This 1970 Chevelle checks a lot of boxes. SS 396 L34 engine. Muncie 4-speed manual transmission. One owner. Numbers matching. Fathom Blue paint. Documentation to verify authenticity. But it needs a complete restoration having been off the road since 1979. Located in Napoleon, Ohio, interest in the auto has brought the bidding to $29,300 here on eBay, but the reserve is unmet. If you want to pass-go, click the Buy It Now button and hand over $36,500.
The big news for the Chevelle Super Sport in 1970 was the addition of a 454 cubic inch V8 to replace the 427. Those engines could be tuned at the factory to produce as much as 450 hp. But that wasn’t all. The 396 had been changed to a displacement of 402 cubes to keep insurance agents at bay who had come to know what the 396 was. And yet, because of built-up brand equity, Chevy decided to still call it a 396. The least the L34 would output was 350 hp at 415 lb.-ft. of torque. This was the most often chosen motor and estimates peg production at more than 50,000 copies.
For reasons unknown, this 1970 SS 396 was parked in 1979 and stayed in hiding until the seller bought the car from the original owner (or family) a few weeks ago. We’re told the Chevy has never “been apart” so all the hardware may date back to 1970. Like the carburetor, alternator, distributor, and all five SS wheels (AO code). No mention is made of any attempts have been made to get the car running. This SS has the proper F41 suspension and the original 12-bolt rear end with posi-traction.
As you might expect, the blue paint is ready for a do-over and there is some rust in the sheet metal, mostly in the lower extremities. Inside the passenger compartment, things look better with only the driver’s bucket seat jumping out as being worn. This Chevelle came with an AM radio and an 8-track tape player, but that was replaced at some point. The indicated mileage is 28,735 and my intuition tells me this could be legit. The seller has the car’s original title and complete (but tattered) built sheet which is needed to identify a real-deal SS.
30 Grand for a total rest project car! Reserve not met! …and that is why, there is no muscle car in my garage.
Hey Joe
What (In you opinion) is the proper going price
for a car like this pal? I ask because I have a 1970 Chevelle SS 454 in similar condition with a rebuilt 454 and new willwoods all around. runs great but loads of patina but Zero rust… I dont know what is a real world fair price
And another dreamer thinks he’s struck gold
Seems to be more and more of that going around.
Al, you are correct, he did strike GOLD! These prices are not going to sub-side…people need to understand the market…prices will continue to escalate..in 3 years this price will be cheap…these investments (and that is what they actually are) pay out much better then the stock market! If you dont like it, go ahead and pay for an over priced battery car that will be worthless in 5 years!
In 3 years, the tail end boomers like myself will be coming across these el cheapo at estate auctions as well as wives who will be happay as hell to take the 1st cash lowball offer as they want to get rid of what got more attention than them from their husbands. The millennials, gen Z, Gen RX, have no interest in these cars what so ever with manually shifting, adjusting carbs, missing USB port trauma, etc. Yeah, nice to think ‘old school’, but our gen is dying off & these gas guzzling, high ins premiums, will have no stay in the lives of the gen’s that arent even interested in home ownership, let alone a classic muscle. If your in good health, 62 or so, hang in another 5 years. These will come down. Not just supply/demand, it’s interest as well. I see what walks around at the classic car shows, & the only young ones, are those dragged around with their bald dads looking at them, anticipating looking at the last one so they can go home & get on their playstation.
I disagree. There’s plenty of interest from young people in the true classics. Otherwise, things would have settled down a long time ago. Auction houses hit new records every year and it’s not just old guys buying. As time goes on, there will be fewer and fewer nice old cars so the values will only go up.
Totally agree Jesse. I’m 45. Still have my first car, 70 gto. Currently frame offing a #’s 70 chevelle L78, driving a date coded LS6 leaving it ratted with minor rust, old paint, nice original interior, and exhaust exiting in front of the rear wheels. My 24 year old son is ridiculously deep in restoration of an AAR Cuda, and between us, we have multiple early trans am and numerous other cars in stages of restoration all intended to be driven as originally intended. He has many friends that share his interests and so do I.
I think the answer is somewhere in the middle. I don’t think these will ever lose interest. But I also don’t think today’s prices will sustain.
There are young people who appreciate cars. Many in fact. But most of them have been pushed into Radwood. So there’s really no emotional connection with these for them beyond the fact that they sound cool and are fun to drive..
Now that means something, don’t get me wrong. But I don’t think it means paying $60,000 for something like this, which is what you’ll be in to it if you restore it. Hecyou’llull probably be close to 40 just getting it in safe and presentable condition.
That is a lot of money to younger people, who don’t have the same affluence that Boomers did. So while I think muscle cars will always be desirable, I just cannot see these kind of prices sustaining themselves. It just doesn’t add up. IMO of course!
