1968 BBC 396 325hp WIW???

[Graham57a]

Okay I think this is the right place to post this. I am going to buy a motor on Saturday. It's a BBC out of a 1968 SS Camaro. The guy says its all original, down to the exhaust manifolds and air cleaner. He said it has a quadrajet which leads me to believe that it's a 325 horse but there's no tellin. So my questions is, if it is a completely bone stock 325 horse 396 out of a 68 Camaro, what is this thing worth? It runs and has been kept inside all its life. Any help would be greatly appreciated, thanks

[bk2life]

i'd start by gettin all the casting numbers and seeing if the guy is truthful or full of bs

[chevyrestoguy]

Determining value on an engine can be a real tricky deal. What's make it tricky is that a seemingly normal engine can be worth gold to the right collector. In your case, a '68 396 out of a Camaro (if that's what it really decodes to), is extremely valuable to a guy who might have a SS car that had an engine swap at some time in it's life. The early 396s, especially in the Camaros and Chevelles, got ran hard and put away wet, and many of them didn't survive. It's pretty uncommon to find one with it's original, born-with drivetrain intact.

The Q-Jet doesn't necessarily mean that it's a 325 horse engine. In 1968, Chevy went away from the Holley on the 350 horse engines, and went to the Q-Jet. Externally, the 325 and 350 horse engines appear identical. Here are the codes you will need to figure out which one you're looking at:
396/325:
Manual trans: MY
Auto trans: MW

396/350:
Manual trans: MR
Auto trans: MX

Value? If the seller knows what he has, and knows the value, be prepared to pay a healthy price. I would figure anywhere between $1500 and $2500. One thing to remember.......Even if this engine is the right code for your '68, it still won't be "numbers matching", but it will be "correct". The "numbers matching" term has been wildly misconstrued. In order to be numbers matching, the code must be correct AND the vin# stamped on the pad MUST match the vin# on the vin tag. The term "correct" means that the correct code engine is installed, but the vin# on the pad and the vehicle's vin# do not match. In some circles, a non-numbers matching engine can drop the car's value up to 30%, and a "correct" engine can drop the car's value between 10 and 15 percent, depending on the vehicle. The Vette guys are nuts, and it has generated a huge influx of re-stamped blocks with the correct info on them. A sharp eye can spot the fakes, but some of those guys go to great lengths to disguise the deed.

If this engine is correct for your Camaro, and the price is right, I would deninitely go for it. If your original engine is gone and can't ever be found, then a correct engine is the next best thing you can do for collectibility. What's so cool about this engine is that it hasn't been molested, and all of the impossible-to-find stuff like exhaust manifolds, air cleaners, brackets, and clips are still there. If you've ever had to do a 100% concours restoration, you will discover that all of that stuff is the hardest to find, and very expensive. Back in the day, the first thing to come off of any big block was the intake and the exhaust manifolds, usually to be replaced with a high-rise intake and headers, and all that stuff got pitched in the trash. Try finding that stuff now!

I am anxious to find out what the engine is. If it's a real-deal Camaro engine, then it is a very rare engine. Good Luck!!!

[chevyrestoguy]

If you have any other questions, post them up before you head out tomorrow to look at it!

[Graham57a]

Sorry it took me so long to update this thread, I sort of forgot about it. The motor ended up being a 68 date code block and heads but the application ended up being Chevelle. I think I am going to wipe the vin on the block and it will be as correct as I am going to get for my car. I got block heads, crank, intake, valve covers, carb, distributor, manifolds, and pulleys for 500 bucks. The only thing that isn't correct to the motor is the distributor and carb. The distributer is off a 69 camaro and idk what the carb is from. Thanks for the help guys, I really appreciate it