It is fair to say that there will never be another automotive decade like the 1960s. American manufacturers displayed their capabilities as Pony, Personal Luxury, and Muscle Cars seemed to provide something to appeal to all tastes. The trend continued into the early 1970s before life spiralled downward in a decade of motoring misery. This 1970 Chevrolet Chevelle SS 454 left the line before things turned ugly, with the first owner ordering it with the LS5 version of the big-block under the hood. Its presentation is first-rate, with this classic appearing to need nothing but a new home. I must say a big thank you to Barn Finder Curvette for spotting this potent Chevelle listed here on Craigslist in Mountlake Terrace, Washington. Classics of this caliber are rarely cheap, with the seller setting their price at $93,700.
Chevrolet brought its Second Generation Chevelle range to market for the 1968 model year. Its appearance marked a radical departure from its predecessor, with the company abandoning “Coke-Bottle” styling in favor of a more aggressive look that gave the entire range a greater sense of presence. This Chevelle left the line in 1970, ordered by its first owner in Autumn Gold, with Black stripes on the Cowl Induction hood and the trunk lid. The seller doesn’t mention a restoration history, but the Chevelle’s overall appearance and a couple of minor details mentioned in the listing suggest that it may have received a cosmetic refresh. The paint shines flawlessly, the panels are free from dings and dents, and the underside shots confirm that this garage-kept classic is rust-free. The giveaway that this SS has been restored rests with the stripes, which are sealed beneath a layer of clear. Chevrolet never adopted that approach, seemingly confirming this car’s history. The trim looks as impressive as the paint, and the glass is clear. It seems only fitting that the finishing touch to this exterior is a sparkling set of Rally II wheels.
A 454ci V8, a four-speed manual transmission, a 12-bolt Posi rear end with 4.11 gears, and power assistance for the steering and brakes. That is undoubtedly a recipe for mind-blowing performance, and is what hides below this Chevelle’s sparkling exterior. The LS5 version of Chevrolet’s big-block was a motor with attitude, placing 360hp and 500 ft/lbs of torque under the driver’s right foot. Give this car enough grip, and it would almost be capable of rotating the Earth on its axis. The seller holds a significant collection of documentation, including the original Build Sheet, confirming that this SS is the genuine article. However, those who are considering the long-term investment potential may be disappointed to learn that it is no longer numbers-matching. It does cater for those seeking a turnkey classic, and is said to run and drive extremely well.
I never cease to be amazed by sellers who list extremely desirable classics, but fail to show every aspect of the vehicle at its best in their supplied photos. This Chevelle demonstrates that, with the seller’s interior shots being substandard. They don’t tell us much, although it appears that the Black vinyl upholstered surfaces and the carpet are in good condition. However, they supply some critical information, confirming that the interior features Strato bucket seats, a console, a sports wheel, a full factory sports gauge cluster, and an AM/FM radio with the optional rear speaker package.
Affordability is a relative term. Some people will view this 1970 Chevelle SS 454 as falling into that category, while many will look at it longingly, knowing that it is beyond their financial reach. Still, there is nothing wrong with aspiring, because very few things that are worthwhile in life are easily achieved. I know we will have readers who this classic will tempt, and that is understandable. It doesn’t have a single weakness, and it will provide performance that is fitting for a genuine muscle car. I know that this classic is well-documented, verifying that it is the genuine article. However, do you feel that the loss of its numbers-matching status will negatively impact its value? It will be fascinating to gauge your feedback on the subject.
Beautiful, true boulevard bowtie bully. 4sp with 4.11s, and 500lb-ft. Oh my. Better have a feather 🪶 touch to launch without going up in smoke in 1st. 🏁
So true Stan! I had a 69 L78 with 4:10s and M22. It’d smoke the Goodyears without some finesse. This is a badto the bone bowtie.
👍 👍 John
So true Stan! I had a 69 L78 with 4:10s and M22. It’d smoke the Goodyears without some finesse. This is a bad to the bone bowtie.
I simply can’t look at the price, but more importantly, what this car was. This car was the knee-jerk reaction to “all the others” Chevy was getting kicked at the dragstrip by hemis and 428 CJs, heck even the lowly AMX 390 were giving them trouble, so in 1970, they pulled out all the stops with this car, and never looked back. The 454 Chevelle was a monster. Looks tame here, but this car did 0-60 in 5.9sec and 1/4 mile in low 14s at 98mph. Again, 360 HP,,,pfft, this was a monster, well over 400 ( LS6 close to 450) and didn’t take long for enterprising mechanics to do magic, and not much could beat it.
Ah, but in true American ideology, didn’t come cheap. I read, the base Chevelle was around $3200, but the 454 “package” added almost $1,500 bucks alone.( LS6 almost $2grand) Sadly, for some, this was the last of the biggies, as in ’71 things got ugly, and lower compression took away some zing and the 454. Almost half a million ’71 Chevelles were sold,, mostly small blocks. It was a sad end for performance and the 1970 454 Chevelle was the top of the heap. Does that translate into something worth $100 grand? For something as iconic as this, apparently so.
The 454SS package was $503.45, the LS6 option was an additional $263.30.
Steve R
Thank you Steve. It’s good to have someone who knows what he’s talking about to counter the blusterers.
The ’71 SS Chevelle was still available with a 454, in LS5 form. The LS6 was gone.
jangus.. I’m not sure if you’re right, but if you are, you may have spotted a most rare error from Mr Steve 🤔 😉
You’re absolutely correct. I bought a ’71 SS4T4 El Camino in ’73, factory 4 spd, cowl induction, buckets/console, and a/a. The one that got away
@ jangus….WRONG…the LS6 survived in 188 Stingrays in 1971.
