Desirable 1968 Nova SS

Q: Greg, I would greatly appreciate some advice on a car I just purchased, a 1968 Chevy Nova SS 350.

I understand there were very few of these 350 sleepers built. Mine has what is supposed to be the original Muncie 4 speed and 12 bolt posi rear end. It is not the original engine, but it is a 4 bolt main 350, 4-barrel with a light cam. Information I found says these cars were marked only with front and rear SS badges and the front fender lights say 350. This is the way my car is marked. The tag on the firewall says black bucket interior and butternut yellow paint with black vinyl top.

The only difference is my car is now green. It does have some external rust issues but the floor, trunk, and all underneath are free of rust. I have rust around the windows where the vinyl top is and will need to totally replace the right rear quarter. Other than that I think patch panels elsewhere will do.

The metal dash inside by the windshield will also need replacing. I can do this work myself with a welding friend but is it going to be worth it? What should I do with this car? Is it that rare?
Should I try to keep the car totally original? Would it bring more at an auction? Please give me some advice.
I trust your judgment and input. It would be greatly appreciated. I just don't want to throw away money needlessly. Thank you very much, Sincerely, James S. in East Texas.

A: James, at this point, your Nova SS is not numbers matching, and depending on your budget, perhaps too far along to reverse the situation without spending some serious money. You also don't say how much you paid for the car.

Chevy introduced the redesigned Chevy II Nova line in 1968, stretching the wheelbase one inch to 111 from 1967. Only four door sedans and two door pillared coupes were offered, the latter available with the SS option. Chevy sold 200,970 of these cars, but only 6,571 were SS models, much to your advantage. Of the 6,571 built, 5,670 were L48 350/295 hp models; 234 had the L34 396/350 hp option, and 667 came with the most desirable option, the powerful L78 396/375 hp big-block. It is the latter that can fetch upwards of $40,000 in tip top shape, but your car is listed in price guides at $25,000 and up in restored condition.
If I owned your car, I would at least entertain getting it back to numbers matching condition since you'll have to repaint after all the body work anyway. This means a good butternut yellow paint job, replacing the vinyl top and metal dash, and then deciding if you want to find the correct engine that you would have to search for (eBay, Hemmings, Auto Roundup).

As you complete your work, you can then decide if you want to find that 1968 350 engine because of the surviving '68 SS Novas, fewer and fewer are numbers matching.

As long as you didn't overpay for the car, putting money into your Nova SS should return some dividends down the road. Remember, also, that nothing is guaranteed in the collector car market, but you'll surely have fun.

Keep me posted on your progress.

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