Quality and Design Problems
Plague the 1968 Corvette C3

With the introduction of the 1968 model, Chevrolet was greeted with something it had not heard with regards to the Corvette for a long time: criticism, much of it quite harsh. Although the new styling was well liked - and time has proven it to be a winner - it did require compromises.

The interior was hard hit by the critics, who marveled at how the Corvette managed to grow bigger in the exterior while at the same time shrinking the insides. To accommodate a lower roofline, the seats were angled at 33° vs. the 25° in the previous generation. Support and padding was also lacking as was the overall level of comfort. The other problem was the center console which was widened to accommodate a three speed automatic transmission. Making matters worse was the door panels which intruded into the passenger area.

There was also a sometimes perceived, sometimes reality based quality control problem. A long list of mostly nuisance items, many of which were corrected by hobbyist owners, were part of all 1968 Corvettes. Most of the issues, a lot of which were build quality related, were fixed in the 1969 and subsequent years. This reputation still plagues the '68s however, affecting their value. Defenders of the '68 respond that the concerns were overblown, making them attractively priced.

The steering wheel for the 1968 Corvette was mostly the same as the one fitted in the 1967 Corvette with the '68 wheel lacking the grain on the '67 wheel. Comfort was an issue however as it rubbed the legs of some drivers and the wide door panel would interfere with the drivers left hand. Right: Some 1968 owners solved the problem by installing 1969 and later steering wheels. 1969 and later Corvettes featured a thinner door panel which also alleviated the situation.

Above: As with the C2 Corvette, the new generation featured hidden headlights. Unlike the C2 however, the new design popped up rather than rotate. They were vacuum operated (C2s used an electric motor) and they were reliable and fast.

Another new for 1968 feature was hide-away windshield wipers. Like the headlights, they were vacuum operated and both aesthetic and aerodynamic advantages were the goal. Unlike the headlights however, their operation was not reliable. Other changes including locating the battery behind the passenger which improved weight distribution and freed up some under hood space and deletion of side vent windows.

Right: The door release was thumb operated, an exclusive feature in the 1968 Corvette and an easy way to identify that model year. 1969 and later designs opened the door with the depression plate with a flush mounted keyhole in the same position as the thumb release.

As with the C1 and C2 generations, a hardtop was available. The desirable and attractive option (RPO C07, $231.75) was popular and could be found on 8,735 (30.58%) 1968 Corvettes. As with the C1 and C2 generations, it was possible to order a hardtop only Corvette - but that was a rare occurence.

1968 has the distinction of being the only C3 Corvette with four red tail lights. Other C3 model years incorporated the backup lights into the tail lights. 1968 backup lights were located below the bumper.

1968 Corvette For Sale
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