Considering that the seller’s son drove this 1968 Chevrolet Chevelle SS396 over 2,500 miles last week across the country, I think we can safely say that the 34,206-mile two-owner car is in pretty decent mechanical condition. Actually, I think it’s in pretty decent condition period! It’s being sold here on eBay where bidding is up over $13,000 already but the reserve isn’t met. It’s in Clyde, North Carolina if you are figuring transport costs, although this is one car I wouldn’t be afraid to fly in and drive home!
Although I think some of the paint isn’t original based on the color differences between panels, the car does have the appearance of an extremely original car. It’s not nice enough for me to call it a survivor, but I’ll leave that up to your individual choice. What I can tell you is that the seller states the only rust is “two minimal rust spots in the bottom of each (front) fender.” That’s impressive, but upon close examination of the pictures I’m seeing rust in a few more places. Perhaps they are only speaking of holes?
With the whitewall tires and what I believe are original wheel covers, this car has somewhat of a tame appearance. However, anyone that is familiar with the 396 big-block Chevrolet engine in this form knows it’s anything but tame.
While there are some fluid leaks under the car as you might expect, I see no rust. Interesting that only one exhaust pipe was replaced!
I do see a crack on the dash, but the interior looks pretty darned good. Yes, those are air conditioning vents you see! Would you leave the bench seats alone?
Based on the Crane Cams replacement cam card that is pictured with the documentation, someone has been into this engine previously. I’m not sure why that would be necessary considering how low the mileage is, but since the car runs so well at least whatever was done was done correctly. The card also leads me to believe that this engine is the base Turbo-Jet 396 with 325 horsepower (there were 350 and 375 horsepower 396 engines also available in the SS396). So tell me this, readers — what’s this one worth and would you keep the body as-is or repaint it?
I would clean it up and keep it as is. Drive it around and slowly start detailing it. Love these patina cars!
I think it went around once even with the non rust issues still not bad but needs painted
Wrap it up, I’ll take it.
I would too .
But my sole reason to buying it, will be to drive it across the US, before shipping it home.
I had a 67 396 Chevelle SS, with the 350HP engine, and because those valve covers were originally the factory chrome units, I was thinking at first that this might be the 350 hp engine.
I haven’t done any deep research, but all the 325 hp engines I have seen from that year, had the painted valve covers and the fully enclosed air cleaner. My 350 hp has a chrome top, open sided air cleaner. Another thing that my 350 hp SS had, was what was commonly called the tic toc tach. So my guess is, that it was originally the 325 hp engine, still definitely no slouch.
I wouldn’t mind having that car, and the price right now is a bargain.
Bob
@Bob…
All SS396 Chevelle’s had chrome valve covers, as were all 396’s in Nova’s & Camaro’s. The only 396 w/orange valve covers would’ve been the base L35 (325-hp) in fullsize Chevy’s & the L34 (350-hp) 396 was basically an L35 w/a different cam, i.e., still w/2 bolt main bearings & hydraulic lifters, but w/an open element air cleaner.
Nothing rare or unusual about this car so I wouldn’t hestitate heave the front seats and the steering column and replace them with floor shift and buckets, Tremac transmission and shifter. The dash would be repaired over the winter and new paint at the same time.
Then I’d beef up the suspension and the brakes. The brakes would be upgraded to disk. And the suspension would be by Control Freak.
For paint I would go with a Baldwin Motion scheme that would use the present colour as the accent colour with the base colour being white. I’d put a cowl induction hood on it too.
The wheels and tires would be set aside in favour of a set of period mags with stock white letter tires on the front and fatter ones on the back.
After that I’d go drag racing. Not to win trophies but to have fun.
You’d pay the 25-30k this is gonna bring and do all that? I’d just get a regular Chevelle for 10k and do that.
Who said anything about money? You can do more faster sometimes by trading. Besides this is all daydreaming by a bunch of old farts who are mostly not players but were players. So daydreaming.
Besides I don’t do GM I do Rebel Machines which are way more fun.
