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In May of 1995 I was looking for a Chevelle to replace the '66 Prostreet that I sold two months previous. I heard of a used car lot with two Chevelles, a '68 and a '70.After going back a few times to check them out I made the 68 the fourth Chevelle I have owned. It was triple black with 70 SS wheels. It looked pretty good and was fun to drive.
Eventually, the oil pressure was low. It was time for an engine rebuild. The main bearings were the cause. I didn't really think I wanted anything too radical and went with a mild cam. A Compcams 268 degree duration with a .485 lift. In retrospect, maybe a little too mild. The pistons were also replaced with forged aluminum from TRW. The stock compression still remains the same. 10.25:1. The rodbolts were upgraded to ARP as well. Roller tip rockers were also used.
While the engine was at the machine shop, I cleaned up and repainted the engine compartment. Once the engine was running and looking good, I enjoyed driving it and going to shows. From there I went through the other mechanical systems including a Flowmaster exhaust, front and rear suspension, brakes, and added 15x7 rallys with new rings and disc style caps. I used BFG 235 60's in the front and 275 50's in the rear. All of the work was done a little at a time. Each step of the way was cleaned and painted.
At this point I wanted to paint the car. The body looked pretty good except both rear quarters had been patched before. I was unsure if I wanted to repaint the body with previous repairs.
Repairing a previous repair could have led to potential disaster. I decided to hold off. Then I met a guy at Indy Super Chevy Show who had full GM quarters. He had them forever and never used them. He wanted a hefty price so I took his name and number. I looked elsewhere for them and found they were difficult to find. As it turned out he was a friend of a friend and was local. I decided I would contact him and negoiate a price. He still had them and needed cash. I went and got them. I contacted a local body shop for labor and paint work. It was reasonable and I stripped the car and sent it in. The next decision was what color? The original color was Grecian Green Metallic and I didn't want that or Black. The color I chose was Bahama Blue Metallic, a late model chevy truck color. The rest of the body restoration included a vinyl top, rubber weather stripping, rechrome bumpers, emblems and body side mouldings.
Now with most everything complete, I'm ready to restore the interior. The original interior is nice but starting to show wear on the drivers seat. The original interior is interesting. The black buckets and door panels are from a Buick Skylark. This car was built in April '68 at the Kansas City plant. The factory was unable to get a black bucket seat interior due to a strike that year. They used what they could get. Some were also Olds Cutlass patterns.
Factory Features:
- Original 325 HP 396
- Carter Quadrajet
- Turbo 400
- 12 bolt posi
- Console
- Gauges / Tach
- Air Conditioning
- Power Windows
- Power Drum Brakes
- Power Steering
- AM Radio
- Tilt
- Vinyl Top
- Skylark buckets & door panels
Another point I find interesting is the carb. It's a Carter quadrajet, not a Rochester like most. From what I have found out, the Rochester factory had a damaging fire and GM contracted Carter to manufacture them.
Team Chevelle would love to feature your Car on one of our future monthly articles.
To take part, send a few quality pictures to us and as much information as you can (we LOVE reading about Chevelles!)
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or: Al McKenzie, Box 231, Creston, B.C. Canada, V0B-1G0
