The 1970 Chevrolet El Camino SS is the high-water mark of the car-based pickup — a workhorse from Monday to Friday and a genuine muscle car on Sunday. When General Motors lifted its self-imposed 400 cubic inch ceiling for intermediate cars in 1970, the El Camino received the 454, and the SS 454 with the LS6 shared the same 450-horsepower rating as the Chevelle SS. In that form it could run the quarter mile in the mid-thirteens at over 108 mph, which made it quicker than most things on the road and more practical than any of them. Chevrolet never kept separate El Camino SS production records, and specialists estimate fewer than 600 LS6 El Caminos were built.
Table of Contents
- Overview and History
- The 400 Cubic Inch Rule Falls
- The SS Package
- The LS6 454
- The LS5 and Other Engines
- What the El Camino Did Not Get
- Transmissions and Drivetrain
- Chassis, Suspension, and Brakes
- Performance
- Production and Rarity
- Authentication
- Collectibility and Values
- Key Features Summary
- Full Specifications Table
Overview and History
The El Camino had begun in 1959 as a full-size coupe utility built on the Brookwood wagon platform. That first generation lasted only two years before the market moved toward smaller vehicles and Chevrolet dropped it.
It returned for 1964 on the new intermediate Chevelle platform, which proved a far better fit, and by the third generation — running from 1968 to 1972 — it had become a genuinely desirable vehicle rather than merely a useful one. Sharing its running gear with the Chevelle meant that whatever Chevrolet put in the muscle car, it could put in the pickup.
1970 is the year that logic reached its conclusion. The Chevelle SS 454 arrived with the LS5 and LS6 big-blocks, and the El Camino SS 454 followed with exactly the same engines. For one model year, a vehicle with a cargo bed carried the most powerful engine Chevrolet offered.
Ford had been escalating too, adding the 428 Cobra Jet and Super Cobra Jet to the Ranchero’s options list mid-year in 1968. Chevrolet’s 1970 response ended the argument decisively.
The 400 Cubic Inch Rule Falls
None of this was possible before 1970, and the reason is corporate policy rather than engineering. General Motors had maintained a self-imposed limit of 400 cubic inches in intermediate and pony-car bodies — a rule born partly of antitrust anxiety in an era when GM held roughly half the American market.
For 1970 the corporation abandoned the policy. Buick answered with the 455 Stage 1, Oldsmobile with the W-30 455, Pontiac with the 455 in the GTO, and Chevrolet with the 454 — created by lengthening the stroke of the 427 Mark IV big-block to four inches.
Because the El Camino sat on the A-body intermediate platform, it benefited immediately. The ceiling lifting is the single reason an SS 454 El Camino exists at all.
The SS Package
The El Camino SS was an option package, not a separate model, and it mirrored the Chevelle SS closely. Content included:
- The big-block engine — 396/402 or 454 depending on specification
- Heavy-duty suspension
- Power front disc brakes
- A 12-bolt rear axle, with Positraction available
- Blacked-out grille with SS badging
- Twin-domed hood, with the cowl induction hood optional
- Sport wheels and wide-oval tires
- SS emblems and available stripes
The cowl induction hood is strongly associated with these vehicles. Its rear-facing scoop at the base of the windshield drew cool, high-pressure air through a vacuum-operated flap that opened at full throttle. Stripes and hood pins came bundled with that option rather than with the SS package itself.
Because the SS was an option code rather than a model, it does not appear in the VIN — a fact that dominates authentication, as discussed below.
The LS6 454
The LS6 is the engine that makes the 1970 El Camino SS significant. Rated at 450 horsepower and 500 lb-ft of torque, it was the highest factory horsepower figure advertised on any American production vehicle during the classic muscle era — and for one year it could be ordered in a pickup.
