1970 Chevrolet Chevelle for Sale

Models and how many were built

For 1970 the old 300 Deluxe name was gone: coupes and sedans were sold as Chevelle and Malibu, with the SS as an option on the Malibu sport coupe, convertible and El Camino.

• Malibu sport coupe: 301,878 built. The body nearly every SS started as.
• Malibu four-door sedan: 44,926 built, plus 21,479 four-door sport sedans.
• Malibu convertible: 7,522 built.
• SS 396 (option Z25): 53,599 built, El Caminos included.
• SS 454 (option Z15): 8,773 built, El Caminos included. Of those, 4,298 had the LS5 and 4,475 the LS6.

Chevrolet did not record how many LS6 cars were convertibles, so treat any exact figure you see quoted as an estimate.

Engines and transmissions

The range ran from a 250 cubic inch six (155 hp) and a 307 V8 (200 hp) through two 350s (250 and 300 hp). The "396" in the SS 396 actually displaced 402 cubic inches in 1970 and was rated at 350 hp, or 375 hp as the L78. The 454 came as the LS5 at 360 hp and the LS6 at 450 hp, the highest advertised rating Chevrolet ever gave a Chevelle.

Small-block cars could have a three-speed, a Muncie four-speed, Powerglide or the Turbo Hydra-Matic 350. Big-block cars got a four-speed or the Turbo Hydra-Matic 400.

Is it a real SS?

The 1970 VIN, on top of the dash and readable through the windshield, tells you the series, the body style and whether the car was built with a six or a V8. It does not identify an SS or the engine size. The cowl tag does not prove an SS on most cars either: tags from US plants usually do not show the option, though some Canadian-built cars carry option codes.

What does prove it: the build sheet (found over the fuel tank, under seats or behind door panels, depending on the plant), the Protect-O-Plate warranty card, and an original engine whose stamp pad has the right suffix code and, on most cars, the car's partial VIN. A 12-bolt rear axle, a cowl-induction hood, stripes, the round-gauge dash and SS emblems prove nothing, because all of them are reproduced and bolt on.

What to inspect before you buy

• Rust: the rear window channel, especially under a vinyl top, the trunk floor and its drop-offs, rear quarters and wheelhouses, and the floor pans.
• Frame: the rear rails, the rear crossmember and the body mounts.
• Engine stamps: restamped pads are common on cars sold as SS 454s. Compare the stamp with photos of known original pads from the same plant.
• Paperwork: price a car with a build sheet as a real SS and a car without one as a tribute, whatever the seller calls it.

Related listings

• 1970 Chevelle SS for sale: cars listed by their sellers as SS 396 or SS 454.
• 1969 Chevelle, 1971 Chevelle and 1972 Chevelle for sale, or every 1968 to 1972 Chevelle.
• Same platform: 1970 Malibu and 1970 El Camino listings.
• More of the era: classic muscle cars for sale.
• Background: is a Malibu the same as a Chevelle? and what an SS 396 is worth.