Bowing for the 1964 model year, the Chevy Chevelle was Chevrolet’s answer to the Ford Fairlane. The Chevelle was built on GM’s mid-size A-Body platform along with corporate cousins the Oldsmobile Cutlass, Pontiac Tempest, and Buick Special. The Chevelle rapidly became one of Chevy’s best sellers, available in coupe, sedan, station wagon, and El Camino car/truck variants. The Chevelle would also become Chevy’s prime player in the burgeoning 1960s muscle car wars.
American muscle car horsepower ratings would grow throughout the 1960s until they reached their pinnacle in 1970. Government regulations in the form of emissions and fuel economy standards, as well as insurance companies’ reticence to cover young drivers in powerful factory hot rods, led manufacturers to pull in the horsepower reins. 1970 was the final year for big power, and GM pulled out all the stops by removing their prior rule limiting cubic-inch displacement in mid-size cars to 400 cubes. With that, each of the divisions elected to stuff their largest engines under their mid-size muscle cars. For the Bow Tie, that meant cramming the 454 Big Block in the Chevy Chevelle.
The Chevy Chevelle 454 came in two different versions. The LS5 that produced 360 horsepower and 500 pound-feet of torque, and the absolutely brutal LS6 that made 450 horsepower (those in the know said closer to 500 was more accurate) and 510 pound-feet of torque. Both were equipped with Holley four-barrel carbs, and could be had with either three-speed Turbo Hydramatic automatic or four-speed manual transmissions.
Our feature 1970 Chevelle 454 has been the recipient of a frame-off rotisserie restoration. It is finished in bright red with white Super Sport stripes over a Parchment vinyl Strato bucket seat interior. The Chevelle is equipped with power steering, power brakes with front discs, a center console, tilt steering column, aftermarket stereo (no mention of Bluetooth), and a column-mounted AutoMeter oil pressure gauge.
Under the cowl induction hood, the Chevy Chevelle 454 Turbo Jet Big Block (no word on LS5 or LS6) has been dressed with roller lifters and cam, Edelbrock aluminum heads, Edelbrock aluminum intake, a Holley 800 CFM four-barrel carb, Hooker ceramic coated headers, and dual exhaust with Borla mufflers and electric cut-outs. Power moves to the rear wheels through a Turbo Hydramatic three-speed automatic transmission and a twelve-bolt rear end with 3.55 gears. A nice finishing touch is the painted driveshaft. The whole affair rolls on fifteen-inch SS five-spoke wheels wrapped in raised white-letter BFGoodrich Radial T/A rubber.
This bright red 1970 Chevy Chevelle will cross the Mecum Auctions block at its Kissimmee, Florida event on Friday, January 17th.
Comment
I’m pretty sure that’s an LS6. If you zoom in on the breather lid, it appears to say Turbo Jet 450 HP