Do you have this car or is it your friends. It would be nice to find a 1976 trans am that was in excellent shape
This is going to sell for so much money I would be afraid to park it anywhere. The essence of these cars has been completely destroyed by money. And it will come crashing down to earth as soon as the players stop driving and dying off.
Love everything except the cowl induction
If you’re going to do that, you might as well get one that isn’t super original. Making all of those changes takes away everything that is special about the car and turns it into just another 1968 Chevelle.
the stock SS hood is macho enough, leave it in place! nice car just needs paint and disc brakes!
This car should have came with disc brakes.
I wonder if it cost more to drive the car than to transport it. It is too bad the car isn’t still in California where it belongs.
I think all GM intermediates rusted on the front fender doglegs. I would definitely try to put in some period-correct bucket seats at the very least. A repaint would make the graceful body lines stand out much better.
A friend in high school had a Chevelle 300 in this color. He called it the “Big bright pea green pleasure machine”. If you get the reference you’re a true child of the ’60’s…
You’d better hurry up and order one.
The color is known as Ash Gold, btw. ’68 was the first year for “hide-a-way” wipers, a gazillion seat belts in the front to accommodate the first year shoulder belts. It was the only year for a really funky ignition switch. At the dealership, they could wave a magic wand, and recess it into the dash to make it ‘safer’. My Dad’s was the only one in the family (we ALL bought new Chevy’s in ’68) that had this feature activated, and you had to stick your fingers in a hole to grasp the key. Hassle. Always had an affinity for this body style. And factory A/C ? Very nice. I would leave the bench, have it refreshed, add OEM gauges, and enjoy !
I just read your post. I’m curious about how it is you came to make the post as you’re doing so 1 year and 4 months out. I bought the car, I like the car, I’m happy to have it. I haven’t done anything to it other that change the oil; I’m too busy and the car isn’t going anywhere. Everybody that’s seen it has liked it. It’s different. And I have had a couple of offers. I would sell it as is at the right moment but I really look forward to when I can get it into the shop.
It’s really a shame that it has an automatic transmission, back in the era when his car was made automatics were not the best for handling horsepower. It certainly looks to tame for being a SS, most of them were really financing up back in the era.
I definitely would give it a great pink job and quite possibly even put buckets and instead of the bench seat. Almost every SS I have ever seen had bucket seats but again I also had manual transmissions with the shifter on the floor.
The bidding is now over 15,000 and the reserve still has not been met.
A turbo 400 can handle all the power the 325/396 can throw at it and then some! so could a big block powerglide.
Negatory, Captain Mark! I had a ’69 with bench seats and the console-shift TH400. That car would just plain whip up on the 4-speed cars. It was a holeshot monster, and with a few tricks to the valve body of the transmission, the 1-2 shift, done manually and with a judicious application of throttle, was every bit as entertaining as the stick-shifts.
Bidding is at $19,600, and apparently, “The Reserve is OFF!”
Did I really say that?
My car had bucket seats…..
She is a pretty plain-Jane. I’d be glad to own her.
Love the factory, plain Jane look; leave the chopping, bagged, crate engines catastrophes for those that are already modified beyond a reasonable restoration project. Restoring dignity to a vintage vehicle requires thought and restraint. This is a fine opportunity to own a 1968 as it was ordered back in the day; good luck to both buyer and seller.
I like this a lot. Plain Jane and should stay that way. I’d daily drive this and have fun eating all the rice in my town
I would restore it build sheet spec.
No front fender badges ?
They are there. Look at the front portion of the fender.
Steve R
@ Peter S.R.,…..
’68 SS396 Chevelle’s didn’t have fender badges. The 396 callout is incorporated into the side marker light.
Sweet as….
Nice…
I’ve had 3,just leave it and enjoy it..When you dial em all in and nice paint your so selective on where to drive it..etc..take her out, drive anywhere, you’ll have so much fun
Back in the day you had a check list you could get an ss any way you wanted it ,buckets,bench etc.
Kind of like it the way it is. It looks so honest…or paint it red with white racing stripes and larger diameter new style rims and watch it become invisible.
Took my military pay and was first car I bought after serving in The
Republic of
Smoked the tires off it a few times 396
375 hp. 411 posi.
