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Inline Six Survivor: 1968 Chevelle 300 Coupe

1968 Chevelle 300 Coupe

This Chevelle looks like a sweetheart, at least in the photos. The seller seems to be having a hard time finding a buyer though, as they have had to relist it several times. I feel for them, but can’t help but wonder why it hasn’t found a good home already. It looks like a solid car and the seller seems upfront, so what’s the deal? Be sure to check out the listing here on eBay in Muncie, Indiana with a BIN Of $10,500.

1968 Chevelle Interior

The seller claims it is a 60k mile survivor that has had paint repair to the driver’s door and front fender. You can clearly see the difference in the paint, but the seller is honest about it and I have to give them props for not trying to hid the issue. Seeing as it has only been in storage since 1994, I have my doubts about originality, but I think a closer inspection would prove whether or not it is.

1968 Chevelle Inline 6 Engine

Let’s say this car is original and has just 60k miles, why have multiple buyers backed out? Well the only thing I can figure is that it is a six cylinder, which isn’t particularly desirable in the hot rod crowd. And at over $10k, it is too pricey to justify an engine swap. It’s also way too nice to be messed with. I think this one is a case of being just too pricey for the trim level. It really is a nice ride and to the right buyer, is probably worth $10k and then some. But for most people looking for a Chevelle, it lacks the grunt that makes these cars so appealing. There is definitely interest in it, so with any luck the seller will finally find a buyer who will give it a good home. Will that person be you? If so, would you appreciate it as is, or would you need to add some power to it?

Comments

  1. HoA Howard A Member

    Cool find, but perhaps an indicator of where the classic car hobby is going. There are a LOT of Chevelles out there. Next to Corvette, there’s 459 Chevelles for sale on Hemmings. The most of any other Chevy. I’d say the market is saturated with Chevelles. 15 years ago, this would have been snapped up quickly, but today, maybe not as much. It certainly doesn’t have 160K, so unless a speedo malfunction occurred, I’m sure it’s original. I hope someone keeps it just the way it is to show, not all ’68 Chevelles were fire-breathing wheelstander’s.

    Like 1
  2. Avatar Nessy

    Ah, why you ask, is he having trouble selling it? Well, maybe because it’s an inline six post car to start with. Maybe it’s also because he expects over 10 thousand dollars for the thing. Come on. It’s neat, it’s different but this is not a 10g car.

    Like 1
  3. Avatar dj

    It’s a great car. I’d tend to think it’s more rare with the 6 cylinder. Just because it’s not been fooled with. I’m afraid we’ll see it back on here in 6 months with a big block cloned as an SS little old ladies car.

    Like 1
  4. Avatar David

    I looked this car, the ad, it was something I’d buy,. There’s list of new parts the seller has put on, but reading the description they say it stumbles. This could just be needing a tune up, or it could be something else? I think they should have spent the money to figure out and fix the stumbling. That’s why I didn’t buy it. Otherwise I would have it in my driveway

    Like 0
    • Avatar Nessy

      David, are you saying the only reason you did not buy this car is because of a stumble? Carb? Tuneup? Bad gas? There is not much else to make this engine stumble. Maybe you just had second thoughts about spending 10000 on this car because you know it would be almost impossible to ever get that money back from this car.

      Like 0
      • Avatar Gary Oliver

        Nessy You think it would be almost impossible to ever get 10g for this car?

        My experience has been with any old car like this, you’ll get your money back if you keep it long enough.

        Like 0
    • Avatar geomechs Member

      Hi David. One weakness that 6 cylinder Chevy engines suffered from was a tendency to wear out the distributor bushings, which would cause stumbling, backfiring through the carburetor, and other driveability problems. I had customers who would go out and buy plugs, points, condensor, rotor, cap and wires, thinking they were giving it a tuneup but only to find the same thing happening. They would then overhaul the carburetor or bring the carb into the shop for me to rebuild. I’d sometimes find a worn out throttle shaft/bore and then repair it accordingly by fabricating a couple of bushings and fit a new shaft. The dissatisfied customer would then bring the car (or pickup/tonner/3-ton) in telling me that it still wasn’t running right. I’d pull the cap and wiggle the rotor and show them that they could almost put (2) dist shafts in the same bore. Fit new bushing(s) and it ran like new again. I might add that there was more than one case where the engine was pulled and overhauled when the real culprit was a loose dist bushing.

