SS4REAL's ...SS for real !
 

As with many members of the SYC site who have relentlessly pursued their dream cars for years, I tracked this 1970 Chevelle SS454 LS5 for many years and across 3 states before I was able to work a timely deal with the previous owner. Speaking of owners, I'm the lucky 4th owner of this frame-off restored Chevelle. Built at the Lakewood Plant in Atlanta Georgia during the 4th week of January 1970, the Chevelle was shipped to Rich Chevrolet & Cadillac in Ridgway, Pennsylvania. As the story unfolds, the original owner was Gary Greenwood who owned Greenwood Oil in Williamsburg, Pennsylvania and he kept the car until October of 1988. The second owner was a very talented machinist and hot rodder who completed the full frame-off by 1993. Looking to build another hot rod, he sold the car to the 3rd owner out of Chicago in October of 1994 who was heavily into muscle cars of all types and a professional wrench. The car was brought to even higher standards and was a recipient of a Chevy/Vettfest National Silver Spinner Award in February, 1996. When the owner moved from Chicago to San Diego, I called on the car out of Hemmings and found it less than 5 miles from my work in Southern California. As real estate in San Diego began to escalate in price, I was able to trade my 1970 SS454 Monte Carlo plus some cash to the owners at just the right time as they were looking to make a down payment on a house. I've owned the Chevelle since April, 1998.

In addition, I've got the original build sheet which was found glued inside the door panel and documents every option that is on the car today. I took it off the show circuit and I've put about 500 miles per year on the odometer which reads 78,591 as I write this. The car was dyno-tuned by Joe Jill at Superior Automotive in Southern California and puts out a respectable 287.6 peak HP at the rear wheels with 415.7 ft. lbs. max torque through it's original engine, transmission and rear end. Photographed by Robert Genat, the car is on the cover of his book titled "Chevrolet SS" with multiple photographs inside. It's a lot of fun and there's nothing like the sound of the M22 backed by a big block Chevy going through those gears.

Jim Ross
SS4REAL on the SYC site


http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v1...hevelle022.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v1...elle004700.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v1...elle005700.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v1...elle019700.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v1...elle012700.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v1...hevelle008.jpg

Re: SS4REAL's ...SS for real !
 

Way Cool! Nothing better that a red with black stripe Chevelle SS 454. https://www.yenko.net/ubbthreads/imag...iggthumpup.gif


Bruce

Re: SS4REAL's ...SS for real !
 

Neat cat..Unusual interior color though. What is it called?

Re: SS4REAL's ...SS for real !
 

Gorgeous car! The interior is Code 770. Which is "Saddle Vinyl Bench". Gives the car a nice contrast. https://www.yenko.net/ubbthreads/imag...lins/beers.gif

Re: SS4REAL's ...SS for real !
 

VERY nice Jim!! Very nicely done. Got one of the Lane Collectable LS-6's yet? Perfect match. Enjoy the car!

http://www.diecast-pub.com/forums2/i...=17372&hl=
Rick

Re: SS4REAL's ...SS for real !
 

Love the red ones! Beautiful car and probably a real blast to drive.

https://www.yenko.net/ubbthreads/imag...iggthumpup.gif x 100

Re: SS4REAL's ...SS for real !
 

Do you really keep a cover on your John Deere lawn mower ?

Re: SS4REAL's ...SS for real !
 

Hey, that John Deere mower cost more today than the Chevelle did when it was new. Ok, it was just covered for the pictures and to see who would figure out what I had under the cover first.

Re: SS4REAL's ...SS for real !
 

It must have Spin Steer to cost that much..

Re: SS4REAL's ...SS for real !
 

I hate you!!!! I am so jealous! I have not seen that much of my garage floor since I bought my house.
https://www.yenko.net/ubbthreads/imag...s/confused.gif

Pantera

Re: SS4REAL's ...SS for real !
 

Beautiful car.

Re: SS4REAL's ...SS for real !
 

Congrats. Beautiful car AND garage.

Morris

Re: SS4REAL's ...SS for real !
 

