The wagons also have a wider frame in the rear and wider rear axles. All came with drum brakes. A self-leveling ride control system was available as an option on some cars. All 94-96 wagons had LT1's, despite what the brochure may say. The 1A2 wagon was basically the 9c1 equivilent, having the green hoses, external oil cooler, etc. Impala SS parts such as the grille, hood, wheels will work on the wagons without modification. Same with the suspension parts, excluding the rear discs, axle, and sway bar. Umm... what else... Basically all the mods that you can do to a sedan will work on a wagon, except for that rear end stuff and the cat-backs.

 

Another difference on the Wagons is they have a different cooling system. They have a clutch fan along with a electric fan, so if you want to do a "sewer pipe" or ram air type intake, you may have some slight problems with clearance. Otherwise, I can't think of anything else, other than what was prviously mentioned.

 

As the mods in my signature indicate you can do most every B-Body mod on a wagon. However, not all wagons came with the mechanical fan, but rather only those with the heavy duty cooling option (V08?) did. Prior to my Roadmaster, I had a red 95 Caprice Wagon which I bought new and which came with dual electric fans and the external oil and trans coolers. This wagon was modded identical to my SS. It was my favorite car and the ultimate sleeper.

 

Ditto 2LTones,

My 95 RM Wagon has the dual electric fans, no engine driven fan. I have seen more wagons with the HD cooling option though......

Mark

 

Long story short:
Axleshafts and axlehousings, brakes, rear suspension, gas tank, spare location, rear hatch [and its own differences]. Note also that certain dual exhaust systems for the wagon must be different from the sedan.
Oh yeah, wagons weigh about 10% more.

 

There is another thread right now though, a means to install rear discs on a wagon has been discovered.

 

Ahh... yes, we all knew that it was possible via welding and cutting. Us wagon guys, however, were looking for a direct bolt-on application. One that did not require welding, cutting, custom length axles, etc. We were wanting something similar to what the Mov'it system is to the sedan. Such a setup had been discussed in-depth on the IGBA Wagonmaster digests, and unfortunately it was determined there is not one at this time.

You will note that what Charlie Costello has done required those things above. Not that it's too overly difficult, but it wouldn't be something that the average joe would be able to do in their driveway w/o the proper tools or access to them. Here is a link to Charlie's disc brake swap thread - Roadmaster wagon disc brake swap.

 

Thanks for all the replies guys! Now is it worth getting a 1A2 package as opposed to a civie? What do I get with the Roadmaster, that I don't with a Caprice?

 

Well considering how hard it seems to be to find a wagon, I'd just say go with a civilian one. There aren't as many differences between it and the 1A2 as there are between the civilian sedan and the 9c1. Really it's only the extra coolers and hoses. They use the same gauge frame, motor, rearend. A 1A2 is also going to have seen a lot harder use than a civilian.

The differences between the Roadmaster and Caprice are greater. The Roadmasters have the little vistacruiser moon roof, a taller grille and its accompanying bumper, and slightly different side window trim. Most Roadmasters will also have the wood grain siding on them and have more big gaudy (in most peoples' opinions) side trim. The interiors on the Roadmasters are also fancier, with usually more amenities than the Caprices - leather, fancier heater and a/c system, etc. The dash in the roadmaster is also different. I'm sure there are other subtle differences, but since I don't have a Roadmaster these are the ones I can remember off the top of my head.

 

Roadmaster wagons are also more common than the Caprices, at least in the later years. There were also only about 485 Caprice wagons made in 1996, making it the rarest of all the 91-96 B-Bodies. So if you can find one of those, that might be the car to get just because of the fact they're so rare.

 

Having owned both, its any easy choice. For looks and performance, go with the Caprice, if you can find one. The Roadmaster luxuries - higher grill, "wood" trim side moldings, raised roof window and fancier luggage racks, really affect the arodynamics and in my experience have a noticeable effect on top speed and mileage. The primary reason I bought the Roadmaster was that my Caprice, which I bought new, was totalled in a head-on. I could not find another excellent condition Caprice and could not pass up the Roadmaster which was the proverbeable single elderly owner car from the south in excellent condition with low mileage and full maintenance records.

 

Hey Mike, do you know if there were any 96 Roadmaster wagons? And I read somewhere that there was a very limited edition Cadillac Fleetwood wagon in 96. Have you heard about that before?