Real sleeper of an SS 396, don’t see many like this around. At first glance I figured it to be a 307 powered grocery getter at best.
I’d build everything underneath and drive it like I stole it.
The cam change may have been necessary, because,if I remember correctly, Chevy had a problem with soft cam lobes or bad lifters. I hsd a 67 SS396, 350 H.P. Chevelle,bought from second ownwr in 1974 had 3:31 gears topped out between 135-140mph.Beatiful car till some Dr.s drunk wife hit it with a 74 Ford S.W. bent my frame. Ended up trading it and six cylinder Camro as down payment on my 69 SC/RAMBLER plus $1000 cash. Anyway even though i prefer the 67 body style, this would be a nice car with new paint in original color, even though not a great color compared to my maroon 67
I would take it unwrapped.
But my sole reason to buying it, will be to drive it across the US, before shipping it home across the pond.
This ones easy. Clearly 134K and I wish that was a guarantee, a 2500 mile trip insuring a mechanically sound car, when we all know, something on an old car can (and will) let go at 2510. Proof positive, not all ’68, 396 Chevelles were fire breathing wheel standers. Most, like this, were just regular cars for someone.
Boy does that car bring back memories!
In 71, a friend of mine bought a nearly identical 68 SS396. Same color, same bench seat interior, same full wheel covers, same white walls tires and same 396/325 engine. The only difference was his had a Powerglide, instead of the Turbo 400, and I don’t remember his having AC.
As muscle cars go, the 396/325 was pretty “tame”. My 71 350 El Camino, along with most of the Mustangs, GTO’s and Road Runners around, were all quicker than his 68 SS.
I think if it were mine, I’d have to restore it right back to the way it left the factory, including the full wheel covers and white walls. In spite of what people want to think today, this car is much more typical of the average SS, back in 68.
Saying a 396/325 was tame is an understatement. Other than colors I bought a 68 SS identically equipped to this one back in 1969, AC and all, and it was anything but fast. Sold it in spring of 1970 and bought a Hi-Po 289 Mustang which would run away and hide from that poor SS.
pull the 2.73 gears out of the rear and toss in 3.73 gears and I bet your mind would be changed if you could get traction!
@68custom: It would have taken a lot more than 3.73 gears. The best thing that could have been done would be to yank the 325 HP, put it in a Caprice wagon where it belonged, and replace with a proper 396/375. What I should have bought in the first place . . .
Think the “best” thing would have been to dump the 396 altogether and replace it with a 425 horse 427. That surely would’ve put your buddies mustang in it’s place, among other cars of notoriety. Your old car still sounds like a nice ride though.
In car pull the wheezy stock cam and lifters can be pulled and replaced with something more radical and a recurve and heAders and make more than 375 hp! Easy!
Tame?
I’m with 68custom.
My ’69 came with the 325 motor, but a little massaging made it into an excellent performer, for a reasonable investment. Back in the days when I was a full-time student, working a full-time 2nd shift job. The car was fast enough, and easy to drive.
Not in my area……….
I wonder if Midas covered the warranty on that exhaust pipe?
Love this car as it is bone stock. Attached is a pic of my first new car – it was an L34, four speed with buckets.
Nice car. I bet it was a blast to drive!
Ah…same color/vinyl top combo as the one my parents had except their’s had the wheelcovers like the subject vehicle. Only other one I’ve seen like it. Understated sleeper.
Really like these without all the cruise night, cliche “touches”. Heck, it might’ve been bought by a couple with four kids or a car pooler. Hence the seating for six.
What’s a pink job?
I would fix the AC, add some rally wheels with matching patina, leave the grime and dirt, and just drive it as-is. At a local cruise night you would get as much attention as any car there!
Further to my post on my new 68 396………I went with a friend and with his money, helped him purchase a 68 396 Verdoro green, L34 TH400 car in 1980. I was able to buy this green car from his four car collection when he needed $$ to pay for his kid’s university tuition. I restored the green car over a two year period – end pic attached. This car was all numbers matching with the rare fiber optics option. As per a previous poster – on the current car that is posted – fender badges have the SS 396 logo as did my green car. These are rare and were only used on early 68 Chevelles.
