Hi Everbody
My first Chevelle was a 69 in medium blue with a black vinyl top. The guy had pulled the engine ( L78 I think) to install in a racecar. I installed a 427 2 bolt with oval port heads, hooker headers, and a Holley. super fun car. I always regretted selling that car. Anyway, I am the winning bidder of an Ebay car. 1968 SS396 L78 car. It is black with purple stripes and a black interior. It is located in Concord CA. It cost $11,500. Has anyone seen this car? The guy tells me l can drive the car back to San Diego, no problem. So, am I wasting my time/money? Or, is it a good deal? I am interested in your feedback. Thanks Joe

Joe, if you already bought the car, aren't you obligated to see it/verify it/pick it up? Honestly that seems really cheap for a driveable L78. If you're worried it is a scam, there is no way to tell from the information you have provided. Post up the link to the auction and some of the guys here can peruse it to see if something is amiss.

Thanks Matt
I am flying up tomorrow. Hopefully i will be driving it back. The seller has made a lot of claims but I am not sure how much can be substantiated. I am only obligated to pick it up if it is "as described". I was hoping someone locally could give me the lowdown. These cars (and Owners) can be somewhat notorious. I don't know how to post a link. I will let you know what it looks like and if I buy it. Thanks for your help.

The auction # is 110512761350

it is hard to tell in pics how "solid" the car is but it doesnt look bad for a starting point....the motor does not appear to be a 68 as it has 69 and later pulley set up...also the wheels are from a 69 and the rear seat appears to be 69 also....the vin is an SS car but he shows no pics of the vin.....hope this helps a little......good luck with the car.....

also of note.nothing talking about numbers matching,needs new paint,new interior but it does not look to bad for 11k.

it is hard to tell in pics how "solid" the car is but it doesnt look bad for a starting point....the motor does not appear to be a 68 as it has 69 and later pulley set up...also the wheels are from a 69 and the rear seat appears to be 69 also....the vin is an SS car but he shows no pics of the vin.....hope this helps a little......good luck with the car.....
Thanks. I totally missed the back seat issue. I say issue because that eliminates finding a build sheet there. Or the correct one anyway. Does the engine look like a later L78 to you? Owner swears it is 68 motor. Says was rebuilt 5k ago. Swears car is original L78.
Owner says "all it needs is new front seats". But really, I still like the car. FF Island Teal I like that too. It would be nice if the trans was original. Its gonna be crazy driving it home. Hope it doesn't break. The closer I get the cheaper the tow... Ha Ha

also of note.nothing talking about numbers matching,needs new paint,new interior but it does not look to bad for 11k.
I'm hoping there is not a lot of filler. Owner states zero rust. Looks like some surface rust in the trunk.. There is probably a few numbers that match... I hope! Thanks for checking it out Billy.

The owner never says that it is a L-78 car. Only states that it has 375 horse. Could be a built up 325 or 350 that he now feels has 375 horse. He says it has a factory Muncie and a factory 12 bolt. They probably did come from the factory, but may not have come with that car? No codes stated. He states it has the original SS wheels that were not offered in 1968. Either this guy does not know much about cars or he left alot of things out of the add. The carpet looks as if it were thrown in the car- No sill plates covering carpet at the door openings. Looks to me like it will require alot of time and money to make it a show car. The bell housing does not look like it is from a car, it looks more like it came from a pickup truck. The engine looks 1969 or later. I hope it all works out well for you. Keep us posted.

You can't get hurt at that price even if you need to tow it home.

I wouldn't have given more than $6,000 for it. And that's if it is a bonafied SS.
Needs way too much work.
I think when you see it in person you'll pass on it. Unless you're extremely optimistic.
Don't let enthusiasm rule out common sense.
This car has tons of problems. Will need a total restoration.
I'd be inspecting the cowl tag rivets and the VIN tag and title real well.
Also look for the VIN on the block.

The lack of rear quarter panel moldings (SS only) is a big red flag.
Wheels are 69-70 only.
Hood and deck stripes are not correct for 1968. 1970 was first year these stripes were used.
Grille emblem in wrong spot.

You should check the rear tail panel emblem holes to see if they are drilled or punched. Drilled holes are incorrect.