I don't even want to think about the car or else I will want it and I don't have room or the $$$$ for one. https://www.yenko.net/ubbthreads/imag...s/confused.gif

Re: SS4REAL's ...SS for real !
 

Thanks for the comments (yes, I have the Lane model too). The main garage is 46 x 30. I'm building another that will look like a showroom this summer and will be about 40 x 30. Here are a few outside shots of the Chevelle before the snow started here in Oregon and the John Deere was converted to a snow thrower.

Re: SS4REAL's ...SS for real !
 

another

Re: SS4REAL's ...SS for real !
 

last one...

Re: SS4REAL's ...SS for real !
 

Watch out for the flying golf balls!! Which course is that?

Re: SS4REAL's ...SS for real !
 

Lost Tracks golf course in Bend, Oregon. It's ok now to drive up to the clubhouse in one of these.

Re: SS4REAL's ...SS for real !
 

All you need now Jim is some heavy rope and some wooden stakes!!

Re: SS4REAL's ...SS for real !
 

That just brings tears to my eyes. I want one just like it so bad. I should have been born rich cause I would have one of each of GM's best.

Re: SS4REAL's ...SS for real !
 

Did someone say, "Heavy ropes and wooden stakes?!" https://www.yenko.net/ubbthreads/imag...ns/naughty.gif

Re: SS4REAL's ...SS for real !
 

Dat be da one! Wouldn't it be neat to replicate that again. https://www.yenko.net/ubbthreads/imag...iggthumpup.gif

Re: SS4REAL's ...SS for real !
 

The ropes would have to be wrapped in diapers or micro fleece to keep from damaging the paint! https://www.yenko.net/ubbthreads/imag...ns/naughty.gif https://www.yenko.net/ubbthreads/imag...ns/naughty.gif https://www.yenko.net/ubbthreads/imag...ns/naughty.gif

Re: SS4REAL's ...SS for real !
 

Very sweet!! I'm still looking for a 1-3 owner SS flapper car. https://www.yenko.net/ubbthreads/imag...lins/frown.gif A big garage with a furnace too. Holy smokes.

Re: SS4REAL's ...SS for real !
 

Thats the nicest red paint job ive ever seen,!!!

1970 Chevelle SS 454
 

Well here are a few pictures of my new pride and joy. Several of you probably figured it out in September but this is the car I finally purchased after two and a half years of looking for a Cranberry Red LS5/M22 1970 Chevelle that met all the criteria I was looking for, a documented, born with drivetrain car, with complete ownership history to fill the void of the first car I ever bought back in May of 1987. My first Chevelle was a red L34/M20 car that needed everything but over the years I decided a LS5 would be the perfect Chevelle for me since they were half the price of a LS6, still had a M22 and a were little rarer. I started seriously looking for a Chevelle in May of 2019 after I found a black LS5/M22 survivor in Atlantic, IA with 21k miles that I passed on that my buddy Mark ended up buying. Looking back I should have bought the black car but I didn’t have the space for it at the time but it lit a fire in me to start looking for a Cranberry Red or Shadow Gray to replace my first Chevelle. I started looking online every day and quickly realized finding a documented car with the original drivetrain would be a lot harder than I first thought since most were clones, restamps or had fake build sheets. In May of 2020 my girlfriend and I sold our 69 COPO Camaro so I finally had the space for a car but still wasn’t having any luck finding one so I finally put a want ad on the Yenko site looking for one. In February of 2021 a Shadow Gray LS5 popped up on the Minneapolis Craiglist so I drove up and looked at it that night. It had the nicest build sheet and window sticker that I’d ever seen but had some poor trunk, floor and quarter panel repairs I didn’t want to deal with so I passed on it and kicked myself all the way home figuring the next person to come look at it would probably buy it( they did the next day). Around this time my buddy Mark sent me the link to the thread of the red LS5 69L78 found back in 2013 and posted about here on the Yenko site. While looking through the thread I noticed a post by SS4REAL about his LS5 Chevelle so I sent him a message asking if he knew of any others like his. He didn’t but we agreed to stay in touch and over the next several month’s I kept Jim in the loop about how my search was going and found out he had just as much trouble finding his car back in 1998. In late August a friend give me a lead about a red LS6 Chevelle project with the original engine that was missing the original transmission and rear end. Waiting to hear back from the owner to find out if the carb and distributor were original(they weren’t) I found out the car had been sold 4 minutes earlier. The next day I emailed Jim and let him know about my good luck and he told me for the price of the project car he’d sell me his LS5. Since I really wanted an LS5 anyway and knew I wouldn’t be able to afford restoring the LS6 until I retired I went ahead and pulled the trigger on this car. A few days later Jim set me up with Jim from Enclosed Muscle Transport and three days later the car arrived here in Iowa. All I’ve done to the car so far is install an original looking shifter handle and knob on the Hurst shifter and purchase a dated carb, starter and water pump for it to get it as original as possible eventually. Last week the new F70/14 Goodyear Polyglas tires I bought from Rusty arrived so my son and I put the original wheels back on it and I’m thrilled with the stance of the car. The new personalized license plates for it showed up for it yesterday, while I was devastated that SS4REAL plates were already taken here in Iowa I was pretty happy that I was able to get 70SS454 by putting a O in the form instead of 0, especially since the zero in IA has a / through it. While I was originally hoping to find a car with black interior, since we put the Goodyear tires and original wheels back on it I’m really falling for the saddle interior and couldn’t be happier with the car. Sorry for the book but since I bored everyone about my search in my want ad for the last year and a half I wanted to update those who cared to read about it and to thank Jim for being such a great guy to deal with and tip my hat to him for taking such great care of the car for the last 23 years.

