Parking lamps under the headlamps
A bumper without slots, with rectangular parking lamps right below the headlamps.4one source
Class of '70 · Chevrolet Chevelle · 1970–1972 body · second generation
1970Chevrolet Chevelle
New sheet metal and the 454: the SS 454 with the 450-hp LS6, the 402 still badged SS 396, and almost 302,000 Malibu sport coupes, Canadian-built cars for U.S. dealers included.
The year in brief
For 1970 the sedans, coupes and convertible got new sheet metal with a split grille, the headlamps set in it, and rectangular parking lamps below them in a bumper without slots. The wagons and the El Camino kept the 1969 panels.45
The 300 Deluxe name was gone in the U.S.; Canada kept it. The base car was now just the Chevelle, a sport coupe or four-door sedan, and it arrived only during the model year.45
GM now allowed engines over 400 cubic inches in its mid-size cars. The 396 grew to 402 cubic inches but kept its SS 396 badges, and the SS 454 package (Z15) brought the 360-hp LS5 or the 450-hp LS6.346
Only three models could have an SS package: the Malibu sport coupe, the Malibu convertible and the El Camino. Over-Drive's notes count 53,599 SS 396s and 8,773 SS 454s, El Caminos included.15
The story of the year
The LS6
The LS6 had 11.25:1 compression, solid lifters and an 800-cfm Holley on an aluminum manifold. At 450 hp, Consumer Guide notes, no production engine ever had a higher factory rating.36
It cost $263.30 on top of the SS 454 package, and more than $1,000 with the mandatory transmission. Over-Drive's notes count 4,475 LS6s and 4,298 LS5s, which add to its 8,773 SS 454s (our sum); Wikipedia gives the same 4,475 without a source.1256
The new $147.45 cowl-induction hood (ZL2) had a flap at the base of the windshield that opened at full throttle to feed the engine air.26
How to spot a 1970
What tells it apart from a 1969.
A split grille
The grille is split in two, with the headlamps set into it.4one source
Old panels on wagons and El Caminos
Wagons and El Caminos keep the 1969 sheet metal panels.5one source
No 300 Deluxe badges in the U.S.
The cheapest car is just a Chevelle.4one source
Production1one source
440,262 cars, by body.
Every trim line
| Body | Trim | Built |
|---|---|---|
| Station wagon | Nomad | 11,466 |
| Greenbrier | 8,178 | |
| Concours | 14,915 | |
| Concours Estate | 6,053 | |
| All station wagons | 40,612 | |
| 2-door sport coupe | Chevelle | 14,122 |
| Malibu | 301,878 | |
| All 2-door sport coupes | 316,000 | |
| 4-door sedan | Chevelle | 9,723 |
| Malibu | 44,926 | |
| All 4-door sedans | 54,649 | |
| 4-door sport sedan | Malibu | 21,479 |
| All 4-door sport sedans | 21,479 | |
| Convertible | Malibu | 7,522 |
| All convertibles | 7,522 | |
| Total | 440,262 | |
Over-Drive's table: U.S.-built cars plus the Chevelles built in Oshawa, Canada, for U.S. dealers; Canadian-market cars are not counted. Without the El Camino and the Monte Carlo the rows add to 440,262 (our sum). Over-Drive prints 489,582 with the El Camino, 2,152 more than its own rows add to (487,430, our sum): its V8 total is 1,613 above its V8 rows (our arithmetic), and its El Camino row leaves out 539 six-cylinder pickups that its six total counts. By the last serial number at each plant the year came to 660,012 Chevelles and Monte Carlos, about 24,454 more than the table; Over-Drive thinks they went overseas. One source only. The Greenbrier, Concours and Concours Estate rows add the two- and three-seat wagons together (our sums).
Engines345
9 engines. The code is Chevrolet's regular production option (RPO) code from GM's own lists; standard engines have none. Until 1971 the VIN tells only six from V8.
Gross ratings from GM's engine table of September 1969 and price schedule of February 1970. GM's own pages call the 402 both «Turbo-Jet 396» and «Turbo-Jet 400». The 375-hp L78 is not in that table or on the power-team page, but GM's AMA specification sheet of 15 October 1969 lists it as Z25/L78, with 11.0:1 compression and 375 hp at 5,600 rpm. Over-Drive prints two prices for it: $385.50 as an engine option and $210.65 for the SS 396 package with it (see the ruling).
Price when new246
Base retail prices in 1970 dollars, before options.
GM's 1970 kit has no model price page, and the only base prices we have are these two, from a 1985 Super Chevy article bound into the kit. The SS 396 package (Z25) cost $445.55 and the SS 454 package (Z15) $503.45 by Over-Drive's list ($446 and $503 by Consumer Guide's); the LS6 engine was $263.30 more (Super Chevy and Over-Drive).
Colors34
15 factory colors. 14 of the 15 color names are confirmed by a second source34; the swatches are approximate screen colors, not paint matches.
