1991 Chevrolet Caprice 9C1 - authentic U.S. Border Patrol vehicle

1991 Chevrolet Caprice 9C1 Description

1991 Caprice 9C1- original U.S. Border Patrol vehicle
This is the only surviving example of a very unique, federal law enforcement vehicle. Known and documented history fromnew.
Factory 9C1 sold to the U.S. government. It has the 350 c.i., L05 option V8, heavy duty cooling, emblem delete, and the "special order" paint option. The seafoam green with cream has to be the most unusual color a Caprice ever came in. Last yearfor this old U.S. Border Patrol color scheme (which started after WW2), and the 1st year for the redesigned Caprice body style. This is the newest car made in the old colors.
Fleet number is the original one, and is engraved on the key. The car was stationed at the San Clemente, CA checkpoint when new, where it was used as a pursuit unit "on the point." It was one of the units that responded to the 1992 LA riots. Later, it was retired from patrol duty and found its way to the Border Patrol sector garage, where it spent the next 20+ years as a shop vehicle for the government mechanics.
Sometime around 2015, the car was repainted at the Border Patrol garage in anticipation of it being sent to the U.S. Border Patrol Museum in El Paso, TX. I've heard a rumor about what happened next, but the end result is that the car was sold off with the regularly retired fleet, and ended up in Chicago, where I found it at a dealer that purchased it from the government auction. I purchased the car in the fall of 2015. Carfax shows the government purchased it new, and owned it until 2015.
This car has spent the last 2 years being freshened up & participating in several car shows & Emergency Vehicle shows. We took it to DC last spring for Law Enforcement week, where it was displayed along with others in front of the Smithsonian. It was also on display at the Chicagoland Emergency Vehicle show. Last summer, we took it to the Illinois Secretary of State car show, where it won 1st place in the emergency vehicle class.

The Good:
I've gone through the car mechanically to make it a dependable car. I've driven this car from Chicago to Washington DC, and all around the Midwest. It's an excellent driver. New fuel pump, rebuilt TBI with flow balanced 9C1 injectors (previously had one incorrect 305 injector), plugs, wires, rotor, cap, Bosch battery, MAP & TPS sensor, O2 sensor, ceramic front brakes, and a bunch of other stuff that I'm probably forgetting. And I don't buy the cheap grade parts! The 5.7L L05 may not have the power of the later LT1 withthe temperamental opti-spark, but has a reputation as a much more dependable motor, and it has plenty of power for an antique show vehicle. Bottom line, mechanically this car is very solid. Engine compartment isVERY clean and original. Looks great with the hood up or down! This car is literally ready to drive across the country tomorrow.
Paint was done sometimein late 2014 or early 2015 and looks absolutely great, with only a few small blemishes on the lowerbumpers.It's not perfect, but it IS extremely nice!Very clean interior with no rips, stains, etc. in the original fabric seats. Dash perfect with no cracks. All plastic trim repainted with correct color SEM interior paint. New headliner, correct rubber floors in excellent condition. New switches everywhere I could get them.Freshly restoredfactory AM/FM radio, with hidden DIN cable so you canplug your phone in & listen to what you want. All interior lights bright & functional. Correct police partition in excellent shape, with plexi freshly polished. Correct console (matched the original mounting holes exactly). Trunk mounted Motorola radio with remote head. Correct, NOS hi-power trunk-mounted antenna. Restored Jetsonic lightbar with NOS mounts, and correct California configuration.
Threesets of wheel covers. 1st is the correct factory "Frisbee", which is a silver plastic hubcap that came on these cars new. I have the original ones that came on the car, and a perfect NOS set. I also have a set of the chrome wheel covers that were used for a few years before & after 1991, and which most departments used to replace the plastic Frisbees. They are in very good shape.For those who say the Frisbees won't stay on, I've driven the car over a 1,000 miles with them without a problem. Of course, there have been no high-speed pursuits or cornering with them!
The Bad:
Light bar has been completely rebuilt by the best tech in the business, but has not been hooked up yet. It needs a control unit for the console. It has been tested & works perfectly.
Motorola in the trunk has not been permanently mounted or wired yet. I have the key, mic, and remote head. Need a trim plate for console mount.
A/C in the car works great (it will freeze you out), but has a slow leak in the system. I've not been successful at tracking it down yet. I have already converted it over for R-134 andreplaced a cracked hardline and O-rings, so it's probably going to be easy to track down. It worked fine for several months last summer, but the new Freon eventually leaked out.

Bottom line:
I've tried to be very accurate with the description. Please contact me if you have any questions. This car is extremely solid, dependable, and virtually completed and ready to go! It's not a replica, clone, "tribute" or anything similar, but a real 2-owner police car with a known & unique history.
Could not be duplicated for the price, and I know there's not another one like this out there. This is not a rusty, trashed 9C1 that needs extensive work to be presentable or a strong runner. Offered for sale only because I have another USBP vehicle, and I am running out of storage. Buy it for less than the price of a used Harley Sportster, and enjoy it with your family, as I've done.
I'd be happy to spend lots of time discussing this car to any potential or future owners. I'll continue being active in police vehicle shows with my other cars, and would love to see this car continue to participate in events.