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Wrecked 1970 Chevelle SS

17K views 30 replies 16 participants last post by  RealRed70 
#1 · (Edited)
Hey guys,

I recently came across a wrecked 1970 Chevelle "SS" which I feel is basically a parts car. The frame rail in the front isn't too badly twisted but the rear of the frame mangled. It probably could be fixed but not very cost effective, and you end up with a salvage car in the end that never feels right. I would like to buy it but would like to know what's it worth as a complete car as-is? FWIW, it was recently "restored" (body on) and it seemed to be in great shape before it was wrecked.

Some details on the car:

It has a full black interior with buckets and a console. The dash is out of a 72 (it has the seat belt indicator) and the dash pad is cracked in the passenger corner. It has the tach package and a tilt wheel column.

The motor is a solid roller 454 (1971 "CPD" coded block) with a high rise manifold. I didn't cross reference the heads but supposedly they are 68 "COPO" heads. That's about all I can tell without taking anything apart. It has a "muncie" tranny, but not sure whether it is an M20 or 21 (it's not an M22 as per the owner). It does run and supposedly drives but I haven't tried to move it around.

It has the big block steering shaft, disc brakes and F41 suspension, although the rear control arms are aftermarket. It has a 12-bolt in it as well. It doesn't have cowl induction (although the hood is mangled anyways) and no hood pins either. I didn't check the numbers on the tranny or rear.

The windshield is toast but the rest of the glass is good. The only good sheetmetal on the car is the roof, passenger side quarter panel and both doors.

There is no documentation with the car. Judging by the body tag, I can tell that it was originally black cherry (78) with an ivory bench seat interior (790) but no clue if it was originally an SS or not as everything it has that points in that direction could easily have been bolted on when it was restored.

Opinions???










 
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#2 ·
I know a guy that restored a 67 that was in far worse shape than that. Many people bring cars back from the dead in far worse shape than that. IMO I wouldn't call that a parts car
 
#3 · (Edited)
I know a guy that restored a 67 that was in far worse shape than that. Many people bring cars back from the dead in far worse shape than that. IMO I wouldn't call that a parts car
If I owned a body shop OR I got the car for free, by all means I would try to save it... but the guy wants some pretty strong money for it and I can already "estimate" in my head how much it will cost to fix this car properly. A donor frame would be the best bet. Personally, I would rather buy another car for a few dollars more at that point. You're looking at not only a body off BUT still have to straighten out all the mangled stuff. You have to remember that the car has no documentation, so it could have started life as a Malibu for all we know. If it came with documentation, I would never think about stripping it down!

If I buy this, it is strictly to transplant the drivetrain/interior into another Chevelle and part out the rest. I always wanted a 4-speed setup :)

I'm just waiting on what the gurus think this car is worth before I bite the bullet!
 
#8 ·
$6000 is way too much for that wreck. It can be fixed. It doesn't appear that the A pillars took too much of a shot on it but it's too hard to tell from the pictures. It needs a frame. I personally wouldn't waste my time trying to straighten it, plenty of other frames out there. All of the sheet metal is available. I'd tackle it.
 
#9 ·
$6000 is way too much for that wreck. It can be fixed. It doesn't appear that the A pillars took too much of a shot on it but it's too hard to tell from the pictures. It needs a frame. I personally wouldn't waste my time trying to straighten it, plenty of other frames out there. All of the sheet metal is available. I'd tackle it.
He is adamant that he won't take a penny less than $6k, even though I gave him a cash offer not too far off to see if he would flinch. He said he would rather part it out than take less, but that will take him quite some time finding the right buyers for the parts.

What would you feel comfortable paying for that car, complete?

I do want it, but I'm not looking to get hosed either. The end result is to build my own 70 SS out of another 70 coupe (that a friend of mine has offered to me for a decent price) and the parts off this car. I'm not too into numbers matching/factory correctness anyway, since anything can be faked this day and age. I'd rather build my own and enjoy the hell out of it :thumbsup:
 
#10 ·
He will never get remotely close to 6K for that car parting it out. he would be lucky, and I mean LUCKY to get $1500 parting it out. When a car takes a show like that, everything feels the effects of the impact including the engine and transmission. Who knows what kind of damage could have been done to them as well. If it were me, I'd consider $2500 and I would have to really want that car to redo.
 
#11 ·
He will never get remotely close to 6K for that car parting it out. he would be lucky, and I mean LUCKY to get $1500 parting it out. When a car takes a show like that, everything feels the effects of the impact including the engine and transmission. Who knows what kind of damage could have been done to them as well. If it were me, I'd consider $2500 and I would have to really want that car to redo.
Thanks... exactly the answer I was looking for. Now I don't really feel too bad about passing it up. The search continues I guess :D
 
#15 · (Edited)
If someone could come up with the VIN, I might be able to tell you if it is a clone or not. I built a car just like that around 10 years ago.
I didn't bother taking pictures of the vin and body tags since I was not interested in repairing it. I'm pretty sure the car is a clone though, a very good one.

I could be wrong but aside from it having the incorrect dash, isn't the center section of the steering wheel incorrect for a 70 Chevelle SS? Looks like it might be from a 69 Camaro SS.
 
#19 ·
I'm not sure how you guys figure that he'd only get $1500 parting it out. I see a big block, 4-spd trans (probably a muncie), console, SS dash, nice bucket seats, likely a 12-bolt. If anyone wants to make me a package deal on all of the parts above for $1500, I'll gladly Paypal the funds TODAY. ;)
 
#28 ·
HEYMAN said:
...over 3 grand?
GotGrunt said:
Double that :noway:

It will sit on his property and rot with that price tag...literally.
Years from now, his family members will end up having it towed to a junk yard as they're going through his possessions and settling his estate.

-Greg
 
#30 ·
Yes, it does have the 72 dash... it was covered up by a slick custom plaque which I immediately realized was a way of covering up the seat belt light. It was held on by double sided tape and popped right off. Although it does have most of the SS specific items, I think it's a good clone. There is no paperwork to back it up, it's not numbers matching, and why would a 70 SS have a 72 dash and a camaro steering wheel?
 
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