Any Chevelle experts here? Need to ID a 1970 Chevelle SS. Is it real or not?

[George Smolinski]

Just stumbled across this car while looking for a Corvette. There is no build sheet. It's a 454 with 4 speed. I am assuming there are signs to look for to help determine if it's real or not. I'll post a photo or two very soon. Price is around $60,000 which I believe is dirt cheap if it's real. Thanks in advance for any help and advice.

[alsancle]

 An LS5 454 with NO build sheet at 60K is full price.

Edited August 29 by alsancle (see edit history)

[Matt Harwood]

A clear photo of the engine stamping pad and numbers thereon will verify (or disprove) a lot of things. Also get the trim tag and VIN.

[Tom C]

A 454/4-speed is a good start to being a real SS. However, if it’s not a numbers matching engine and there is not a build sheet it could very well be a clone. Take your time.

[Dodge55Royal]

1 hour ago, alsancle said:

 An LS5 454 with NO build sheet at 60K is full price.

He never said it was an LS5 (360 hp). If it's an LS6 (450 hp) it's obviously worth a lot more. Hopefully he'll post some pics....

[alsancle]

2 hours ago, Dodge55Royal said:

He never said it was an LS5 (360 hp). If it's an LS6 (450 hp) it's obviously worth a lot more. Hopefully he'll post some pics....

When somebody says "SS454 Chevelle" or "Chevelle with a 454" it is always an LS5.  When it is an LS6 the say "LS6" and don't bother with the 454 part.   I might be wrong but probably not.

 

It has  a better chance of being real if it is a LS5.   I would not buy a LS6 without the paperwork.

 

And Matt, you know a good restamp can be hard to detect.

 

There are so many factors that go in to musclecar pricing.   60K buys a lot of car these days.

[TAKerry]

I was under the impression that Chevy's of that era are very hard to prove unless of course there is definitive information such as a build sheet and any original documentation. Pontiac has PHS, and Ford has Marti. Dont think there is anything for Chevy.

1970 Chevelle with a 4 sp and a 454 is a great combination. For 60k I would assume the car is in great condition. If youre looking for a nice car to tool around in you almost cant go wrong numbers matching or not. I would think you could drive that car and have fun for a couple of years and still sell it for what you would have into it.

Even if its a well built clone I would think its worth the asking price. There are 3x's as many SS cars now than were originally built.

[JustDave]

Doesn’t the trim plate on the cowl always start with 138 if it’s a true super sport

[George Smolinski]

No one was around, but I saw a phone number on the shop door where the car is located. I took 2 photos and did NOT mess with, nor even touch the car. I have an aversion to being shot and/or getting an as_whooping for messing with someone else's car. I called the number this evening and spoke to the owner. He told me it was maybe for sale depending on what the price was. I replied, asking what he had in mind for an asking. he said $60K. I told him I would like to come and look it over and meanwhile, I would do some research. I'll be looking at it sometime after Labor Day, and Ill get the Trim Tag info and the VIN. I'll also look at the engine ID code and partial VIN on the front pad of the block per Matt's suggestion. Here's the 2 photos I took. Try not to drool too much.

[George Smolinski]

30 minutes ago, JustDave said:

Doesn’t the trim plate on the cowl always start with 138 if it’s a true super sport

Not on the 1970's. They were all 136.

As Matt stated, the engine ID code on the front pad will tell a lot. CRV suffix will be the LS6 and CRT is the LS5. IF the block hasn't been decked and the partial VIN on the pad matches the VIN, then there is the strong possibility it's a real SS454.

Edited August 30 by George Smolinski (see edit history)

[George Smolinski]

Are there any mechanical signs that will help ID the car such as fuel line diameter, suspension, etc.?

[George Smolinski]

4 hours ago, alsancle said:

 An LS5 454 with NO build sheet at 60K is full price.

 

1 hour ago, alsancle said:

There are so many factors that go in to musclecar pricing.   60K buys a lot of car these days.

Seeing 1970 Chevelle SS's while browsing FB and other sites with cars for sale, I would tend to disagree with you slightly. I see quite a few 396 cars in the $50,000 - $75,000 range. Even a good clone is close to that. A POS real one is in the $15,000 - $20,000 range. 

I think even if it's a clone or only possibly a real one with no proof, and the rest of the car is as good as the exterior looks, $60,000 may be a fair price for it. I'm just trying to not go nuts on it, so I'm asking about it here.

[Tom C]

I noticed that it does not have the typical Chevelle by Chevrolet trunk emblem or the SS that appeared on the rear bumper..

[John_S_in_Penna]

10 hours ago, TAKerry said:

There are 3x's as many SS cars now than were originally built.

To each his own, and I hope George finds

the car to his liking.  But today, muscle cars

are so ubiquitous that there are many others

if this one doesn't work out.

 

Much harder to find--and more interesting

to me--would be an excellent, handsome

Chevelle 4-door hardtop with a vinyl roof.

Even regular Malibu 2-door hardtops are

scarcer today.  And you'd have plenty of

money left over, too.

