Hello!
This is my first posting. I’ve loved old cars since I was young, and have owned over 10 in the past 12 years, and have successfully done a fair amount of work to all of them, including engine rebuilds, rewires, tranny rebuilds, tranny and rear end swaps, front end rebuilds, etc.
A few months ago I realized that I had too many cars that I “kinda” liked, but rarely drove. I decided that it was time to go after the car I’d wanted since high school, and that was a 1st gen Camaro. I sold 3 of my cars, a ’41 Chevy Coupe, a ’53 Chevy ½ ton 5 window, and a ’52 Plymouth and started looking, and that’s why I’m posting.
I was chatting with one of the fathers from my daughter’s soccer team, and the subject of cars came up. Turns out that his father passed away a few years ago, he was now trying to liquidate some of his father’s collection, and one of those cars was a ’68 big block Super Sport Camaro 4spd w/a posi rear. It was former Barrett-Jackson car sold in ’08. If you search on the VIN (below), you’ll find the auction.
Long story short, I did about 4 hours or research on what to look for, and just went to see the car. It’s nice…I’m interested, but, because it’s a 68 that won’t have any code on the cowl tag to ID is as an SS, I want to make absolutely sure it’s a real SS, at least to the extent that I can. Below is what I’ve got, and I’m looking for opinions…real SS or not? Worth it or not? Asking price will be in the high $20s.
Vin: 124378N410626 – Norwood build, original V8 car
Cowl tag (pictured) – First week of April build, standard black bucket seats, lemans blue
Engine code T0304MY – NON original 396/325HP March 4 build, automatic car – other number sequence does NOT match the VIN.
Car is advertised as having a 375HP 396 – and it DOES have a factory aluminum intake manifold with the correct snowflake casting, so it may have been built to 375HP specs
Carb is a Holley 4bbl with mechanical secondaries – air horn is marked LIST 4779-2 2126
Block casting # 3935440 (hard to read, but the last 3 numbers were definitely 440)
Tranny not original either - Borg-Warner with a 5-30-79 casting date on it, the sequence MLT1198A. Casting # is 1304065908. Also says WG Div FC 4. Driver’s side pad is stamped with F2992. Most likely a Super T-10.
There IS a reinforcement ring around the shifter hole on the underside of the floor indicating that the car originally had a floor shifter hole
Rear end is a 12 bolt, code is BT032502, with an E underneath – which IDs it as a 3.55 Eaton posi unit from March 25, which seems to jive with the VIN date. I don’t know what the “02” at the end stands for, although the zero could have been a 6 or a G, very hard to read.
Rear springs have 5 leaves.
Driver’s side motor mount is taller than the pass side motor mount, 2” vs. 1 3/8 as close as I could measure, indicating big block engine mounts. The don’t appear to have been replaced, but I can’t guarantee it
Speedo cable passes through the “Muncie” hole in the firewall
Big block heater core – feed pipes come out in the middle of the cover vs the extreme right hand side
Radiator has a 23” core
Tires pressure sticker on the inside of the glove box has the “AH” code in the bowtie and the correct F70x14RL tire for the SS
The duals hangers are held to the frame with what seem to be threaded holes in the rear frame rails – on BOTH sides, indicating an original dual exhaust
Hood has the correct big block snorkel trim vs. the ribbed trim - I included a pic of the underside of the hood.
Hood does NOT have SS springs – there are 28 vs. 26, at least how I counted. Don’t know if I was counting correctly
Hood did NOT have any insulation on it
Interior has no gauges and car has 4 wheel manual drum brakes – neither necessary for an SS, just wanted to mention it
Car appears to have original paint except for below the lowest body countour, which was retouched – I could not find overspray ANYWHERE around emblems, window trim, lights, wheel wells, etc. Paint color is consistent under trunk lid, on door jambs, hinges, etc.
The rear light panel is painted black, as it should be for a big block SS
Car has a spoiler – don’t know if it’s original
Wheels appear to be original rally rims with center caps and beauty rings.
Overall, the car is in very nice DRIVER condition. No major rot, paint is 90% with a very few small rust spots, interior is very good. Floor is very solid, although the underside looks like it was hit several times with black paint or the rubberized undercoating.
Real? Clone? Worth the price? Not?
Sorry for the long post, just trying to be as complete as possible.
Thanks…
Chris
