I bought my L78 in 1975 and still own it today. The UAW struck GM alone in very early November 1969 and the L78 was only made during October 1969. When the UAW came back on Feb 6, 1970, they came out with the LS5 and LS6 454s. These ordered with the 396/375 were then never made and "The Rochester Letter" explained that to the dealers. I bought mine from a woman in a trailer park who's husband had just been sent to prison but didn't know it was an L78 at the time. Mine is a Van Nuys car that will never be sold
I just want to thank Barrett Jackson for causing the HIGH pricing of these old Muscle cars before that damn car auction you could buy these cars cheap!!! By the time I got old enough to find a good job and start saving to buy one hear comes that damn Barrett Jackson...a real good way to ruin a kids dream on buying one.
Yes it sucks very bad, a man that works everyday making $13 hour or less has kids with bills pilling up its hard to buy a good decent Chevelle or any of these 60s 70s muscle cars and even the old 55-57 Chevy shoebox's. It makes it really hard to save up for one with those figures
a buddy of mine lives in Arizona,,his dentist had a 69 Camaro in garage ,parked 30 plus yrs,,my buddys dad is a carbuff,so he got it running and asked what you want for it,he replies well I saw on barret jacskon ,and he knew when he herd that name was not gona steal it,
My 1975 Gran Torino 2 door coupe with a 351 Windsor with a C6 automatic beat this car back in 1979. Everyone thought I was going to lose because of it having a catalytic converter ran on unleaded fuel. The Chevelle was blown in the weeds. I miss those days .That when everyone drove American cars. Thanks for bringing back the memories sir.
Yeah, but this engine was replaced within the first 6 years of ownership, so even though the engine stamp doesn’t match numbers, it’s still from the same era, so it shouldn’t hurt the value too terribly.
All I managed to hold on to during those heady days of yesteryear; was a measly L-34 with build sheet.... I musta walked past at least a couple LS-6 or may be even an L-78; goes to show you only a few can be so lucky.
You do know your stuff man..highly impressive..very awesome find..why in the hell did somebody leave this car in the damn woods...wish I'd have found it
Damn sure know your homework 48 I remember to switch over from black and white to color born in 73 dad did a lot of Street racing learn me to The oak ridge boys in Loretta Lynn growing up had a GM book elementary School that's my car right there you think I'll ever find one out of Baltimore really respect your work Mr Patrick Glenn Nichols bless you and family you're killing me
Only if you're one of these wankers that pops a nut to things being "numbers matching". Saving the thing from sinking into the earth is the very big deal.
Some Joe Bob knuckle head took a 6 year old high performance car with only 39,000 miles and park it in the woods, totally forgetting about it, you got to be kidding me.
All these cars in deep barns and in the deep woods,I would put big money down that a few were stolen!!Cant change my mind/I put a 67 vet away for 35 yrs/and sold it no Questions ask !’
9/10/2023. Mr. Nichols !! You Should Write a Book/Manual like somebody has Already Mentioned. I Love the 69's Da Best !! But Any Year is Fine by Me ! I had a 12-sec. 69' SS396 Strip Only Car I Bought for $2,000 in High School 80/81 and Made it Street Legal in Good Ole Auto Shop ! I'll Have to Check his list to see if he did a Follow Up on this Gem. And That 69' COPO Chevelle with the 427 ??!!!!! That Baby I would love to have !! 👋😁✌️👈😎👌
That’s gonna be some research, finding the original owner and asking a lot of questions and see where it goes, if anywhere. It might be a dead end when and if you find the guy, watch him say they used the original engine for a boat anchor.
It would take a lot of luck. I had a 340 Dart that I was trying to find the original block. The 2nd owner said it froze and cracked in the winter. They replaced it with a 340 from a junkyard Challenger. 😊
Can’t help but wonder; why was it parked in the woods when it was not really that old? Also, I wonder where the original engine went. Shame it’s not the original motor. Probably a young lad blew up the original. I can’t imagine the effort needed to restore this.