 

Edited August 30 by John_S_in_Penna (see edit history)

[PAV8427]

Fuel line should be 3/8 for all Big Blocks. 
Can also crawl under and check for f41 suspension bits. Cant recall if that was a must have option on the SS454. 
Biggest sign of that is a brace from upper to lower front control arm mounts at the rear. 

[Tom C]

1 hour ago, Tom C said:

I noticed that it does not have the typical Chevelle by Chevrolet trunk emblem or the SS that appeared on the rear bumper..

In fact it looks like the chrome is peeling off the rear bumper. Just be careful George.

[mercer09]

I would be glad to pay 10k more, get the correct papers and buy the real thing, if this is what I really wtd.

 

Chasing a "bargain" usually is NOT a bargain. How about when you want to resell?

Edited August 30 by mercer09 (see edit history)

[8E45E]

Find out where the car was actually assembled.  If it was assembled in Canada, GM Heritage Services in Canada can still provide  a build sheet for it.

 

Craig

[GrumpyJim]

Why are they always Red?

[TAKerry]

27 minutes ago, mercer09 said:

I would be glad to pay 10k more, get the correct papers and buy the real thing, if this is what I really wtd.

 

Chasing a "bargain" usually is NOT a bargain. How about when you want to resell?

A Chevelle, nicely built with a big block (original or not) will sell in the $45-$65k price range clone or not. I would not find an that as issue with this particular car. I would be more concerned with -condition of the interior

                                     -what the underside looks like, is it rusty and crusty or still nice and clean.

                                     -condition of body and paint. Is this thing full of bondo, chrome is failing and needs replaced etc.

                                     -condition of the mechanicals, brakes, fuel tank, fuel lines, brake lines, etc. 

                                     -condition of body bushings

                                     -CONDITION OF MOTOR, how does it run and simply how does it look?

One thing about these cars is there are always plenty for sale, so its not hard to get the best bang for the buck. Although the same body from '68 to '72 there are a couple of years that are more desirable to the die hard guys than others. I am thinking '69 is the sweet spot but could not say for sure.

[Ed Luddy]

1970 brings the most money. Unless it's an Oshawa Ontario built car very hard to prove without original paperwork which I'm sure the seller would have stated that he has it. Nice car, don't know about the price?? I've owned a number of Chevelle's, Beaumont's and El Camino's over the decades. My current 1971 El Camino SS 454 is a Kansas built car that doesn't have the original engine or transmission. Was sold in California new and ended up here in Canada a few years back, has had a body off resto and a bunch of high performance mods done to the powertrain. It has all the right stuff underneath, trim tag shows buckets and console code as well the rad cradle sticker shows 454. Is it a factory original? Don't know, don't care. Can't prove it so no point in arguing with people over it. Priced at $35,900 Canadian = $26,627 US dollar at todays rates.

[TAKerry]

Thanks Ed, I knew there was one year that was the sweet spot, '70 it is. For some reason the El Caminos do not bring near the money that a 2 door Chevelle does. Pretty much the same car with usefull space in the back.

[alsancle]

I love the Cragar SS wheels.  Ran them on my GTO as a kid.  But for 60K it would make me wonder...

[Dodge55Royal]

 I bought this '70 SS396 with the build sheet and a thumb drive with over 600 restoration pics on it for $51k six years ago. The guy lives in northern Indiana and only restores '70 Chevelles. This one took him 3 years which isn't bad considering that he has a full time job and a wife and a couple of young kids. He did it as original as possible with the original wheels and a set of Firestone bias ply tires similar to the ones that came on it in 1970. It was sold new in Columbus, Georgia to a guy who just came back from Vietnam and bought it off the showroom floor. He had the original engine and trans professionally rebuilt and of course included the receipts. It had the black bucket seat interior and automatic shifter on the floor. I put a bunch of pics from the restoration in a big frame ($10 at Goodwill LOL) along with some info on the car's background and restoration and a copy of the build sheet to display at car shows and cruises. I sold it after a couple of years for $55k to a classic car dealer in Michigan (who sold it in less than a month with an asking price of $79k) because I was always really nervous when driving it since I didn't want to get any nicks or scratches on it. Good luck with yours....

 

 

Edited August 30 by Dodge55Royal (see edit history)

[Ed Luddy]

On 8/30/2024 at 9:24 AM, TAKerry said:

Thanks Ed, I knew there was one year that was the sweet spot, '70 it is. For some reason the El Caminos do not bring near the money that a 2 door Chevelle does. Pretty much the same car with usefull space in the back.

There's about a 20% difference in coupe and El Camino prices locally. The further away from cities you go the prices get more even. That's in rural Canada I have noticed.

[8E45E]

32 minutes ago, Ed Luddy said:

The further away from cities you go the prices get more even. That's in rural Canada I have noticed.

Proves they don't make a good Farm Truck!!

 

Craig

[George Smolinski]

FYI, I passed on the Chevelle. Can't see spending that kind of money on a fake.