      Like 0
      • Avatar Ed P

        Hi Geo, I had a 68 Valiant slant six. I bought it new and it stumbled from the beginning. 68 was the first year for EPA regs that mandated leaner fuel mixtures and produced stumble. Most mechanics were afraid to touch carbs. They just knew they would go to jail. Anyway, if the points and plugs are good, the carb would be my next stop. Then the distributor.

        Like 0
    • Avatar George

      Stumble is likely the cam. My 68 Camaro with a 250 had that problem. Took me a long time to figure it out. One day my lifters started making some noise on start-up so I decided to change them.

      http://i.imgur.com/DrI7msJ.jpg

      Note the one on the far left has different wear marks than the others. Also most of them are dished.

      This is what that engine bay can look like: http://i.imgur.com/T4xOWWD.jpg

      Not a pavement stomper but she’s pretty quick now. Roughly 250 hp/275 ft-lbs at the crank. Enough to pass people when I want to unlike before.

      Like 0
      • Avatar Ed P

        Good looking engine bay. Six bangers in smaller cars like a Camaro can be a lot of fun. A cool looking ride and you will not need to go broke buying gas.

        Like 0
  5. Avatar Telly

    Great hot rod material…

    Like 0
  6. HoA Howard A Member

    The “stumbling” shouldn’t scare anyone away, it’s a pretty easy fix. ( compared to today’s automotive nightmares) If it sat for 20 years, it’s probably the accelerator pump, and may come back on it’s own, but those 1 bbl. carburetors are like vintage tractor carburetors, so simple. ( I know, what’s a carburetor?) I guess, if you want a clean, stock ’68 Chevelle, this is what it will cost you.

    Like 0
  7. Avatar fred

    Take it to the car show and leave the hood closed.

    Like 0
  8. Avatar Chebby

    This car is neat, and a great color, but he’s asking a show car price when it’s far from perfect: the paint is all spotty, the engine is filthy and the fenders have rust-crust around the edges. A three-on-the tree would be a better period experience and more fun to drive than the Powerglide.

    If the guy could replace the wheel cylinders, brakes and headliner, surely he could perform a tuneup. That’s a weird step to leave out if you’ve done the other work he has.

    Nice around town car at 1/3 of the price. Why use eBay if your auction starts in the 5 figures?

    Like 0
    • Avatar Roseland Pete

      I agree. I don’t mind the 6 cylinder. A nice, simple, car to bop around town with but not for $10k.

      Like 0
  9. Avatar Art

    I would look for an old truck 292 6 cyl,hop it up a bit with cam carb intake and headers,swap the rearend gears to a set of 3:73’s, and drive it as is..Leave the rusty valve covers,and grunge underhood,you would have a quick little beast.Dog dish hubcaps,a set of decent ‘non oversized tires’….bam Cool driver AND ‘sleeper’.

    Like 0
    • Avatar geomechs

      Hi Art. You’d be well advise to check the clearance under that hood. A 292 is close to 3 inches taller than the 230 and the air cleaner might get a little bent when you slam that hood. Otherwise it’s a direct bolt-in replacement. Might want to run a Webber…

      Like 0
      • Avatar Art

        I kinda forgot that the 292’s were a ‘tall’ 6..I can remember my Dad having a 292 in his 61 Chev p/u..he split the exhaust manifold for duals, and somehow, he hogged out the intake to bolt on a big 2 bbl..with the 4:10 gears (or so in the rearend)..I can remember that thing just hauled!…Of course I was only a kid, and ANY hotrodding got me excited…I don’t think any of the big 6’s get any respect as a performance motor…same as the Ford 300 6…great motor for a swap in an older car, and gazillions of them around…”CHEAP!”..Thanks for jogging my fading memory..about the 292’s size.. ..my memory banks must be depleting..lol

