1970 Chevrolet Chevelle SS454 LS6 vs 1970 Buick GS 455 Stage 1 | Stock Drag Race
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- Опубліковано 1 жов 2024
- 1970 Chevy Chevelle SS 454 drag racing 1970 Buick Gran Sport 455 Stage 1. Pure Stock Muscle Car Drag Race. Factory Stock Drag Race.
First car is a 1970 Chevrolet Chevelle Super Sport, the other a 1970 Buick Gran Sport. The Gran Sport has the top engine, a 455 Stage 1 rated 360 horsepower. The Chevelle also has the top engine, a LS6 454 rated 450 horsepower. The LS6 Chevelle 454 and the Stage 1 Buick both have TH400 3-speed automatic transmissions. Rear gearing in the Buick GS455 is 3.73, while the Chevelle SS has 4.10. The Buick is heavier, weighing 3950 pounds including the driver. The '70 Chevelle is coming in at 3848 pounds, including the driver. There were only 1785 total 1970 Buick GS Stage 1 with the TH400 produced in 1970. On the other hand, there were 4475 total LS6 equipped vehicles from Chevrolet in 1970 (this includes all Chevelles and El Caminos). Hot Rod tested a LS6 Chevelle in May of 1970 and it ran the quarter mile in 13.44 seconds @ 108 mph (4-speed manual, 4.10 gears). Motor Trend tested the Stage 1 Buick in January of 1970 and it ran 13.38 seconds @ 105.5 mph, and at the time that was the quickest car they had ever tested.... even quicker than the Hemi Cuda from a few months earlier that ran 13.78 seconds in the quarter mile.
Pure Stock Muscle Car Drag Race (PSMCDR). FAST Factory Appearing Stock Tire factory stock. Super Car Drag Race.
Remember, both cars participate in the Pure Stock Muscle Car Drag Race series, so please check out their website: www.psmcdr.com
Also make sure you find them out on Facebook.
The rules for PSMCDR are listed below:
For 1955 to 1979 musclecars built in United States and Canadian assembly plants with a minimum warranty of 12 months and 12,000 miles.
Any car running faster than 11.50 will be disqualified and will not have a qualifying time recorded.
Any convertible running faster than 13.50 will be disqualified and will not have a qualifying time recorded.
Casting numbers must be correct for the year and horsepower claimed including intake manifold, heads, and exhaust manifolds. Blocks do not have to be "numbers matching," but they must be the correct displacement. Overbores up to .070" are allowed. Stock cranks only.
All Engines -CR 1.5 extra points allowed over advertised.
The camshaft must be correct for the year, model, and horsepower claimed for the type of lifter (hydraulic or solid). Roller cams NOT allowed.
The valve train must be factory stock for the year, make, and horsepower claimed.
The ignition system must be stock, including the distributor, cap, coil, and wires. Points may be replaced with any electronic conversion that fits under the stock distributor cap.
The carburetor must be correct for the year, make, and horsepower claimed. Jetting and metering changes are permitted. THE CHOKE ASSEMBLY MUST BE IN PLACE AND FUNCTIONAL!
Cast-iron exhaust manifolds are mandatory and must be correct for the year, model, and horsepower claimed. Internal modifications to the exhaust manifolds are NOT allowed. Under no circumstances will headers be allowed, including those cars that came with headers delivered in the trunk. Pipes must be routed as they were originally for the year, make, model, and engine combination. Mufflers must be stock looking in design, that is, oval in shape. No glasspacks or straight pipes allowed unless installed as original equipment. Maximum muffler inlet and outlet size is 2.5 inches. X & H pipes allowed.
The radiator must be correct for the year, make, model, and horsepower claimed. No lightweight, aluminum radiators allowed.
The camshaft must be correct for the year, model, and horsepower claimed for the type of lifter (hydraulic or solid). Roller cams NOT allowed. Duration at .050" lobe lift must be within 1% of factory specs. Lift at the valve must be within 2% of factory specs. Maximum stall limited to 2200 rpm.
The transmission must be correct for year, make, model and engine of the car. 3-speed manuals may be upgraded to the correct 4-speed if originally available.
The rear axle must be of the same manufacturer as the car. Any gear ratio is allowed.
Reproduction tires or radial tires only.You are allowed to run tires one size over stock.
Factory wheels only.
Disclaimer: The Cars And Zebras UA-cam channel is a news channel bringing results/news of drag racing with added history of automobiles. All footage/pictures used were either captured by the Cars And Zebras channel, or used for critique purposes under Fair Use.
Who wins?
That's easy........a GM. ;o)
As much as I love the 70 Chevelle SS 454 but the 70 Buick GS 455 is just a complete torque monster 👹 and its the 3rd fastest muscle car during the Muscle car era.
