1968 Nova SS

Sat., May 6, 2006

Greg Zyla King Features Syndicate

Q: Greg, I just bought a 1968 Chevy Nova SS 350. It has what is supposed to be the original Muncie four-speed and 12-bolt posi rear end. It is not the original engine, but is a four-bolt-main 350 four-barrel with a light cam. 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, and the metal dash by the windshield will also need replacing. I can do this work myself, but will it be worth it? What should I do with this car? — 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 in 1968. Only two-door pillared coupes were offered with the SS option. Chevy sold 200,970 of these cars, but only 6,571 were SS models. 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 anyway after all the body work. As long as you didn’t overpay for the car, putting money into your Nova SS should return some dividends.

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