what have I got?
 

Hi folks. Obviously I'm new here for I know nothing...your typical newbie. I've been helping a friend clean out her very large storage shed and found a car in there. We know it is a 1970 Chevelle...but don't know a lot more about it. Hopefully some of you can help us figure it out. Here is the info (and numbers) we've been able to find on it: the VIN number off the plate on the dash is 136370K182280. We also found the number 1021CRT on the motor. There is also an extra transmission with several numbers on it...they are: 3978764GM, 3885010, and Patent #3088336. There was also some literature that refers to LS-5HP. Any help I can get in further identifying this car would be greatly appreciated. Also, if there is something else I should look for to help identify what it has (or came with) it would be extremely helpful. Thank you.

Welcome to Chevelleforum ,take a lot of pictures and post them here and you will find lots of answers .Get pics of the gauge cluster to see if it has round or sweep style gauges ,seats ,as many good exterior shots of the car also .It may be a Malibu or it may be an SS ,hard to prove on a 70 as the vin doesnt confirm it .

The CRT in the engine stamp indicates an LS5 454, manual trans. Look a little closer at that stamp. Tonawanda plant stamped the engine with a T followed by 4 digits, followed by the suffix, CRT in this case. Also look to the right of that number and see if you see the assembly plant stamping, Kansas City assembly plant in this case, the K in the VIN. That stamping should have the partial VIN number of the car. It may be upside down from the other stamping, seems Kansas City plant did that.

The 3885010 looks to be a 66-67 Muncie main case casting number. 3978764 is a the tail housing casting number, 70-74 Chevelle. Hard to say what the trans is for sure other than a Muncie 4 spd.

Numbers on the motor should be here. Also welcome

I don't think very many Kansas City cars had build sheets found in them.

A few have been found taped to the back of the front fender or under the carpet but not many like I said above.


http://i777.photobucket.com/albums/y...p/EngineID.jpg

"I've been helping a friend clean out her very large storage shed and found a car in there."

Who does this happen to? Really?

A very LUCKY person !

Thanx a lot!
 

Thanx for all the help and advice. I still need to get photos to post here for more help, but from what I've learned it appears that the second set of numbers on the front of the engine are the same as the last 5 in the vin number...I'm guessing that means it's the original engine?? Any idea how I determine if the transmission is original? Should there be any matching numbers on it? I know it's a floor-shift 4-speed, but I haven't actually crawled under the car (right now it has two flat tires) to take a closer look. Thanx again for all the help/advice.

If the block has not been re-stamped.

Also, if the transmission is original, the partial VIN will be stamped on the case.

OK, I was able to get a couple of quick photos. They are not very good, but it's pretty crowded in the storage building it's in. I am going to try to air up the tires and roll it out and get better photos tomorrow. But for now, here is what I have. Hopefully someone can help me determine what it is/is not.

Has a lot of the makings for a real SS car. Check a few of the common places for a build sheet, you may get lucky. The fact that the VIN matches the block is a good sign. Get a picture of the engine pad if possible.

Thanx. I really am a dummy when it comes to this stuff...I have seen the term "bulid sheet" used in several posts. What exactly is a build sheet, what does it look like, and where are the most common places it may be located? I'm guessing the engine pad is the little tab that I found the numbers stamped on?? Again, thanx...and any advice is greatly appreciated!!!

Build sheet was used by the assembly worker to put the options on the car that it should have on it. They were never intended to be put in the car, but rather then throw them away they put them anyplace they could. They have been found under the carpet, glued to the back of the drivers door panel, in the back seat upper frame springs, on top of the gas tank. Black Cherry car is a very nice color. Looking at the motor a lot of original parts are gone. This car will need a lot of work.

Check this link out for some examples http://chevellestuff.net/1970/bs.htm

more info and photos
 

I got a chance to go back out and get a few more photos and information today. I had a friend who says he knows a little about cars go with me. We were unable to roll the car out of the storage shed, so I still don't have a good photo of the front of the car. I was able to get a close-up photo of the engine pad...it has two numbers on it: T1021CRT and 10K182280, which my friend says proves this is the engine that came in the car. He says it is an LS5-454. However, he also says the sheet metal is pretty badly rusted, so he thinks I would be better off taking the car to a car crusher. Any thoughts?

NO ,Dont crush it . Someone will restore it and 70 is a real popular year Chevelle so it wont be a problem to sell it .

For around 1500 you can buy all the replacement panels and less if you can get patch panels. Crushing that car would be like slapping your wife. You just don't do it.

Fat fingered from the phone- Corey

If that is a number matching LS5 there is no way that car should be crushed. I have seen far worst car saved. It has value and someone out there is dying to rebuild that car.

If all he wants is scrap metal prices for that car, I will drive back and pick it up.

Having the original engine and being what looks to be a true 70 SS it definitely has value. It will take a lot of money and time but there are plenty of people that would take on that project.

Ok, Thanx to everyone for the info and input. So if someone wants to restore this car, what kind of price tag should we put on it...I want to be fair to the friend I'm selling it for, but want it gone pretty quickly also...a quick sale without a lot of back and forth haggling. How much folks?

Hello Fellow Enthusiasts...

I am looking for a friend with a large storage unit containing an old desirable classic car. It can be (in order of preference) an early Chevelle convertible, a 60's Jaguar XKE Type Roadster, or a 50's MG-T series. ;)

I celebrate the good fortune that touches those around me.
Enjoy,
Bob

Now, a serious answer. I see them going all over the spectrum depending on condition, degree of rust, health of the engine and drive train. You can get a ballpark sense of its value by checking out similar cars on ebay. Certainly not the last word or authority, but it represents a large market and will show what similar examples have been sold for.

There are other sites, some have just stupid high prices, but look at several to find a range.

(I just gave 7500 for a real solid '65 roller convertible.)
Good luck,
Bob

Without seeing the car... my guess is it will be an easy sell for around $4,000 - $5,000.

I would agree with that, Not sure if it still has the original 12 bolt under it, or trans, or if the frame is rust through in places. Alot of variables for the price. I know by looking at the motor it missing a lot of original parts.

Hey guys, I'm jumping in a little late on this one but wow, why can't I find stuff like that? As far as what is it worth? You can tell a lot about a factory stamped block by reading a bunch of fakes. In 1970 the factory broached the decks with a series of cutting blocks that dragged across the decks in a straight line. I'm going to say 99% of machine shops out there today would not take the time to duplicate the factory broach marks. Most aftermarket deck jobs will be done with a circular machine so it would have a semi-circular pattern. The fact that it has been sitting and has a lot of rust would be a death sentence for a regular Malibu but the fact that it is an SS would leave a large market for it. It might not be an LS6 or an L78 but it still has value, especially if the rest of the driveline is original, or you at least have the original housings to put it back together with. I'm not sure where you are but I would bet it would cost about $1,500 to have the car shipped a good distance across the states. With that being said, So long as the car can be fixed. I'd say in my area of NY a car in about the condition i'd estimate it as would go for about $6,500 asking price. What it would realistically end up selling for would probably be around $4,800-$5,000 providing you had some sort of title or transferable registration for it.
I'd question if the car is stolen or not just for the fact that it was "found" in a shed and stashed... It is always a possibility. Most police stations will run the VIN and tell you it is clean (or not) to help you out.

Thanks to everyone here for all there help. Just a quick follow-up: The car has been sold to someone who really loved it and plans to do a total restoration. Just FYI (Berg in particular), there was nothing fake about the motor and the car was not stolen and had a clean title. It was "found" in a storage shed by a woman who lost her husband in a motorcycle accident and she was not aware he had purchased the car (with intentions of restoring it) and put it in the storage shed which was located about 20 miles from their home. After his death she had to clean out the shed. I offered to help her and that is when we "found" the car in there. I guess you could consider her lucky for finding the car...but not so much for losing the husband. Thanks again for everyone's assistance.

Are we allowed to ask how much it sold for?

Yes, she sold it for $2,800. He came prepared to pay 4 grand, but the front seats were falling though the floor and there was no trunk...plus some other issues, so she accepted 2800.