One of the details the seller points out about this 1968 Chevrolet Corvette is that the car didn’t come equipped with a lot of accessories or options, but when the original buyer chose a 427 engine and a 4-speed manual transmission, he was probably thinking what else do you really need? That combo is still present, and if you’ve been looking for a first-year big block C3 that’s exchanged owners less than a handful of times, this one might be a good match for you. The ‘Vette is currently located in El Paso, Texas, and can be found here on eBay where bidding has reached $15,100 already but there’s no reserve, so when the gavel drops the most optimistic competitor will be the car’s proud new proprietor.
The story here goes that the first family kept the Corvette for its first 48 years, with the car then ending up at a dealer in Chicago who sold it to a racing collector down in Florida, who had it shipped down to The Sunshine State. After he drove it for a few years, the Chevy was finally sold to the current owner, whose intent was to have the car repainted, but so far that’s not happened and he’s decided to pass it along to the next interested party.
Whether or not the International Blue is still the original factory paint is not addressed, and the finish does have some issues on the passenger side fender. But the actual body still looks pretty good, and after a respray, I can envision this one becoming a nice driver. The seller mentions his dislike for the tires and Hurst wheels the previous caretaker added, but that’s an easy fix should the next owner agree.
It’s all business under the hood as the numbers-matching L36 is still there, making 390 HP as you drove away from your Chevy dealer’s lot back in ’68. The seller believes the Corvette’s actual mileage is somewhere around 37,000 and says the big block runs flawlessly, but there are a few oil leaks plus some sort of cooling issue, as things overheat when idling at around the 15-minute mark. It’s thought the radiator could be the culprit, which seems a bit unusual since there’s said to have been a new one installed recently. The 427 is attached to a 4-speed manual, making this quite a desirable drivetrain.
The blue theme continues inside, with most parts we can see appearing to be in reasonably good condition including one minor flaw on the passenger seat being the only specific cosmetic defect pointed out, along with a non-functioning tach and speedometer. We aren’t provided with any photos from underneath, but it’s stated there’s only light surface rust down below with both the frame and birdcage said to have zero issues. Once the overheating issue is addressed and a fresh coat of paint is applied, this one seems like it would make a really fun driver, what do you think?
About $$30K to get this beauty back to good condition and you still have invested around half of what a new one costs. These are headed in the right direction and this being a BB 4spd only ices the cake!
new ones are junk…this one is prime beef.
Paint will be time consuming, but not at all expensive for a do it yourself project. The overheating may be as simple as incorrect ignition timing. I can’t see both of those issues running more than a couple thousand, depending on paint cost. I get sticker shock everywhere I turn nowadays.
Deep pocket project car – very worthy family project.
Go stock w/factory options.
Given the numbers of these sold resto-mod is more interesting & fun.
Color code 978 “International Blue”, PO4 hubcaps still with the car, and bidding is up to $24,000……I love it!
Someone will get into a really nice mild restoration and love every minute of this first year C3.
👍🤓
I already have a spray gun and compressor, and I’d drive this bb vette proudly as-is while I worked on the paint issues. I really dig the international blue, but I’d replace the current wheels with a set of torque thrusts or rally’s and show it off at all the local car shows every day the weather permits. The 427/4 speed combo is like a siren song beckoning me to buy it and drive it while I fix it up.
Nobody’s mentioned the inoperative speedometer and tachometer….more information about instruments and wiring would be nice.
Both the tach and speedo are cable driven on the 68. My speedo went out due to the gear on the transmission slipped back when it got rebuilt. Replaced it with the better metal gear and it worked fine. I did have to pull the transmission out though. On the tach cable, the end slipped out during a timing adjustment. But as I have not seen this car, only speculating.
I would agree on the speedo issue, I had the same problem with 1970 F-Body and you will need to pull the trans to fix it. I would be more suspicious of a blocked heater core, a fan clutch, or a weak water pump since overheating is occurring at idle and not cruising. Looks like it sold for 25 grand, a deal in my opinion.
I had a ’69 with the same engine and trans. Sure wish I still had it!!. Don’t care for that blue interior though.probably air in the cooling sysem causing the overheating issue.
Sorry to say, but to restore or restify this one would be expensive….has anyone priced paint these days for a do it yourselfer?…..body shop paint & body would be at least $30k…..who knows what else this one needs….can’t just ignore the broken speedometer either….unless you have deep pockets & absolutely must have a 68’, I’d venture far away from this one……
I can buy a gallon of basecoat for $400, clear less than $200. Lets even toss in another $400 for consumables. $1k for paint max that would be show quality.
The over heating at idle is definitely a problem that needs to be fixed. Maybe someone could explain what it could be. Just curious
The overheating issue at idle is most likely the radiator with some type of blockage even though it’s said to be new I would replace it. Or as someone mentioned air in the system.
Also you can get a very nice paint job with no body work for far less than 30k. I never understand people throwing that kind of price for a paint job.
Shop around.
The 427’s were notorious for overheating. Not enough cooling at idle. Not unusual at all, but not an easy fix.
My 66 L72 runs extremely cool with factory shroud and fan although in a Biscayne. Never heard the cooling issue before.
I agree. I have a 70 LS5 4 speed loaded (bought it in 88) and never had a cooling issue with factory fan and radiator.
Start with some good old fashioned rally wheels.
Owned one, miss it dearly!! This brings back high school memory’s. Ordered mine brand new down to radio delete. These cars are ground pounders. Miss the idle with solids. All these cars were made to just get it on.
New owner b lucky!@