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Grandmother’s Car: 1970 Chevrolet Camaro

After three years of the initial Camaro body style, in 1970 Chevrolet introduced the new body that would last for 12 years. The styling seemed quite a departure from the first generation, which offered both hardtop coupe and convertible. The 1970 model was offered in several models, but only one body style, a fastback roof without the benefit of a hatchback.  This 1970 Chevrolet Camaro is for sale here on Craigslist in Long Beach, California. Thanks to Barn Finds reader Pat L. for bringing this car to our attention.

The car was owned by the seller’s grandmother, who unfortunately recently passed away. While the car is unmolested and was garaged since new, the car still shows some signs of wear. It will probably need a repaint, but it’s possible to get some shine back on it without a new paint job. There are several scratches and what may be surface rust but does not appear to have any rust eating through anywhere. There is not a good picture of the front of the car, but the bumper appears to possibly need straightening. This is the base Camaro model for 1970. The vinyl top does not appear to be torn but doesn’t look absolutely perfect either. Maybe a good cleaning will help.

The bucket seats and rear seat appear to be in great condition. They are finished in what looks like a very durable vinyl. The automatic transmission horseshoe shifter is located in the center console. The car has air conditioning, but no word on whether it works. The headliner needs to be replaced. The driver’s door armrest is showing some wear.

The engine is listed as an 8 cylinder, but no word on which engine it is. I can’t tell from the picture, but maybe some of you sharp eyes out there can. The standard 8 cylinder was a 307 CID (200 hp), with a 350 CID (250 hp) V-8 for an extra charge. There were more powerful 8 cylinders offered, but they were only available with the SS or Z28 packages. There is no information on how many miles are on the car. The seller is asking $12,000. Is this an amount you are willing to pay and restore this car?

Comments

  1. Avatar Arthell64

    It would be hard to find on nicer than this one for the money.

    Like 6
    • Avatar Tom Member

      Well, solid car, yes. Option car, no. This car is great if you want to “build the Camaro you always wanted”. SO for that I would agree, solid car for that money. Now, for the additional $40,000 +/- it is going to take to make this car great….You can buy a “done” Camaro for less than the $50K + you will spend to make this car right.

      Again, great car to build off of to get EXACTLY what you want.

      Again, don’t get me wrong this is a great solid rust free car (I think)….BUT IT NEEDS EEVVEEERRRYYYYTTTTHHHIIINNNNGGGG.

      Unless you are doing it yourself, and I think my budget is soft…., $20K in body in paint, $20K in drive train….motor, trans, rear end, brake upgrades, suspension, exhaust….probably more than $20K actually. What $8K +/- on the interior? $5-10K in incidentals….glass, moldings, vinyl top, emblems, chroming, gaskets, grommets..on and on….oh, wheels and tires…..how about electrical? Oh and the 12K to buy it. Maybe $70 – 80K makes this car a rock star???

      Oh and it is still not an RS, or an SS, Or an RS/SS or an RS/Z28.

      Whoever restores this car….I highly recommend you build a clone…..it WILL be worth WAY more as a clone than a base model BORN Camaro. Build an RS/Z28 with a 4 speed. Build it right and you WILL have something. Not sure you will get your money out of it but it will be a great car.

      Like 4
      • Avatar Nick P

        Another one. Just shaking my head

        Like 6
  2. Avatar Rock On

    Definitely a 350 cubic inch V-8. The 307 was not available with the 4 barrel carburetor in the Camaro.

    Like 9
    • Avatar Paul T Root

      that’s not a 4 barrel

      Like 1
      • Avatar Rich

        You sure that’s not a 4 barrel Quadrajet?

        Like 6
      • Avatar Eugene m Meyer III

        definitely a quadrajet 4 barrel carb

        Like 0
      • Avatar Brian

        That is definitely a four barrel Rochester Quadrajet !

        Like 0
  3. Avatar Fordguy1972 Member

    I always liked the ’70 Camaro, it was a clean design, much less fussier than the later years. The front end was especially sharp, though I preferred the Endura nose with the bumperettes. The interior here looks promising, it may not need much. The body looks good and I like that it has a clean, uncluttered look. 350 engine; check. A/C; check. With a little attention to the mechanicals, you could have a pretty nice driver. Hagerty shows a #4 fair condition for $11,000 so $12,000 might be a fair price.

    Like 7
  4. Avatar stillrunners

    Yep….not easy to find a nice one….price is close.

    Like 4
  5. Avatar Fred

    I thought GM started using EGR valves in 1973, not 1970, so it was swapped somewhere along the way.

    The fender does have a 350 emblem on it

    Or the motor isn’t original

    Like 2
    • Avatar Tom Member

      Not being an RS, SS, Z28 or some combination of them…..really doesn’t matter if the motor is original. It is not a small block Corvette where the cult purist cares. Base model camaro = build something more desirable.

