1968 LA L78 car - real or not?

[GI JOE]

Here is a beautiful LA Camaro L-78 VIN 124378L319578  12B Car on eBay...   http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/1968-Chevrolet-Camaro-SS-396-375-hp-MQ-4-Speed-/230647441582?pt=US_Cars_Trucks&hash=item35b3a8a8ae

Seems it has everything but I thought the L78 had to have Power Disc Brakes???  Can anyone explain?  Can anyone confirm this is a real L78 car or not?

here is another eBay listing for a LA L-35 VIN 124378L319430 12C for comparison.  http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/1968-CAMARO-396-325HP-ExtenResto-Numbers-matching-LV-/160623219159?pt=US_Cars_Trucks&hash=item2565e3d1d7


here is another eBay listing for a LA L-35 VIN 124378L349075  07C car for comparison. http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/68-Dealer-Demo-RS-SS-396-rare-options-matching-numbers-/160622313953?pt=US_Cars_Trucks&hash=item2565d601e1.  I think this L35 is the real deal.

[william]

For '67 and most of '68 SS did not include or require optional brakes. Later in '68 power brakes were required with all 396 engines.

For '69 SS included power front discs.

[bertfam]

Can anyone confirm this is a real L78 car or not?

Your link isn't working, but I'm assuming you're referring to THIS CAR.

When it was on ebay back in 08 (by the same seller by the way), there was no paperwork and the engine was "date correct". Now two and a half years later there's paperwork and it's now numbers matching, so there you go.

I believe the sellers own disclaimer says it all

"The seller shall not be responsible for the correct description, authenticity, genuineness, or defects herein, and makes no warranty in connection therewith."

Ed

[169INDY]

re. the L78 Car above.
My comment is regarding the VIN stamp on the deck of the block.
In MY eyes that is not consistant with LOS cars for 68.

I was taken in by all the paper. I never saw the ad in 08'
I Like the LL color.

Jim

[KurtS]

All that paperwork for 124378L319578 is fake. Pad is a restamp.
But it is a nice color.

No info on 8L319430 and can't tell from those pics.

8L349075 is real and the history is real.

[ChevyThunder]

Here is my old BB 68 for comparison. Click on thumb nail for huge image

[IZRSSS]

Nice work guys!!! This car certainly had me going. Should have guessed something was up with the painted deck. This is the first thing a owner of a #'s car shows off. This guy tried to hide it towards the back of a long list of pics. Too bad, nice looking car.

[restore-z28]

All that paperwork for 124378L319578 is fake. Pad is a restamp.
But it is a nice color.

Wow Kurt, all that documentation and none is real. What a shame as this is a very cool looking car. Ed you have a valid point about the disclaimer, what happened to someone standing behind what they sell.

[hubleyman]

Quick question about the docs for this particular car...

By stating that the paperwork is fake, are you saying that all the documents included for sale with this car are completely "made from scratch", or are they perhaps documents that have been partially modified in some way in order to match this vehicle?  Is it possible the owner managed to acquire original docs for his car?  Just trying to learn more to maybe avoid being the next victim of a fraud.  If I ran across this car locally (i.e. not advertised for sale to the public), I would have believed the docs were legit.....

On another note, I compared the aforementioned engine stampings with some pencil rubbings from one of my old L78's from around that same basic time frame (T1026MQ  18L311599), and I can see some variations between the stamps that don't look right to me.

Charlie

[IZRSSS]

Charlie,

Very little information is shared on this topic to avoid educating fraudulent sellers. If you are interested in a particular First Gen, post as much information as possible and let the pros give you their opinions.

A pic of the Engine Stamp and Cowl Tag are crucial. Followed by the Vin, Cowl Tag and information on the rest of the drivetrain. These gentleman have these numbers etched in their memory bank and can spot a fake a mile away.

[hubleyman]

I wasn't really looking for specific fraudulent paperwork identifying details in this case, more just in generality.  If these were original but partially modified docs, that indicates only a certain amount of effort was used to create them but that portions were probably original.  Based on their authentic look, if these were completely made from scratch, than that would lead me to believe I probably shouldn't trust any docs out there...

I am investigating a couple of 1st Gen prospects at the moment, and will be happy to submit some info on them if I get any further in the process.

Thanks........

[KurtS]

Charlie has been around 1st gens a long time.  

But fake paperwork is sometimes hard to detect. The car had no paperwork 3 years ago and these docs were 'found'. I see problems with all the paperwork and believe they all are recently minted. See http://www.oldchevydocumentation.com for some examples. Note that some of those pics are of original documents.

Any chance you have the technology to send me a pic or scan of that T1026MQ pad?

Thanks!

[hubleyman]

Thanks Kurt,

I appreciate all of your groups comments and information!

My pencil rubbings would not be usable or legible if scanned.  The car that engine came from was stolen from Sonoma County Ca probably 25-30 years ago.  I held on to the engine for a long time but now it belongs to a local friend of mine who's going to put in my old 68 RS/SS L89 Convertible that he talked me out of (he's stashed the L89 engine away).  Been meaning to stop by and see how the old car is doing and I'll be in his neighborhood on Weds, so maybe I can get some good current pics for you to work with.

Thanks again all........

Charlie

[GI JOE]

Thanks guys...  and sorry for the bad links...  I must be getting better as the L78 LA car made me question it...

What should the car be selling for considering its a clone?  I'm sure not 40K and would guess as nice as it looks maybe around 20K... 

[TX-302]

Was there or is there a Chevy database that kept records of vehicles sold by dealership where VIN's can be cross-referenced to specific dealerships?