68 SS 396 CAMARO MAYBE A MOTION CAR

l.i.man · #1 12-11-2004, 12:13 AM

Hi, I live on Long Island. App 25 years ago I bought a 1968 SS 396 Camaro. Drove it for about 3 months & spun a crank bearing. I parked it in a garage & left it for 20 years. I recently started to do some # checking on the motor. The car has an origional Motion sticker on each rear side window. I live about 3 miles from the origional Motion location. I bought the car from a guy in Collage Point N.Y. (Queens) The car is mostly primer. It has a couple of odd thinks that has me thinking it may be a car that was in Motion at one time. Any help would be great. AND NO THE CAR IS NOT FOR SALE. Chris

JChlupsa · #2 12-11-2004, 12:21 AM

Post some more info on the car, esp pics of the areas that make you think its a Motion car. Also Joel could be contacted with the VIN but its not a free service he provides. Plenty of members here that can try to help.

l.i.man · #3 12-11-2004, 02:11 AM

The engine is a 396 375 H.P. 4 bolt main. The suffex # stamped is CE71755. With a date code of E-16-8. This is not like any # I have seen on any B/B Chevy motors I have had. Most start with a T. The one thing I have found is all the freeze out plugs have a wire holding them in. The block & plugs have been drilled to do this. The motor had a factory G.M. aluminum intake with a Holley 3 bbl carb on it. The dist is a Mallory D/P with a Mallory coil on the fender well. Plus the hood is a factory steel with a round circle where the air cleaner sits. It was not cut out with a saw. It is rolled like a factory bend. It has a L-88 fiber glass hood scoop that was molded to it. The rear spoiler has been cut on both trunk lines & the end pieces have been molded to the rear quarters. The car has a 12 bolt rear & is a factory 4 speed. It has a real M-22 in it. All with the proper date codes. I may be wrong but I need to be sure. I do know that I can E-Mail Jole. But I do not want to spend the $$ if I do not have more things that lead me to believe it is infact a Motion car. Or worked on by Motion. I have talked to a guy who worked at Motion back in the 70's. (Eric of mean street in Island park N.Y.) He said he can remember a 68 SS with the same hood & rear spoiler. It was painted red white & blue with stars & strips. It was a stock race car that was street legal. Not saying this is the car. Trying to get more info before I spend the money to I.D. it. The car was built in California (Van Nun). Is it possible it is a Motion car built in Cal ? Any help would be great. Thanks Chris

**Mr70** · #4 12-11-2004, 03:03 AM

Can you double check your engine stamping of CE71755.
Did you miss a digit or letter?

**COPO** · #5 12-11-2004, 03:12 AM

I think it would be highly unlikely that a VN car made it to Long Island as a new car. A "CE" coded block just means the original engine was replaced at one time potentially as a warranty replacement. So far, nothing really says Motion to me, but keep digging.

Rick H · #6 12-11-2004, 03:44 AM

[ QUOTE ]
I think it would be highly unlikely that a VN car made it to Long Island as a new car.

[/ QUOTE ]

Not to take away from the thread but why wouldn't a new car make it that far? I have a 1981 Van Nuys Z/28 that was sold new at English Chevrolet in Lawrence MA. The build sheet that shows that.

Rick H.

**SuperNovaSS** · #7 12-11-2004, 04:17 AM

I would say that a CE block WOULD point towards a motion car. Since a crate 427 would be a CE. How do you know the engine is a 396? Have you checked the casting number and date on the block? Why not sand off some primer to see if it is infact red/white and blue? It you pull the tank you may find a build sheet, if 68 LA cars had them. I know all LA 69's did. What color was the car originally. Maybe it was a special paint car that had to come out of LA. Every competition orange car I have seen has been out of LA. Hopefully you will find good things!

Jason

Belair62 · #8 12-11-2004, 04:20 AM

May not have been sold there new but it may have made a trip there after it came east !!! Lot of odd sounding stuff on that car...I would definitely keep digging...something like the molded spoiler would have to be remembered by Joel...

**sixtiesmuscle** · #9 12-11-2004, 07:27 AM

Check the casting number on the block by the distributor..

l.i.man · #10 12-11-2004, 07:31 AM

The block casting # 3955272. It has 3919840 heads with D-22-8 & E-20-68 date codes. Car build date is June. (06C) The car was striped of all paint before it was primered. Under the L-88 scoop it is Maroon. Cowl tag has it with Gold standard buckets & Cordovan Maroon paint color. Weard color combo. Maybe this is why they painted it.