Brand recognition is a crucial consideration for any manufacturer in the consumer world. Once a company develops an instantly recognizable model, they tend to avoid changing the name to reduce the potential for lost sales due to buyer confusion. Such is the case with the 1970 Chevrolet Chevelle SS 396. That model year saw a marginal increase in engine capacity, but the SS 396 moniker was so widely accepted that Chevrolet elected to leave it unchanged. This SS is a stunning car with no apparent needs. It is rock-solid, numbers-matching, and it needs a new home. You will find it here on eBay in San Diego, California. The bidding is yet to reach the reserve, although it does sit at $51,100.
Chevrolet introduced its Second Generation Chevelle in 1968, and its styling was more sculpted and rounded than its predecessors. It gained wide acceptance, and sales were all that the company hoped for. Our feature car rolled off the line in Kansas City, Missouri, in 1970, and it presents superbly. Its history is unclear, but its overall condition suggests it may represent a previous restoration. Its Cranberry Red paint shines deeply, and if there are any imperfections, they are too small to show in the supplied photos. The panels are straight, but life in California brings one piece of vital news. Not only are the panels spotlessly clean and rust-free, but the floors and frame wear nothing but a consistent undercoat. The sparkling chrome is faultless, with the same true for the glass and wheels. The SS features a functional cowl induction hood, but the seller also includes the original for those preferring a faithful factory appearance.
If this Chevelle’s exterior makes a stunning first impression, its interior continues that trend. It is a sea of faultless Black vinyl that appears to be in as-new condition. There is no wear or UV damage and no signs of stretched seatcovers. The dash and pad are perfect, as are the wheel and carpet. Aftermarket gauges are mounted under the dash, but I can’t spot any further additions. The gauge cluster features a factory tachometer, while bucket seats, a console, and an AM radio should make life on the road pretty pleasant.
Lifting the hood reveals the one aspect of the 1970 SS 396 that must have caused Chevrolet a few sleepless nights. The new model year brought a slight increase in engine capacity for its big-block from 396 to 402ci. That left the company with a decision to consider. The “SS 396” badge clearly defined the old engine capacity, but using it would prove inaccurate with the engine update. After much soul-searching, Chevrolet felt that the brand recognition of the SS 396 was sufficient to justify allowing the new model to continue carrying that designation. There’s a bit to unpack with this aspect of the Chevelle. The air cleaner sticker indicates this car features the L78 version of the 402, producing 375hp. The seller supplies an engine block photo clearly showing a suffix of “CTX,” which means this is the L34 pumping out 350hp. The big-block sends its power to the 4.10 rear end via a four-speed manual transmission. If the owner pointed this classic at a ¼ mile, the journey would become a memory in 14.6 seconds. For purists, the news that this SS is numbers-matching will be welcome, as will the fact it runs and drives perfectly. If potential buyers seek a muscular classic where they can slip behind the wheel and drive off into the sunset, this could be it.
If you compiled a list of the top ten best-performing cars in the classic market, the Chevelle SS 396 would make the grade. This car emerged at a point when muscle cars were beginning to lose favor with buyers, but 53,599 people ticked the box to own an SS 396. This car is a stunning example that would suit a meticulous buyer, and the bidding history suggests people like what they see. Recent sales results suggest it will need to nudge at least $58,000 before passing the reserve. With time remaining in this auction, I believe it will probably make it.
It always seemed a bit silly to me that they mislabeled the engine capacity with this model. Glad to learn why that was the case, I learn something new every day on this website!
Wow imagine 1st to 2nd gear ⚙️ blasts in this beauty. Nice Chevrolet.
I think because “396” sounds earth shattering vs Hey I got a 402.
I prefer I got a 396 sounds more bad ass!!! LOL….
my brother in law had a 1972 Monte Carlo custom with the 402 basically it was a super sport setup with out the 454. It had buckets ,console gauge package etc.
Beach Boys did pretty well with “409”.
Just sayin’
Reason was gm was introducing the new 454 as the new beast however there were still some 396s sitting around in the warehouse but their bores were needing cleaned up so they overbored them 010. To clean them up thus 402 all 402s are 396s with cylinders .010 cleaned
Which equates to zero sleepless nights for the GM brass…
the 402 is .030 over not .010 and I have had them apart and it is .030 over
Just because a car is from California doesn’t mean it doesn’t have rust. Depends on where and how stored; near the salt water coastline or further inland, or…thanks for reading this.
Very true
Rust on a So Cal car is VERY rare.
I lived there 33 years, can’t remember ever seeing rust.
Yes, right on the beach they do rust but even there it’s rare.
U should still look but don’t expect to find much.
If that car was an A-Body with a vinyl top, rust didn’t care which state the car was in, trust me.