It's hard to beat the BIG BAD BUICK ! 👃
@@CJColvin
Nah, there were many cars quicker than the Buick GS. The 69 ZL-1 Camaro and Corvette. All the 426 Hemi equipped Cuda's, Road Runner's, Challenger and GTX cars.
Even some POS Ford's would cross the finish line ahead of the Buick GS models. I'd rate the Buick GS somewhere around 12th, in the muscle car era.
@@ricktaylor3748 Gotcha. I know the AC Cobra with 427 Side-Oiler was the fastest muscle car of all time.
The 455 Buick HP is severely underrated.
I agree.
Has to be
@user-bz6ty9eh3m As I said the Buick is severely underrated. You don't pound another car like that if there's only a few HP difference. .
Just as an FYI, Buick engineers who were there back in the day had interesting things to say about the GS455 and GS455 Stage 1 hp ratings. The big thing was that Buick didn't test a range of engines and then pick the best performer for the published stats. Many companies did exactly that, and it makes a little sense to put yuor best foot forward. At Buick, they took ratings that the selection of test engines would reliably and repeatedly make. In my opinion that doesn't make for a large difference, maybe 20-30hp, tops, but it is interesting that various Divisions with GM had different ideas on how to rate. The next thing is that today we don;t realize that back in 1970, engine dynos were not that common. Each was a little different as well. Using a "good dyno" absolutely affected the hp results. That is the factor I believe which is largely responsible for the "low hp" on the Buicks. Add that to the way they rated and I can easily believe the GS455 Stage 1 was putting out 425+ hp.
@bbb462cid You can tell by the way the Buick looked like it was sprinting and the Chevy jogging.
1970. The year of the most badass cars of the era. NO losers here.....
My parents had a Gold one, Sport version I think it had a 307
sucks they lost so much power after the mid 70s, they still looked fantastic though
AGREED!!👍 😄😄
But the 60s was every year. The 70s was just 70!
Great races! Those 455 stage 1 Buicks surprised many a street racer in 454’s and 426/440’s back then! Me being one of them. They were absolute torque monsters!
That was the key , loads of torque.
Only 10 ft-lbs of torque difference between the two but the Buick made all its torque at 2800 RPM vs 3600 for the Chevelle. Bet that made the low-revving Buick a contender.
I think Buick surprised a lot of people they definitely had some going with that 455 stage 1
You are correct, I’m 64 and had a 1970 GS 455 Stage 1 convertible when I was 17. The only thin that gave me a good race was a 428 Mustang. Anything else no problems. And everyone I beat was like there is no way I got beat by a Buick until I popped the hood. LOL
The 455 Stage 1 Buick was a torque monster 🏁
The Stage 1 is a true torque monster.
YA, 360 hp vs 450 and both claiming 500+ torque. I think Buick may be fudging the numbers a bit.
Just a bit! lol....Stage 1 I bet had to be well north of 400HP.
GM always pumped up chevy at expense of other brands.
That Buick 455 in a Firebird-like vehicle would have owned the streets, but GM never let them do it.
I’ve learned a couple of things from this channel. The Dodge/Plymouth 340’s are absolute giant killers and the Buick Stage 1 is a beast.
I totally agree
Ain't it the truth?!
Yep, those 340 Darts and Dusters were pretty light, and equipped with the right gearing and tuned correctly, could easly beat big block contenders of the era. NEVER underestimate a 340 MOPAR A-Body.......
@@ct87gn25 Back in the early 80s, my older brother had a 70 Duster 340 3 speed stick that would beat many cars that it wasn't supposed to. What a time back then when quick street cars were 13s or low 14s.
@@ct87gn25 Yes, that light weight helped traction A LOT with the available tires of the day. I owned a stripped 1970 340 Duster with a few mods and headers back then and beat numerous other hot muscle cars of the day, but the '70 GS Stage 1 was the exception.
Just shows that 1970 an amazing year for muscle cars!
Also proves that politicians can destroy the concept of there being such a thing as a muscle car with really dumb laws. Now we are witnessing them destroy diesels.
It was THE year . A 12.77 at 109 mph? That's ridiculous. Imagine a set up with a pair of cheater slicks. - on either car.
Yep the pinnacle for the musclecar
@@bunk-bn9eo yeah the junk bias ply tires have no grip u hear them squealing
1970 was best year
Noticed the Chevelle had problems getting off the line in the right lane. But no excuses, that was some tight racing. The absolute worst thing that happened to 1970? 1971.