        Like 0
      • Avatar geomechs Member

        I’ve seen 292’s and 300’s with 4bbl carbs, multiple 2 bbl carbs, Webers, Hilborn and EFI systems, and they’re no slouches. I remember watching sprint car races back in the early 70s. A lot of cars ran big sixes back then and did quite well. True, they rather hummed their way around the track, vs. the V-8’s bark, but they kicked a lot of butt. One veteran driver told me that the six could pull out of the corner better but could get limited on the straight. He also said that when a six cratered, it scattered but then, I’ve seen a lot of V8s crater, and they scattered; the guy grooming the local dirt track discovered a fairly complete Chevy V8 con rod growing out of the clay surface…

        Like 0
  10. Avatar piper62j

    A six cylinder sorta kills the value on this car. All in all, it’s a nice find..
    I like it..

    Like 0
  11. Avatar geomechs Member

    Good Lord! If that were a ’69, I’d be heading for Muncie and bringing that car home right now! I had a ’69 300 2-door post, almost identical to this one with the exception that mine was a manual trans. Mine was also white and had the dog dish hubcaps. As time goes on I just might have to settle for a ’68 like this. Just my luck though, I’d buy the ’68 and a ’69 would be for sale the next day. Regardless it’s great to see a bare bones car survive in its original glory and NOT be made into a ‘Numbers Matching’ SS 396. Whoever buys it, please keep the six…

    Like 0
  12. Avatar jim s

    i too think it should stay stock. but if anyone pays the asking price i think it will get VIN swapped and made into a SS/ big block car. nice find.

    Like 0
  13. Avatar dave

    desirable post 300 deluxe, worth the $$ he wants. interior looks to be intact, those 300 only seat covers and door panels are expensive to purchase. add a nice 327 or 350, lose the underpowered 6. if you can’t fix a stumble, you probably shouldn’t be buying an older car like this.

    Like 0
  14. Avatar Gary I

    If as solid and low miles as stated its worth the asking price. I don’t like a six necessary, but I see already converted to v8 cars in the 16 to 25 range. A good place to start if you ask me, crate engine away from being a cool car.

    Like 0
  15. Avatar JW454

    This would be a perfect car to build an L-79 clone. That would bring up the value some. I don’t advocate doing that though. I like it just the way it is.

    Like 0
  16. Avatar charlie Member

    The other wear item on that engine was the timing chain and gears, they just wore, and if you tuned it by the book, it would stumble but if you retarded the timing a certain amount, they ran well. Maybe it wasn’t the timing chain and gears at all, it was the distributor, so it could have been fixed, wish I had known. And if it is a standard shift, the linkage gets hung up, requiring opening the hood if on the tree, and reaching under the car if a floor shift, like the same vintage Camaro.

    Like 0
  17. Avatar james b.

    Yeah, another victim of Barrett-Jackson and the other tv shows. Nutcases asking 5 & 6 grand for Pinto’s & Fairmonts, So yeah its easily worth 10k.(no attempt to hide sarcasm).

    Like 0
  18. Avatar Doug Towsley

    Wifes got a 69 Chevelle and I have a 68, I follow prices and in my opinion this one is a little over priced but not by too much. If the car is as truly clean and original as it seems, it WILL sell. Do a completed item search on eBay for 68-72 Chevelles, as well as a regional CL search. For 68-72 rough project cars (most missing mtrs & trans) are between $3500-$6000. Theres some presentable runners for between $8000 to $12500 but a LOT of restomods from $20k to 45k. So the incentives are there EASILY for someone to throw some parts at this and some work and turn a tidy profit. We are in early March, by May-July prices will go way up for a turn key car. Now, do a CL search for Camaros, and no lack of good donor car materials out there for cheap with running V8s and lots of money invested. A few parts switcheroo’s and a week in the garage and you can make some coin.
    I saw this one the other night on CL. INTERESTING SEE:
    http://www.ebay.com/itm/1975-Norton-850-commando-MK-III-/151987140473?_trksid=p2047675.l2557&ssPageName=STRK%3AMEBIDX%3AIT&nma=true&si=7crhRSkVzA5g70eojBVkE6Jus6w%253D&orig_cvip=true&rt=nc
    $3000 ex Police car with Roll cage, LT1 mtr, 4 wheel disc brakes, Posi rear end, Overdrive trans. Swap these parts onto this Chevelle and be a bad mother. Sell off/part out the Camaro left overs and you have an affordable upgrade.
    Or this one for $2500 (Bet cash would get it for less) 2 sets of mag wheels including Alloy centerlines, Pros has 700r4 shift kit posi rearend 383 stroker elderbrock headers and 3″ exhaust elderbrock intake and carburetor elderbrock valve covers msd distributor b&m shifter cd player with remote new dash & 6x9s speakers fiber glass cowl hood the list goes on
    Keep looking, and some cheap donor material out there.

