I own a 70 El Camino that has an SS style dash with the gauges and a tach. I have never found a build sheet so am unsure of what it came with originally but it has a 5,000 rpm redline on the tach. I have written in before and most people thought the 5k meant it came with a small block. I found an article in the new issue of "Cars and Parts" magazine with a 70 Monte Carlo SS 454 (360 H.P.)that also has the same tach with 5k redline. Just curious if anyone else has a 70 with a 5k tach and what kind of motor it came with. My Elcamino also has a remote control drivers rear view mirror and a maplight in the main rearview mirror and also a monitor for the windshield washer fluid plus power disk brakes. Would all this be part of some sort of option package or could people order any combination they wanted on a car back then. Thanks for any replys. RichF

I ordered a 70 Malibu in April 1970. (Still have it.) As far as I know, there were no "option packages" like there have been in recent years. You just went down the list and selected the ones you wanted. There could be an infinite number of combinations. -- Marv (Don't I wish I could go back and check off a few more?)

The washer monitor, map light and underhood light came in a package called ZJ9 Auxillary Lighting Group. My 70 SS454 had it. On coupes and converts it also included a trunk lamp. Odd thing is, the code ZJ9 did not show up on the build sheet, just all the individual lamps. According to the assembly manual, the washer monitor was discontinued on 1-16-70, my car was assembled on 1-19-70 and had it, they must have kept adding it to cars until the supply of parts was gone. It also had a 5000 redline, on an LS5. I have seen both tachs on LS5 cars, 5000and 5500 redline. My 5000 rpm tach number matched the buildsheet, so...who knows.
Remote mirror was a seperate option.
SS cars also came with 12 bolt rearends with a 7/8" swaybar. Where and when was your car built???

GM probably put 5000 red on the engines to keep them together till they got out of warrantie...FRED

Thanks for the replys. My V.I.N has a K which my books tell me it was made in Kansas City. I don't know how to decipher when it was built. It no longer has the original engine or trans. It now has a 350 motor and tranny but I have always been curious about the dash and tach. Thanks RichF

RichF,

I salvaged the gauges out of a 70 Monte to put into my 70 SS which orginally had idiot lights. I don't know what the motor of the Monte was but the tach is 5000 redline.

I know that this is very little help, but my guess is that cars that aren't technically "High Performance" (read: non-SS or lower output motors) came with lower redlines. This maybe illustrated in that the 454 360HP is a relatively lower output motor compared to its big brother the 454 450HP. I can't say for sure.

Michael J- You're on the right track...the 396/375 horse and the LS6 450 horse, along with the 427/425 horse and L88, were all high redline motors, as they were all 4-bolt mains, Big bolt rods, rectangle port heads, alum intake, and holley carbbed, and would rev to 6500 and above.

hmnn...im no expert, but my 396 redlines at 5k and i wouldnt say that it isnt high performance...i can still turn over 245's at roughly 20 mph so itll run a bit as far as overall or vs an ls-6 im not sure becauase i dont know any ls-6 owners. could the 5k have something to do with the rear end gear?at the sametime i should have much more top end and the car seems slightly limited since i red line at 5k. if anyone has a factory tach,
or the metal that goes around the inside of the back window please let me know, these are the only two things i have not been able to locate.

My 70 LS-6 has a 6500 redline. I also have the build sheet.

to: 70SS396,

I have your Tach. A 5,500 rpm redline from a '70 LS5 big block. It's in a complete cluster with all guages, and the OEM wiring harness. $325.

Sorry guys, I know this isn't supposed to be a bulletin board.