Its specification was uncompromising:
- Four-bolt main-bearing block
- Forged steel crankshaft and forged steel connecting rods
- Forged aluminum pistons
- 11.25:1 compression ratio, requiring high-octane leaded premium
- Solid (mechanical) lifter camshaft
- Aluminum intake manifold with a Holley four-barrel carburetor
- Closed-chamber rectangular-port cylinder heads
- Transistorized ignition and low-restriction dual exhaust
The practical consequences matter for ownership. Solid lifters require periodic valve lash adjustment. The compression ratio makes the engine effectively incompatible with modern unleaded fuel without modification. And air conditioning was not available with the LS6 — the camshaft’s idle characteristics and the engine’s cooling priorities ruled it out.
All 454 engines for 1970 were assembled at Chevrolet’s Tonawanda, New York plant, and it is Tonawanda’s engine records rather than any vehicle assembly data that give the production figures discussed below.
The LS5 and Other Engines
Most SS 454 El Caminos were not LS6 cars. The LS5 was the standard 454 in the SS 454 package: 360 horsepower and 500 lb-ft, with hydraulic lifters, a 10.25:1 compression ratio, a Rochester Quadrajet carburetor, and a cast-iron intake manifold.
The LS5 is a genuinely good engine and arguably the better one to own. It delivers its 500 lb-ft just above idle, requires no valve adjustment, tolerates pump fuel far better, and can be ordered with air conditioning. A great many buyers who wanted the SS 454 look and effortless performance chose it deliberately.
Below the 454s, the El Camino range also offered:
- 307 and 350 cu in V8s — the non-SS engines
- 396/402 cu in big-block — available in SS 396 form
An SS 396 El Camino is a legitimate and considerably more affordable car than an SS 454.
What the El Camino Did Not Get
The El Camino SS 454 was just as fast as its Chevelle SS sibling and far more practical, but it lacked one crucial upgrade that is worth knowing about.
Because the El Camino carried a cargo bed and was expected to haul loads, its rear suspension was configured for load-carrying rather than for traction under hard acceleration. The Chevelle’s four-link coil-sprung rear end was tuned for performance; the El Camino’s arrangement prioritized its working role.
The result is a vehicle that matches the Chevelle on paper and in a straight line once hooked up, but which can be harder to launch cleanly and is less composed under power. It is not a deficiency so much as an honest consequence of what the El Camino was built to do.
A styling note from the same generation: late in the run, the Monte Carlo front clip appeared on some El Caminos, which is a detail that occasionally confuses identification.
Transmissions and Drivetrain
The SS 454 could be ordered with:
- M22 heavy-duty close-ratio four-speed manual — the “Rock Crusher”, specified for serious use
- M21 close-ratio four-speed manual
- Turbo Hydra-Matic 400 automatic — a popular and durable choice
Drive was through a 12-bolt rear axle with Positraction limited-slip widely specified. Axle ratios ranged from relaxed cruising gears to steep performance ratios, and the engineering code on the axle is a useful supporting reference when assessing a vehicle.
Chassis, Suspension, and Brakes
The El Camino used the rear-wheel-drive A-body platform with a separate body and frame and a 116-inch wheelbase — the longer A-body dimension shared with the Chevelle four-door and the Monte Carlo rather than the 112-inch two-door Chevelle.
Overall dimensions ran to roughly 207 inches long, 75 inches wide, and 54 inches high, with a curb weight around 3,840 pounds in LS6 form. Front suspension was independent with coil springs; the rear used a live axle configured for its load-carrying duty.
The SS package brought heavy-duty suspension components and power front disc brakes with rear drums — a meaningful advantage over earlier drum-braked muscle vehicles, and necessary given the performance available.
Performance
With the LS6, the El Camino SS 454 could run the quarter mile in the mid-13-second range at around 108 mph. Those are Chevelle SS figures, achieved in a vehicle with a cargo bed.
Put in period context, that made the LS6 El Camino quicker than a great many dedicated sports cars and competitive with the Hemi-powered Chryslers it was built to challenge — while remaining able to carry a load of timber on Monday morning.
The LS5 cars were slower but still genuinely quick, and considerably more pleasant in everyday use.
Production and Rarity
This is where precision matters, because figures are often quoted carelessly.
