Team Chevelle banner

wiw? 68 SS396, 4 speed, no motor/trans/title

16K views 53 replies 22 participants last post by  oktunes 
#1 ·
no title, car is complete with no motor trans. real ss 138 vin. full interior w/ ss badges etc.

i ran the vin and nothing came up... no theft, or anything like that. body is not bad at all. has tiny rust bubbles here and there behind the front wheels.

has the 12 bolt in it still. has manual brakes with drums in the front. has cragars on it and dry rotted flat tires. has the hood, ss grill and what not. car is completely together.

it's red w/ black interior. bucket seats, no center console. no factory tach. door panels are in good shape.

the car was abandoned in my buddy's shop. he hasn't heard from the owner in years.

i'm hoping i find the title in the trunk or something, LOL. but i know a lot of states don't even use titles anymore..

so what's it worth? worstcase/best case??

w/ title, w/out title??

thanks!!
 
See less See more
#2 ·
Have your buddy look into a mechanics lien - that should yield a title, I bet.
Offer him $2000


Dan
 
#3 ·
hmmm,would it have a vin number A1265XX. I have a 68 396/375 EG motor,check the car.Bought this motor about 4 years ago from the West Chester PA area.Engine pad reads T1215 EG 18A1265XX.I not gonna post the whole vin number though.I have the intake to pan. PM me if you need the motor for the car. Dan
 
#4 ·
I bought my car 10 years ago in pretty much the same condition. 68 138 car, no engine or tranny, body good, 12-bolt intact, complete bench seat interior, rallys, good rubber, no rust. Paid $4500.00 then and felt like I got a bargain. In my opinion, anything less than $4500 would still be a bargain for what you described.
 
#5 ·
did your car have a title? Thanks for the responses!
 
#6 ·
No title. Don't need one in Alabama for a vehicle as old as ours.
Bill of sale and most recent tag reciept was all I needed to register.
 
#7 ·
How could it be a 396/4 speed if there is no motor or trans? Isn't it just a 68SS rolling body? Sorry but a pet peeve of mine. People have a tendacy to refer to a car such as this as what it used to be not what it is at present.
 
#13 ·
First of all, the emblems say SS396. So it is an SS396 regardless of if the motor is there or not. COMPLETE meaning, not hacked or taken apart.... full interior, hood, car completely in tact, minus the engine. ie wheels, exhaust, brakes, clutch pedal, zbar.... all there.

update.....the trans was in the trunk!!! along with the bell housing, clutch, pressure plate, etc.

how do i figure out if the trans is original?
 
#8 ·
blm said:
How could it be a 396/4 speed if there is no motor or trans? Isn't it just a 68SS rolling body?

People have a tendency to refer to a car such as this as what it used to be not what it is at present.

An "SS 396" 4 speed..."car is complete"...but without its 396 or 4 speed.
I was thinking the same thing Brad.

It's an unrestored rolling body/chassis...I should think you could get it pretty darn cheap.
Base your price on how much body work it needs.
You'll be putting a good deal of money into this in order to do a good restoration.
Depending on the amount of body work it needs, you could end up putting a lot of money into it.

Regards,
-Greg
 
#14 ·
this is completely different from a plane jane rolling body. this is an SS. this car restored is worth a ton more than a regular one restored... therefore, this is worth much more than a malibu chassis.

forgot to mention. it has a factory tach and all the gauges :D

i took pics last night but forgot to bring my camera home.

the body is straight. the paint is red. the interior is clean except the seats have tears. buckets with a center console...
 
#10 ·
72ss said:
Here we go again...I would think a 138 SS body is worth more than a plain 307 Malibu.
-Mark

Mark, I don't see in this thread where anyone compared a 138 VIN SS with a 136 VIN Malibu.
The comparison was between an SS 396 4 speed and a rolling body/chassis.

Regards,
-Greg
 
#41 ·
Some people just dont care. They lose intrest prob couldnt sell it so hey take it to a shop and then never come back. I've seen it done before
 
#15 ·
update.....the trans was in the trunk!!! along with the bell housing, clutch, pressure plate, etc.

how do i figure out if the trans is original?[/QUOTE]

Beginning with the 1968 Model Year, a VIN stamp can be found on the Muncie case. If the trans in the trunk is original to the car, that number will match the VIN on your dash. You will also find a date code, which should predate the cars build date somewhat. The number of rings visible on the input shaft will identify which Muncie 4-speed you have. (Unless of course, it's been rebuilt with a different input shaft). Sometimes the "ifs" seem to run on endlessly.
Bell housing will have 3899621 cast into it, if original to the 68SS, et al.
 