Nooooo.Government Regulations
@@stevejohnson1397 Next thing you know, the government will dictate how many gallons of water are in a toilet tank and what kind of light bulbs to use....errrr wait a minute....
@@stevejohnson1397 Which seriously began in 1971.
Unless you got a Hemi, 440 six pack, 429 SCJ, Boss 351, 455 H.O. or a 340 Demon, then yeah, 1971 sucked.
I wholeheartedly agree. Lowering compression is akin to firing a .50 round through the block.
Oh my gosh, the second and third rounds! That’s some tight racing between two awesome brutes. Thank you as always. 🌮 🌮
🌮
Back in the early 70’s we all knew about the Chevelle SS 454 LS6. However pretty much no one back then knew about the Buick. If someone had shown up on a Friday night cruise in a GS Stage 1 wanting to run an LS6 Chevelle I can guarantee pretty much all of the money would have been on the Chevelle with likely a lot of snickering and jokes about someone out racing their parents family car. That is until the Buick won leaving everyone in disbelief.
I never saw that. Where did you grow up? I did see a lot of punched out Buicks with head work that ran well. In fact, the best Buick head shop did the heads for my Z28. They were over on Hemphill (right across from Fisher 1) but I cannot remember the name of the place. I gotta pull some receipts to jog my memory.
@@danhillman4523 - Central CA (think American Grafitti😉). No one around here ran either stock or hot rodded Buick’s. It was 80% Chevy and Ford with an occasional MOPAR or Pontiac and very occasionally an AMC.
BTW, I ran a 1970 Mach 1 with a modded 351. My cruise/race buds had a 1969 Mach 1 428CJ and a 1969 Z28. I think there were at least 3 1969 Z28’s at my high school. One day a classmate (a real tool) was showing everyone how his Z28 could peg the tach at 8000 threw several rods thru the pan in the school parking lot. 🤣🤣🤣
@@danmyers9372 I did it too. About 8500 I spun a rod bearing. Well, it was fun back then anyway. I had a few good Camaros and my buddy had a Hemi 'Cuda. It was mostly driving (not spinning wheels) because they were all so close. I still have my 1970 Z. Bought it in 1983.
My cousin's Dad had a 69/70 Buick GS 400 two door sedan , was in the mid 80's, his Dad also had a Mazda rx7, he would tell us we can take the rx7 but it wasn't going to whip any of the mustangs and Camaros that the kids from well income parents bought them, the looks on their faces when the granny looking Buick would just walk away, it even had white walls and hubcaps, his Dad "don't you boys wanna take the rx7?" "Nah"
Both of these were factory hemi killers. Saw a stage 1 lay a whooping on a hemi road runner.
Indeed. The Buick stage 1's power ratings where grossly underrated.
No mph but quick as hell.
@@clover831 you would think so, I've dynod stock orig 70,72 stage 1 cars, they are like grand nationals, just quick .I run 11.67 110 in 403rwhp buick thts built and stock chevelles run 13s at 108 110. Its lower hp stock they just run.
@@clover831 I kind of think that the Buick Stage 1 was the only muscle car with an accurate rating and all the rest were grossly overrated.
@@1967davethewave Probably true but also remember that the Stage 1's hp was purposely rated at a low 4600 rpm for NHRA factoring, as it showed in the video.
Fastest car in our area in the 70's was a Stage 1 Buick. No mystery to anyone who's run up against one. The other wild card of that era was the Olds W30.
Untill you put it up against the 1968 Dodge Dart 426 Hemi LO23 then their is no competition the Hemi will blow the doors off of anything.
@@norristammislideshowmulgre877 no, there are several other speciality cars that are in that class . L88, 427 hi riser fairlanes, pontiac black bird, stage 2, yenko, Baldwin motion
My Buddy's 429 Gt 429 Torino with the Rochester 4 V was competitive with b of those cars
Also the 1971 Plymouth Cuda with the 426 Hemi and a 4 speed was faster.
@@cargo4441 the 1968 Dodge Dart LO23 was the worlds fastest production car. Also I can't remember exactly what year between 1963 and 1965 the Plymouth Savoy with the 413 max wedge was the first production car to break into the 11.97 seconds in the quarter mile.
Took delivery of my 1970 GS Stage 1 in November, 1969. The stock rear end with the A/T was 3.42 as I recall. I've owned a lot of performance cars since then, right up to my current 2020 Mustang GT Premium convertible, but the Buick was my favorite.
God bless you🙌. The tail end of the muscle car era. I was only two when you took delivery, I'm 56 now😅😊. Keep on gett'n it!
I cruised at 140 in mine. Sure miss her.
Clash of the Titans! Two of the fastest from the original musclecar era....Clean sweep for the GS, but all 3 were super close. Relatively even as far as weight and gearing. One of the best races in awhile....thanks C&Z!
