1968 L88 cars

[L88]

If my block is a over the counter replacement, would it also be possible that this engine was originally in a Nickey, Baldwin Motion, Dick Harrell, etc ,camaro or nova?

[Pantera]

Anything is possable but highly unlikly. What you need is some kind of writen proof or something special that you can link it to as proof.

I hate to have to tell you but what you are describing is a very common usage of these motors in the Hot Rod world back then. Anybody with the extra $$$$ could buy one of these over the counter. They were put in Vett's, Camaros and Novas and just about anything else, that someone wanted to go fast. Lots to boat guys bought them also. With out a vin to a known car the likely hood of it being a speciality motor like you are asking about, is very slim to none.


Please don't let me or anyone discourage you. The guys on this site are more than willing to jump in a help you document something. Look on the bright side you still have a neat motor and you can always find something worth putting it in.

Good luck

Pantera

[dkatap]

Did the original 68 L88 cars have 427 badging on the fenders? Are there any other details to look for?
Thanks, Dennis

[Pantera]

You could spot them by the bubble hood that was different from all the other 427ci motors.

here is what one looks like on my car.

[hvychev]

Larry do you have a REAL documented L88 Vette?

[Pantera]

Alas not documented

I bought this car from the second owner in '79 at the end of the season. It came with the original title beleave it or not. I about [censored] when he gave it to me. I had been tagged one time and was dated 1970. I thought that it was for sure a L-88 all these years. Of course the original motor was long gone but I was collecting parts to build one to put back in it someday.


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[Pantera]

The last pic was of the car at a TransAm race at Hallett where I first saw the car and a year later bought it from Mitch Lambert the second owner.

I raced it with a small block up until '85. Then I got the fever to go even faster. Back in '79 when I was running my first Vette a 63 in B/P. I was running flat out as fast as I could down the old runway of the old closed Dallas airport when something blew my doors off when it went by me like I was standing still. I had to be running at least 160 at the time, and this car was just a dot in front of me in seconds. It was a Can-AM Lola and from that moment I just had to have one.

So I found this car a old F-5000 Lola and raced it for a season. This thing was a scary POS with such a short wheelbase (88"). It dropped a valve after a season, so I sold the car to a collector. Man that thing was a POS in the handeling dept. Faster than hell on the straight but would not go fast around a corner with out comming around on you.


See pic= (Continued)

[Pantera]

After the open wheel Lola, I traded a '64 & '67 vette's for a full Can-AM Lola that was made up from a used chassis that Ongias had raced when new and had all new supension and bodywork. It was pretty complete but not finished. I thought I was able to finish it up but found out that I needed to learn a lot of new skills before I could get it on the track. I worked on it for a entire year and saw that I was not going to get finished in time for the GP at Dallas.

So, I hired a guy to finish the car and entered it in the Dallas GrandPrix in '84. He just never got it totally finished in time and I was getting too busy with my new Swimming pool business to do it all myself. They canceled the series, so it is still setting in the back of my shop. It is now in white primer and ready to paint, but still needs to have the wiring finished up to be race ready.

See pic= (Continued)

[Pantera]

So when I found this site and all the great guys here I did my research on the L-88 Vette and finally located the guy listed on the Title. I was postive that the vette was a real L-88 car from the factory. When I finally got to chat with Colby Hillman the 1st car owner, he dashed my mood when he informed me that it was just a real 435hp car when he bought it new. Bummer...! I was so disapointed. I just knew it was a real L-88 but it turned out that he had ordered all the L-88 parts from Chev in 1971 and put them on it and raced it (including the motor). I have all the log books for the car and it raced a lot at Mid-Ohio near where Colby is from.

It is still a neat car. every piece of the body work will come off. and leave just the drivers compartment. I even made the doors removable with pins that replace the hinges. Makes it easier to work on.

There are collectors for old race cars just like we on here are nutty about Muscle cars. I hate it but I didn't take too many pic back then. If I could only show the ones in my head. The memories I have are so vivid. Shame I can't show them to you.

Pantera