I just bought a elky not to long ago. it is a 73 and came with a 454
originaly i was going to throw the motor in my truck but after looking a the car i realized that it has some ss emblems on the dash and then i checked the #'s and if i checked them right the motor matches the car i think it's all original has a/c and power windows. is there a way to confirm the ss And i think if the # on the front of the motor matches the last of the vin it's a original motor?anyway i was wandering if there is any value in a car like this it needs a body resteration but i've driven it around so it's a complete car any help would be great thnx

first, congrats on the '73.

and yes, there is some a marketable value for a numbers matching car.

it all depends on the level of restoration needed. Throw some detailed pics up and ask for some advice from the guys that run that generation. 8)

first, congrats on the '73.

and yes, there is some a marketable value for a numbers matching car.

it all depends on the level of restoration needed. Throw some detailed pics up and ask for some advice from the guys that run that generation. 8)

Anybody else have any input
how can i varify that it is a true ss
anybody have a ball bark figure on what its worth
i could post pics i you really want to see them

Hello and welcome Dan. And congrats on your new purchase. I'm not to sure I can help with the value, but I'm interested in what others say regarding this subject.
I am purchasing a '73 Elky SS. It is supposed to be a matching numbers (350SB) true SS. I'm not 100% sure right now though.
From what I can read, the SS package was an option on the '73. I am pretty sure you will not be able to verify the SS option via the VIN or cowl tag.
I am much more confident that you will be able to match up the VIN and the motor via the numbers. I will be "learning" more about the '73's, but I would think that the the 454 would only be available on a true SS ( SS 454 option number Z15). So, that might "verify" it.

Some other things that might help tell would be if it has a Posi rear end. How about the dash? Does it have the tach and other gauges? Does it have the center console? Any chance you or a past owner has the build sheet?

I've seen '73 range from $1500 to up to the mid teens. For a long time, this generation El Camino was real tough to find parts for. I am starting to see more parts in catalogs and on Ebay.

Lets see what others say.

Jay is right on with many of those things.

In 72, the 'W' in the VIN indicated a 454, and that meant a true SS in 72 because the ONLY way you could get a 454 in 72 was with the SS package.

But that changed in 73 and on....

Dan Carr points this out in his excellent work on the subject...
http://www.chevelles.com/shop/ss_ident.html

You may indeed have a SS, but no way to verify. But what the heck, you have a numbers matching car. Mine is a genuine according to the VIN, but did not have the original engine when I acquired it - and its not even a 454 currently :sad: so in some ways yours is more desirable.

Not sure if it has a posi but i think it has a 10 bolt i don't know if it is common for a ss or not but it has a th400 and is has a tack in the dash with some other gauges but no center console but it does have a ss in the dash. i thought that the 73 ss 454 was the last year that you could get a 454 ss package am i wrong
can you not verify a true ss after 72

Not sure if it has a posi but i think it has a 10 bolt i don't know if it is common for a ss or not but it has a th400 and is has a tack in the dash with some other gauges but no center console but it does have a ss in the dash. i thought that the 73 ss 454 was the last year that you could get a 454 ss package am i wrong
can you not verify a true ss after 72

according to the link I posted above by Dan Carr, this is his quote:
In '73 the Chevelle line was completely redesigned with driving comfort being the major theme rather than performance. There was still an SS-454 package available. It used the low-compression LS4 454 rated at 245 horsepower. This motor was less powerful than the earlier LS5, although with the right tuning, head porting and pistons it could equal the LS5. The LS4 had a cast crankshaft when mated to automatic transmissions, and a forged crankshaft when mated to a 4-speed manual. In 1973, an SS package was available with either a 350 or a 454 engine. A few post-'72 454/4-speed cars were built. These are seldom seen and are becoming more sought-after. Unlike previous years, it was possible to order the 454 without the SS package. There was also an SS package available for the '73 Chevelle wagon. These are fairly rare and few details are known.

Now Dan may not be THE expert, but he sure has spent a lot of time in researching these things. It DOES seem however, that with you having a Tach gauge package and 'SS' in the dash, its possible you DO indeed have one. But there seems to be no way to verify that I know of....

so just go forward with it assuming its a numbers matching SS until such time as someone can positively prove its not!

Good luck and post pics of it - how it looks now, and how it progresses as you fix it up!

Well that really sucks that there's no way to varify it is a ss but we'll just say it is. that said is there anyone i could talk to to get a market value for it i'm still debating wether or not to restore it or sell it as is. I already got alot of projects on the go not to sure if i need another.
anybody know anybody?

Dan, try NADA Guide (http://www.nadaguides.com/) and select "classic cars" from the links on the left side of the page.

I'm not to sure of these prices, they seem high and they really don't ask about all the possible options. Might give you a ball park figure though.

I also have an old issue of "Old Cars Price Guide", and just looking at the prices back then, a '73-77 V8 El Camino rated at a number 5 or a restorable is $1700, number 4 or drivable is $2800. Now, if it is all restored and rated at a number 3 it is $5600 and a number 2 or real pristine is $9800.

I'm only going by what I see. I have no first hand knowledge. Gonna be a little bit of a learning curve for me. The '73 SS I'm buying looks pretty nice in the pic's and I won't be able to really tell until I can see it in person and really go over it. I don't have the room to do a project, so this one is pretty much done.

yea your right they realy don't go into detail before they give you a price
that would be sweet if they just bought your car for that price without knowing much about it.
Has anyone else bought a 73 ss 454 car recintly? or are they really hard to find?