This 1968 Chevrolet Chevelle SS 396 convertible is a true 138-series SS car with a long North Carolina history and a big-block build behind it. It was sold new through a Chevrolet dealer in Kinston, NC, and its original owner is said to have been married in the car. Its fourth owner bought it in 1982 at age 14, drove it through high school, and kept it for 30 years. During that time it received a multi-year full rotisserie restoration that began in 2005, documented by a packet of receipts that comes with the car.
The car left the factory as a 325-horsepower 396 four-speed. Today it runs a big block built on a 454 block and topped with 396 cylinder heads, assembled by H&F Performance of Wilson, NC. An Edelbrock RPM intake and Holley carburetor handle induction, with a Mallory ignition supplying spark. Exhaust leaves through Hooker long-tube headers finished in a Jet-Hot polished coating, feeding a hand-built exhaust system with Flowmaster mufflers. A DeWitts aluminum radiator and aluminum overflow tank take care of cooling. After the restoration, H&F put the car on its dyno, where it made 438 horsepower and 558 lb-ft of torque at the rear wheels, and it is reported to have run a 12.50 quarter mile. Power goes through a Muncie four-speed, new in 2020, and shifted with a Hurst Competition/Plus shifter. Out back is a GM 12-bolt rear end.
The body and assembly work was handled by Carolina Concepts in Wilson, NC, and its invoices alone account for more than 400 hours of labor. Chassis work included a front disc brake conversion, stainless steel brake lines, a front suspension kit, new coil springs and shocks, a rear sway bar, and new body mount bushings. The red exterior carries SS body side moldings, SS 396 emblems, a new grille, and hood louvers. Inside are black bucket seats, a console, new door panels and dash pad, and black deluxe seat belts. The black soft top is manually operated. An Autogage tach is mounted on the column, and Auto Meter water temperature and oil pressure gauges keep watch over the big block.
1968 was the first year the SS 396 became its own series, and Chevrolet built just 2,286 SS 396 convertibles that year. This one pairs that factory pedigree with long single-family ownership, a documented restoration, and considerably more power than it had when new. It suits a buyer who wants a real SS drop top built to be driven hard.
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