Chevrolet did not keep separate records of El Camino SS production. What is documented is that 8,773 Chevelles and El Caminos combined were sold with 454 engines during the 1970 model year, and that 4,475 LS6 engines were built at Tonawanda across all 1970 A-body applications — Chevelle hardtops, convertibles, and El Caminos together.
Only a small percentage of those 4,475 LS6 units went into El Caminos. Chevrolet has never released exact figures, and specialist estimates suggest fewer than 600 LS6 El Caminos were built. That makes a documented example one of the rarest production trucks ever made.
Useful engine codes for the period: CRV and CRW indicate the 1970 LS6 SS 454 at 450 hp; CSU indicates the 1970–1971 LS5 SS 454 at 360 hp; and KL and KK indicate the 1969 SS 396 at 375 hp.
Authentication
Given that the SS was an option package and that LS6 values are enormous, verification is everything.
The checks that matter:
- The trim tag — specialist guides single this out as the key reference, since SS clones are the most common issue with these vehicles
- Engine suffix codes and casting numbers — CRV or CRW for the LS6, CSU for the LS5
- The 12-bolt rear axle and its engineering code
- Transmission type, with an M22 supporting a serious LS6 claim
- Supporting documentation — build records and ownership history
Treat any undocumented LS6 claim with great caution. The engine can be fitted to any A-body, badging is readily available, and the price difference between a verified LS6 and an attractive tribute runs well into six figures.
Collectibility and Values
The 1970 SS 454 — both the LS5 and the rare LS6 — represents the high-water mark of El Camino performance, and the market treats it accordingly.
Documented LS6 El Caminos now trade in the $120,000 to $240,000 and above range, placing them among the most valuable production trucks ever built. Concours-grade restoration of a documented LS6 runs in a similar bracket, which tells you how seriously the market takes these vehicles.
LS5 SS 454 cars sit well below that but remain strong, and an SS 396 is a considerably more accessible way into the same look and much of the same experience.
Practical considerations: parts support is excellent for mechanical components and shared A-body sheet metal, though bed and tailgate items are more specialized. Inspect for rust in the bed, the cab rear wall, lower quarters, trunk-equivalent areas, and frame rails. On an LS6, establish the state of the valvetrain and whether the engine has been rebuilt for modern fuel — the original 11.25:1 compression is a genuine ownership consideration rather than a theoretical one.
Key Features Summary
- Significance: Peak El Camino performance — the only years the 454 was available
- Enabler: GM lifted its 400 cubic inch limit for intermediates in 1970
- Platform: GM A-body, 116-inch wheelbase, separate body and frame
- Dimensions: approx. 207 in long, 75 in wide, 54 in high; approx. 3,840 lbs
- LS6 Engine: 454 cu in, 450 hp, 500 lb-ft — same rating as the Chevelle SS
- LS5 Engine: 454 cu in, 360 hp, 500 lb-ft — the standard SS 454 engine
- Lesser Engines: 307, 350, and 396/402 V8s
- Transmissions: M21 and M22 four-speed manuals; Turbo Hydra-Matic 400
- Rear Axle: 12-bolt, Positraction available
- Brakes: Power front discs, rear drums
- Quarter Mile (LS6): mid-13 seconds at around 108 mph
- Air Conditioning: Not available with the LS6
- Production: No separate El Camino SS records; 8,773 Chevelles and El Caminos with 454; 4,475 LS6 engines across all A-body use; estimated fewer than 600 LS6 El Caminos
- Engine Codes: CRV/CRW = LS6 450 hp; CSU = LS5 360 hp
- Values: Documented LS6 cars $120,000–$240,000+
The 1970 Chevrolet El Camino SS Specs
| BODY AND PACKAGE | |
| Manufacturer | Chevrolet (General Motors) |
| Type | Coupe utility (car-based pickup) |
| Generation | Third generation (1968–1972) |
| Platform | GM A-body, rear-wheel drive |
| Chassis | Separate body and frame |
