This Old Chevy Big Block Has Been Waiting Decades For Another Camaro
A 1968 Chevrolet Camaro without an engine is still a gorgeous piece of American muscle car history, but it is missing one fairly important ingredient. Fortunately, Parker from Backyard Barn Finds may have just found the perfect heart for his latest project.
Two months after buying his dream 1968 big-block Camaro, Parker traveled to Toledo, Ohio, chasing an original MQ-coded Chevrolet big block. The engine is not numbers-matching to his Camaro, but it is period-correct, recently proven to run, and packs the kind of old-school muscle that could turn this unfinished project into one seriously entertaining burnout machine. The trip also delivered a few bonus classic Pontiacs, a fantastic engine backstory, and an update on another Camaro that sounds absolutely furious through open headers.
This Camaro Is Getting A Real 375-HP L78 Big Block
The engine in question is an L78-spec Chevrolet big block originally rated at 375 horsepower. Its MQ suffix code, 323 casting, and November 1967 build date identify it as a genuine period piece rather than a modern crate engine dressed in orange paint.
Parker’s Camaro was built during the first week of February 1968, so the engine predates the car by a few months. That would matter if he were chasing concours trophies and trying to create a numbers-matching restoration. But, he’s not.
The Camaro’s original engine is already blown, making this running L78 about as good a replacement as he could realistically hope to find.
Its seller, Dave, previously had the engine in a 1968 Camaro that he bought for $1,000 in 1978. He and his wife even dated in that car, giving this big block a history that goes well beyond casting numbers and horsepower figures. Dave recalled racing a 1970 Oldsmobile 442 when the engine began ticking. It later locked after a valve bent and stopped the piston from completing its journey. He rebuilt it during the early 1980s while working at an automotive machine shop.
The big block was bored 0.030 inches over, balanced, and fitted with rebuilt rectangular-port cylinder heads and TRW valves. It retains its original intake, although the Corvette-style valve covers and swap-meet carburetor are later additions.
The Big Block Roars Back To Life
Unlike many supposedly “good” engines discovered in barns and garages, Parker did not have to buy this one based entirely on a handshake and some optimistic storytelling. Dave had it mounted on a stand and ready to fire.
Once the big block started, it immediately delivered the deep, aggressive soundtrack Parker had driven to Toledo hoping to hear. His reaction said everything: “That’s exactly what we’re looking for.”
Dave believes the engine has covered fewer than 10,000 miles since its rebuild. He also replaced a leaking rear main seal after removing it from his Pontiac, meaning at least one famously messy big-block Chevrolet problem has already been addressed.
Parker plans to use the Camaro for local cruising and, in his words, “a few burnouts.” In that role, a running, period-correct L78 should be far more satisfying than an engine selected purely because its stamped numbers fall closer to the Camaro’s assembly date.
There was one small catch. Dave wanted to keep the carburetor after spending $300 having it rebuilt and date-coded. Parker still took home everything from the intake down to the oil pan, along with a set of 1966 Chevelle headers Dave previously struggled to give away.
Free big-block headers are free big-block headers, even when they do not fit the car you brought.
Backyard Barn Finds’ Blue Camaro Sounds Absolutely Savage
The video then shifts to Parker’s blue patina Camaro, another project viewers have been waiting to see return. Its new American Autowire system is now installed, with wiring for the air conditioning, cooling fans, alternator, Holley Terminator X ECU, hideaway headlights, and Dakota Digital gauges. The battery has moved into the trunk, while the coil packs and much of the engine-bay wiring have been hidden to keep everything looking clean.
The Camaro also has LED halo headlights, integrated turn signals, color-adjustable digital instruments, and preinstalled wiring for its future sound system. It is an impressive amount of modern technology hiding beneath bodywork that proudly wears its age.
The car is not road-ready yet. Its temporary wheels have the wrong offset and dangerously tight clearance, while the engine currently breathes through open headers because the exhaust system has not been installed. That did not stop Parker from firing it up.
The Camaro erupted into a brutally loud, wonderfully uncivilized idle before Parker gave it several revs. His verdict was wonderfully simple: “I’m a happy man.”
It still needs exhaust, the correct wheels, and a completed interior. Meanwhile, that newly purchased L78 must make its way into the black 1968 Camaro. Backyard Barn Finds now has two unfinished Camaros and one extremely promising soundtrack problem.
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