Classic White10
Cortez Silver14
Shadow Gray17
Tuxedo Black19
Astro Blue25
Fathom Blue28
Misty Turquoise34
Green Mist45
Forest Green48
Gobi Beige50
Champagne Gold55
Autumn Gold58
Desert Sand63
Cranberry Red75
Black Cherry78
The fifteen solid colors on Chevrolet's selection chart of 2 February 1970, written «Beige, Gobi» and so on there. Over-Drive lists nineteen, adding 26 Mulsanne Blue, 43 Citrus Green, 53 Camaro Gold, 67 Classic Copper and 72 Hugger Orange and leaving out 19 Tuxedo Black. No source we have counts cars per color.
Reading the VIN135
A 1970 VIN has 13 characters. Type one in, and the decoder reads it against the code tables on this page.
134690A1000013one source · GM's own example from its 1970 serial-number page, an illustration rather than a known car: The first Chevelle of any series built at Lakewood, in GM's example a V8 Chevelle four-door sedan (13469).
The code table
| Position | Meaning |
|---|---|
| 1 | Chevrolet |
| 3 | Chevelle |
| 1 · 2 · 3 · 4 · 5 · 6 · 8 | Series; an odd digit is a six, an even one a V8 |
| 36 · 37 · 39 · 46 · 57 · 67 · 69 · 80 | Body: 4-door wagon, two seats · 2-door sport coupe (hardtop) · 4-door sport sedan (hardtop) · 4-door wagon, three seats · Monte Carlo coupe · Convertible · 4-door sedan · El Camino pickup |
| 0 | Model year (1970) |
| A · B · F · K · L · 1 | Plant: Lakewood (Atlanta) · Baltimore · Flint · Leeds (Kansas City) · Van Nuys · Oshawa |
| 100001 → | Unit number, from 100,001 at each plant regardless of series |
Where to find it: Stamped on a plate on the top left of the instrument panel.3one source
Questions about the 1970
How many 1970 Chevrolet Chevelles were made?
Chevrolet built 440,262 for the 1970 model year: 40,612 station wagons, 316,000 2-door sport coupes, 54,649 4-door sedans, 21,479 4-door sport sedans, 7,522 convertibles.1one source
How can you tell a 1970 Chevelle from a 1969?
Four signs, each explained under «How to spot» on this page: parking lamps under the headlamps; a split grille; old panels on wagons and El Caminos; no 300 Deluxe badges in the U.S..45
What engines did the 1970 Chevrolet Chevelle have?
Nine engines, from the 250 cu in inline-six to the 454 cu in V8. The engine table on this page gives every code and rating, and the rulings cover the disputed ones.345
How much did a 1970 Chevrolet Chevelle cost new?
Base retail prices, before options: Malibu sport coupe, V8 $2,809; Malibu convertible, V8 $3,062.246
What colors did the 1970 Chevrolet Chevelle come in?
General Motors (GM Heritage Archive) lists 15 factory colors.34
Where is the VIN on a 1970 Chevrolet Chevelle?
Stamped on a plate on the top left of the instrument panel.3one source
Where the sources disagree
Every conflict we found for 1970, and how we settled it. All rulings.
Settled
The 375-hp 402 (L78) in 1970
Our ruling: Listed. GM's own AMA specification sheet of 15 October 1969 gives the 375-hp 402 as Z25/L78 for the SS 396 cars, although GM's engine table and power-team page leave it out. Over-Drive lists it at $385.50 as an engine option and at $210.65 for the SS 396 package with it, and Wikipedia says few 375-hp cars were sold. No source we have counts the cars.
What each source says (3)
- Its AMA specification sheet of 15 October 1969 lists a 375-hp Turbo-Jet 396 (402 cu in), Z25/L78, for the Malibu sport coupe, convertible and El Camino; its engine table of September 1969 and power-team page leave it out3one source
- RPO L78 at $385.50, and the SS 396 package with the L78 at $210.654one source
- A 375-hp cowl-induction version was available but few were sold5one source
Sources
- Chevelle production, 1968–1972 (five tables) Over-Drive Magazine · read 2026-10-11
- Super Chevy Showcase: 1970 Chevelle (Bill Petriko) Super Chevy (1985, reprinted in GM's 1970 Chevelle kit) · read 2026-10-11
- 1970 Chevrolet Chevelle – Vehicle Information Kit General Motors (GM Heritage Archive) · read 2026-10-11
- 1970 Chevrolet Chevelle Fact Sheet Over-Drive Magazine · read 2026-10-11
- Chevrolet Chevelle Wikipedia · read 2026-10-11
- 1970 Chevrolet Chevelle SS 454 HowStuffWorks (Consumer Guide Automotive) · read 2026-10-11
Keep going
Three more years.
1968Chevrolet ChevelleThe second-generation Chevelle arrives: a new long-hood body on two wheelbases, 112 inches for two-doors and 116 for the rest, and the SS 396 as a series of its own.422,878 built1969Chevrolet ChevelleA facelift with a chrome bar across the grille, the SS 396 turned into an option package, and 323 Chevelles with a 427 by special order.454,100 built
1971Chevrolet ChevelleSingle headlamps, round tail lamps in the bumper and lower compression for low-lead fuel: the SS became one package for any optional V8, and no source shows an LS6 Chevelle sold.345,449 builtSee the whole second generation.
Dimensions, production year by year and every ruling, 1968–1972.