OneStopRestoration's Dad John's 1968 L78 Chevelle SS
 

Hello Everyone! This is my fathers(John Berlage) 1968 L78 Chevelle SS.

Car was purchased new from Burt Chevrolet in Englewood Colorado. It appears the car was bought for drag racing from day one. L78 M22 4spd car 4:10 posi with factory air shocks. Car lost its original engine right away as the CE motor is cast before the cars trim tag date. The car was received very complete, clean, and original. This poor car must have been just pounded on at the track. All of the factory pinch welds along the lowest edge of the rocker panel were broken on the driver’s side. The shock towers on the rear of the frame were terribly cracked and deformed.

I included a picture showing the traction bar setup the car came with. The Chevelle was pulled off the road sometime before the 2000s. The older pictures shown below do depict the car as it was in about 2010. It was fun to find a significant amount of chalk and grease pencil markings, including a clear as day 13837 mark up near the brake booster and a /22 mark just to the left above where the bellhousing to heater housing area is. Car had near zero rot and retains all factory panels except for the hood because of the hole that was cut in it for the original square hood scoop. Car came with factory tach and gauges and the correct 6500rpm redline barrel tach, as well as console, buckets and power steering but no power brakes.

One of the fun and unique things found during restoration was a complete smog system taken of a 68 375hp during the 1st month of its purchase. Setup was put in a box and included all hardware, clamps and hoses. All of that system except for the hard tubes where used on this car.


We struggled to find any original owner history so if anyone knew about this car during its drag racing days reach out please!!




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Thank you for sharing, Rick.




BTW, Rick will share more photos of this car as well! :beers:

Way cool!!!!!!

Additional Older and Resto Pictures
 

First few here are from the early 2000s around the Denver area, additional are at the start of restoration

That interior is gorgeous - thanks for sharing.

68 l78...
 

Very cool...can't beat a big block car with the 'key in the dash' :worship:

-wilma

Wow, that is one sweet 68. Just love that color too. Thanks for saving it!

Great car! Love the blue on blue. If you find another set of smog equipment for a 68 L-78 in your attic, please let me know!

This is an Absolutely beautiful car!

Exhaust Note
 

I also did a short video on this car as well for the exhaust note. Gardner exhaust, regular mufflers. Very pleasing to the ear.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zcsk2F6vGHo

I like the color of this 68. What’s the name of this blue?

Paint code was F-F or Island Teal

I love this car!! I would really like to get a 68

Just saw this and I feel ill..
I had virtually an identical car - ordered new in on Dec11 '67 and delivered in early May of '68 due to a GM strike in I think it was early Feb of that Spring..
Mine had a turbo 400 and was Teal Blue metallic (slightly darker) with a rear antenna and bumper guards - but with the same interior, console and GM Bright Blue Strato Buckets that had headrests (likely mandatory here in Canada, I would imagine..) but otherwise virtually 'my car'!
Why 'ill' - well, we all know about 'that one' - the one everyone always regrets not hanging on to, don't we - and how it still feels many decades later?
What I would give to have it again!!
Beautiful car - I eventually put black ET mags on mine to match the rocker paint and raised it slightly and fitted some wider rubber - but Man!! this hurts to see such a beautiful memory staring right back at me here..