IDK, those chevelles are super over hyped. I myself would prefer an olds 442 or a Buick GS stage 1. Still admire the beauty of chevelles but the market is fucked.
why would anyone park a car like that in the woods ? it wasn't that old when it was abandoned. a solid lifter engine with a four speed and great street racing rear. i just don't get it. was it stolen ?
Nice find, Makes me wish I never parted with my 70 SS L-78 Chevelle, Mine had the same options as this one and was 100% original except for the ladder bars and some custom paint in the hood and deck strips someone else did before I bought it Lots of really good memories in that car from 1974 just a kid in high school until 1990. I net my wife of 40 years one night in 76 cruising the best little town in pa. My son went on a mission in 2008 trying to find the car posting the vin number on Chevelle web sites. Two years later my son, wife and I got to see my baby again, The car was restored and best of all its less then 100 miles away.I lost my son less then a year later, Thank you Justin
The Pinnacle of muscle cars back in the day!! Good job Patrick Glenn!! Love your knowledge of these cars?! Alot of those people from that era that knew all about these muscle cars are no longer with us.
It's amazing how many Musclecars keep getting found...I think there is still probably tens of thousands waiting to be found. People knew these were special cars, so they kept them from the crusher. Last fall I bought a barn find 1969 Chevelle Malibu 2 door. It runs and drives great, but needs to be restored. Its Fathom green with light green interior, 350 with a glide. What I am going to to is keep it Fathom green, black interior, 383 sbc, M22 Muncie, 3:73 gears in rear. Its going to be a summer Hot Rod that I can beat on, lay posi marks on country roads.
Yeah this old guy I know that has a 1969 GTO 396, a 1969 GMC truck with a 454, and a 1977 Pontiac Can Am sitting in a barn on a 123 acre piece of property I keep asking him when he's going to sell them to me he said I can buy them when he's dead!! 🙄🙄🙄🙄
yes sir i agree with you i'm just 17 and my dad got me into old cars love your 69 that sounds like a awesome plan you got we have a 68 nova and a 55 post my dad is building me a 67 nova now your car sound haul ass with the 383
@@patrickglennnicholsmusclec1674 not without an original motor. Even fully restored, the fact that there is not an original block and heads the car will not bring 6 figure money. It is rare, and an awesome find no doubt.
John Laws I sold one of these in similar condition at auction for 27500 without the original engine. It has since received a full resto and definitely will fetch in the 6 figure range. Not opinion just fact.
Matt Schmidt car is worth 30k easy as it sits. Car will bring 100k with a frame off concourse resto. It’s that rare. The color combo the year and the engine make it holy grail status.
Believe it or not I had one in high school. 70 396 375 4 speed with 456 gears. The kid I bought it off of was using it as a drag car and removed the heater and inner fender well's. I put it back on the street and it was my every day car until I sold it in 1991 for the whopping price of 2500.00 dollars.😣
Joseph M - I had that same car. 68 ss 396. I still have my registration card from 1974. Matador red, black vinyl, black interior, 4 speed wore out Muncie. I only got beat once.
I'd like to thank the person who rescued that beauty. And you Patrick, for showing it. I would imagine the build sheets for those cars sitting outside, ended up as bedding for some little critter.
How did you become so knowledgeable about Chevelle's, and their option / build codes? Very impressive knowledge. You're like the Mark Worman for us Bow Tie / Chevelle guys (or Mark Worman is the Patrick Glenn Nichols for MOPAR guys :). Seriously, you should write a book and compile your knowledge for future restorers. I've owned two Chevelle's. A 1972, and a 1965. Both were small block cars, and I had a lot of fun with them, but they really needed big blocks. I switched over to '69 Camaros, and ended up building 7 of them before life took over and money had to go to other things. I graduated from High School in '79. That was a time when you could buy '69 Camaros, and '70 Chevelle's for less than $1,000. If you got a real SS it might have cost $1,500 to $2,000 in good shape. If only we all knew how special these cars were, and eventually would be, I wish I would have bought a warehouse with storage racks, and saved as many of these great cars from a rusty fate as possible. I really enjoy your videos. Keep up the good work.
