.html
http://www.goingfaster.com/spo/modthel03.html

Although this site is catered towards Camero and Firebird owners, the basic stuff and a lot of the engine stuff is useful (an L03 from a Camero and an L03 from a Caprice are still very similar).

[BiggWaukegan]

Yes its true. Theres a spot in the city{chicago} where i got a connect who puts in cadillac springs and new shocks all the way around for 300 bucks. I have to do at least the rear shocks because they were busted. So why not for 3hundo right? Is it possible if i buy the O2 sensor or sensors and the tool i could do it myself right?

[HLandin]

Originally Posted by BiggWaukegan

Yes its true. Theres a spot in the city{chicago} where i got a connect who puts in cadillac springs and new shocks all the way around for 300 bucks. I have to do at least the rear shocks because they were busted. So why not for 3hundo right? Is it possible if i buy the O2 sensor or sensors and the tool i could do it myself right?

It sounds like either he is giving you a special price, or a really good deal to replace the suspension for only $300 dollars.