Wicked 1970 Chevelle Uses LS Power to Melt Tires: Track Time Tuesday
Thanks to around 800 horsepower coming from its modern powerplant, this classic 1970 Chevelle is a certified ripper.
In the hierarchy of beloved muscle cars, the 1970 Chevelle stands fairly close to the top, thanks to its iconic styling and abundance of performance, depending on which variant or powerplant one chooses. But even the most powerful big blocks of lore can’t quite compete with a modern V8 engine like the LS, which offers up incredible performance potential for pennies on the dollar compared to many other powerplants. And that’s precisely why the owner of this gorgeous 1970 Chevelle restomod featured in a recent video from AutotopiaLA chose to go that route.
As the owner of the 1970 Chevelle – Markus – explains, he purchased the car as a roller with the intentions of giving it LS power from the start. He didn’t just go with some stock truck engine, however, and instead installed a 6.0-liter ripe with modifications including Eagle rods, Wiseco pistons, a Procharger, and a full balance and blueprint job. The results are impressive – around 700 horsepower and 640 pound-feet of torque at the wheels, or a little over 800 ponies at the crank.
Otherwise, the idea here was to retain much of the Chevelle’s original character, though Markus did add tubular control arms and a few other upgrades to help it put its abundant power to the ground. There are some Sparco seats and an aftermarket steering wheel inside the cabin, as well as a Mazda paint color that’s somewhat similar to the original Le Mans Blue, with some Corvette Grand Sport stripes thrown in for good measure.
Meanwhile, a set of Camaro-derived six-piston brakes hide behind black 20-inch Asante wheels, which are nine inches wide up front and 11 inches wide in the rear. Those fat tires, coupled with a 3.73-geared rear end, work to put the car’s healthy power to the ground, but as its owner notes, it’s also one heck of a nice freeway cruiser as well.
Perhaps more importantly, this 1970 Chevelle absolutely rips out on the road, breaking traction with ease in spite of its massive rear meats offering up quite a large contact patch. It looks like one heck of a fun car to drive, and that’s precisely what it was built to do, even though it looks good enough to win show trophies as well.
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