#19 ·
Beginning with the 1968 Model Year, a VIN stamp can be found on the Muncie case. If the trans in the trunk is original to the car, that number will match the VIN on your dash. You will also find a date code, which should predate the cars build date somewhat. The number of rings visible on the input shaft will identify which Muncie 4-speed you have. (Unless of course, it's been rebuilt with a different input shaft). Sometimes the "ifs" seem to run on endlessly.
Bell housing will have 3899621 cast into it, if original to the 68SS, et al.
Not to be argumentative here Patrick, but they stamped CON VIN's on Muncies before 68.:thumbsup:
 
#16 ·
I was just using the 307 as an example. This may be a rolling chassis(possibly with trans),but is is an SS396 car and that to me is not your average rolling chassis. Sounds like a good find to me,but I would definately do some research on getting a title before I handed over the cash....

Mark
 
#18 ·
I guess I don't see anyone dumping on the car. I see a difference of opinion on what's considered a rolling 138 car or a rolling SS396. To me they're the same thing.

However, for me a car w/o a title is not worth as much as a car with one. Yes, some states don't issue titles on old cars, but for me I need it. That title is part of the documentation of the car. The more documents, the more the cars worth. Again, this is just one persons opinion.
 
#20 ·
I wouldnt go and start putting money into the car if you end up "getting it". Even with states that have no titles in them, there is still a protocol or red tape if you will that you have to go through in order to legitimately own a car that was abandoned. Paperwork and what not.

The shop will likely have to go through the lien thing in order to get a title.
 
#22 ·
 
#23 ·
juiceman said:
My three years of this forum have proved one thing...there seem to be more guys ready to dump on a car...
As the other Greg above said, I don't see anyone in this thread "dumping" on this car.

Dwight, just because someone's opinion is not in agreement with your own, that doesn't constitute "dumping" on a car.

The guy came out here and asked for opinions on what this car is worth.
In my opinion, the car is a rolling body/chassis with a 138 VIN on the dash...it is what it is.
Depending on the amount of body work needed, it may be worth more...or less...than a 136 VIN car that is in great shape.

Thus, depending on the condition of the body, he could end up putting a LOT of money into the car to do a good restoration on it.
I advised him to base his price on the amount of body work that will be needed.
I think that's sound advice.

Regards,
-Greg
 
#31 ·
Hey Roger, you said in your original post that the car had no factory tach and no center console. The pics show otherwise. What gives? Did you find another 68SS? :thumbsup:
After looking at the pics, I'd have to say the car is not worth much at all. I mean check it out... wrong lighter, passenger side window crank is bogus, and it looks like that trans had a Hurst bolted to it at one time. Can't be a real SS!;)
 
#35 ·
Jeff,Good point,clear title needed! Imagine if you don't get a clear title and the DMV contacts the last title owner of car.He says to DMV I never sold that car or gave permission to sell it. I believe if the owner died and thats what happened, the guys Estate has ownership to car.Bet the guys Kids would love to have Dads car back! The lost of the car,plus attorney fees could make this real costly! Now that this car has been posted on Team Chevelle members will be watching.I know a Dad in PA that has his sons old car and wants to sell it.He can't find the title,lost it. Went to local TAG and TITLE place in PA and filled out the forms to get a new title.They sent the forms along with vin tracing to DMV in Harrisburg PA for new title.
 
#36 ·
In NC if a car 35 + years is brought into the state you cannot get a NC title until the car is roadworthy. Imagine spending the money then finding out the car has been stolen from another state. I agree, stay away from it if it does not have a title.
 
#37 ·
Chev-Man,
You stated the following in your original post in this thread concerning this car...


chev-man said:
...it has bucket seats, no center console. No factory tach.

Yet, the Chevelle in the pictures you posted clearly does have a factory tach and a center console...









Judging from your description of the car, it would appear that the car in the pictures isn't even the same car.

Something seems very odd about this thread.

Regards,
-Greg
 
#46 ·
Chev-Man,
You stated the following in your original post in this thread concerning this car...

Yet, the Chevelle in the pictures you posted clearly does have a factory tach and a center console...

Judging from your description of the car, it would appear that the car in the pictures isn't even the same car.

Something seems very odd about this thread.

Regards,
-Greg
greg,

i posted that before i got the trunk open. i couldn't wait to get the car in my garage and get the trunk open! was hoping to find a title in there but didn't, LOL. i got in the trunk and found the trans, bell housing, clutch, pressure plate, d/s, center console, shifter, carb, radiator (original :D), and some other goodies.

the tach i didn't see at first because it was blocked by an aftermarket sunpro tach which i pulled out of the car and then the little factory tach is a little hard to see unless you get close up to it. up until then i had only looked at the car while it was under a cover in a dark factory.

does this clear things up for you?
 
This is an older thread, you may not receive a response, and could be reviving an old thread. Please consider creating a new thread.
Top