The driver of the Buick left on him big time
Those stage 1 Buicks were amazing.
Beautiful and fast heavy weights 👌
That's some wild numbers for the Buick, 3-speed with 3.73 gear and 510ft/lb is a winning combo no matter what👍
g00dl00kinb0i, both cars had the GM 400 A/T transmission. 3 speed manual was standard in a Buick stage 1 but was NOT in this Buick. Chevturd had better gears and lighter weight and still lost.
Good for you...
I love my 70 GS Stage 1. The Gentleman's Musclecar!
That Buick was a true sleeper
not really , dont know anybody that slept on a GS
My 2002 Regal GS 3.9 Supercharged V6 bois n gurlz, would moonwalk them slugs.
Torque wins races, Horsepower sells cars......Jay Leno
That's weird its like the chevelle had every advantage higher power, better diff gears, and it was lighter. And the GS was a column car too very skilled driver then that's for sure.
The 70 455 Stage one actually was around 450+ HP and 550+ Torque. Depending on the cam Stage (1 or 2) and Compression Ratio ( 10.5 to 1) and 550+ Torque. Was underrated for Insurance .
The Buick didn't need lower gears, the 3.73 matched that torque curve perfectly.
Close races. I don't know how well either of these cars were dressed up within the rules. Regardless, I loved watching that '360' horse Buick putting the hurt on the '450' horse Chevrolet. And with more weight, less gearing, and....it wasn't just beating it off the line.
@@oveidasinclair982 yeah, well, or the Chevy's were.
@@oveidasinclair982
I have seen stock Stage 1 Buicks dyno at 400 HP. I would be shocked if the stock LS6 made much more than that and we all know that the Buick will make more torque at a lower peak rpm. Superior torque is what consistently put the Buick ahead off the line.
Wouldn't you really rather have a Buick? Why, yes!. Yes I would.
Those Buicks were way underrated. As were the Oldsmobiles.
I had a 1969 Buick GS 400. It only had the 273 open rear end, but it still moved pretty good. I miss that car. It was a nice driver.
I had a 67GS 400 & 69 GS 400 Stage 1. The Stage 1 car eat 396 Chevelles & beat Olds 442 as well. Way under rated cars. (Sleeper)
1970 was the year of the best looking muscle in general.
Very respectable times from both cars, it could have gone either way. A true clash of the titans.
Epic! ...no losers, just great to see these old warriors duke it out!
Right the F on ma
The Chevy was the loser lol Those Buicks we’re severely under rated. Great sleeper cars.
Buick: the Unsung HERO 🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸
laughable how Buick sandbag the insurance companies with a jokingly 360 HP
that beats a similarly weighted Chevelle advertising 450 HP
plus the Chevy had more compression and 4:10 vs the Buick's more street friendly 3:73 gears
Those Stage One engines were easily 500 Hp
and only the Buick engineers were aware of the joke played on the competition
Hemi what ?
Awesome Cars "" """ """
Buicks were known as grandpa cars. This is the reason grandpa drove buicks. When i was 16 my dad gave me my second car a 67 lesabre with the 340cid 4 bbl 400 turbohydromatic he bought for $100. It had been struck by lightning sitting in a coworkers back yard. Brought it home and all he did was put points and a condenser in it. Fired right up. It amazed everyone how fast a monster like that was. A kid in my neighborhood got a new 76 pontiac formula with the 400cid ram air. He challenged me. He got me on take off being the much lighter car but that old buick caught him when it hit second and those two back barrels kicked in. When she shifted to third i pulled away from him easily. Everyone was totally confused. That buick was a tank and a boat but she was fast.
Buick was a grandpa car but Buick wanted to prove periodically that they can build muscle so they made the GS and years later in the 80's built the Grand National GNX which was at the time the fastest production car and it was just a V6 turbo. I remember reading that Chevrolet dept was pissed off because they felt the corvette was always supposed to be the fastest GM car and the Grand National was faster.
@@cmonnflseason yep, and they ran some of those grand national v6s in nascar. they didnt fair that well, but, they were competitive and got better mileage than the v8s. i cant remember if any won or not, but, i know they didnt do bad at all. they just didnt have the get up and go that the racing v8s had. they would run around the track a lot longer, thereby, getting some lead laps in. it was crazy.
I remember in high school my dad had a 1967 Buick Wildcat. Had a big block 430 cu in 4 barrel. Big car but very fast. It had 360 hp. Thought I going to get a ticket racing a 1966 SS Chevelle 396.