The 70 454 Chevelle was hardly a “knee jerk reaction” to Chevrolet’s getting “kicked”. Up until 1970 GM corporate policy prohibited putting anything bigger than 400 cubic inch engines in anything other than full size cars and Corvettes. The success of the back door COPO Yenko, Berger, etc 427 Chevelles and Camaros convinced GM to drop this policy for 70, bringing forth the 454 SS Chevelle, and the 455 GTO’s GS’ and 442’s.
I was around when these cars were new, and I can say no stock CJ or 390 Rambler was “kicking” ALL the Chevrolet’s. While the 68-69 396/325 Chevelle was was a dog, the 350 horse L-34 held their own against most Ford’s and Mopar’s, and a Chevelle with an L-78 396/375 was the equal to most everything else one the road. When you put the L-78 in a lighter Nova there wasn’t much that could touch them, including Hemi’s. The L-78 Nova and the Hemi Cuda both ran high 13’s to low 14’s out of the box, with the L-78 Chevelle just behind at around 14.0 to mid 14’s. From what I remember, the fastest stock cars on the street in 69 were the light weight Mopar twins, the “440 6BBL” Road Runner and “440 Six Pack” Super Bee. These were true stock 13 flat cars, but the 70 LS-6 Chevelle was every bit their equal, and did it with a higher level of much.
$100K may seem crazy, but nicely restored LS-5 cars regularly go for $90K-$100, with concourse level cars easily cracking $100K. Even 70 L-78 375hp cars are selling in the same range when in similar condition, and 70 LS-6 cars have no trouble selling for over $200K. If you think the price of Chevelles are bad you should check out what people are asking for nothing special 68-70 383 Chargers.
gbvette62,
Thank you for the information! Very helpful. Would the sale prices you mention for the LS-5 and 6 cars include having the original engine or does that not matter? Also, should these cars with the F-41 suspension have a rear sway bar? I can’t see one on this car.
Thanks again.
Spot on, gb. I owned a 69 L78 and can attest to the fact that they were wicked, especially with the 4:10s and M22. 375 hp was a tad shy of reality though, you could probably add 50 or so. One of my big regrets is ever selling it.
The LS-6 wasn’t “close” to 450 HP, that was the factory rating and most agree that the true output was closer to 500 HP. Also, while I am personally not a big ‘numbers matching” sort of a fella’, it is over the moon important to the “purists” and because of that I feel like this one is a bit overpriced.
I wish I’d had the foresight to buy one of these, treat it nicely, save and store it until . . . ? But, I didn’t.
I wish, I wish, I wish. (Oh, yeah! And then there’s that Apple stock I should’ve bought and held onto)
Can these cars continue going up up up?
The LS-6 wasn’t “close” to 450 HP, that was the factory rating and most folks thought it was closer to 500 HP. While personally I am not a “numbers matching” sort of fella’, to “purists” it is over the moon important and because of that I think that this cutie is probably overpriced a bit. Cool car nonetheless.
The 1970 LS5 was 360 horse. The 1971 LS5 was 365 horse. No drop in horsepower. I ran my friend in 76 in my 70 and he in his 71. He shocked me when we ran neck and neck. 1972 horse was 270. 1970 production was 4,298 units. 1971 production was 15,300 according to the book Chevelle and El Camino ID Model Codes. Not sure, but some of those ”might” have been Monte Carlos, not sure. Just trying to clarify.
gbvette62 it speaks to how great that 383 motor was really. Have to credit Mopar engineers, they nailed it. 🏁
You’re absolutely correct. I bought a ’71 SS4T4 El Camino in ’73, factory 4 spd, cowl induction, buckets/console, and a/a. The one that got away
I’ll never understand why so many 70 – 72 Chevelle SS restorers just can’t resist the need to put Malibu chrome rocker panel trim on their ‘original’ cars. Nothing says I really don’t know much about how they are supposed to be than that glaring mistake! This car has weirdness and made up written all over it – SS tribute, but documented with the build sheet?? And if you have the most important piece of valuation to the entire car, why not show it – oh, likely because it was indeed a Malibu, now that makes sense. The underside looks like it was done about 15 minutes before the pictures were taken, I can almost smell the paint. $93k for a fake SS – LS5 no less!? Hard pass.
a lot of money for Malibu rocker trim. #’s are on everything…an expert (there are a few out there) would undoubtedly pick this one apart. Real cars are out there with legit documentation. I agree with Richard 100%.
Steve L.
I don’t know if this car’s real but he says he has a build sheet. Anybody spending big bucks on any old car had better go check it out if you have the knowledge or send an expert who does.
You are Correct Richard no rocker trim on SS but seller has build sheet to prove real SS he states. Lots more SS out there than Chevy ever made.
Wooderson gives it 2 thumbs up.
All right, all right, all right!
So buy it, drive it 5 years, and then sell it. You will not lose any money. Probably will make money.
lot of money for non-matching #s SS. papers or not
Who doesn’t love a 1970 Chevelle SS454? What’s important here is, is the car worth $100k? Maybe if it had the original engine and the restoration was of better quality. IMHO, at this level, the car is not come close to $100 large. I’ve seen 100% original rides going for $90k. First thing to go would be those ridiculous traction bars………….
Nearly 100k for a non original car. Buildsheet, POP means nothing to the serious, blue chip car enthusiasts if it’s not a numbers matching car with its born drivetrain. 50k
Nearly 100k for a non original car. Buildsheet, POP means nothing to the serious, blue chip car enthusiasts if it’s not a numbers matching car with its born drivetrain. 50k