I bought a 69 Z28 w/302, silver with black stripes and running condition in 77 for $900.00. I drove it for 13½ years and only had to put a clutch, water pump and a complete brake job. Paint was original, no rust, had 1 ding in the right quarter from a grocery cart. In 91 a man offered me $12,000 and I told him I didn't want to sell. He came back 2 weeks later and offered $16,000, I accepted and made him the proud owner. I've wished many times since that I hadn't sold it. But I did have my fun with it though.
So video on Dennis Collins and that is exactly what a guy did. Bought x number per year stored inside and clean. Had them stacked on floor and then a rack so double high. He is retirement age and now selling them. I don't think he did a thing to them. He had a lot of cars.
9/10/23. Yes CHEVELLES could be had for Cheap ! Back in 80/81 I bought a 12-sec Chevelle SS396 Strip Only for $2,000 Made it Street Legal in Auto Shop !! 12-seconds wasn't Bad for Me & the Street ! Plus There was a 69' SS396 Ragtop I was looking at for $2,200. Now!? Forget it !!! LoL
NIce find! I love this year and had the SS396/350 so sort of remember how cool of a car it was to drive. I'm glad people are getting this out of the wild where they might see a restoration. Thanks for the video and info.
Who would abandon a beautiful car like this 1970 Chevelle in let it go to waste that Chevelle is worth giving it a second chance to get a transformation n deserves to be on the road again better in the warm weather like Brownsville Texas.
I’m a huge classic muscle car enthusiast. More so Chevrolet models than anything. And the 69 Camaro, and the 70 Chevelle are my favorites. I know quite a bit about these cars but you sir have taught me so much just from watching your videos! Thank you sir for posting all of them and keep them coming. I am a big fan of the channel!
I’m from a generation that most people think doesn’t care about things like this being born in ‘95...but this breaks my heart hearing it was just parked in the woods to die...
I did a body off restro on my 70ss. Beautiful cars for sure. Would love to know the progress of this car since its been 2yrs on this video. I would love to see it finished. Thank you for the time of sharing. I'm jealous. Take care. Dan
I stumbled across this car the other day www.flemingsultimategarage.com/vehicles/2850/1970-chevrolet-chevelle-ss396 what's your take on why this car isn't 6 figures too? I mean it is ready to go, the pedigree looks right, am I missing something?
Who parks a 6 year old top of the line muscle car in the woods?!? What a beautiful find and I hope it goes to someone who will love it and fix it right
OntarioRedneXXX READ IDIOT ! Lot of people moaning and groaning about the person that left his car in the woods. How was anybody to know, that in the future these cars would be worth tons of money? Back in the day this car was just a couple thousand dollars, and there were muscle cars from all manufacturers all over the country. Nobody would ever dream that inflation would go so high, that a Camaro would cost $100,000.
that's what i thought too...Who drives a new car for 6 short years and parks it in the woods to decay? ...i wouldn't think it would need an engine change in 6 years....must have been a farm car for awhile...engine might have been changed in the 1980 or early 90's.....i can't fathom the engine was changed before 1976 and was setting in the woods in 1976 never moving....hard to believe story...but we'll accept it.
In 1987, I blew my chance to buy a one-owner, unmolested, Placer Gold-with-black-vinyl-top-and-interior 1971 HEAVY CHEVY. It was correct down to the smooth running 307 and 14x6 rally wheels, and only needed a paint job and new stripes, which I think were already being reproduced at the time. The guy was asking $2500 and I thought it was too much. Not a day has gone by that I haven't regretted that decision, but who could have known? I love an SS Chevelle as much as anyone else, but when was the last time anyone saw a legitimate Heavy Chevy? I'll never understand why practically nobody knows they exist when they were featured quite prominently in the Chevelle sales brochures of '71 and '72.
