Few muscle cars get enthusiasts talking quite like a 1970 Chevrolet Chevelle SS. Add an interesting factory paper trail, a desirable original paint color, and the freedom to build your own drivetrain, and you’ve got a project worth discussing. This 1970 Chevrolet Chevelle Sport Coupe, advertised as an SS, is listed on craigslist in Tyndall, South Dakota, for $25,000.
What makes this Chevelle particularly interesting is its documented connection to South Dakota. According to the seller, the car was built at Chevrolet’s Kansas City assembly plant on January 13, 1970, before being delivered new to O’Leary Chevrolet in Yankton, South Dakota. The seller says an official NCRS Shipping Data Report confirms the original dealership delivery, and that documentation is included in the sale. For anyone who enjoys tracing a classic car’s history, knowing where it was originally shipped is an appealing detail.
The seller also makes a case for the Chevelle’s Super Sport identity, pointing to an “L” stamp on the original Fisher Body cowl tag. According to the advertisement, this marking is recognized by some Chevelle historians and registries as an indicator associated with Kansas City-built SS cars.
There is an important distinction, however. The seller acknowledges that the GM shipping records don’t explicitly identify the car’s original options or packages. While the listing presents the cowl-tag marking as evidence of an SS configuration, prospective buyers should investigate that claim rather than treating the available paperwork as definitive proof of factory SS equipment. As for the car itself, this is very much a project rather than a finished muscle car.
The seller confirms that the original numbers-matching drivetrain is gone. No replacement engine or transmission is identified in the description, leaving the next owner to determine exactly what’s needed to complete the mechanical side of the build. For some enthusiasts, that might be a drawback. For others, it’s an opportunity to create the Chevelle they’ve always wanted. The seller specifically suggests either a period-correct big-block build or a modern LS/LT-powered restomod.
The car was originally finished in Cranberry Red, according to the seller, who cites the 75 75 paint code. It now wears an older repaint with patina, along with SS-style stripes and a hood fitted with pins. Inside, the seller identifies aftermarket bucket seats and a floor shifter. The listing doesn’t provide a detailed assessment of the interior’s condition or specify which components remain from the car’s original configuration.
The Chevelle is described as a barn-find project and a solid starting point for restoration or customization. However, the advertisement doesn’t offer a detailed rust assessment or explain the condition of the floors, trunk, frame, or other structural areas. Those would be important things to inspect before committing to a restoration. Included with the sale are a clean South Dakota title, the original Fisher Body cowl tag, and the NCRS Shipping Data Report.
At $25,000, this Chevelle isn’t being offered as a turn-key muscle car. Its attraction lies in its reported history, surviving documentation, factory Cranberry Red color, and the chance to shape a 1970 Chevelle project around a preferred drivetrain.
Nice find. I think that a SS came with a raised hood standard but I could be wrong.
Its called cowl induction. It should have air intake louvre at the rear of the hood scoop near to windshield with emblems on both side of the hood scoop that that cowl induction. The striping is wrong as well, should have thin pinstripe around each stripe and not be as squared off. Hood is definitely from a Malibu although the car does have a lot of the SS chrome and rear bumper. Steering wheel and interior door panels are wrong as well. Sorry to say but this looks like a Frankenstein.
Josh,many of those SS cars were ordered by the dealership without the stripe package to reduce cost! However, if a customer at the dealership wanted the stripe package added, the dealership would provide those with an additional charge….the factory stripe package vs the dealership stripe package were usually not the same stripe demensions or just a litte difference in width or corners. Also, many of those dealerships would order just a plain flat hood, to reduce cost….so those did exist, and would not necessarily stop the car from being a true SS
Pat, I basically have the VERY SAME Chevelle (L) Code included, that also comes with a FLAT HOOD, with stripes. Again has all the instrument clusters, bucket seats, SS rear bumper pad, no door window chrome on the bottom….From my understanding my car was ordered out of the Kansas City plant by the dealership, shipped to Wisconsin, and sold from there car dealership….many of the dealerships would order the flat hood variance to cut the cost, for selling options….back then a couple hundred bucks, could make the difference in a sell….the car made its way back to KS, and I located setting along a wood line and fence row….could not believe what I ran across, and purchased immediately, especially with the L code involved!
You are correct. What’s more, those “SS” stripes are narrower than the factory stripes. There are “badging” issues as well. I have doubts about this being a real SS. I had a ’70 SS, ordered it shortly after I got home from Vietnam.
Al also those stripes could be excluded by the dealership, and added per sale, if the customer wanted to anti up the extra cost…again, dealers could just about order whatever part of the SS package they wanted or felt would make them marketable in there market place, regarding cost and upgrades
If I had to bet, this isn’t a SS. SS had all cirular gauges behind the steering wheel, bucket seats, and a center console. All the SS interior stuff is missing.
