1970 Chevelle Restoration
Article by Mark Trotta
Based on GM's popular 'A-body' platform, Chevelles are sought after by muscle car collectors and racers alike. Aside from it's good looks, it's easy to upgrade performance, brakes, and suspension.
Introduced in 1964, Chevy's intermediate-size Chevelle was available as a 2-door sports coupe, 2-door or 4-door sedan, 2-door or 4-door wagon, or 2-door convertible.
For 1970, the exterior was completely restyled, including new front sheet-metal and tail-lamps mounted in the rear bumper.
Engine choices included the standard 155 horsepower six-cylinder, a 200-horsepower 307ci V8, a choice of 350's, and three big-block V8's.
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This 1970 Chevelle left the factory as a Malibu sport coupe, equipped with a small-block V8, four-speed transmission, bucket seats and floor console. The exterior was black cherry (burgundy) with a black vinyl top. The interior featured white seats with black dashboard and carpet.
The Purchase
A previous owner had replaced the original engine with modified 327ci small block. It had a 350-horsepower cam and factory slant plug heads. They were the cast-iron, parts-counter-only version.
Topping off the motor was a dual-feed Holley 4-barrel on a single-plane manifold, and dual-point distributor with mechanical advance. The engine made great power after 3,000 rpm, but was sluggish at lower RPMs.
The original exhaust system was gone--in it's place was a pair of glass-pack mufflers hanging off the back of aftermarket headers. Air shocks and traction bars had been installed, and the factory rear axle ring and pinion had been swapped for 4.11 gears.
On the outside, the rear fender wells had been cut and six-inch fender flares were added. The factory rally wheels were replaced with oversize Cragar S/S mags which stuck out of the wheel-wells. This modification may have been cool in the seventies, but did not belong on this classic Chevy!
Repairing the bodywork was very time-consuming. Every exterior panel was stripped down to bare metal, and both rear quarter panels were replaced.
Read: 1970 Chevelle Bodywork
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Engine Overhaul
While restoring an old Chevelle, fewer things will be more fun than rebuilding a small-block V8.
Since this car was to used as a daily driver, I needed to bring the engine performance back to a streetable level.
The first step was camshaft selection. There are so many choices here, actually too many. It's very easy to pick the wrong cam for your SBC motor.
I kept it simple - I took out the 350hp cam and installed a factory-spec 300hp cam. The top end, which included the cylinder heads, camshaft, timing chain and gears, intake manifold and carburetor, were all changed together.
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Drum To Disc Swap
Once the motor was back together, it was time to do something about the front drum brakes. All 1964-1972 GM A-body cars share the same brakes (and suspension), and front disc brakes are interchangeable from 1968 to 1972.
There are two options to choose from when converting front manual drum brakes to power discs. You can either scrounge used parts from a donor car like I did, or buy an aftermarket disc brake conversion kit.
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Interior
Seems like this 1970 Chevelle had received all the "boy racer" additions. Inside, a red shaggy carpet ran underneath the factory console, which had been cut (hacked) to accommodate an non-stock Hurst shifter. The factory radio had been replaced with a cheap aftermarket unit.
Tires
In the five years it was my daily driver, the two sets of Pro-trac L60's were the most enjoyable tires I ever wore out!
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Parts Availability
Dozens of aftermarket companies offer nearly every replacement part needed for 1964 through 1972 Chevelle models. In addition to plentiful parts, interchangeability with other GM A-body cars is great. This includes 1964-1972 Buick Skylark, Olds Cutlass and 4-4-2, Pontiac Lemans and GTO, and Chevy Chevelle and Monte Carlo.
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