I think there will always be exceptions to what the market is doing and highly desirable cars will always command big money. But the days of the ‘70 307 Powerglide Malibu bringing stupid money are numbered
Judging by the rust in the rockers, and pretty much everywhere else… this is one of those cars sitting in the tall grass covered with leaves that was “not for sale” for many decades. Now the negligent owner has decided to sell and has huge expectations! I like patina more than most, but this is likely too far gone for the current bid price.
Original owner has already sold it.
It’s now on EBay by the 2nd owner who is hoping to flip it and at least double their money.
No way that was only on the road 9 years! Those seats are very durable and that wear is incredible.
A view at the brake pedal… during 128.000 miles used…
Paul – We bought a 1970 Chevelle Concours wagon in 1976 with over 100K miles on it up here in Boston MA area. The front seat was beat, and the rust and rot at that time are similar to the pictures of this car. This SS can’t be a low-mile car.
Raoul-F – I agree with you. That brake pedal has well over 100K miles on it.
Looks original but overpriced. Unfortunately, “never been apart” + Ohio = stock up on acetylene, penetrating oil, E-Z outs, and beer.
Wondering what this is …
https://i.ebayimg.com/images/g/Q8AAAOSwvOBjQH05/s-l1600.jpg
I would swap in factory aux gages giving 1 a smaller gas gage that would appear to “move slower”. lol
A few observations… the Hurst shifter, headers, and radio appear to be the only visible modifications made, and very common for the era. I’m surprised there aren’t aftermarket gauges and tach on the car. It has to have had a repaint at some point as the car was an original D88 hood and deck stripe car. Also, the vinyl top is not the original. This car has a seam down the middle, original tops had a seam on each side about 8-10″ above the drip rails. If this car sat since 1979 it makes you wonder what happened in those 9 years. But, restored, a 70 Fathom Blue 4 speed 70 SS396 Chevelle would be a super nice car!
@Russ Dixon
You wrote: “The 396 had been changed to a displacement of 402 cubes to keep insurance agents at bay who had come to know what the 396 was.”
Why would making the engine larger keep the insurance agents at bay? I have never heard an official reason of why Chevrolet changed their hugely famous 396 moniker to a 402 and then disguised it by still calling it a 396. But I have a theory and it seems to make sense in the overall scheme of things that were taking place at that time. Chevrolet was making displacement increases across the board for 1970. The 427 grew to become the 454, the 350 small block had been the biggest of those small block engines. Now the largest version became the 400 and the 396 big block grew slightly to a 402. Why such a small increase in size compared to the other two?
I think the answer to that is pretty simple. The biggest small block had grown to a 400. Suddenly, it was bigger than a big block! The 396 big block, that is. Now back in those years, it would not have been prudent to have a small block bigger than your big block. But the real discrepancy would be to have a big block which was smaller than a small block (400).
Hence, the cure to this problem is to make a 0.030″ increase in the bore size of the 396 and VOILA! Now we have a big block that is bigger than the biggest small block.
One other benefit Chevrolet derived from this was in the fender emblems for the full-size Chevy and the Chevrolet pickup. They only had to tool up for one emblem as the above vehicles all employed a 400 emblem regardless of whether they had a 400 small block or a 402 big block.
So, now all was right with the world. The smallest big block was bigger than the biggest small block. And the insurance agents never were involved!
The .030 overbore to the 402 was due to emissions standards, nothing more. Engines over 400 CID had less strict emission standards. This allowed Chevrolet to use the slightly larger engine and keep use the same HP and torque ratings as the previous engines. Chevrolet had huge success with the 396, and name recognition/branding is everything. Renaming the car the SS402 would have been a real gamble. One of the biggest increases of insurance cost back then was the 4 speed transmission. A 3 speed manual or an automatic had lower rates. Most of the 3 speeds were swapped to 4 speeds early on in ownership.
A friend of the family, had one of these, with the same motor and tranny….in fact if this had the white stripes on the hood & truck lid, this could be it.
But I think his was a ’69 as well.
So I spent time, as a teen in the back seat of these beasts, flying down the highways, in one of these SS 396 Chevelles, which could really chirp some time !
Perhaps where i became fond of the need for speed !
Tom, I totally disagree with your statement regarding a 70 Chevelle 307 bringing stupid money! You are talking about a one year body style regarding the 70 Chevelle. (the most sought after, within the Chevelle family) Yes I get it, that the 307 was a gutless wonder within this series. However, this gutless wonder is going to continue to bring big bucks within this market due to: 1 people cannot afford the big dollars for the Chevelle SS with the big blocks. 2 Moving into that vaccum will be the small blocks aka 307, that people may still be able to afford, however that will also be temporary, as rarity and supply will quickly move these car up into the next level.