Frequently Asked Questions
Q: How many LS5 convertibles/sport coupes/sedan pickups were
built in 1970 (1971 or 1972)?
A: There is no
known breakdown of LS5 engines
in Chevelles, Corvettes, or Passenger car by body style or how many
were sold with a 4-speed vs. the TH400 automatic (in most cases), or
came with optional gear ratios, etc. and will probably never be known
unless I can register all LS5 engines in Chevrolets ever sold, which
isn't in the realm of possibility for obvious reasons. See
How Many LS5s Based On Body Style
Were Sold? for more insight on LS5 numbers vs. body styles.
Based on information from Vintage Vehicle Services (VVS) in Oshawa 10,176 1970 13637 Malibu sport coupes were produced for sale in Canada and 25,938 were produced for U.S. sale. Of the 10,176 299 were optioned with RPO Z15 (SS454) and the base LS5 engine (no LS6 engines were offered for sale in Canada and all LS6-optioned Chevelles sold in Canada were "imported" from U.S. plants). Of the 299 LS5 Malibu sport coupes, 222 were equipped with the M22 4-speed transmission, 77 with the TH400 3-speed Turbo-HydraMatic automatic transmission.
Since the L34 (SS396) was also built and sold in Canada the number of RPO ZL2 Cowl Induction hood options isn't broken down by engine (L34 vs. LS5) but VVS reports 1,750 ZL2 options were sold.
No Malibu 13667 convertibles and no Malibu 13680 sedan pickups were built in Canada. All of those two body styles sold in Canada were "imported" from U.S. assembly plants.
Q: Didn't all LS5 Chevelles have gauges and a tachometer?
A: No. The Instrument Panel Gauges, or Special Instrumentation, sold
under RPO U14, was always an option regardless of year. The gauge pods
for fuel, speedometer, and optional clock were round as opposed to the
linear sweep speedometer of a non-SS optioned Chevelle but the gauge
package was still an option. The clock was standard equipment
on LS5 optioned Monte Carlo SS and included as part of the U14 Instrument
Panel Gauge option although it was still available as a separate option
in all Chevelles
{Note: The same holds true for such options
as bucket seats, console, and cowl induction hoods. Bucket seats and
consoles were standard Malibu options and not limited to the LS5; the
cowl induction hood could be ordered with any engine in either the 1970
Z25 SS396/Z15 SS454 or 1971 & 1972 Z15 SS Equipment option packages.}
Q: Is my LS5 real?
A: This can be tricky at best.
Partially because there are differing opinions on what is necessary
to make an LS5 optioned Chevelle 'real.' To some, 'real' means the car
has the correct and original engine it was born with and can be matched
to the build sheet. To some, it means if the build sheet says it was
born with the LS5 engine, it doesn't (relatively) matter that the engine
has been replaced for one reason or another; whether by a dealer under
warranty or an over-avid enthusiast back in the day due to out of warranty
breakage. Consider if the car has a warranty engine with CE code or
a 1974 454 truck motor dressed to appear as a 1970/1971/1972 LS5 engine,
but has build sheet that is original to the car as noted by the VIN
sequence and other information of the sheet matching the trim tag.
As far as the LS5 Registry is concerned, the paperwork is the primary objective in the registry and not whether the Chevelle retains the original engine.
Q: How many 1970 Z20 SS454 Monte Carlos were sold?
A: The Z20 SS454 Monte Carlo 454 sold 3,833 units. These 454 engines
are not part of the number of LS5 engines calculated for the number
of the other Z15 optioned Chevelles.
Q: How many 1971 Z20 SS454 Monte Carlos were sold?
A: The Z20 SS454 Monte Carlo 454 sold 1,919 units. These 454 engines
carried the same CPD suffix code as Z15 optioned Malibus. Total 454
production for 454 Malibus (7,583) and Monte Carlos (1,919) is 9,502
units.