First time anyone in these comments mentioned the Heavy Chevy Chevelle! I saw a really nice one back in the early 90s but none since then. They were like a poor man's Super Sport, weren't they? I always thought they were cool cars.
nice love your videos and i love chevelles every year of em they are all sexy bad ass hot rods me and my dad going are to look at a 66 tomorrow i hope we bring it home
fortesparts and a lot of stuff picked from it but that would be from sittin the woods but yea a lot of stuff has been replace in a short period of time could have been driven for years with dead tags hell back in the 70’s they didn’t really much care
that's what i thought too...Who drives a new car for 6 short years and parks it in the woods to decay? ...i wouldn't think it would need an engine change in 6 years....must have been a farm car for awhile...engine might have been changed in the 1980 or early 90's.....i can't fathom the engine was changed before 1976 and was setting in the woods in 1976 never moving....hard to believe story...but we'll accept it.
Accuracy Marked yes I agree. Unless they drove for that short period and got a lean against it mabe from the bank and mabe try to sell it and no one didn't wanna pay the lean on it so they just parked it and picked and pulled parts from it mabe sold the original motor then later stuck a later model motor in it with plans to fix it back up then again things went south, yea I say it was changed around the 80's of course on the lean issue someone could have paid it or being its a older car the bank could have just released it, will we find out the mystery lol I'm feeling like one of the hardy boys Shawn Cassidy lol
I agree, not without it’s original motor. People keep thinking of prices 3-4 years ago when muscle cars went through the roof. I doubt they could he $70g with a crate motor in it. Want big bucks, originality is the word today!
no history on the car. why do u park a muscle car in the woods, couldn't afford the gas and no resale value or someone owes the bank for this car and hid it from the repo man. no mention of clear title in hand. these cars are dinosaurs now, a Saturn SUV has as much hp. they are art and invoke memories for us. 1970 is the best chevelle built I my opinion! a new Cadillac will leave it in the dust, in stock form. what would it cost to have it restored $50,000?
Back in The 1970's The Chevy Chevelle, The '70 Camaro, and The '70,Impala, and not to Mention The '70 Chevy Nova, were in a dead heat, and like one of These Commenters, have Stated, is how could have known, What we are finding, out today.
This car is a '70 Chevelle and was parked in the woods in '76? Whoever bought the car drove it 6 years, and in that short time replaced the engine then parked it in the woods? Damn strange. Well as much as resto's cost, it would probably be a 6-figure resto job for sure.
Hard to believe, Whoever had to Change the engine within the short time it was on the street, Must have beat the shit out of it, Could have rebuilt the original Motor, To each is own, i had a 70' Chevelle 396 i bought it in 73' 28,000. miles on it, only if i knew then, what we all know Now, in 1970 GM put out Cars with Major HP, it was one of the Fastest Cars i have had, in 1976 i traded my brother inlaw my 70' for his 1966 Chevelle & $600. bucks, Those were the Days...
funny how he always says the most sought after no matter which one it is.. lol... I get you love the Chevelles or Malibus but I am confident there are other GM's more sought after and desired, your first year Pontiac TranasAms? Camaros, 442, Ws, all those, then your bad boys like the Grand Sport and the Olds 455 H/Os, Hemis? Ford has theirs as well, 409s in the day were fairly nasty, if Shelby 428 CJ, Shelby's are fairly sought after, 350's too... not dissin the Chevelles at all, I love em always have, hale I'd take a lil' ol automatic malibu with a 327 have to admit if I could have any 1 muscle car from the day its prolly the GT500, OR the very first Firebird 428 m21 Dana set up, hard top or convertible... my jealousy would be that you don't just have the one big block Chevelle, you have barn finds of em.. :-)
Dane...😏 Another Kansas City built supercar.....Yep, just 20 minutes from home HERE.... Sometimes? I sure wish I was born considerably sooner, and a part of SUCH a magical era 🤔😏.....KILLER car! 🤘🔥👍
