The Chevelle Super Sport (SS 396) became a series of its own in 1968, including the sport coupe, convertible and El Camino pickup. Second generation Chevelles (1968-72) received an all-new sculpted body with tapered front fenders and rounded beltline. As was the trend with other car makers, they adopted a long-hood/short-deck profile. This barn find SS 396 has given way to a 350 V8 under the hood. It’s been sitting up for nearly 40 years, so a lot of work will be needed. Located in Center, Texas, the SS is offered here on Facebook Marketplace for $7,000.

General Motors rolled out a line of mid-size cars in 1964, with the Chevelle being Chevrolet’s entry. Automobiles had been getting bigger and bigger and a void opened up between the full-size and compact models. The Chevelle would be a big seller across three generations through 1978. The nameplate would give way to the Malibu in 1979 as the torchbearer (the Malibu had been the top-of-the-line Chevelle for years anyway). For 1968, the Super Sport models would play a bigger role in the Chevelle’s production output. From 464,000 mid-size Chevies built that year, 68,000 had SS badges, with 60,000 alone being the sport coupe, like the seller’s car.

The seller tells us this Chevelle was a barn find, a car that had been squirreled away since 1982. He bought it with the intent of restoring it but doesn’t have time to do the project justice. Unfortunately, the 396 cubic inch V8 (325 hp) that the Chevy came with was replaced at some point with a 350 from a 1970 model, so I would think that hurts the value of the car today. Fortunately, all the badging and trim is there in case the buyer wants to rebuild off the 396 block and heads the seller is adding to the pot (they are not from this car).

At the seller’s admission, this Chevelle needs a complete frame-off restoration. While the frame is said to be solid, it will need floor and trunk pans, some sheet metal work, patches here and there, and one of the fenders is too far gone. The interior has been mostly stripped out and the seats have disappeared along the way, although the seller is throwing in a pair of earlier buckets to ease the pain. This Chevy started life as a blue car with black vinyl top and blue interior. This is a factory A/C car, but there’s no indication if the hardware and plumbing have survived.

In 1968, the sticker price on an SS 396 was $2,899 before you added options and all the other stuff. In 2021 dollars, that’s about $21,500, which means you got a lot of car for the buck back then. The seller is willing to consider a trade if you happen to have a good running SWB 4X4 pickup, circa 1984-87. If you’re up to the challenge, a nice SS 396 from 1968 can go for $55,000 according to NADA.