68 SS/396 emblems
 

I thought I was told the 68 396 nova's came with the SS/396 front fender emblems. My car when I got it had just the 396 emblems and it was off the road since the late seventies. I would asume they were original to my car. All the original pictures I have seen on the internet show only the 396 bezel. I know ray morrisons car has the SS/427 badges but I wasn't sure if that was a dealer add on. Does anyone know what emblem was correct for the 68 396 nova! The emblem I am talking about is the one that the 68 chevelle uses and they bring good money and are not being reproduced.

Jason

Re: 68 SS/396 emblems
 

From what I have seen I think the 68 Nova emblems apprear to have taken the same path the 68 ss427 Impala emblem did. On the 427's there was actually three styles and many different opinions of their origin. I have also seen all three 396 emblems on Nova's with original owners swaring they are original to the car.The most common belief on the 68 427 emblems was the early cars were fitted with the foil back ground emblem that said SS427, with later produced cars having the plainer common 427 chrome emblem with the black background.Then there was a red foil 427 emblem that was definately standard on canadian built cars but have also shown up on many US cars reciently.
The 396 probally followed a similiar pattern ss396 foils on early cars, the canadian cars had a foil silver back ground with a white trimmed 396 but did not say SS, then finally the standard 396 chrome with the black back ground. I have seen all three on 68 nova's.
The dates for each or perhaps the different plants used different ones is still a mistery only that three were produced and factory installed for sure.The original canadian cars seemed to be the only one consistant and used one style for 396 and 427.
Good Luck finding a usable set of the ss 396. When they do come up used they go in the 500 plus range.Somewhere buried I have one but cannot lay my hand on it right now.
Hope this may help some. Wilma may have more to say on this also.

Re: 68 SS/396 emblems
 

Recent discussion on these bezels over at Team Chevelle...

http://www.chevelles.com/forums/showthread.php?t=163835

Re: 68 SS/396 emblems
 

THe Gibb novas used the foil back emblems and the are late cars 7A & 7B cars. But the BB 68 nova's weren't started until March or April.

Re: 68 SS/396 emblems
 

Jason I have never seen a 68 Nova with a SS/396 front emb. All the ones I have say 396 only in the emb. Hope this helps. Kim

Re: 68 SS/396 emblems
 

Thanks for the reply's that is what I thought but wasn't sure.I will check my original 396 emblems and see if they are the foil type.

Jason

Re: 68 SS/396 emblems
 

"I have never seen a 68 Nova with a SS/396 front emb."

Me either. I always thought the foil insert "SS 396" were early Chevelle only. My '68 had that type and it was delivered December 5th 0f '67. Don't know the production date cause I was just a kid then............... https://www.yenko.net/ubbthreads/imag...lins/crazy.gif
The guy I worked with at the time bought a car similar to mine just a couple of months later and his had the "396" cast numbers.

Either the Red, former Oehler Nova, or Rick Thayer's has the original foil emblems.

Re: 68 SS/396 emblems
 

68 BB nova's are rare little over 900 produced. I have only owned one that was not a Gibb car it was a June car and had foil embs. https://www.yenko.net/ubbthreads/imag...iggthumpup.gif

Re: 68 SS/396 emblems
 

Ray's car came with foil and the 427 red back round and white letters was put on by Dick harrell easy to do just stick them on.

Re: 68 SS/396 emblems
 

[ QUOTE ]
"I have never seen a 68 Nova with a SS/396 front emb."
Me either. I always thought the foil insert "SS 396" were early Chevelle only.

I agree early 68 chevelle for sure but after reading the team chevelle discussion I don't really think they have a better handle on this than us impala guys do with our three different 427 emblems with respect to what car got what in what time frame.There seems to be a agreement foils early solid later but what foil early is not clear.We have a jan 68 with red foil a august with silver foil ss427 and a december with the black solid background.
At least up north I actually remember buying the foils seperately but not for 50 cents.Most times I would get a red 427 one but one time a set of silver foil ss427 came in under the same number.
I'm no expert on Nova but now remember it was a l-78 68 Nova we pulled the motor out of that had the ss396 foils on it. That is where I seen it on a nova .Car was rusted to death.
Just a question Jason is your l-78 from pleasant valley. If so when you tracked it back to the late 70's with John??? he also remembered that car having ss396 foils on it did he not??.
I don't know. Only one thing is for sure never say never when it comes to GM and what they did especially with small items like bezels.

Re: 68 SS/396 emblems
 

[ QUOTE ]
Only one thing is for sure never say never when it comes to GM and what they did especially with small items like bezels.