    Like 0
  19. Avatar Doug Towsley

    oops, heres the link for the $2500 donor camaro. see:
    http://seattle.craigslist.org/tac/cto/5475819489.html

    No lack of other ones as well, Some of these cars are pretty hashed, and some of the work done on them is suspect but ive seen some serious money invested in some and sold at a huge loss. Ive also seen some real junk, but careful inspection and cash talks can get you some solid donor material for cars like the above Chevelle car.

    Another reason the seller is having problems is a lot of buyers bid on cars and then flake out when they find out how expensive shipping is. The key is a MANDATORY NON_REFUNDABLE deposit via paypal in 24 hrs of auction end. Balance in cash, bank transfer or cashiers check that actually clears the bank before vehicle released. I have had many buyers flake out, and eBay wont do squat except refund your listing fees. Its a serious problem. Thats why i do the non refundable deposits. I once sold a car 5 times and kept the deposits each time. I wanted the car SOLD not keep taking deposits, but it happens. So at least make it worth your while. Depending on vehicle price its either $250-350 to as much as $500. CLEAR AUCTION language protects you from chargebacks.

    Like 0
  20. Avatar Doug Towsley

    dang, sorry, heres the link for the Camaro Police car for $3k, interesting donor for a street rod. See:

    http://seattle.craigslist.org/tac/cto/5447202467.html

    Like 0
  21. Avatar Darren

    Nice body but on the online page where it was listed there was a almost identical Chevelle SS clone with a 427 /700R car nicely done for 12.900. Why would anyone shell out that much for a 6 cyl when for an extra 3 grand you can get a done big block car same color and all???

    Like 0
    • Avatar geomechs Member

      Hi Darren. I guess if you want a big block, then that is the way to go. Myself I prefer original and am willing to pay the premium to get something that not everyone else has. Out west there are so many SS clones they are becoming like the proverbial flies on a dead horse, or as some say: belly button cars; everyone has at least one. Don’t get me wrong; I like to smoke the back tires upon occasion too but when I had my ’69 300 with 230/3 spd. manual, I could smoke those 7.75×14 tires quite well. Back in ’69, when I went to buy my first new car, I looked long and hard at the bright orange SS in the showroom. I’m glad I opted for the drab white coupe with its lowly six out in the lot; I even had enough left over to pay for my insurance. I wish I’d kept it…

      Like 0
  22. Avatar Doug Towsley

    I agree that this was one clean car. Auction ended but I am not clear that these is a buyer. I sent it to several friends and all agreed that as clean as this one appeared it will find a home. I also agree with careful shopping there is OTHER deals out there.
    This one was interesting. I do my own paint and body work, but many people cant or wont. And paying for a quality paint job these days Is NOT cheap! That said, i bookmarked this auction. Theres some pros & cons to this one as well but basically a project car missing parts but its SHINY and that often sells cars, But this one sold for less than a good paint job so room for debate here but interesting comparison. 1970 Chevelle project $8999 see:
    http://www.ebay.com/itm/1970-Chevrolet-Chevelle-/331793820656?cp=1&sojTags=exe%3Dexe%2Cext%3Dext&ext=35633&exe=13926&euid=0c119fb1024348baa7f94b674de6f533&nma=true&si=7crhRSkVzA5g70eojBVkE6Jus6w%253D&orig_cvip=true&rt=nc&_trksid=p2047675.l2557

    Like 0

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