Thanks for posting this! I've been searching years for a pure stock 70 Chevelle LS6 drag race video and it's great to finally see one! I've always suspected/known in the back of my mind they were capable of sub 13 second times with the LS6 and optional 4.10 gear so it is good to finally see some solid proof. Both of these cars were serious street weapons in their day.
Heck almost everything modern that runs this good is using the crutch of forced induction while these old beasts do it with carburetors and mechanical ignition!
Good points. At Gainesville Raceway my first real drag race with my new LS6 was against a GS Stage 1, and boy was I surprised.
@@LR-my2di Sounds like good times! Wish I could get my hands on a real LS6 or at least a two door Malibu.
@@Impactjunky Like early "Z/28" Camaros, when it comes to decent SS Chevelles, there are probably more fake ones out there today than real ones.
@@LR-my2di Yeah for sure, I wouldn't mind a "fake" one myself though especially if I planned to drive it hard. My daily driver for the last 12-13 years has been a 68 Plymouth Satellite made to look like a Roadrunner and I think I've had just as much fun with it as I would have had with a real Roadrunner.
@@Impactjunky You're right. No big worries with a replica. Most folks don't know or care anyway.
U really can't go wrong with all 4 gm 1970s muscle car Buick455 Pontiac455 Olds 455 /Hurst edition Chevy 454 LS6
I had a 69 olds delta 88 in high school. 490Ft lbs of torgue had me getting lots of free used tires behind gas stations to change in auto shop class. That thing loved to smoke tires even with a 2bbl.
@@tabbott429 ya the boss had a 70 ninety eight, the 455 olds rocket was a beast, it would just sit there and smoke the friggin tires off it. hilarious sight seeing a monster luxury cruiser, burn the living shit out skinny tires
The Chevy guys were squealing like little girls on the FB version of this .
if you can post a link I’d love to read the comments
@@CarsAndZebras Group called Factory and Dealer Special Muscle Cars .Don't know how to be more specific i'm afraid.
Wow! That was a surprise to go 3 for 3! That Buick has a great sound,perfect Mufflers on it!
@Harley Vulcan. Yeah, the Buick exhaust looked like stove pipes sticking out the rear, they had to be 3 inch, or bigger.
it was 2 to 1
Clean sweep ,3-0 ! Buick
@@harleyvulcancobra4.619 2 to 1...watch it again
@@davidjones-vx9ju The Buick won all 3.
This is pretty much Godzilla vs King Kong in a fist fight! 🤘😁🤘
King Kong wins switch drivers LS6 da beast
Thank you for a straight forward video with no nonsense!
As a SS Chevelle man I knew the Buick would win, Torque is everything!
You’re a joke we love the nonsense but he needs to please smooth brains like you out in the comment section
Ftttttttttttttttttttttttt
@@mickeymighty1866 Mickey who hurt you?
Also it’s a really strange race with the Buick actually pulling and beating the chevelle on mph at the end. Usually the chevelle is chasing down the Buick at the end with a 5-10 mph trap speed difference but not this time
Thank you Three Oddmoments,
Looks like Mickey bit off more than he could chew!
As the owner of a 1967 Buick Riviera GS bought on the night of Desert Storm and original owner of a 32,000 mile 1987 Buick Grand National Glad to see Buick's showing tail lights ,Can't sleep at stop lights against Hot Buick's!!
Yup, the '70 Stage 1 was a force to be reckoned with, both at the strip and one the street. With 510 lb/ft of torque, and aggresive gearing, very few cars could hang with this beast. They don't call 'em the Hemi killers for nothing!
Well, youve seen plenty of taillights havent you?!
Maybe I’m an old “softie”, but watching these two badass American muscle icons dragging each other makes me tear up a little. Not so much because of the cars themselves , but for the memories and good times of back in the day. Nothing more fun than going to Friday night drag racing.
Love both cars in video. Can you imagine if they unleashed the STAGE 2 option! How about a RAM AIR V GTO.
There was a Ram air V and stage 2. But, they where rare and only for professional racers. You couldn't buy them for the street.
@@clover831 I thought the stage 2 was a dealer installed option?
@@tl5108 As far as I know, it was only for professional racing.
@@tl5108 you are correct
@@clover831 You had to have some kind of "in" to get a Ram Air V, but the Stage 2 was available to anyone who had spent the money on the Stage 1 and wanted to spend more on the dealer installed upgrade. Buick HP options (GSX, 455 Stage 1 etcetera) were expensive compared to most other manufacturers, but I witnessed them being worth more than paid for back when they were new, many many times.