 

The majority of the wagons produced in '96 were Roadmasters, with the last 100 or so being "special editions" or something. There were NO Caddy wagons. The closest thing to a Caddy wagon would be a Hearse conversion.

 

<BLOCKQUOTE>quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by toomanytoyz:
... what are the differences between the sedans and wagons...? ... <HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

You're in New Hampster, so you can go either to Craig Jasmin near Albany NY or to Mark Gottenburg in Saugerties NY (south of Albany, near the Hudson River). You can find 9C1s in both places, and Mark may have a 1A2 wagon. There are other more local sources for them, but these two sources are probably better, have a better selection, an both worth the drive (approx 3.5 hrs).

That said, I'll offer a different comment than the ones already posted. You owned a 9C1 before, and they are a lot of fun. A WX3 trim package is a gussied-up 9C1, minus a few HD parts, so there's not much different there. IMO, in order of fun/different factor, I'd rate the wagons the best, then the 9C1, and then the WX3 (Impala). I say this because there's not much difference in the Impalas, color to color and year to year. But with the 9C1s, you can get a much wider variety of colors, trim, and options... as well as the more than just one engine size.

And then there's the wagons. Not as many were made, and damn few get customized. I LOVE looking at a customized wagon, especially the ones tastefully done. They are different than ALL the sedans. I like the boxy Bcars too, for the same reason BECAUSE they are different.

So my $0.02 suggests you look for a Roadmaster wagon (91-96), or an Olds Custom Cruiser wagon (91-92). Yeah, you could opt for the Chevy Caprice... but you get better creature comforts and a dash with a factory tach on the 91-93 Buick/Olds models. LT1 or LO5 depending on the year, and with the understanding that maintenance and mods on the LO5 will probably be less money and easier to perform than on the LT1. And you can get that LO5 running on-par with an LT1, so performance is not really an issue.

Then take a stroll through ther IGBA web site ( http://www.b-body.net ) and find Bill G's Olds H/O look-alike sedan, and imagine what that mod exercise would have looked like on a wagon.... <sigh>

That's my $0.02. - Ken, '94 9C1, wagonless

 

Ken,
I took numerous pictures of a Roadmaster wagon at the Car Craft Summer Cruise this past weekend. Hood emblem removed, American Torque Thrust II's (I didn't mentally note the size..20's?), BIG tires, totally smoothed over endgate w/wood reapplied, glass rear bumper, Sandalwood tan (same color as mine). One of the nicest I've ever seen. Pics are still in the camera, I'll post when I get them back.
Also an Olds Cruiser, silver in color, on the ground with SS rims.

Mark
"still collecting parts for the wagon"

 

Mark,
Did you happen to get any pictures of "B-Body Row" while you were at Car Craft?

Did you enter one of yours?
It was a good time, for sure!

 

If the timing was right, I would buy this one myself, but I thought I'd pass it on in case somebody else was interested. It's one of the rare 1996 Caprice wagons, with 141k miles, for under 5 grand! This dealership in WI has it for sale: http://www.rustymeyer.com/inventoryvpc.html

If somebody buys it I want pics!

Wagons rock!
Ben

 

Randy,
Yes, passed through b-body row on Sunday. A nice showing I might add. Tried to get a picture, but far too many people. This seemed like one of the better Car Craft deals in the past couple years, and have not entered any of my cars since 96 or 97.
Maybe next year!

Mark

 

I don't see that wagon on the web site anymore. I did find it on Auto Trader. Sort of a champange color with no wood trim.

Also on Auto Trader, there is a 23K '96 Caprice Wagon for $15400. It is white with no wood trim. Car is in Woodbridge, VA. Phone # is 703-283-8162.

KC
'95 Caprice Wagon

<BLOCKQUOTE>quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by NemeSS:
If the timing was right, I would buy this one myself, but I thought I'd pass it on in case somebody else was interested. It's one of the rare 1996 Caprice wagons, with 141k miles, for under 5 grand! This dealership in WI has it for sale: http://www.rustymeyer.com/inventoryvpc.html

If somebody buys it I want pics!

Wagons rock!
Ben<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

 

Hmm, it was on the site yesterday! I found it on Autotrader and then the dealer site too. Maybe it sold already?