Really nice car but currently at 70k and reserve not met, it’s just a fantasy… sigh…
Does anyone really think 6 ci would make a difference in performance or sales? The 454 was not superior to the 427 in any meaningful way, so the markings on the cars were never a concern.
This is a nice car!
Not sure if matching numbers. Engine shows aluminum intake manifold which was used on L-78 375 horse engine. The 350 horse 396 L-34 had red cast intake so what does this car have. ? Is it an l-78?
This exact car is my favorite muscle car right down to the color, engine and transmission
The L34 engines in the 70’ SS cars really didn’t run all that well….the car was near 3800 lbs. curb weight, then you add the driver, possibly ps, pfdb, the smog….they ran high 14’s at best……the L78, of course, was a different story…..I’d be very careful with the engine description & #’s on this one…..just sayin’……
Humm, I beg to differ! My 396/402 ran beautifully and would pull hard to redline with the stock cam. The issue with ALL muscle cars of that era was the tires. Stock tires were F70-14’s bias-ply, which had a contact patch the size of a deck of cards and were about as sticky. With a set of good tires, even narrow slicks, these cars would drop half a second or more.
I’m talking strickly stock, no mods!……..with the F-70-14 polyglas tires, they were high 14’s………and with a not so good driver, handling the 4 speed & launch, 15’s……….
I have original road tests from 1970 clocking these at 15.5 in the low 90s (traction). The one I had as a teen M21 with 3:55s wasn’t earthshatteringly quick, but it was sex on wheels, so I didn’t care that much. I was a celebrity wherever I drove it.
SS. 396. Sounds more sinister
What a sweet ride!!! I would guess the odometer has flipped.
I read somewhere back in the day that the overbore was to clean up emissions on the 396.
Has anyone else heard of that as the reason. Neither horsepower or torque increased so that might be the reason
The 402’s were 330 Horse and the 396 was 325 Horse. I had one and it wasn’t a SS…came home from Viet Nam mid August so I’m thinking the 402’s were toward the end of the model year. I might be wrong but that was all I could find.
LS3 marketed as Turbo-Jet 400 for non-SS cars rated at 330hp. Very rare to find a 400 Malibu. Upgraded 350hp L34 was exclusive to SS along with early production L78 before being replaced by LS5 and LS6.
More lax emission standards on engines over 400ci at the time is believed to be reason for the size increase which makes sense because you see AIR pumps on low-hp late ’60s 396’s but there was no AIR pump on either 1970 L34 I’ve owned, one of which was a California car. Only difference between my ’70 CA L34 and my ’70 Oregon L34 is the CA car had a charcoal canister and a heat shield beneath the Quadrajet which the 34K original mile Oregon car lacks. So there was a cost benefit to enlarging the engines and with low compression on the immediate horizon in 1970, the jump to 454s and 455s also made sense to preserve previous levels of performance with milder tuning.
correct…
…….on the emissions
I remember this color combo was the 1970 poster child for the chicago auto show My dad worked security and I helped myself to a pile of posters and did my bedroom ceiling with them This brings back alot of memories when you were 8th grade at 13 yrs old
Sits at $70K and reserve still not met…. Beautiful car to say the least!
What beautiful car, one of my favorites. I always wondered when you have a car this nice why are you getting rid of it? It’s a one in a million, never could figure it. I had these cars in HS when they were $500 and I say now ‘what was I thinking” LOL
Dan, for me i always say no matter how great something is with time i will get tired of it.
I drove the same car in high school was my first big block, bench with 331 out back and painted corvette blue,
The 396 was/is a great setup untill i blew it up.
The Lt1 that replaced it would rev higher and i think the Lt1 (1970) Is the best smallblock of all time.( yes the new ones are great too).Would love to see a shootout between Lt1 and 350 hp 402 in a chevelle.
My 69 390 hp 427 camaro( nom) Was faster than 402 natually and a great motor.
My Ls6 motor that was supposed to go in place of the 402 went in a 67 firebird convert with a frame, The ls6 was faster than the 427. Would love to see a 427 435 in a shootout with the ls6 in a chevelle, even though i think the Ls6 would win.
Then came the 6-71 469 BBC in A code 68 gto 4 speed. By far the most fun( and power),no stereo needed. A guaranteed grin everytime you turn the key. As long as you can keep putting in 100 octane .
Back to the Ls6 , was the best set it and forget it motor, Dial it in and change oil and would take a pounding.
To me the 350 hp 396 was good, and chevy knew how, look at the 396 with 425 hp in the corvette.
The 70 chevelle is the peak, i had over a handful with 2 real ss cars , the thing i like about the malibu is the chrome strip running Down the fender and door( aqua with black gut) now i have a clone.
To me the 68 gto just looked better , and it seems Old John would just make a classier car at least 67-silver anniversary Ta , so Pontiac builds Excitement and Chevy builds the power. Not knocking the 400-428-455