Maybe it was a hidden option for the Chevelle. Perhaps a few buyers wanted an upgraded interior over the standard or deluxe that was offered in that particular car.

 

my guess before i read the story was that it was a beaumont...from canada...but its not ...its something different.

 

I've got a red 68 concours column shift bench seat. Unrestord and beat, lol, future project. Buick interior, steering wheel, door panels, arm rest chrome backing plates, etc. The build sheet under back seat called for black standard interior but it's got a line through it an says "Buick" in what looks like big hand written letters. Years ago I was told that a supplier had a fire, so mostly cheap cars like the concours got the odd interiors. To make sure that the up level cars got proper interior.

 

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any pictures of your 68 chevelle with buick interior.?

 

Baltimore riots........... HMMMMMMMMMMMMMM.

 

my buddy has a red 68 4-speed car with black buick interior - his dad bought it new in Idaho - still has original paint

He always said it was a strike interior - story may not be true but the interior is

Ill see if he can get me some photos

 

Insteresting, subscribing......

 

http://www.chevellestuff.net/1968/interiors/alt_int.htm

 

Nice car regardless

 

My 1970 LS5 Chevelle SS had a Malibu interior, this was a bench seat, auto on the column, factory AC car that I had pulled several build sheets out of and bought it from the original owner.

I bought two 12 bolt CHEVROLET rears out of two different Buick Skylarks (they were not GS cars and these were not Olds rears) that were built in Canada at two different yards here in
South Florida. It seems the Canadian built Buicks used the GM Chevrolet rear for some reason, only saw it on the Canadian cars.

My 1973 T/A (not an SD car) has a M-22 in it with numbers that match the car, it should not but it does, that M-22 was only to be used in the SD cars (1973,1974) and then they were gone after 1974.

Lots of weird things happened on the line to keep it moving and not shut down when there were parts shortages, strikes, or just Union slow-downs. Dave

 

Ran into this years ago when restoring my dad's 68 Malibu (327 4 speed car). Got arm rests for a chevelle and didn't fit. No one knew what the deal was, and everyone tried to tell him that they were changed. The car was purchased new in his home town and always service and worked on at the shop my dad worked at. He bought it from the original owner in 1970, so he knew the cars history. Long story short, he was at a car show one day and was looking at the interior of a buick GS, and the arm rests and door panels were the exact same. Come to find out about the "strike cars", and his was assembled with some buick parts to get the car off the line. Pretty cool part of the cars history.

 

My 68 SS had the buick interior in it when I got it. It was destroyed... I only found out later during restoration when I ordered a replacement interior and it wasn't the same.

 

Proof has been found:

1968 Chevelle Alternate Interiors

Decoding Chevrolet VIN, trim tags, cowl tags, engine, engine block casting numbers, cylinder head casting numbers, intake manifold casting numbers, transmission, interior codes, and paint codes.

chevellestuff.net

 

Buddy had a 68 ss that had buick interior. It was green on green, someone out of Georgia bought it.

 

(not car sold at Mecum)
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I was watching Mecum action today and they sold a 68 chevelle with a buick interior
I never heard of this before
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1968 Chevrolet Chevelle SS | F244 | Dallas 2013 | Mecum Auctions
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it's true 118 car with buick interiors
they were called " the strike cars"
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http://elcaminostuff.macswebs.com/6869/68/interiors/alt_int.html
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1968 Chevelle Alternate Interiors

I don’t think anyone has a definitive answer as to why Buick, Oldsmobile and Pontiac interiors were used in Chevelle in 1968. I know Legendary Auto Interiors, Ltd. did a piece in Chevelle World pretty much dispelling any strike theory noting that

Legendary Interiors proposed a theory of their own in an ACES Chevelle World article – a possible connection with the assassination of Rev. King. They hypothesized that a riot in Memphis on March 28, 1968 during a protest march may have been the kindling and when Rev. King was killed on April 4, riots erupted across the U.S. beginning on April 5. Three cities suffered destruction and looting, Chicago, Baltimore and Kansas City. They found excerpts from 1968 mentioning GM having to "retool" due to the Baltimore riots.

Legendary's research also dispelled the theory of a strike in 1968. The United Auto Workers has no records or documentation of any strikes during the 1968 model year and that 1968 was one of the best for GM employees due to generous health and retirement benefits garnered in 1967.

They question whether the parts were manufactured at those plants (and possibly destroyed) or were interiors manufactured offsite and the riots interrupted delivery thereby forcing Chevrolet to use Buick and Oldsmobile (as well as Pontiac they did not mention) interiors to keep production going. If this was the case, why did a retooling in Baltimore affect Kansas City and Fremont as well?

Their research of 52 Chevelles (and strangely no El Caminos) with non-Chevrolet interiors came from either Baltimore or Kansas City during the last week of March through the end of April. Thirty seven of those with Buick bucket seats (766-178), eleven with Buick bench seats (765-158) and four with Oldsmobile bench seats (765-980).

I, on the other hand, have documented body tags here on my website, of 18 Chevelles (including 2 Malibu-based 13680 El Caminos and 1 SS396 13880 El Camino) with non-Chevelle interiors from not only Baltimore and Kansas City, but from Fremont as well. The body dates range from 03D through 06B and include the same 766-178 Buick bucket seat code, 765-178 Buick bench seat code and 765-980 Oldsmobile bench seat code that Legendary found PLUS 765-118 Buick bench, a 765-158 Buick bench, a 766-970 Oldsmobile bucket, a 760-910 Oldsmobile bench (in a 13427 300 Deluxe Chevelle), and two with 766-223 Pontiac bucket seats. Listed on the interior codes page are the three plants, body dates, series/model and seat codes found so far. Those listed with an asterisk (*) are codes I do not have a photo for the interior itself but I do have photos of the specific trim tags.

The Concours optioned Chevelles were suppose to come standard with the upgraded interior and possibly many of the 13637 sport coupes were Concours upgraded but that still leaves several El Caminos, several SS396 sport coupes, and at least one 300 Deluxe 2-door sedan with these other GM interiors.

My Take

I discount the theory that Buick, Oldsmobile and Pontiac interiors were used due to a shortage of Chevelle interiors based on two major questions.

First, what did Buick, Oldsmobile and Pontiac do for interiors while Chevrolet was grabbing them for a month and a half (or more)? Did these other three lines have such an overabundance they could afford to have Chevrolet, with much higher production numbers, bleed them off?

Second, and this one has absolutely no basis in fact but only what I’ve found so far, all Buick, Oldsmobile and Pontiac replacement interiors are black bench or bucket seats. No red, blue, gold, ivory or any other color has been found so far. I realize that black was a predominate interior color but one would think another color would have surfaced; and maybe someday one will, or maybe not. If Baltimore had to "retool" for Chevelle interiors, did they only have to retool for black vinyl?
Anyone with any insight to the alternate interiors or if you have any March thru June Chevelle trim tags with one of these interiors I encourage you to submit a readable photo of the trim tag and if the interior is one of those I do not have a photo of yet, namely 765-118, 765-156, or 765-168, please include that as well.

 

Which interior is nicer?
Interesting story