The guys on chevelle forum & in every chevelle Facebook group are still making excuses for why the chevelle lost. They still want to believe the ls6 was the fastest muscle car of 1970 even after seeing it get beat on by a Buick with their own eyes. Just because the chevelle was more popular doesn't mean it was the fastest. It didn't even look better than the skylark either.
lol, my son was in his late 20's before he said to me, " you know Dad after looking at all of the A body''s for years, I have to admit, the Buick GS looks the best" 😊
Man you must be smoking something.
@@stuartgeltmaker9133 , kick rocks ricer lover
This will make chevy fans cringe 😬
I thought they would just keep running them until the chevy won one.
💯Chevy fan here.... no cringing going on ova here....just 2 beautiful muscle cars gettin r dun....Love it!!!
@@daleostrom3613 I'm here for a good time not a long time!
Every time I watch a C&Z race I think to myself this race cant get any better yet it does... Awesome!!!
Same here ,,,good stuff
Another crazy great race brother! Not a GM guy (my heart goes to Mopar) but these are by far some of the greatest muscle cars from GM and Detroit in general! My guess will go with the torque monster 455 Buick, but I never doubt the power of a badass 454 LS6! Thanks for posting another awesome race! 👍💨
Ill take properly running and tuned hemi by a hair over these guys..
That was better than watching topless strippers mudwrestling
I had to make all my own fart noises, what happened? Good thing it was chili day.
Open headers FTW...
😁
They didn't call it the Hemi Killer for nothing.
Fantastic battle of the GM heavyweights! That Buick GS is incredible...
I got admit I thought the Chevrolet had this based on gears, weight and torque. I was hoping for the Buick but had my doubts. Really love the video by the way! Been watching your channel for a bit now. First time commenting, but the short sweet to the point is what grabs me. Thanks for keeping this guys attention.
The BUICK has more torque, AND at a lower rpm. Watch the video again. The LS6 Chevelle was rated 500 ft/lb of torque at 3600 rpm......while the Buick was rated 510 ft/lb of torque at only 2800 rpm. So not only is the Buick making a little more torque, the more important factor is the fact it's making peak torque at a much lower rpm, thus giving it more power off the line.
@@howabouthetruth2157 oh I agree with you. No need to watch again.
@@howabouthetruth2157 And possibly a more experienced driver. It's not just the car in a drag race! Have the drivers switch cars. Then you would know for sure which "car" is faster!
@@cassandragarcia5548 I totally agree. Furthermore, while the power of the engine is a major factor, there's a lot more variables that relate to acceleration as well: transmission, rear gearing, tires, even tire size, suspension set-ups, etc. What's funny, is the more power you're dealing with in drag racing, the more all of those other components come into play. Pretty much all of those cats who are running 8 second or quicker passes, have engines making more than enough horsepower & torque........so the major determining factor is how well they can get the car to hook up during the launch, and that comes down to all of those other components.
That is some close racing! Mighty fine pair of cars.
Glad to see the Chevelle break into the 12's.
Two awesome cars and drivers were aces.
Old Mopar guy who had plenty of hemis and 440s bitd said the Buick 455 GS's were faster than both the Hemi and 440 cars. It's just that the 455 Buick wasn't in the budget for the younger buyer back then.
The budget issue is the big point, as you and your old Mopar guy say. I only knew a few of my fellow gearheads/racers who plunked down for the Stage 1 or 2, and only one who went the big money for all that in a GSX. Most would tot up the cost for the baddest Buick, compare it to the raciest 440/6 or Hemi, and end up with the Mopar. I don't know if they regretted it when the Buick(s) whipped up on them, but it was a regular occurrence.
the business guys racer,
BUICK TORQUE!
My Buddy's 1970 Torino GT 429 with the factory 4 V Rochester and 11 to 1 compression was definitely in the hunt for factory drag race cars. Back in the day.
Those bbf engines were slugs even in the mustangs,
@@camclarke9952 bs.....
This race absolutely came down to tires. The Buick is running G60-15s which are some of the meatiest tires installed on ANY muscle car of that era (they made H60-15s and L60-15s but those were NEVER installed at the factory). Actually I am kind of surprised to see that tire because I didn't think G60-15s were ever factory installed back then. I thought the widest factory-installed bias-ply was an F60-15. The SS Chevelles in 1971 and 1972 would come from the factory with F60-15 Polyglas GTs because the SS wheel in '71 and '72 was 15" in diameter. The SS Chevelles in 1970...even the 454 LS5 and LS6 cars...were still getting tiny little 14" wheels and they came with a MUCH smaller profile Polyglas GT or Firestone Wide Oval. It looks like this Chevelle is running those super-skinny, 14" Firestones of some kind...probably Firestone Wide Ovals with the white stripe facing out instead of the white lettering for some reason (I guess the owner likes the granny look?). The contact patch on those G60-15 Polyglas GTs is AT LEAST two inches wider than those Firestones on the Chevelle and you can see the Chevelle have trouble hooking at the line.