| SS Status | Option package, not a separate model |
| Related Model | Chevrolet Chevelle (shared running gear) |
| Note | Monte Carlo front clip appeared on some late-run cars |
| DIMENSIONS | |
| Wheelbase | 116 inches (2,946 mm) |
| Overall Length | approx. 207 inches (5,250 mm) |
| Overall Width | approx. 75 inches (1,920 mm) |
| Overall Height | approx. 54 inches (1,380 mm) |
| Curb Weight (LS6) | approx. 3,840 lbs (1,742 kg) |
| ENGINE — LS6 454 V8 (top) | |
| Engine Type | OHV 90° V8, Mark IV big-block |
| Displacement | 454 cu in (7,440 cc / 7.4 L) |
| Horsepower | 450 hp @ 5,600 RPM |
| Torque | 500 lb·ft @ 3,600 RPM |
| Compression Ratio | 11.25:1 |
| Valve Lifters | Solid (mechanical) |
| Main Bearing Caps | Four-bolt |
| Crankshaft / Rods | Forged steel |
| Pistons | Forged aluminum |
| Intake / Carburetor | Aluminum manifold, Holley 4-barrel |
| Cylinder Heads | Closed-chamber, rectangular port |
| Fuel Requirement | High-octane leaded premium |
| Air Conditioning | Not available |
| Engine Codes | CRV, CRW |
| ENGINE — LS5 454 V8 (standard SS 454) | |
| Displacement | 454 cu in (7.4 L) |
| Horsepower | 360 hp @ 4,400 RPM |
| Torque | 500 lb·ft @ 3,200 RPM |
| Compression Ratio | 10.25:1 |
| Valve Lifters | Hydraulic |
| Carburetor | Rochester Quadrajet 4-barrel |
| Intake Manifold | Cast iron |
| Air Conditioning | Available |
| Engine Code | CSU (1970–1971) |
| OTHER ENGINES | |
| 307 cu in V8 | Non-SS |
| 350 cu in V8 | Non-SS |
| 396 / 402 cu in V8 | SS 396 specification |
| SS PACKAGE CONTENT | |
| Suspension | Heavy-duty |
| Brakes | Power front discs, rear drums |
| Rear Axle | 12-bolt; Positraction available |
| Grille | Blacked out with SS badging |
| Hood | Twin-domed; cowl induction optional |
| Cowl Induction | Rear-facing scoop with vacuum-operated flap; includes stripes and hood pins |
| Wheels and Tires | Sport wheels with wide-oval tires |
| TRANSMISSION AND DRIVETRAIN | |
| M21 | Close-ratio 4-speed manual |
| M22 | Heavy-duty close-ratio 4-speed (“Rock Crusher”) |
| M40 | Turbo Hydra-Matic 400 3-speed automatic |
| Limited Slip | Positraction |
| Drive Layout | Rear-wheel drive |
| SUSPENSION AND BRAKES | |
| Front Suspension | Independent, coil springs |
| Rear Suspension | Live axle, configured for load carrying rather than traction |
| Versus Chevelle | Chevelle rear end tuned for performance; El Camino for hauling |
| Front Brakes | Power discs |
| Rear Brakes | Drums |
| PERFORMANCE (LS6) | |
| Quarter Mile | mid-13 seconds @ approx. 108 mph |
| Comparison | Matched the Chevelle SS 454 LS6 |
| WHY 1970 WAS POSSIBLE | |
| Previous Policy | GM self-imposed 400 cu in limit on intermediates |
| 1970 Change | Limit lifted across the corporation |
| 454 Origin | 427 Mark IV big-block with stroke lengthened to 4.00 inches |
| Rival Response | Buick 455 Stage 1; Oldsmobile W-30 455; Pontiac 455 GTO |
| Ford Context | Ranchero gained 428 Cobra Jet and Super Cobra Jet mid-1968 |
| PRODUCTION | |
| Separate El Camino SS Records | Not kept by Chevrolet |
| Chevelles + El Caminos with 454 (1970) | 8,773 |
| LS6 Engines Built (all 1970 A-body) | 4,475 |
| Estimated LS6 El Caminos | fewer than 600 (specialist estimate) |
| Engine Assembly Plant | Tonawanda, New York |
| AUTHENTICATION | |
| SS in VIN | No — option package |
| Key Reference | Trim tag |
| Engine Codes | CRV/CRW = LS6 450 hp; CSU = LS5 360 hp; KL/KK = 1969 SS396 375 hp |
| Supporting Checks | 12-bolt axle and engineering code; M22 on serious LS6 cars |
| Common Issue | SS clones — the most frequent problem with these vehicles |
| Rust Areas | Bed, cab rear wall, lower quarters, frame rails |
| VALUES | |
| Documented LS6 | $120,000–$240,000+ |
| Concours LS6 Restoration Cost | $120,000–$220,000+ |
| LS5 SS 454 | Well below LS6 but strong |
| SS 396 | The accessible entry point |
1970 Chevrolet El Camino SS – Frequently Asked Questions
Did the El Camino really get the same 450 hp LS6 as the Chevelle?