Bucket seats and console were extra cost options on this years SS’s, a bench seat was standard equipment.
Steve R
Meh.
I agree: Meh. $25K for a beater with no drive train, aftermarket interior AND it’s been repainted. Seems like all the original parts that made it an SS are long gone.
Without the #s matching drive train, all the possible rare documentation doesn’t keep its provenance Imo. And with all the rust (I’m betting) and everything else, I’m not convinced it’s a $25,000 car
There is no supplied documentation that helps verify it’s a real SS. As stated the L on a Kansas City trim tag highly suggests it is and some people consider it as “proof” it’s not exactly that. This is a mess, the original dash is gone, it has plastic bucket seats which are dangerous, there is a small block in it now, all for $25,000. There are a lot reasons it hasn’t sold.
Steve R
The only thing the ad truly indicates is that used to be a really neat car that has been dismantled over the years and turned into a less neat car.
Another dreamer just because of some historical rumors about what it once was. At present, it’s a neglected shell that could be turned into a cool restmod. That’s it. And that’s not anywhere near 25k . I’d venture it’s under 10k.
$25,000? Buy a nice driver matching number car for 50-60 You’ll be over that with this car and it won’t be numbers matching.
SS is for super soiled.
wearing an older repaint and patina. that sure looks like pep boys primmer and ton of dirt. this may have papers but don’t be fooled this turd needs a ton of money to get across the finish line. buy 1 done if you really need 1.
Another chicken hawk waiting for its prey.
I’ve always preferred a 1970 and had a 1970 Hugger Orange El Camino but between Facebook groups for Chevelle and Malibu and all the ads for them, parts etc, I’ve actually grown tired of seeing them. Sometimes even a cool vehicle is shown too much and to often some of the cool factor gets lost for me.
Another price dreamer. Good grief for 25K or less I can buy a driver.
No low ballers I know what I got
Let see, the car’s worth $12k…. BUT I have a piece of paper that says where it was shipped from and too so let’s make it $25k. Seems fair. : )
One way to know if its a factory SS car, most dont realize due to the fact it isnt really noticable, but the Z16 package that came with the sport suspension added extra braces to the frame for the rear upper trailing arms, by the looks of that car its body has never been off the frame, a true 70 ss the frame would have the extra braces welded at the top of them frame arches where the trailing arms connect
I didn’t know about that stuff, but the interior SS stuff is gone. No factory circular gauges behind the steering wheel, original bucket seats are gone and so is the center console. The cost of that stuff is atronomical, if you can find it at all. My guess is that it isn’t a SS.
Would it have hurt for the person that thinks this car is worth $25,000 to have pulled it out a little further and washed it and taken some pictures of the inside and trunk and underneath.
There are 2 traits that sellers with severely overpriced dust covered junk that’s been sitting for years tend to have, they are arrogant and lazy.
Steve R
Car is a neutered alley cat that someone else took to the veterinarian-again.
What we have here my friends is a broken Chevelle. Period.
Before this, I never knew that the NCRS got involved in vehicles other than Corvettes. I guess that if they have the information for other makes, why not share it.
Didn’t the SS come with the Cowl injection hood? Something just doesn’t look right about this car.
They came with a domed hood, without the flapper cow cowl induction towards the back by the base of the windshield. The functional cowl induction, with the hood flap and different air cleaner assembly, was an extra cost options.
The most likely explanation for the flat hood is the original was stolen, rusted through or damaged in an accident.
Steve R
Steve, I do disagree with your opinion regarding flat hoods for the 1970 Chevelle SS model year. Per research, many dealerships would order the flat hoods to reduce cost, and make it more marketable in there region of the United States. My 70 Chevelle SS “L” coded from the Kansas City Plant was ordered with the “Flat Hood” and the dealer added the stripes per the customer request. I did attached below just a little blurb regarding the issue
• Flat Hood Variations: While the SS package came with the domed hood, some rare factory or dealer-substitute quirks occurred. In historical cases, specific regional dealerships or special fleet/cost-saving orders resulted in cars leaving or being delivered with a plain flat non-SS hood to lower the sticker price. Additionally, owners or body shops frequently swapped hoods over the decades due to damage or personal preference.
It’s an old pile of junk that has had numerous people working on it throughout the years. When I was buying these cars, nobody gave a crap about cowl tags and NCRS reports, etc. Why? Because the speculators were not around yet and stupid auctions that drive up prices. The so-called old car hobby has been ruined for many years. Glad I bought my cars 50 years ago. They are REAL. I am sure the haters hate me. I could give less than two s*&S.
What a shame and all the SS dash stuff is gone. Who knows what else. I am a 1971 Chevelle owner my self. Where do these people come from with these people come up with these prices. This is a 10K- 12k car here maybe.