True, but the Buick still ran more MPH, which means it was slowly pulling away in addition to getting off the line better. So it was faster from 0-however fast you wanted to go.
The g60-15 was a room for the Buick
@@SealofPerfection that was supposed to say too, regular production option
@@markbuchanan3694 I get that, but my point was that traction wasn't the reason the Chevelle lost. The Buick was simply the faster car, as indicated by the MPH
@@SealofPerfection If you can't get off the line well, then your trap speed wont be as good as if you did, because you have a limited distance to get up to speed. I think it would have been dead even if the chevelle had better tyres or a better driver.
The 'manufacturers' horsepower numbers would mean nothing, except I guess it's fun to laugh about the game they played with the insurance companies. Perhaps they could have installed proper brakes? That might have helped.
Those were the best brakes they had at the time. Consider that the 57/58 Chrysler 300 cars were the fastest production cars in the world when new and had tiny drum brakes with organic brake shoes. By 1970 disc brakes were an option on everything and even the standard drum brakes were much improved. When you compare any of those brakes to a new Camaro or Mustang they fall short but that's like saying North American should have just used a turbo jet with afterburners on the P51 and it would have been faster. Technology doesn't advance overnight.
@@1967davethewave No, they had better tech, they were just containing costs. Tech advances as fast as it is needed, just look at how racing pushes innovation. And how fast we innovated during WWII. The P-51 Mustang started off as a mediocre performer, but was on the cutting edge of airframe technology innovation. Desperation of war demanded we put a British 'Merlin' engine in it and we created the absolute zenith in propeller driven fighter aircraft design. Ordinarily, engineers in the U.S. would have built a new engine from the ground up, but war was the 'mother of necessity,' and 'necessity is the mother of invention.' Besides, disc brakes were first patented in 1902 by Frederick William Lanchester, and used successfully on Lanchester cars.
LS6 made more then 450hp add another 100 to most all GM muscle cars . Buick , Pontiac ,Olds ,and Chevy
I needed this C&Z! Been in hospital since last Wednesday with COVID and pneumonia. On machines keeping me alive. Wish I could DM you
Get well soon 👍
Great video C&Z!
A bit of a surprise outcome but bth cars are awesome.
Kinda missing the funny quips
No funnies ?? 🤷🤷 WTH ??
Driver LS6 lost off line
Wow definitely one of the best comparisons .
Thanks for getting the MT stats right 13.38 held the MT record until the Turbo Carrera tied it, 10yr later. (definitely a sad decade for cars, with few exceptions) The matching T400s and different gear ratios is really interesting. Would like to see both cars with both 3.73 & 4.10s. The Buick showed off another trait they're good for, consistency.
The Buick had far more consistant time's
Can't help but wonder how mis-matched the races would be if the Buick had the same 11.25:1 compression advantage of the 454.
Buick also underrated their compression ratio specs. It was mostly advertising. The 10.5:1 engines were actually making about 9.8:1
With fairly equal cars, the left lane is always better.
Why??
Horsepower figures on these cars were intentionally underrated I've heard the buicks were actually making 460 Horsepower and could make 360 with a spark plug wire pulled off.
That’s a fairly tale. Don’t believe it. The Buick won with its torque.
Actually numbers are around 425 not 360hp :) got a 455 stage 1 sitting in my uncles shop
HP was underrated big time on those Stage 1 GS's. Add the massive amount of torque, and you have a legit LS6 killer.....
@@oveidasinclair982 454 LS6 Engines were rated at 450 hp, Not 365, Not sure were you getting that number from, possibly LS5 Engine you're thinking of ?
@@oveidasinclair982 And the numbers weren't "Fudged" Stage 1 Buicks Will take out pretty much Any 454 Chevelle, C'mon man.
Just proves that Chevy's don't win all the time. 🤣
@@theplayernkc My point exactly 🙂
My home town had a GM plant and a Ford plant, within a mile of Fremont dragstrip, and with prosperity booming, everyone was at the dragstrip running their new cars. It's where I spent most my teen years, watching the muscle car wars from the early 1960's to the mid 70's ..now I'm here to replace some old faded brain cells.. I still love sitting, listening and watching cause their all winners now..
Did you drink a Munn"s root beer with a hemi burger ?
I'm a chevy man but I got to say Buick was really on to something
The 70 Chevelle SS 454 is definitely one of my favorite muscle cars of all time.
70-72 big block Chevelle.....no substitute.
@@ogg-men Amen Brother
King Kong better muscle car LS6 losing off line.