To me, that Saddle interior looks SOOOO much better with red than black does. Really brightens the car up.
Congrats on getting a car you've wanted for so long.

I bought an original, 1 owner, LS5/M22 in 1973 for ~$2,200. Do I wish I still had it, um yeah, but I swapped the engine out for an LS6 in about 1977 and I still have the original LS5 in my '66 SS...:headbang:

Congrats and stunning SS 454 LS5, love the Saddle bench seat interior !

Carnut4life curious to know what plant that car was built in as I see SS door panel emblems and a 5000 Red line Tach ?

It's an 01D Atlanta car with the 938 code 5k tach error on the build sheet Danny. I'm assuming the car originally had Malibu emblems but I doubt I'll change them. This is the car I sent you the message on Facebook about a couple days ago looking for the headlight molding trim. It's an early enough car I figure it probably had them when new? I also got the 1970 Chevrolet dealer kit from you and Tom to go with it since the car on the cover is almost a twin to this car.

Wow Chad did not know thats your car, just beautiful, yes many SS 454's built out of Atlanta had the 5000 red line tach. Easy fix on the door panels anyways ! I'll try hard to get you those Extension moldings soon. I posted the same photos in our group of your car. Enjoy that beautiful ride, I really love it.

Great looking car for sure. I want one of these now.

----I easily could be wrong, but I have always been under the assumption that LS5's have always had SS door panel trim. LS5's were available from opening day and LS6's as we know weren't out really until late Nov, early Dec. My old LS5 convert's door panels were never off until I took them off in 1978 or so and positively had SS emblems. It was an Atlanta SS.....Bill S

Just a beautiful car all around. Would love to find one like this.

Awesome. I also think in a sea of black interiors, saddle is very refreshing.

Beautiful car. Congratulations on finally finding a nice one.

I was always lead to believe the 454 engine could not be released until January 1. My 02 Kansas LS5 had Malibu door emblems.

I could easily be wrong too Bill, I believe no SS 454 Chevelle's' had SS emblems on the build sheets like the SS 396 Chevelle's did so it's pretty common for them to have either SS or Malibu emblems but I think its more common for earlier cars to have Malibu emblems. As far as the production dates go, from everything I've read the LS5 and LS6 cars both came put late due to the changes made to the M22.

Holding out was well worth it! Congrats the saddle interior looks killer on the red!

My son was dying for a ride in the Chevelle so we finally took it out for the first time this afternoon and got a few pics of it.