[/ QUOTE ]

Like I've said for years, the two words you avoid at all cost when discussing GM products, especially the Musclecar era.................. "Always" and "Never"! https://www.yenko.net/ubbthreads/imag...ns/scholar.gif

Re: 68 SS/396 emblems
 

Someone has been doing some investigating work. You are correct on John telling me that about the foil badges. I was told by a couple different people including john that they did come with the SS/396 badges. The ones that were on my car when I got it only say 396 but I am not sure if they are the foil type or not. They may not be original to the car! But I have never seen any on the 68 BB nova's. I am planning in the spring to bring the car to a cruise in the town I bought it in(highland). I have three of the past owners phone numbers and I want them to see the car completed. John is the key to my investigation trail. I hope when he see's the car he can tell me things like this. He was only 15 when he bought the car and he told me all he wanted to was get it done to drive it.

Re: 68 SS/396 emblems
 

I have never seen a bear crap in the woods but i'm sure he does. Your right Cumby never say never!!! https://www.yenko.net/ubbthreads/imag...mlins/haha.gif https://www.yenko.net/ubbthreads/imag...ns/worship.gif https://www.yenko.net/ubbthreads/imag...lins/beers.gif

Re: 68 SS/396 emblems
 

Hi Jason:
Just my take in 78 would some one switch factory 396 badges for ss396 maybe. Would they switch if they installed a 427 in the 396 car I think we all did that.Those badges were nothing back then, get the car running and go racing was the focus. I knew this car we parted since 76 and raced against it many times from 77 on. It had the ss396 emblems in 76 for sure.Unfortunately we did not realise at the time there was only 600 and some of these 68 nova's made but at the same time she was real bad.
To make it more interesting it was gold inside also but I don't know where it was produced or what time of the year.
That did not matter at the time.
Good Luck with your search
Joe https://www.yenko.net/ubbthreads/imag...lins/beers.gif

Re: 68 SS/396 emblems
 

http://i65.photobucket.com/albums/h2...sCars/BEAR.jpg


[ QUOTE ]
I have never seen a bear crap in the woods but i'm sure he does. Your right Cumby never say never!!! https://www.yenko.net/ubbthreads/imag...mlins/haha.gif https://www.yenko.net/ubbthreads/imag...ns/worship.gif https://www.yenko.net/ubbthreads/imag...lins/beers.gif

[/ QUOTE ]

I hope Kim when you do that you are hunting and not fishing like we were one day. I never seen the bear crap but he seen us crap for sure. https://www.yenko.net/ubbthreads/imag...ns/shocked.gif https://www.yenko.net/ubbthreads/imag...ns/shocked.gif

Re: 68 SS/396 emblems
 

Those early 68 marker bezels with foil inserts are cool... I have tried to collect every variation, but still don't have 'em all. There was a thread about the 427 versions awhile back, did some digging and found it:

Old Thread

Re: 68 SS/396 emblems
 

I have a 396 floil bezel with just 396 and black background removed from a 68 Chevelle SS, and I want to say it was an early car, but I cant remember.. Also interesting, our 3D (of 1968) 68 SS427 conv. from Tarrytown has red background 427 bezels, and the Tarrytown 11C-D (of 1967) 68 Motion "street racers special" Biscayne has red background 427 bezels. So I think the red ones were being used for all non SS427 427 powered cars all throughout the model year, and they must have run out?? by March of the "SS427" foil ones, so our convertible got red background ones. It was probably a similar situation with the 396 ones, that it just depended on supply, and supply varied from factory to factory depending on how many cars were ordered with what.
Steve

Re: 68 SS/396 emblems
 

Hi Steve:
I was waiting for you to chime in. The interesting part is we have never seen a canadian factory 427 with anything but red, regardless if it was a cop car, biscayne or SS427.Today yes we see all versions up here after restorations are completed since the red ones are impossible to locate NOS. What they were doing with the red ones in the US at the time is still a mistery to me other than more are showing up now on Us cars than 20 years ago.
They did not run out of the red foils in Canada since we were still buying them over the counter in the 80's.In fact I think the NOS set we have for the coupe was purchased around 86.We got one set of the silver ss427 over the counter one time when we ordered the red set but I have yet to see them on a factory canadian car.
Just one of those things we will probally never be able to nail down.

Re: 68 SS/396 emblems
 

Hey Joe,
For that reason, I think Canada only used the red ones, and thats probably why they had them all the way up to 86. My father was in the process of restoring the convertible around that time and I don't think he was able to get them from GM the way he was able to get so many other things. While at Carlisle he found a pair of NOS red foils in a junk box for $20, and that was the last NOS red ones Ive ever seen. So maybe the US ran out faster than Canada, but like you said, we will probably never know..I heard about a find by a few people a couple years ago at the Alcoa Aluminum factory of a box full of brand new SS427 foils. It is very interesting how all these extra SS427 ones were here, when by the looks of it factories in 68 were possible running low on them..
Steve

Re: 68 SS/396 emblems
 

Interesting do you know if they were red or silver.

Re: 68 SS/396 emblems
 

Do you mean the ones at Alcoa? Those were the Black/silver SS/427 style. There may have also been SS/396 ones also, I never asked.
Steve

Re: 68 SS/396 emblems
 

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