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Picking up a '77 Coupe DeVille, couple questions on stereo, heat, and slamming it

12K views 65 replies 16 participants last post by  Stingroo 
#1 ·
Well I found a '77 Coupe w/ 90k for a steal locally so I'll be picking it up on wednesday with the intention of slamming it on some whitewalls and using it a my cruiser to and from work. Everything looks good on the car with the exception of the headliner hanging down (easy fix) and the heater not working. I haven't looked into it much but the guy I bought it from has two more heater control modules (the part on the dash with all th e controls) in the trunk so hopefully that will be as easy as swapping out the bad one for one that works. I was wondering if that's a common problem with these or what? The stereo also doesn't work, also a common problem maybe? I gotta have tune so I'll be putting in a good headunit and speakers but I noticed that the factory radio looks a bit smaller than your standard aftermarket single-din headunit. Is that correct?

It's probably the worst car to get into right before winter but I have a soft spot for big old coupes!


*Side Note* as for lowering it I don't really have the intention of doing bags anywhere in the near future but I will be slamming it. Right now the plan is to cut the springs and then match a set of shorter shocks to the springs. Anybody have some experience with shorter shocks? I've heard a few mixed opinions but I'm leaning towards bilsteins, just not sure which ones to get or should I just get a rough length dimension and give them the weight (per axel) and have them size me up something?

Any feedback is appreciated fellas!
 
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#2 ·
I just had the head liner in my 80 cdv. replaced ( $500.00) what happens after 30 odd years is the
material between the cloth head liner and the roof breaks down and turns into fluff, hopefuly yours
didn't do it, but be prepared to maybe having to replace it, the upholstery guy said it's a common occurence.
 
#13 ·
So I just so happened to see a hanes manual for this body style today and flipped to the suspension section. It looks like the springs (at lest in the rear) are tapered on each end, which looks to me like cutting a coil or two out isn't an option as then it won't have a spring seat, no?

With that said, does anybody have any idea just how low you can get with Imapala lowering springs? I'm looking for super low ride height, but really don't want to guess which springs will be right. I nabbed a picture of a coupe off google and photoshopped it to show what I'm going for:



I've tried searching for more info on this forum but the search function on here is a bit different than most of the other forums out there and I pretty much always get the "sorry no results" message when I search here :hmm:

Any pics of your car with the stock impala springs csbuckn?
 
#7 ·
Redoing a headliner is so easy my mom did it. I'm not kidding. Her 91 Caprice in Florida had a bad headliner, so I emailed her instructions on how to redo. Ten bucks in adhesive, and thirty in material. A couple hours work.
Yeah it's more time consuming than hard work, that's pretty cool that your mom did it though. I recently did the headliner and all the pillars in camo on my WRX. I'd post some pictures, but apparently I can't post pics until I have more than 5 posts :annoyed:
 
#8 ·
Say was there a front bench seat version of this car or one that would swap in? This one has the separate power seats with fold-down armrests, etc. Would like to have a full bench seat so my miss can sit right next to me without having to sit against the folded up armrests
 
#11 ·
The problems with the climate controls are covered in other threads here somewhere. The biggest problem seems to be the resistance generated at the relay block. Some people have been able to remedy this by installing heavier ga. wires to the blower and changing out one of the units in the controller. The original radios are great units. If you want cassette players get an '80's unit, the Symphony. These work great also, but the cassette recievers ( the little guides on the side ) wear out.
 
#16 ·
I know what you mean about the factory stereos, they certainly look better in the cars too. But I have thousands and thousands of songs so I have to have something that can play MP3's.

I'm in Kansas City though, any pictures of those seats?

There is a thread in here on radios in which someone he knows mounts an MP3 recepticle in original equiptment radios. Try going back about 3 months worth of posts. Personally, I'd like to try that.
 
#14 ·
If you wanna go as low as what you have pictured, you will want bags. You won't be able to drive that low without scrapping the exhaust or something on turns or bumps. I have a pic on here but I'm on my phone, ill have to get to a computer for a pic. AngryMatt has impala lowering springs on his caddy and I think it looks nice and mean.
 
#17 ·
I know what you mean about scraping csbuckn. I've gotten used to that, low is a lifestyle after all :cool: Now that I can actually post pics I'll show you what I mean. Here's my daily driver:



And when my girl wants to go somewhere nice for dinner we take this:


SO I kind have a thing for low cars! The only thing that will be unfortunate about getting the caddy that low on springs is the ride comfort will be sacrificed. If I can get that low on springs I'll do it, if not then bags it is I guess...
 
#18 ·
Can't drive that low on springs. Bags only. If you want the lowest springs you can go for, order some ST lowering springs for an Impala SS. Lowest springs made. They will put that rear fender lip down over the hubcap. Not as far as you want, but you will still be able to drive.

I predict your girl will hate the new car! :D
 
#20 ·
Well I finally have the coupe in my hands, now onto sorting out all the problems it has

-All lights work, but headlights don't, no horn either-
I've read of a couple things that this could be such as dimmer switch, relay, fusible link, or the sentinel if equipped (need to check)

-Heater not working-
I need to do a bit more poking around to see what's happening (or more like not happening). It does have two new heater controls in the trunk, I guess the first thing to do would be to swap one of those in but I've read a few threads on here about heat and it would seem that the problems other people are having are due to other things like the vent flaps not opening, low coolant, needs coolant flush, etc.. Sound about right?

-Radio not working-
Nothing on the radio works at all however there is a handful of wiring hanging down below the dash that looks like it would go to a more modern stereo head unit judging by some of the connectors and such.

-Taillight surrounds-
Those body-colored plastic panels that surround the taillights are all cracked and broken. Hopefully I can find a good set somewhere and just paint them to match this car. Is there a good after market source for these anywhere or is the junkyard the best bet?


Other than that the car is in great shape and just needs some small things like fresh oil, a couple new weather seals, etc. Thanks for the help so far guys, much appreciated. As for the suspension I believe that I will be spending the next few months (since it's pretty much winter now) getting this car back to tip top shape and then I'll just end up bagging it in the spring. I think I'll be more satisfied that way anyway, especially since I'll be able to just set the car on the ground when it's parked. :cool2:
 
#22 ·
Well the heater controls seem to be functioning fine. Took a look under the hood and it would seem that somebody literally cut off the collant in & out connections to the heater core. No wonder it's not working :nono: what genius could have done this I wonder, and further more why? The stranger thing is what looks like the coolant inlet line to the heater core goes to a stand alone thermostat of some kind and then a red hose comes out of it and runs back to the transmission tunnel :hmm:
 
#24 ·
Definitely sounds like the heater core was bypassed, probably due to a leak. An easy but time-consuming fix. As for the rear fillers, there are several companies that make reproductions, and they're pretty reasonably priced. Check Hemmings or just google it. I recommend you get a factory service manual ASAP. It's the best investment you could make, and they're fairly cheap on ebay.

Post some pics of your new ride when you get the chance.
 
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