It seems that some people are just stuck in the '70s. That's not necessarily a bad thing as sometimes it's just comfortable to go with what you know. The owner of this fine ride, Jaime Tapia, would be one of those people. being a driver for UPs, he's used to making deliveries of other peoples' packages and dreams, but he also knows how to fulfill his own too. Jaime's been in the lowriding scene since the age of 17 when his dad got him into it. he started with a bike, then moved on to a euro and finally started building traditional lowriders, favoring the fine lines of the '70s.
This '75 Chevy Caprice is Jaime's fourth feature car in Lowrider. after selling his '73 Caprice convertible that was featured on these very pages in 2002, Jaime started his quest for a '75 Caprice convertible. Like many searches on ebay, you always seem to come across other things that are close, but not exactly what you want. This '75 hardtop was quickly approaching final bid time and Jaime bid on it just for the hell of it," he told us. as luck would have it, Jaime placed the winning bid. not one to back out of a good deal, he picked up the car and got started on it.
The build was a quick six months with all of the players knocking out their respective jobs drama free and on schedule. For a six-month build, the attention to detail on the car is impressive. The undercarriage received an ample splash of chrome and paint, accenting the paint job nicely. The patterns and fat flake catch your eye, drawing you into the '75's grip. The clean interior has just the right amount of details to keep it from being in need of some Viagra.
Built with a sense of purpose, this car was meant to be driven and Jaime can be found driving around in his ride on any given sunday, or any other day for that matter. even though Jaime likes this car, his dream to build a '75 convertible remains firmly planted in his head. as you read this, we're sure that there's a "for sale" sign on this car with the convertible project being well underway. you can bet that by next year this time he'll be busting out the convertible at a lowrider show and once again showing his love for the '70s.
CapriciousOwner: Jaime Tapia
Vehicle: '75 Chevrolet Caprice
City/State: santa ana, California
Club: Latin Life C.C.
Engine/Drivetrain: The original engine and drivetrain are going strong at 80,000 miles. a dual exhaust was installed at Plaza Muf- fler in orange, California.
Body/Paint: edgar Villegas at Choice of Colors in garden grove, California, did the bodywork and applied the house of Kolor candy brandywine paint. anthony at homies hydraulics in Paramount, California, installed the 42-inch moonroof and angelo Maisano of street Life Customs in Los angeles, California, did the pinstriping.
Interior: a full tweed interior with patterns was stitched up by Juan and Jose at M&M Upholstery in Tijuana, Mexico.
Sound System: a Kenwood head unit signals two Kenwood amps delivering power to four 6x9s and two 10-inch Kicker subs located in the trunk. Two 5-inch monitors are located in the trunk. gus and Mario at wendell's Crazy sounds in garden grove did the install.
Setup: The crew at homies hydraulics installed an all-chrome whammy setup featuring 8-inch front and 10-inch rear cylinders. six batteries power the setup, four switches control it and the frame was reinforced and the a-arms extended. eliey Polishing in santa ana performed all of the polishing and chrome plating.
Tires: P155/80-R13 Cornell
Wheels: 13-inch 88-spoke dayton