1968 Chevrolet Chevelle

Description

This shiny red 1968 Chevrolet Chevelle has a neat trick under its hood. You'll note it wears '396' badges, and they're not an exaggeration, as you'll find a 400 cubic inch small block V8 under the hood. As a result, this Chevelle packs big block performance in a package with a lightweight engine over the front end, making it one entertaining ride.

Don't worry, though, this car has no intention of being a sleeper, because the red paint is bright enough to use as a signal beacon for landing airliners. It was restored a few years ago and still shows very well with a good shine and factory-style white stripes wrapping around the nose and running along the rocker panels. A factory steel hood with a pair of power bulges gives it a hi-po look and the '68 Chevelle is one of the better-looking designs of the muscle car era. The paint is modern urethane that shines up quite nicely and will look great for years. This isn't a real SS, of course, but it does wear reproduction 'SS 396' badges on the grille and tail panel, and the chrome bumpers really are nice looking.

You already know what you'll find inside: one of the best-looking interiors of the period. Black buckets, a center console, and a handsome 3-spoke steering wheel are all suitably sporty for the Chevelle's performance-oriented mission. Auxiliary gauges under the dash keep an eye on temperature, oil pressure, and voltage, since the factory instruments include only the basics of speed and fuel level. The carpets look great, the door panels are in nice shape and come with SS 396 badges, and even the dash pad is in good order. A Jensen AM/FM/cassette stereo was neatly installed in the original AM radio's location and actually looks like it belongs there and you know that we love the horseshoe shifter. The trunk is properly decorated with a reproduction mat and a full-sized spare tire on a steel wheel, which seems right.

So about those 396 badges. Experts will recall that the 396 eventually became the 402 in the early '70s, so the small block 400 cubic inch V8 under the hood certainly seems eligible to wear the badges, too. Personally, I prefer the agility of a small block car and with big block cubic inches inside, it makes substantial power that makes those badges seem legit. One glance under the hood you realize that the bulk of the money was spent under the hood, and it's quite fresh having only about 2000 miles since the rebuild. Upgrades include an Edelbrock intake and a Holley 4-barrel carburetor, aluminized long-tube headers, so it definitely brings the thunder, and a few chrome dress-up bits make it look good, too. It's backed by a TH350 3-speed automatic and a heavy-duty 12-bolt rear end with a Posi inside, and the rumbling dual exhaust system is new. Color-matched SS wheels from a later model look surprisingly right on the '68 body style and they wear 205/70/14 white-letter radials.

So this Chevelle offers a clever twist on the old favorite, all at a bargain price. Bright red never goes out of style and thanks to the big cubic inch small block, it has the moves to surprise a lot of other cars on the road. Call today!