      Like 4
  6. Avatar Gaspumpchas

    Looks solid and honest. Build a Camaro. Guess the price is good for such a solid car. Worth spending the extra coin for a solid car to start with , IMHO>>>good luck to the new owner. BTW non stock intake with the EGR, Kee-rect, they didn’t start EGR till ’73…Happy Motoring!!

    Cheers
    GPC

    Like 1
  7. Avatar Del

    Another seller failure.

    Does it even run ?

    Comments indicate Granny car has a transplant engine ?

    12 grand too much with all these questions.

    Like 1
  8. Avatar Rock On

    Sorry Paul T. Root, that is a Rochester Quadrajet. The secondary bores are not open as the engine is not running. I have one on my Camaro as well. Google it and you will see.

    Like 12
  9. Avatar Doug

    The 307 was probably the worst version of the SBC ever built. It was an undersquare “SMOG” engine- basically a 283 bore with a 327 stroke- the rod to bore angles were really bad, and the high piston velocity vs rpm caused a lot of heat and wear. ( the further a piston has to travel per revolution, the higher the velocity it must attain to travel that distance – which is why a short stroke engine will allow higher rpms, while giving up some bottom end torque. )
    The 302, on the other hand, used the 327 bore and the 283 stroke, an “oversquare” design that allowed higher RPM and significantly more horsepower- GM listed it at 295 HP, the NHRA rated it at 325, and Hot Rod blueprinted one and dynoed it at 440 hp with the single 4bbl.
    All the parts one would ever need to refurbish this car are out there – you’d have your choice of using GM parts or aftermarket to upgrade the brakes, etc.
    If you had to go to a manual gearbox, McLeod builds a 5 speed that is very close in size to a Muncie 4 speed, so no tranny tunnel mods required to fit – or better yet , a 700r4 or 4L60e would let her loaf on the freeway.

    Like 3
  10. Avatar 79malibu

    The fender say Camaro 350. So it has a 350 in it.

    Like 0
  11. Avatar Dave Mika Member

    Definitely the heralded Rochester QJ 4bbl. Super-good carbs.

    Like 6
  12. Avatar half cab

    12 years this style?? I don’t think so!

    Like 1
    • Avatar John B

      I believe 1981 was the last of this style, so 12 years is correct. I worked at a Chevy dealer during the 1980 model year and they were still of this basic design then.

      Like 1
      • Avatar half cab

        May be we had a 73 Z and it looked nothing like the 74 -81…just sayin

        Like 0
      • Avatar PRA4SNW

        Yep, this body style lasted through the ’81 model year. I was going to wait until ’82 to order my Camaro, but when I saw what they were going to look like, I ordered an ’81.

        Like 0
  13. Avatar William

    Yeah is safe to say granny had a transplant, not only the egr was 73-up but water pump was too…but nice car

    Like 0
  14. Avatar Pete

    I like the car, I think it is solid. So what if it is not an RS/SS. Why do folks think they have to spend 20K on a new engine? You can find a used one and drop it in if ya have to. Rebuild a used engine if ya want to. Buy a GM corvette crate engine even. Convert it to an LS1? Go to pull a part and find one. Not every old car needs to be restored to concours quality. I would just do what needed to be done to make this car safe to drive and do that. The old tech and specs were sound enough back in the day it was made to get you down the road as well as raise some hell if you wanted to. Spending 20K on a paint job? This is not a P-51 Mustang. SMDH

    Like 3
    • Avatar Tom Member

      Pete you have a point. The car can always be restore later. Put a few bucks into it and enjoy it, just don’t DESTROY it. They aren’t making any more of these….(well actually they are if you want a 69 Camaro or a Mustang of varied years…)

      My point comes from the school that I was raised in which was “Do it right or don’t do it. Don’t do a half baked restoration, it is just a waste of time and money. I am sure I will have some agree with me and others not.

      A bad body work and paint job is harder to deal with later than if you would have just left the car alone and done nothing.

      I guess one of my main points is that restoring a BASE Camaro back to “how it was born” will really NEVER be valuable from a restoration/investment standpoint. A clone, just like a Hemi Mopar is worth more as a clone than if you had restored the car to it’s NON Hemi birth engine/trans. Same here, this car restored to a clone of an RS Z28 car or a Big Block RS SS car will be one that is well received, have a much higher interest level, bring a lot more money and be able to be driven without the fear of ruining a REAL RS – SS – and or Z28 car.

      Like 0
  15. Avatar Rock On

    The second generation Camaro lasted for so long half cab that it had 3 different versions all on the same chassis. The 70-73, 74-77 and 78-81.

    Like 1

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