- Misrepresented on the Internet
- Make the car “right,” from top to bottom
- The end result was a fantastic transformation!
Some things are not always as they seem, and that was the case of the pictured 1970 Chevelle. Back in May 2007, it was misrepresented on the Internet as an “SS 454” 1970 Chevelle, and at the time was painted Cranberry Red with a black vinyl top. The buyer took the seller’s word for it and purchased the car sight unseen. Once the car arrived to the buyer’s home in southern California (from Michigan)the machine looked decent upon first inspection, but after driving it, he was greatly disappointed. The engine didn’t perform to what Sepulveda would have expected for a supposed high-performance muscle car.
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Within a few weeks after the purchase the eBay Chevelle was sent for a “dialing in” and that included installing a new ZZ 454 General Motors Performance Parts big block along with instructions to convert the car from an automatic transmission to a 4-speed, install factory air conditioning, power windows and perform some exterior detailing.
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After the car was dropped off to the shop, the proprietor knew there was something amiss with the car. First was the visual inspection that revealed the car was equipped with front drum brakes and all SS 396 and SS 454 1970 Chevelles came with front disc brakes as standard equipment, plus the differential was a light-duty 10-bolt unit, not the heavy-duty12-bolt that also was standard equipment on SS models.
Upon further inspection of theengine’s numbers, it was discovered that it was actually a 1977 truck engine(not equipped with 4-bolt mains and other high-performance internals). Thefront clip was removed and it was soon realized that the car had seen much usein the winter and there was evidence of rust in the cowl area and once the carwas put on the rack and further examined, it was discovered that the car wasrusted out in the floor area and patched up using tar, Bondo, and old licenseplates! Closer inspection on the frame revealed severe rust as well. It notonly was a bogus 454 Super Sport car, it also was a rust bucket.
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This bad news was communicated to the owner with numerous digital photos to document the condition and instructions were then received for QMCR to make the car “right,” from top to bottom and front to rear. The builder was told to take this car to the “highest standards possible,” as the car owner at this point wasn’t concerned about matching numbers and original documentation.
There were two different versions of the SS 454 Chevelle offered to the buying public in 1970, an “LS5” version that had 10.25:1 pistons, a hydraulic camshaft, a 750-cfm Rochester Quadra-Jet carburetor with cast iron intake manifold. This one delivered 360 horsepower @ 5400 rpm, with 500 pounds-feet of torque @ 3200 rpm.
A more radical “LS6” version was available, fitted with 11.25:1 pistons, a solid lifter camshaft, 780-cfmHolley carburetor mounted on an aluminum intake manifold. This was basically a race engine for the street and it featured a forged crankshaft that was cross-drilled and tuft-rided, four-bolt main caps for added strength, and rectangular port heads for improved breathing plus features like deep-groove pulleys. These engines were built tough, as the factory knew these versions would see high rpm use on a regular basis. A/C was not available on the LS6 version, and horsepower was listed at an impressive 450, with peak output at 5600 rpm, with500 pounds-feet of torque @ 3600 rpm.
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Factory and dealer literature was obtained, and include full information on SS Chevelles for 1970, including color charts and detailed specifications.
