1970 Chevelle SS Is Sold by Owner of 52 Years to a Gearhead Who Waited 47 Years To Get One

Take the two men in the video – they are both car nuts and share an addiction to the intermediate-sized muscle Chevy from 1970. But one key difference brings them together: while one of them has had his SS 396 since 1971, the other is just now getting his life-long chased dream machine.

The common denominator is the car itself: the long-time Chevy owner is selling his original survivor jewel to the enthusiast longing for one since 1975. Bill Butler is the gentleman who bought his 1970 Chevrolet Chevelle SS 396 in the fall of 1971 when he was just 21. He had all the support his parents would give him (read ‘permission’ and ‘money’) to help him live his eight-cylinder wish-upon-a-star.

Fast-forward five years, and another young blood piston worshipper, Gary Dinges, picked up the scent of a 1970 Chevelle SS 396 that came up for sale. Owned by an uncle, the car is just about the perfect ride for a teen madly passionate about displacement fun. However, his father denied him the joy, and that was the end of the story - until December 2023.

After a patient 47-year wait, Gary made his dream come true – and what a special treat he gave himself! After a long search, he found Bill Butler’s barn-stored, impeccably original SS and bought it. Now 73 years old, the owner of this wonderfully Desert Sand Chevelle SS396 handed over the keys to another equally discerning caretaker.

Not without conditions: Gary is to restore the Chevy and occasionally give Bill a ride (so much so that the buyer promised to provide a set of keys to the caring Mr. Butler). With Gary being a very appreciated sales consultant at a Chevrolet dealership in Sublette, Illinois, the rejuvenation shouldn’t be a problem.

The car first received a much-needed wash, and the original paint shines once more after a long time of collecting dust and cobwebs. But the wonderful part is the V8 – the famous big-block is back on active duty. With 51,781 miles (83,315 kilometers) on its clock when it left the barn, the eight-cylinder motor runs smoothly and cleanly as if it's 1971 all over again.

Despite the confusing inconsistency between the advertised and actual figures, the 402-cubic inch (6.6-liter) 396 V8 is famous among Chevelle aficionados. Due to over-boring, the engine’s actual size is 402 cubic inches; for market popularity’s sake, the famed three digits (3, 6, 9) that first came out in 1965 were retained as the SS war cry of the hot V8.

In 1970, the SS emblem was obtained via a set of package options, as opposed to the years before, when it was a separate sub-series of the Chevelle. The main choices were the 350-hp 396 and the 360-hp 454 Turbo-Jet V8s, but there were alternatives for both.

The 396 could be ordered with a 375-hp engine (RPO L78), but only 2,144 units were equipped this way. Additionally, 18 of those came with aluminum heads. From a buyer's perspective, the low numbers are perfectly justifiable by the pocket-burning price of those two options. The engine was $210, and the lightweight heads were $395! The $605 charge for the combination of the two was eccentric, especially since the fabled 450-hp, 454-cubic-inches (7.4-liter) LS6 V8 could be had for $503. Why pay over $100 more but get 75 hp less?

Without any documentation to support it, the engine in the car starring in the video below (shot on two different days by Lou Costabile) remains to be revealed in a future episode. So far, we can enjoy the sound of it under (mild) acceleration, as the new owner isn’t willing to free-spin the rear tires just yet. Notably, he points out that the T-grip shifter for the four-speed manual transmission is a Hurst and not a Muncie.

In 1970, the Chevelles equipped with the SS packages could be ordered with a four-speed manual (three variants were available: Muncie’s M20, close-ratio M21, and the heavy-duty close-ratio M22 Rock Crusher) or with the Turbo Hydra-matic 400 three-speed automatic. The regular 396 V8 (RPO L34) that was standard in the SS delivered 350 horses (355 PS) and 415 lb-ft (563 Nm).

Although it wasn’t the heaviest-punching muscle in the Chevrolet ring, it was the popular choice for many gearheads back in the day. And for some, it remains the go-to muscle car even after a nerve-racking 47-year delay.