When GM lifted its ban on big-block engines in mid-size cars for 1970, Chevrolet dropped a 454 into the Chevelle SS in two flavors: a wild 450-horsepower LS6 and the more common 360-horsepower LS5 featured here. Here’s what actually separated the two, and why the LS5 ended up carrying the big-block Chevelle banner for years after the LS6 disappeared.
The Pick of the Day is one of the most desirable of big-block muscle cars, a 1970 Chevrolet Chevelle SS 454 coupe, which the seller says is an all-original survivor that looks as good and runs as well as when it came out of the factory.
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For years, GM’s own corporate policy blocked its mid-size cars from getting engines bigger than 400 cubic inches, a rule that frustrated Chevrolet engineers who had a 454-cubic-inch big-block sitting right there and nowhere to put it. When that ban finally lifted for 1970, Chevrolet wasted no time, and the Chevelle SS went from a strong performer to a genuine heavyweight contender almost overnight. The catch was that the 454 came in two very different personalities depending on which option box you checked, one built for smooth street manners and one built to be raced straight off the showroom floor. The all-original survivor pictured here is the milder of the two, but “milder” in a 454 is a relative term.
Two Flavors of 454, One Legendary Package
Chevrolet’s SS 454 package arrived in two forms for 1970: the LS5, running a hydraulic camshaft and rated at 360 horsepower SAE gross, and the LS6, a solid-lifter, aluminum-intake version fed by a Holley carburetor and rated at 450 horsepower, offered only that one year. Both engines shared the same Mark IV big-block architecture underneath, a deep-skirt iron block with an undersquare 4.251-inch bore and 4.00-inch stroke, but the LS6’s aggressive cam and aluminum intake versus the LS5’s milder hydraulic profile and cast-iron intake made for two genuinely different driving experiences behind the wheel of what looked like an identical car.
Why the LS5 Became the Big-Block Flagship
The SS 454 option cost buyers $503 on top of the base Chevelle price, and while the LS6 grabbed the headlines and the NHRA and AHRA Stock and Super Stock class wins, the LS5 was always the more common of the two on dealer lots. That production gap widened after 1970: as emissions standards tightened, fuel octane dropped, and horsepower ratings shifted from gross to more conservative net figures, the exclusive LS6 was dropped, leaving the LS5 to carry the big-block Chevelle flagship torch through the 1971 and 1972 model years. An unmolested, numbers-matching survivor like this one represents that transition point about as well as any Chevelle on the market today. Share your thoughts in the comments below.
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AND WHERE ARE THE STRIPES?
You could get the SS package without the stripes, my brother ordered an LS-6 black with saddle interior no stripes.
Beautiful car and a real bad ass.
He was the only car in Top eliminator
(Super Pro now) that drove his car to the track.
Uncapped the headers put on some 12″ slicks. And was the top money winner winning 7 of 8 weeks in a row.
Sheila Thiel
Nice old Chevelle
Amber Renee Lee
How much
Sweet
Nice!
Very nice car looks awesome
great looking 70
1970 Boss 429 Mustang, with an ultra rare original holman/moody NASCAR prepped Boss 429 engine in it. Car has a narrowed rear end in it, and has been tubbed. Rest of the car is pretty much as it was originally. Great opportunity for someone wanting a real 1970 Boss 429 Mustang, as there were only 500 of them made. The right person could put the car back to original, without having to pay for all original one. The kicker being the engine that comes in it, which is worth almost as much as the car itself. Check out holmanmoody.com for contact info, and give them a call if your interested, serious inquires only please. Have plenty of pics.
This car should be parked in my driveway!
I inherited one from my dad needs alot of work but its a monster once runnin
Awesome car!