The Chevrolet Chevelle had a plethora of fine engine options to choose from in ‘68, with no less than three variants of the 327. Shy of stepping up to a big block, whoever bought this one drove home with all the right stuff in the performance department, with this 1968 Chevrolet Chevelle Malibu here on Craigslist equipped with a 327 of the L79 variety. The factory drivetrain is still intact all these years later, so if you’ve been looking for a numbers-matching late-sixties Chevelle, this one’s probably worth checking out. The Chevy currently resides in Crest Hill, Illinois, and it’s priced at $24,900. T.J., many thanks for sending us another great tip here!
The L79 was the best of the bunch when it came to small blocks for the Chevelle in 1968, providing 325 horsepower as you were speeding away from your Chevrolet dealer. However, this one doesn’t stop there, as it also features the optional 4-speed manual transmission plus a 12-bolt positraction rear-end. The seller says this Chevelle remains an all-original, numbers-matching example, and he feels confident it’s ready to be driven anywhere, with some recent new parts including a clutch assembly and brakes. There’s also fresh fluid inside the transmission and axle.
Where this one could use some work is mostly outside, with lots of patina showing on the Grecian Green paint along with a few rust spots on the body. Probably the most visible corrosion is on the driver’s quarter, with this also being perhaps the worst condition cosmetic area, so the next owner will have to decide whether to make repairs here or just replace this panel. The other exterior sheet metal appears salvageable, and in all likelihood, it’s a good thing the vinyl top was taken off at some point.
The interior is also said to be all original, and overall the inside components still look quite good for their age, with that aftermarket 8-Track tape player a fun relic from the period when this car was in its heyday. The seller mentions some small rust holes in the floors, but he says patches will be sufficient and no replacement metal is necessary. This 1968 Chevrolet Chevelle Malibu certainly has a good pedigree, and although it would benefit from some bodywork, my guess is that someone will snag this one pretty quickly. What are your thoughts here?
This would be a good start for a full restoration and a nice ride when done, however the rust repair is going to be both extensive and expensive. The asking price is way too high in its current condition. IMHU it’s worth about $10.5k.
Rusty it has a nice pedigree w the hot 327, and M20 Muncie, 12 bolt posi, 3.31 gears ⚙️ standard.
Barn Finds featured this car last July. It previously was bid up to just over $20,000 but short of the reserve.
He probably should have taken the money. It’s a rare and desirable car, the pictures make the rust seem worse than the seller suggests.
MCACN is held in Chicago every Thanksgiving, the city would have been teaming with the potential buyers. You’d expect it to have sold then if priced to the market.
Steve R
The price is reasonable. Tryn’ find another L79 #s car . These cars were screaming sleepers with that solid lifter 327-350hp.
The L79 was a hydraulic cam engine.
This one really checks the boxes for me:
Rare, All original, numbers matching, all the good options to back up that engine, paperwork….. I would take this car any day over a 325hp SS396. There is a reason this 327 is lauded as one of the best Corvette engines ever.
But damn that Wisconsin rust…… keeps me out of the running.
“Will it run and drive x,xxx miles home?”
Likely, best of luck selling it. Love the whitewalls on a performance car.
I’d tear her down and make it as close to original as possible and add Chevelle SS Rallies.
I believe that the 8 track player is original. It sure looks like the ones that I remember.
The stock L-79’s were a bad ass engine. Warm one up a little & hold on. I owned a 68 Chevy ll with that engine in the late 70’s.
They are screamers!
That’s the factory 8 track, not aftermarket. I still have the one from my 69 El Camino.
More pics: https://cars-on-line.com/listing/1968-chevelle-l79-396928/
Can you imagine, just 35$ for a down deposit to be able to bring that car home? What a time to be a car guy! Not a big green fan, but that celery shade of green is pleasing. I would replace the floor, restore etc. and the hell with the upside down stuff. What a doll : )
Back when that was real money.
I don’t know, I bought a pretty decent 67 Chevelle with built 350, bucket seats, tilt steering, custom suspension and nice paint, with a little rust in the trunk for $1400. I think price is way high.
Man what is this? Rare this ,try to find another,oooohhhh wow.come on.shes worth yeah about 8000.00 mebee. stuff like this is over .you want to pay hell go right ahead.
If you can’t do the work yourself, this would be very expensive to restore. People pay way too much for cars these days, everybody thinks they have a gold mine. Nice car, but a lot of work and a lot of cash.
For that money you can get a ’68 Corvette in MUCH better condition.
I just don’t understand the infatuation with Chevelles. So many of them were on the road back then, mostly family cars. They are nothing special.
There’s a certain alure to the every-man’s car with added capability. For some it’s a repurposed police cruiser others want speed parts on granny’s old sedan. The appeal of the Chevelle and the Chevy line in general is the junior Cadillac resemblance of the large cars that trickled down through the smaller platforms. There are much nicer cars but it’s easy for people to identify with a Chevelle.
20k or more..over priced…wash it..including mtr..fix rust correctly…then u can ask 24k