Chevrolet Chevelle 1970 SS

An SS badge on a 1970 Chevelle didn’t guarantee a big-block underneath, the package spanned everything from a mild 350 up to the 450-horsepower LS6 454. This particular car runs a built, bored-out 350 with an Edelbrock carburetor, putting it in small-block territory rather than the big-block wars the model year is best remembered for. 1970 was the peak year for Chevelle performance options across the board. Here’s where a car like this actually fits.

Great looking Gold paint with black vinyl interior. Under the hood, you will find a 350 CID engine bored to 355 CID with a Edelbrock 650 CFM 4 bbl carb. Also comes equipped with an Aluminum manifold, headers and a new Flowmaster exhaust. The interior features black vinyl, a tach steering wheel, Vintage Air AC system, AM/FM radio, CD player, power brakes, power steering, seat belts, vinyl interior, radial tires with 17″ aluminum wheels…

Not every car wearing an SS badge in 1970 came from the factory with a big-block underneath the hood. Chevrolet sold the SS package on the Chevelle as a mix of cosmetics, suspension upgrades, and engine options that ranged from a mild 350 small-block all the way up to the 450-horsepower LS6 454, meaning two 1970 SS Chevelles sitting side by side could be worlds apart in actual performance. This particular car runs a built 350, bored to 355 cubic inches and breathing through an Edelbrock 650 CFM carburetor, which puts it solidly in small-block territory rather than the big-block wars everyone remembers. So where does a car like this actually fall in the Chevelle SS pecking order?

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The Year the Chevelle Peaked

1970 is widely considered the high-water mark for midsize muscle at Chevrolet, the one year the Chevelle SS lineup topped out with the LS6 454, a big block rated at 450 horsepower that made it one of the most powerful factory muscle cars ever sold. That halo engine tends to dominate the conversation whenever the 1970 Chevelle comes up, overshadowing the fact that the vast majority of SS-badged cars that year left the factory with far more modest small-block power under the hood.

Small-Block Builds Have Their Own Following

Small-block Chevelle builds like this one have their own dedicated following for practical reasons, they’re lighter over the front axle, generally cheaper to build and maintain than a big-block equivalent, and benefit from decades of aftermarket support from companies like Edelbrock and Flowmaster that make a bored 350 genuinely quick without chasing big-block numbers at all.

It’s a different kind of muscle car experience than the LS6 gets credit for, but for plenty of Chevelle owners, it’s the one that actually gets driven.

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