Yes. For 1970 the El Camino SS 454 could be ordered with the LS6, rated at 450 horsepower and 500 lb-ft — the identical rating to the Chevelle SS. It was the highest factory horsepower figure advertised on any American production vehicle during the classic muscle era, and for one model year it was available in a vehicle with a cargo bed.
Why was 1970 the first year for the 454?
Because General Motors lifted a self-imposed 400 cubic inch limit on intermediate cars that year. The policy had been born partly of antitrust anxiety. Once it fell, Buick answered with the 455 Stage 1, Oldsmobile with the W-30 455, Pontiac with the 455 GTO, and Chevrolet with the 454 — a 427 Mark IV with the stroke lengthened to four inches. The El Camino, being an A-body intermediate, benefited immediately.
How fast is a 1970 El Camino SS 454 LS6?
It could run the quarter mile in the mid-13-second range at around 108 mph — matching the Chevelle SS 454 LS6. That made it quicker than most dedicated sports cars of the period and competitive with the Hemi-powered Chryslers it was built to challenge, while still being able to carry a load.
How many LS6 El Caminos were built?
Chevrolet never kept separate El Camino SS production records, so no exact figure exists. What is documented: 8,773 Chevelles and El Caminos combined were sold with 454 engines in 1970, and 4,475 LS6 engines were built at Tonawanda across all 1970 A-body applications. Only a small percentage went into El Caminos, with specialist estimates suggesting fewer than 600.
What is the difference between the LS5 and the LS6?
The LS5 is the standard SS 454 engine: 360 hp, hydraulic lifters, 10.25:1 compression, Quadrajet carburetor, cast-iron intake — and air conditioning was available. The LS6 is a different proposition: 450 hp, solid lifters, 11.25:1 compression, four-bolt mains, forged internals, aluminum intake with a Holley, and no air conditioning. The LS5 is far easier to live with; the LS6 is the collector’s engine.
Is an El Camino SS as good as a Chevelle SS?
On engine and performance, yes — identical. The difference is the rear suspension: because the El Camino was expected to carry loads, its rear end was configured for hauling rather than tuned for traction like the Chevelle’s. That makes it harder to launch cleanly and less composed under power, though once hooked up it matches the Chevelle. It is an honest consequence of what the vehicle was built to do.
How do I verify a genuine SS 454?
The SS was an option package and does not appear in the VIN, so badging proves nothing. Specialist guides single out the trim tag as the key reference, since SS clones are the most common problem with these vehicles. Check engine suffix codes — CRV or CRW for the LS6, CSU for the LS5 — along with casting numbers, the 12-bolt axle and its engineering code, and any surviving documentation.
What are LS6 El Caminos worth?
Documented examples now trade in the $120,000 to $240,000 and above range, making them among the most valuable production trucks ever built. Concours-grade restoration of a documented LS6 costs a similar amount, which gives a sense of how seriously the market takes them. LS5 SS 454 cars sit well below that, and an SS 396 is a much more accessible entry point into the same look.