Verdoro Green is my favorite GM paint color and it looks fabulous on your car.
Paint it as close to the original color and gotta put bucket seats in it.
Powerglide didn’t go with a 396 these days? Must have been a SB in that Chevelle not able to give a ’71 350 Camino a match. Or did Chevy put PG behind BB engines? Nice torque thou from a 325/396.
A friend here in Sweden found a Linden Green ’67 GTO in AZ 2007 with std 335hp 400ci, working AC, His’n Hers and 40.000 miles, very much like this SS Chevelle. Cost $23.000 + a lot to ship it over here. Wonderful GTO with parchment redone interior, of course PS, PB with discs and now with a top body & paint job done over here. Original 14″ rims (special for discs) matched with body color. DeLuxe wheel discs stashed away and new small std powerty caps added together with F70 red lines. Stock 3.08 gears and open differential don’t exactly make it a beast on city streets but with his kids it’s a perfect show and go anywhere classic muscle representative, originally from sunny California (Riverside, LA. First owners son drove the GTO when visiting Sweden 2016!). I helped changing valve seals with o-rings and we checked
the original cam chain and nylon gears, it was already changed. The engine seemes otherwise to be in completely untouched and good shape, tuned and really performing well. An 396SS Chevelle in stock shape is a seldome seen classic muscle theese days, hope someone can pick it up under $20.000 and give it new paint, fix it up under the hood and with a fresh bright work make it a as comfortable and representative muscle cruiser as my friends GTO.
All kinds of transmissions were available in the 68 Chevelle SS. The 396 came standard with a heavy duty 3 speed. The optional manual transmissions were the M20 wide ratio 4 speed, M21 close ratio 4 speed and M-22 heavy duty 4 speed (L-78 only). The L-34 and L-35 were also available with either the 2 speed Powerglide or the 3 speed Turbo-Hydro 400. For 69, the Powerglide was dropped from the SS line, but continued to be available in all other Chevelles.
Wrong….a P/G was available w/the L35 & L34 in ’68 Chevelle’s….
http://www.lov2xlr8.no/brochures/chevy/68velle/bilder/9.jpg
Cam and lifter wear was a problem with both small and big block chevies for many years. Soft cams, along with narrow lobes and small diameter lifters that didn’t have a lot of surface area resulted in excessive wear. The big block was much worse than the small block, most likely due to the stiffer springs and heavier valves. It wasn’t uncommon to see very low mileage big block chevies with a flat cam. Spring breakage was also fairly common on the big blocks.
Nice car. Paint it Viper yellow but lesve the inside alone.
Pretty rare for a 396 SS. They usually more Jazzed.
If you just change the colour and leave the rest alone the next guy can easily make it original again.
Wonder if build sheet is still under the back seat. Be interesting to see if this car was ordered with these options
BEWARE–FLOOD CAR—Hurricane Floyd in 99 0r 00 had Clyde NC up to your neck in water.
Hank, it’s been in California until this month, per seller.
While I’d love another ’68, this is one I have to pass on. Someone will restore & have a pretty nice example, though not an example of what the “SS396” was truly all about. Bench seat, auto on the column WITH a.c. ??? Someone talked Grandma into ordering this thing back in the day. All the charm, charisma & excitement is missing……….
Bid is up to 18,800 and reserve still not met.
wonder what the reserve is? 20K maybe 25K. for that amount of $’s I’m sure you could find a very nice one in very nice condition.
Seem like a lot of work done for 34,206 miles. Believe it should be134206.
over all condition is to worn and engine is to dirt /grease covered for 34,206
IMHO
Has no one noticed the amount of moisture in the trunk of this car? I’d be asking for a few more photos of the trunk wells and close ups if I was thinking of bidding on this. Always amazes me that to some people no rust/little to no rust/rust free are not applicable to the rust on the vehicles they are selling. Curber………
Nice, bot I prefer the Nova and or ElCamino with 396/375 4 speed. Bought a Nova new in 69 bad to the bone, but only 5 to 8 mph.