The seller is not knowledgeable enough about the car to give you any reliable information, IMO. I wouldn't trust a word he says.
The ZERO feedback is also pretty scary. Keep the money in the bank and go there to do the transaction if you do buy it.

I wouldn't have given more than $6,000 for it. And that's if it is a bonafied SS.
Needs way too much work.
I think when you see it in person you'll pass on it. Unless you're extremely optimistic.
Don't let enthusiasm rule out common sense.
This car has tons of problems. Will need a total restoration.
I'd be inspecting the cowl tag rivets and the VIN tag and title real well.
Also look for the VIN on the block.

The lack of rear quarter panel moldings (SS only) is a big red flag.
Wheels are 69-70 only.
Hood and deck stripes are not correct for 1968. 1970 was first year these stripes were used.
Grille emblem in wrong spot.

You should check the rear tail panel emblem holes to see if they are drilled or punched. Drilled holes are incorrect.

The seller is not knowledgeable enough about the car to give you any reliable information, IMO. I wouldn't trust a word he says.
The ZERO feedback is also pretty scary. Keep the money in the bank and go there to do the transaction if you do buy it.

I am going to have to agree with Mr69 here. From the pictures alone, the car looks like a complete disaster. Even if the car is a real SS, the 68's don't bring the money that other years do. By the time you spend the money trying to fix everything that is wrong/incorrect with it, you will have far more in it than what the car is worth.

I know that many people say that we don't buy these cars as investments, but because we truly enjoy them, which I fully agree with. However, I think that for $11,500 you can get a MUCH nicer 68, and a real SS car to boot. I am not saying this car is not a real SS, but I wouldn't get my hopes up to be honest.

Thanks. I totally missed the back seat issue. I say issue because that eliminates finding a build sheet there. Or the correct one anyway. Does the engine look like a later L78 to you? Owner swears it is 68 motor. Says was rebuilt 5k ago. Swears car is original L78.
Owner says "all it needs is new front seats". But really, I still like the car. FF Island Teal I like that too. It would be nice if the trans was original. Its gonna be crazy driving it home. Hope it doesn't break. The closer I get the cheaper the tow... Ha Ha

Not to be a pessimist Joe, but I think you can rule out the possiblity of this car being an L78 car right now. As Mr69 already stated, I wouldn't trust a single word that came out of the sellers mouth, expecially when he said "all it needs is new front seats.":sad: Apparently he forgot to look at the ENTIRE rest of the car when he made this claim.

You also say that the owner told you there was zero rust. You are kidding, right? I guess he thought somebody painted the inside of the trunk brown when he took that picture. It may just be surface rust, but it would suggest to me a much more widespread rust problem.

Judging by your last 3 sentences here, you already have your mind made up. All in all, this, to me, screams bad idea. Hopefully things work out for you, but since you did ask, I think you paid way too much (if you do buy it).

Just my $.02

I also agree with MR69...

The paints bad, redo the seats, door sills, front driver moulding, interior light is broken, looks like a bad dash pad, steering wheel, rims, possibly the wrong motor, blah blah...

If your out for a year correct 68 L78 SS Chevelle then all the parts matter... If not then drive it and don't worry about the parts...like me...

I've got more wrong parts on mine then America has illegals...but it's mine, it's a clone, and I don't really care what others think cause I can do whatever I want to it...But I think 11 is way to much as well...

From the video it seems to have some balls to the BBC. What can you find in a 138 4 speed BBC car for that price? Run it, don't worry about the "correct" nonsense. Those ratting against your new ride should let you know where to find one for 11K,, I'm sure they know of 20 or 30 of them just waiting at random.
There's an old saying, ]"When your 20 you think everyone is looking at you, when your 40 you stop caring, when your 60 you realize no one was looking anyway",, [/B]
So do your own thing and don't let all the naysayers ruin the fun you will have with your new cool ride. 11K is OK for this car. In 10 more years it will be 20K if you find them at all. Let us know how it all goes when you pick it up.
:beers:

Is this the same car that is currently for sale on eBay? :confused:

http://rover.ebay.com/ar/1/711-53200-19255-0/1?mpt=614509534&adtype=1&size=1x1&type=3&campid=5336121898&toolid=10001 http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/Chevrolet-Chevelle-SS-1968-SS-CHEVELLE-396-BIG-BLOCK-4-SPEED-NO-RESERVE-138_W0QQitemZ110519505631QQihZ001QQcategoryZ6164QQ cmdZViewItemQQ_trksidZp4340.m444QQ_trkparmsZalgo%3 DCRX%26its%3DC%252BS%26itu%3DSI%252BUA%252BLM%252B LA%26otn%3D1%26ps%3D63 (http://rover.ebay.com/rover/1/711-53200-19255-0/1?type=3&campid=5336121898&toolid=10001&mpre=http%3A%2F%2Fcgi.ebay.com%2Febaymotors%2FChev rolet-Chevelle-SS-1968-SS-CHEVELLE-396-BIG-BLOCK-4-SPEED-NO-RESERVE-138_W0QQitemZ110519505631QQihZ001QQcategoryZ6164QQ cmdZViewItemQQ_trksidZp4340.m444QQ_trkparmsZalgo%2 53DCRX%2526its%253DC%25252BS%2526itu%253DSI%25252B UA%25252BLM%25252BLA%2526otn%253D1%2526ps%253D63)

From the video it seems to have some balls to the BBC. What can you find in a 138 4 speed BBC car for that price? Run it, don't worry about the "correct" nonsense. Those ratting against your new ride should let you know where to find one for 11K,, I'm sure they know of 20 or 30 of them just waiting at random.
There's an old saying, ]"When your 20 you think everyone is looking at you, when your 40 you stop caring, when your 60 you realize no one was looking anyway",, [/B]
So do your own thing and don't let all the naysayers ruin the fun you will have with your new cool ride. 11K is OK for this car. In 10 more years it will be 20K if you find them at all. Let us know how it all goes when you pick it up.
:beers:

Just giving the man good advice. No naysayers here. Just the truth.
He asked for the truth, didn't he.
This car is a turd. Plain and smple.
There's a 68 SS here that I've been watching and I think I can get it for $5K or less and it's in far better shape. I'm not telling anyone where it is, so don't ask. But just making a a point. There are much better examples out there for less.
11K for this car is easily twice what it's worth.

Well I went up there and looked her over. I really wanted to buy it. If it was what he said it was I would have bought it. He said it was rust free. Why is he including a trunk pan? Actually, the pan is too small. It needs the full trunk pan. Also needs the pass side rear quarter lower patch panel. He claimed a POP. Couldn't find it. The real kicker is that he told me the 4spd was original to the car. The one it was born with. This car is an automatic conversion. The tunnel is hacked up. They didnt even try to make it look good. I bet he doesnt even change his listing. I want a BB 4spd car. I overbid based on a sleezy listing. My gut was screaming "NO" But I want a Chevelle ....... I might have STILL bought it but the guy kinda rubbed me the wrong way. I prefer to deal with someone a little more straight up.

Hey you guys Thanks for your observations. The wealth of knowledge you guys posess is incredible.

I am still lookin.

Glad you got eyes on it before doling out your dough. You will find a better example. Good Luck. You might try a wanted add in the free classifieds here: www.chevelles.com/classifieds (http://www.chevelles.com/classifieds). Maybe Nate (mr69) can be bribed for a finders fee on that one he knows of :D

Glad you got eyes on it before doling out your dough. You will find a better example. Good Luck. You might try a wanted add in the free classifieds here: www.chevelles.com/classifieds (http://www.chevelles.com/classifieds). Maybe Nate (mr69) can be bribed for a finders fee on that one he knows of :D
I'm down for that. What about it Nate?

i talked to that cat 2 weeks ago. He said its not the orig motor.

My 69 looked about like that and the price started at $7,500. After the guys here helped me discover the pros & cons I negoshated (southern word, slang) the price down to $3,500. Very glad I found this site!

Glad you walked away ....
I just sold a 68 and it was a full documented car ..
I really loved it but because its a one year car .GOOD .parts are hard to find ...
As stated ..you could put 15 large in that and it will still only be worth 15 ....:thumbsup: