1970 Monte Carlo SS 454, rarer than SS Chevelle L34, L78, LS5, LS6, 396 and 454

1970 Chevrolet Monte Carlo SS 454 LS5 with build sheet! Additional Info:

Extremely rare, highly optioned, and very desirable 1970 SS 454 LS5 Monte Carlo. Documented with original build sheet!
The Monte Carlo was introduced as Chevrolet's personal luxury car to compete against Pontiac's Grand Prix and Oldsmobile's Cutlass Supreme among others. The Chevy Monte Carlo Debuted in September 1969 to rave reviews. This particular Monte is a very early production model built in October 1969 at the Van Nuy's California assembly plant.
A total of 145,976 Monte Carlos were built in 1970. Of those only 3,823 were equipped with the SS 454 option. Fewer than 3% were SS 454s. The standard engine for the 1970 Monte Carlo was the 350 cubic inch turbo fire V8 with 2 bbl carburetor. This Monte was one of the 3,823 ordered with the Z20 option code SS 454 package which included the high compression, 360 horse, 454 engine. The motor is option code LS5 and it's the same motor used in 1970 LS5 454 chevelles.
The Monte is mostly original. It starts right up and drives surprisingly well for an unrestored 47 year old car. The transmission shifts smoothly. The brakes were recently rebuilt. The chevy is wearing nearly new P205 75 R15s on correct 15" ralley wheels. They are actually white wall tires with the the white walls turned to the inside. Personally I think it would look better with the white walls turned outward.
The Monte has a "CE" code warranty replacement block (see pics). The motor code should be "CRN." Usually when the dealer replaced an engine under warranty they stamped it with "CE." None of the block/heads/intake are correct. It currently has a spread bore Holley carb. The distributor is date coded either 69 or 70, but I cannot say with certainty if it is correct. The car starts right up. I does not smoke, and there are no abnormal mechanical sounds while the engine is running. I would say the starter is probably on it's way out though.
The alternator is stamped 1100843 61A which is correct and original for a 1970 LS5 454 car with A/C. The radiator says "Harrison" on the passenger side of the tank and it still has the original tag attached which is stamped "BR" which is also correct for a 1970 SS 454. Somehow this car still has the original radiator after 47 years! The air tank for the ride leveling shocks is still intact. It's the large tank mounted on the driver's side fender well under the hood near the A/C compressor (see pics). It's very important to have this tank as it was mandatory equipment with the SS 454 package. There are lots of SS 454 clones being offered yet they lack all of the ride leveling equipment which questions their authenticity.
The A/C system is intact. The belt is still on the A/C compressor. The compressor does engage when the car is running and you turn on the A/C but it does not blow cold. The battery tray is somewhat rusted from battery acid. It will hold the battery down still, but not well. The single snorkel air cleaner is correct for an LS5 454 car. You can just barely make out the "454" lettering on what is left of the air cleaner decal. I do not see a single cut wire under the hood.
The transmission is the Turbo Hydramatic 400. This was the only transmission offered with the 1970 SS 454 Monte Carlos. The aluminum tag that is riveted to the passenger side of the transmission case is stamped "70-CR" which is correct and specific to a 1970 SS 454 Monte Carlo (see pics). The "70" on the tag is 1970. The "C" denotes Chevrolet, and the "R" is the usage code which denotes Monte Carlo with the LS5 454 engine. In addition the tag still has the original painted on "CR" code. The painted code usually comes off when you clean a transmission to rebuild it. Also, on the driver's side of the transmission case just above the pan the sequential number to the car is stamped into the case. All Turbo 400 transmissions from 1968 on are stamped in that spot with a number that matches the VIN to the car they belong to. In this instance the number on the transmission matches the VIN definitively linking the two.
The rear end is a correct heavy-duty 12 bolt. All SS 454 cars get 12 bolts rear ends instead of the lighter duty 10 bolt. The rear end is stamped "CRJ" on the passenger axle tube (see pics). This denotes a 2.56 gear ratio which was standard equipment on the 1970 SS Monte Carlo. It also has the correct rear anti-sway bar and boxed lower control arms. This is part of the F41 suspension package which was mandatory equipment with the SS 454. This is the same F41 suspension package found on all 1970 SS Chevelles. Another part of the auto ride leveling control is a distribution block that is mounted to the bottom side of the frame just above the rear end. This has an arm that attaches to the right upper control arm. All 1970 SS 454 Monte Carlo's are equipped with the auto ride leveling control and this one has the original parts in place.
The cowl tag calls out paint code "58" which is Autumn gold (see pics). It is stamped "H" for a dark gold vinyl top. It lists trim code "769" which denotes medium saddle interior with strato bucket seats. The tag is also stamped "70 -" for 1970 and "BL" for Van Nuys assembly plant. Lastly it is stamped "10C" on the bottom line. "10" denotes an October build month and "C" for third week. Thus final assembly was in the 3rd week of October 1969 making this a very early production 1970 Monte Carlo.
The previous owner stated he purchased the Monte at a used car lot just outside of Seattle in 1981. The Washington state title confirms he titled the car in his name in 1981. It is possible that the Monte has only had 2 long term owners during its life. The build sheet says the car was shipped from the Van Nuys assembly plant in California to Chuck Olson Chevrolet in Seattle. That dealership is still in business today and on the same street as it was in 1969. It's safe to assume the Chevy has spent its entire life in the Seattle area.
The previous owner had the car repainted decades ago. There is a "PPG Delstar" sheet in the glove box with a paint code on it. I believe that is an older paint that PPG no longer sells. This is likely the paint that is currently on the car. While the original paint is Autumn code, the current paint color is a fair bit darker -- much closer to bronze or copper. You can see the original gold paint in spots such as the Under hood sides of the front fenders and under the trunk lid. The previous owner also said he replaced the original gold vinyl top with a black vinyl top at the same time.
I have inspected the car very closely and I believe the driver's side fender, front bumper, and front bumper filler panel were replaced probably at the same time the car was repainted. The SS 454 emblem that should be at the bottom of the driver's fender is in the trunk. It's still attached to the original piece of trim. I believe this came off the original fender. Also the fender has no evidence of original gold paint. I only see the darker bronze color. The filler panel (that goes behind and below the bumper) has a GM sticker on the bottom. The front bumper does not have bumper guards and does not have holes drilled for them. The build sheet states the car was originally equipped with front bumper guards. The bumper on the car is nice. I didn't get to ask the previous owner about these things, but I suspect the car had a minor fender bender in the left front and they simply replaced those 3 pieces before having the car repainted. I see zero evidence of any frame damage or other bent items. All other sheet metal and panels appear to be correct and original to the car. I can see original gold paint on every panel. There is no evidence of any patch panels or other replacement work from my inspection of the car.
Most cars don't make it 5 decades without something being replaced. I state these things in order to be complete and accurate as possible. There are lots of people who claim their car is a "100% original survivor" but when you look closely you can often see evidence of repaints, panel replacement, patch panels, incorrect parts, etc. Although this car isn't perfect, it is extremely solid and mostly original. It's a turn key car and can be driven in it's current condition. It is also a very solid platform for an eventual restoration. To me though this Monte has lots of miles to go before you even need to think about restoration. They can be restored many times, but they are original only once!
The Monte is very straight. It has nice panel alignment and the grill/bumpers fit well. It is missing the passenger/rear wheel well opening trim. I believe all the other trim pieces are intact except for the door edge guards which were probably removed when the car was repainted. The build sheet lists them as original equipment. There is just a tiny spot of rust starting on the driver's side wheel opening toward the rear. From inside the trunk I can just start to see daylight through that hole. By hole I mean this is probably no more than 1/4" inch in size. The trunk drops are rock solid. There is zero rust through on the trunk floor. Not even a pinhole. The trunk floor is extremely solid. On the right quarter at the front side of the wheel opening I can see a seem of rust just starting. Again this car does not need quarters, It doesn't even need patch panels. For being nearly 5 decades old it's in extremely good shape. The only other rust I see is a small hole below the trim on the passenger front fender. I would estimate the whole a probably 1" in diameter. Beyond that I see no rust issues anywhere on the car. The frame is extremely solid (It almost never snows in Seattle and we don't use salt on the roads in the winter). The floor pans show no signs of rust whatsoever. This is a very solid car.
All four side glass are marked "LOF" and appear to be original. I believe the rear window to also be original. The front windshield has a large crack on the far right side. It isn't enough to be in your field of vision, but it should probably be replaced. Although far from perfect, the interior has held up fairly well over the years. Both front seats has rips starting in the vinyl. The seat adjustments do work though. The rear seat is free from rips. The driver's side door panel is pretty tattered and the pull strap is down to bare metal. The other door panels are in better condition. The carpet is dirty and old, but still run able. The center console and shifter work, but the console has a pretty good crack in it. All the date coded 1969 deluxe seat belts are there but they are various stages of dirty. The rear package tray is in surprisingly good shape. Both rear stereo speaker covers and the rear defrost grills are in place and appear to be in good condition. The headliner is in surprisingly good condition.
All 4 power windows work. The tilt works and it is very tight. The tilts are often loose and wobbly, but not this one. The optional cushion grip steering wheel is still intact. The hub does have some pitting, but should clean up well. The dash pad is very nice and does not appear to have any cracks. The dash face doesn't appear to be cracked. The gauge faces looks very nice (see pics). They are often either faded or rusty. These are very nice especially for their age. All the gauges work except for the clock which were the first things to stop working when the cars were new. The rear defrost works, all the heater controls seems to work. The fan works on all settings except for high. The dome light and courtesy lights work. The dash lights work. The AM/FM stereo 8 tracks lights up and turns on, but there's only static coming through the speakers. The factory fiber optic windshield washer indicator light is still mounted on the bottom side of the dash. Unsure if it is functional. The other half is still mounted to the windshield washer bottle under the hood. Overall I would say the interior is dirty, but it would clean up well enough to present the SS and an unrestored driver.
Windshield wipers work. Turn signals, headlights both high beams and low beams, brake lights, dash lights, console light, license plate light, and trunk light all work. One tail light needs a new bulb. The review mirror light does not appear to work. The glove box light doesn't have a bulb in it. The switch is there. I didn't have an 8 track handy to test the stereo tape player.
The build sheet was located on top of the gas tank. This is often the case with Van Nuys built cars. The build sheet was in fairly poor condition since it had been there for nearly 48 years. It looks burned, but it's really just black from dirt and gasoline. I used a dry tooth brush on it in an attempt to get as much dirt off as possible. The paper smelled of gasoline for a long while after removing it from the car. Not everything can be read on the build sheet, but a bulk of it can. Some of the text can only be read by holding a flashlight up to the build sheet to illuminate it from behind.
You can clearly see the VIN number in the box in the upper right corner. This matches exactly the VIN on the car. Again this also matches the VIN stamped on the transmission case. You can also see the code on the build sheet which matches the cowl tag linking those two as well. In the upper left corner of the build sheet it states the car was built 10/21/69 which again is the 3rd week of October which matches both the "10C" on the cowl tag and the blue GM sticker on the driver's side door that says "10-69." In the lower left corner the build sheet says the car was shipped to Chuck Olson Chevrolet in Seattle. Again that dealership is still in business today. I have not taken the car back to see if it qualifies for any free warranty, repairs, or recalls. The bottom center of the sheet says the car was built at the Van Nuys assembly plant. The "Engine" box shows code "RN" which is for CRN which denotes LS5 454. The "trans" box has code "CR" which matches the code on the transmission. Again CR is for LS5 454 Monte Carlo only. The "Axle" box is printed "RJ" and the rear end is stamped "CRJ" as one would expect. The middle of the build sheet has a spot for what air cleaner decal needs to go on the car and I can read "--454" in those boxes. It also listed paint as "58" top as "H" and trim as "769" which all match perfectly what is stamped into the cowl tag. In other words everything is correct. The build sheet comes with the sale of the Monte Carlo.
The build sheet lists approximately 40 options making it a very heavily optioned 1970 SS 454 Monte Carlo:

= AK1 DLX BLT&FT HN

A01 ALL TNTD GLAS

* A02 TNTD W/S

= A31 POWER WINDOWS

= A51 STRATO BK ST

B37 FLOOR MATS

* B80 ROOF DRIP MLD

B93 DR EDGE GUARD

* B96 R WHL OPG MLD

CD2 W/S JAR MONIT

= C08 VINYL TOP

C50 RR WDO DEFOGG

= C60 AIR CONDITION

D33 REM CTRL MIRR

D34 VISOR MIRROR

= D55 CONSOLE

GW4 256 RATIO AXL

G67 AUTO LEVEL CONT

* J50 POWER BRAKES

* JL2 PWR DISC FR

LS5 V8 454

= M40 3 SPD AUTO TR

NK1 CUSH STRG WHL

N33 TILT STRG WHL

N40 PWR STRG

P90 G70x15

T60 HD BATTERY

UF1 MIRROR LAMP

UM2 RDO AM-FM&TPE

U14 IP GAUGES

U25 LUGG COMPT LP

U26 UNDERHOOD LP

* U27 GLOVE COMP LP

U28 ASH TRAY LAMP

U29 IP LAMP

* U35 ELECT CLOCK

U76 W/S ANTENNA

V31 FRT BUMP GRD

ZJ7 SPL WHEEL EQUIP

Z20 MONTE CARLO SS

Bottom Line: This is a arguably the most desirable year with the most desirable motor option on a highly optioned car with excellent documentation. There were only 3,823 built 47 years ago and very few of those remain today.

Prospective buyers are strongly encouraged to inspect the car in person prior to bidding. I've made every attempt to describe the car to the best of my ability, but there's no substitute for inspecting the car yourself. The Chevy is located roughly 1 hour south of Seattle. I am also available by phone (253) 948-7756 if you have further questions. I will also respond to Ebay questions. The Monte Carlo is sold "as is" with no warranty expressed or otherwise. There is a very reasonable reserve price. Clear Washington State title. Price adjustments after the sale will not be made and returns will not be accepted. Please be sure this is the car you want and all your questions are answered prior to purchase. Thank you!