You know, when you come across a car like this 1968 Chevrolet Caprice station wagon that’s wrapped with a strap, you know something’s up. Yup, this one looks shaky, but there’s even more to it than meets the eye. This top-drawer Chevy station wagon was probably a looker in its day, but time has marched on. Still, this one’s intriguing, if only to figure out what that strap’s all about. Found taking up space in Hebron, Maine, this suburban staple is listed here on eBay for $6,500, OBO.
Chevrolet had a huge year in ’68, knocking out 2.1 M cars, earning them first place in the great domestic automobile production race. As for the range-topping Caprice, 116K found new driveways that year while the station wagon count, in total, topped 176K units. I could not determine, however, how many of those wagons wore faux wood paneling, the primary Caprice identifier.
The seller states, “The body is very rusty, and was bondoed up by the original owner to keep it on the road.” This baby’s rough! Chevrolet’s ’65-’70 version of their B-body is a known rust magnet- I’ve owned enough of these to know. Assuming this Caprice has spent most of its life in Maine helps explain its deteriorated condition. If you’re thinking parts, most of the body panels possess rust, though there are usable components such as the hood, tailgate, and bumpers.
But the BIG problem is the frame. The seller tells us, “The frame is severely rusted, with part of the left-side rail missing, so the left-side frame rail is currently held up by a strap so the car can be moved.” OK, well now we know what that strap’s all about.
This 114K mile wagon is powered by a 325 gross HP, 396 CI “Turbo-Jet” V8 engine, which is married to a Turbo-Hydramatic 400 (Chevrolet had a lot of “Turbo” goin’ on back then) three-speed automatic transmission. The rear-wheel connection is bolstered by a heavy-duty twelve-bolt differential. The seller states, “Car is not running, and we haven’t attempted to turn it over, and we are selling the car in basically the same condition as we got it.” Sounds like a flip to me.
The interior is pretty well what one would expect; it’s basically destroyed. The upholstery, door panels, headliner, floor covering/floors- all of it is in bad shape. I am curious about the steering wheel. I’m yet to find a one-year-only ’68 stock wheel that isn’t severely cracked. This one has a lace-on cover, so the rim isn’t visible, but I’d be surprised if it’s intact.
The seller suggests, “This is a great parts car, or a fixer-upper if you are the ambitious type.” Yes, there are some valuable parts such as the engine and transmission, though their true condition is unknown. The twelve-bolt axle is only good for another B-body car; it won’t fit a Camaro, Nova, Chevelle, or El Camino. And there’s some other stuff, such as the previously mentioned hood, tailgate, bumpers, and the glass and front disc brake calipers (this vintage can be tricky to source). A fixer-upper? I can’t see that happening. I also can’t see this Caprice yielding $6,500 either; how about you?
Definitely not a ‘fixer-upper’ imo. Can’t believe the asking price for this literal rust buck.
As it is with many of the cars we see; If you really want a 1968 Chevrolet Caprice Station Wagon, to restore, for yourself, as a hobby, than go for it, but if you think that you’re going to restore, this car, to perfection and then try to flip it for 10s of Thousands of Dollars, you should seriously reconsider your motivation.