I believe the tic to tac was an option on all SS cars. I had a 67 SS with the turn signal tach. I think I’d put some period mag wheels and new tires tune up, detail and enjoy it as is.
Bench seat, column automatic, AC, wheel covers, PERFECT. Fix the rust, a fresh coat of green, fix the interior, and a thorough rebuild of the mechanical bits and she is all set.
The reason the front and side third of the car is different paint is because it has been replaced. That indicates major wreck repair. The engine has a wide variety of dirt and grime. It should be uniform. In my humble opinion this looks like it was “put together”. Notice the air cleaner not on right. Only new hose clamps on one end of the hoses. Extremely worn interior means absolutely not only 34,000 miles. I personally would never ever spend that amount of money without hearing it run and at least drove it around the block, assuming that it can. Auction cars are not returnable like a new toaster.
“CURBER…” Meaning parked at the curb, potentially, a very long time, IN California. Lots of moisture traps underneath….more on right side next to curb. Front and rear bumper guards… as set option, for possible boat towing / launching= more moisture. BLACK TAG means it’s been titled in California a LONG time. Near the coast, or lakes. Buy it now.
ELKO…good eye, you’re looking like I would, especially clamps, etc. Old hoses look low miles, when only shortened an inch for fresh end seal…looks like it got very HOT under hood at least once too.
check out you tube 1968 chevelle redsshed37 for another low miledge one. no one wants to believe miledge. seats get brittle guys. paint fades weird.
not everyones out to get you!
Me, I would chop it , Bag it , slam it and take it Low and Slow…
Holy carp. This car used to live about a block from my aunt’s old house. If it was originally sold in Willows, my cousin probably worked on it at the Chevy dealer. Taking it east is a crime against humanity :-(
This car brings to mind a stripper looking 68 Nova 4 door chugging and smoking through a parking lot in Warwick New York with rusty rear 1/4’s leaving the package store . There were 2 older guys in it and. 396 on the front fender ! I was out of town visiting my aunt and uncle . Maybe a future Barn Find ? I wish I had followed this Nova . This was around 1983 .
Hi Mr. Newell, better to have been a player then not at all. At 67 years I’m saving for my next and perhaps last ’57 chevy Belair hard top. I’ve had many a great car, I wish the same for you as well, perhaps when you become an old fart some kid in a levitated vehicle may make statement in reference toward your not being a player, here’s wishing you make the age!
Ýeah…what ìs a PINK JOB readers really want to know.
I bought this car and it is as advertised. And I wanted the car because of what it is…like one of you opined ‘someone convinced Grandma to buy the SS option.’ I grew up in the era and I’ve built and continue to earn a living building cars–I’m one of those obscure, word-of-mouth only, home-shop builders. I like the bench seat, etal and just want to enjoy the car ‘as is’ for now and we’ll see from there…could just put it up for sale down the road after enjoying the uniqueness of the car. The engine bay filth and overall condition come from car said to have been driven on dirt road and having been parked only halfway under cover(I bought a 73 Suburban out’a Miami from old-guy original owner and the ocean-side was worse-for-the-wear and my truck engine bay gets filthy just being driven on dirt road to my cabin). Car starts, runs, drives, steers, stops great. Although door seals are rotted, car rides quietly and no rattles, squeaks, etc…I want to mention that I expressed to seller I won’t accept car with anything in question and father/son team met my expectations–great, thorough, experienced gentlemen.
Thanks for sharing! We’d love to see some more pictures and please keep us updated!
I scrolled down to catch your post so CC’n you what I just replied to user W9BAG…
I just read your post. I’m curious about how it is you came to make the post as you’re doing so 1 year and 4 months out. I bought the car, I like the car, I’m happy to have it. I haven’t done anything to it other that change the oil; I’m too busy and the car isn’t going anywhere. Everybody that’s seen it has liked it. It’s different. And I have had a couple of offers. I would sell it as is at the right moment but I really look forward to when I can get it into the shop. Btw, the post by IHOP as buyer is me. Not sure how that user name was attached.
Good stuff, Congrats and have fun !!