1970 Chevelle Trivia

Any interesting trivia for 1970 Chevelles?  Let me hear from you and be sure to specify 1970 trivia as the subject.

»» Even though the 396 cid engine now displaced 402 cubic inches, with the Z25 SS Equipment option it was still marketed as a 396 engine. The base 396 engine now was the L34 350hp version as the 325hp version was discontinued.

»» The L78 396/375hp engine was discontinued by early December with the release of the LS6 454/450hp engine.

»» A second 402 cid engine was available in all non SS-optioned Chevelles under RPO LS3 and was rated at 330hp. Many of those with this engine in a Malibu have dubbed them a Malibu 400.

»» A new 400 cid small-block engine was introduced as the Turbo-Fire 400 (the 402 cid big-block was called the Turbo-Jet 400 in non-SS optioned Chevelles). This engine came with a 2-barrel carburetor and was only available in the Monte Carlo and full size Chevrolet models.

»» With the introduction of the 454 option, RPO Z15, the Chevelle now had two distinct performance options; the Z25 with the Turbo-Jet 396 and Z15 with the Turbo-Jet 454.

»» While the Z25 (SS 396) option could be ordered with an M20 or M21 Muncie 4-speed or TH400 automatic, the Z15 option (SS 454) mandated either the M22 or heavy duty TH400. It's uncertain if the M22 was available with the Z25 option or not but to date no buildsheet I have shows one being ordered.

»» The LS6 engine option proved to be more popular than the base LS5 (454/360hp) in the Z15 option. Of the 8,773 Z15 options sold, buyers opted for the LS6 4,475 times while 4,298 Z15 buyers were happy with the LS5 engine.

»» The new Monte Carlo had its own SS 454 option under RPO Z20. The LS5 was the only engine available in the Monte Carlo SS. See The First Generation Monte Carlo website for more details on the 1970 Monte Carlo.

»» The Chevelle 300 Deluxe series name was dropped in favor of the Chevelle Standard name. Also gone was the 2-door pillar coupe "27" model designation and all 2-door Chevelles, except convertibles and pickups, were now sport coupes.

»» It is suspected that Arlington, Atlanta, and Flint did not build convertibles and possibly neither Atlanta nor Flint built any station wagons in 1970; it is known that Atlington did build station wagons.