When envisioning what my dream 1968 Chevrolet Impala might consist of, the first thing that comes to mind is an SS 427.  Unfortunately, this one’s not a Super Sport and there’s no 427, but it is equipped with a big block and perhaps that’s the best thing going for it, as a lot of effort is going to be required to get this one back out on the streets.  But if you’ve always wanted a full-size late-sixties Chevy coupe, this 1968 Impala here on Craigslist might be worth checking out if you’ve got a good set of metal skills.  This one’s in Prairie du Rocher, Illinois, with the asking price set at $6,000.

We’d like to thank Tony Primo for the tip here!  The seller tells us his late father bought this car new in ’67 and used it as a daily driver until 1974, and that’s when the car was involved in a rear-end collision, which left body damage to not only both the trunk and passenger side quarter panel but also to the frame.  Apparently, the car was moved to a barn after that and didn’t get pulled out until late last year, when it was towed into a shed.  Along with plenty of surface rust, both quarters appear to have corrosion, plus it’s sort of hard to tell in some areas what’s just on the surface and what goes deeper.  But at least the exterior is mostly complete and the vinyl top is said to be in excellent condition, just know this one’s going to take a significant amount of bodywork and a new trunk lid at minimum before it’s ready for a respray.

It doesn’t appear that much effort was put into cleaning up the interior before the photo shoot, but trying to look below the grime I’m seeing some wear and at least one tear on the driver’s side of the bench seat.  If the next owner is just going for a driver and is really determined, maybe that back seat can be cleaned up and saved, but I’m not sure.  Looking around elsewhere inside, this seems to be a fairly plain-jane model, but lots of Impalas were back in those days and the excitement here is under the hood.

Stepping up to a 396 got the buyer 325 HP from the factory, and even though it hasn’t been fired-up since 1974 things seem to still be in decent order under the hood, so while I’m anticipating a rebuild will be in order at least it doesn’t like much has been tampered with in the bay.  But my bigger concern is all that bodywork and especially the bent frame, and I hope this one gets into the hands of someone that has the time and skills to save it.  Is this 1968 Chevrolet Impala a reasonable candidate for restoration?