I think it’s safe to say true HP numbers were skewed in 1970. That Buick is one strong runner.
Notice that the Stage 1 's hp was *rated* at only 4600 RPM. That's one big reason.
4:45 GS is two feet ahead...one more cubic inch of displacement baby! haha. good race.
Insert driver mod here...
No replacement for displacement
Torque over HP...
Buick!
Awesome race, awesome cars! Thanks for the video. That Buick is a beast!!!
I was around when these cars were new. When Buick got in the muscle car market, Most young people said, "Why?" Buicks were for geezers. However, Buick's porcine looking cars did indeed leave a lot of their competitors wondering what just happened. Great races. Great video.
My dad drove the biggest land yacht models of Buicks long before I came along...1965...until he died in 08. And I've always had a weakness for Skylarks. I'm loving watching this
Love those GM big blocks. Chevrolet 454, Buick,Pontiac and Oldsmobile 455s👍
Close race, the Buick seems a little better out of the hole, and holds it throughout the race
That's what you call Buick 455 Stage 1 TORQUE !
driver LS6 spinning off line no good
Cars and zebras have another video with a real 1/4-mile time for a yellow Buick stage1 GSX, it runs 13.4 and 13.6 @ 102mph... lol 🤣
Goodday C & Z
I will go against the grain & go the Buick.
That should be your Chevelle racing
Your number 1 Fan in Australia
Louis Kats from Melbourne Australia ☺ 👍 ❤
People should know by now.... you don't bet against the Buicks
@@CarsAndZebras
Exactly, stay safe, stay warm & all the best for Christmas.
@@louiskats5116 You as well
That Chevelle needed a better tune, whether it was staggered carb jetting or ignition recurve kit, and the valves adjustment slightly. I say this since a former professional d rag racer always had a few " tricks" to absolutely annihilate the opponents ! I didn't believe until I saw it ! He raced his small block stick shift Chevys against hemis and everything and blew the doors off in the heads up days when it all started !!! Del Blades raced against Me. 4 speed None other than Herb McCandless, the guy who drove the 2nd car for Sox and Martin !!! And he was our local grumpy Jenkins !
Better tune? i know the Chevelle owner and he is VERY knowledgeable, and his car is a #1 specimen of the breed.
Yea something up Ls6 not hooking up spinning maybe driver those to cars close anyway spin you lose.
Dear Mr. C & Z, this video is perfect. With narration, without silliness. THANKS!
how many 1970 buick skylark gran sport stage 1 convertable was build ?
have anyone informations ?
The two top dogs minus the Mopar, interesting.
Spoiler alert.. That Buick is no "grandpa's car". 😉
Yes it is a grandpa's car, I knew at least 3 grandpa's who had one. - Watch out for us ol geezer's 😉
4:10's and getting gapped every time. The GS had a very good set up. I suspect it had a looser converter than the SS
Gears are not relevant here. The Buick made its torque at a lower RPM, so 3.73 is the perfect gear for it. Chevelle makes its power up higher, so the extra bit of gear is better for it. But 3.73 to 4.10 isn't much of a jump anyway, probably wouldn't even be a tenth of difference in the same car.
@@SealofPerfection totally agree the gears are right for each engine but also think the 4:10s may have hurt the top end on the Chevelle, just a little.
My boss built a Stage 1 clone for bracket racing that had a hotter Kenne Bell cam and it launched very hard with a stock GM 12 inch converter. Ran consistent mid 12s.
Something not right with LS6 for sure
More torque and weighs less...tje Buock
The Buick weighed more than the LS6 Chevelle. But the engine block itself, yes, does weigh less than a big block Chevy.
Awesome , great race , Thanks C&Z
Wow, that beautiful big block Buick burble at the front! ❤ You know what we love, and that was worth the price of admission alone! Thanks for posting!
Buick 🧹 wow
Most of us were in the Army overseas in 1970, so this is great to see
It will be VERY close race, but Buick.
All about that TORQUE wow the ole 455 ain't no joke. Great matchup! 👍😎🏁
heavy hitters
Damn! I didn’t see the Buick serving an LS6 gapple sauce!
Lol
You can't go wrong with two of GMs heaviest hitters of the day.
I think I'm actually sportin' some wood...😁
I thought the Chevelle was going to take it with its better breathing cylinder heads. Go figure.
Even the Hemis have a hard time with the Stage 1's....
I was always surprised these big blocks didn't have dual quads like the hemi...
Imagine if they did what numbers they would turn
I too, always wondered why they didn't - they did in the 60's. Can you imagine the possibilities - or insanities!
@@rsstrazz6261 , would have been crazy but fun!!!
I think for the GS, there was a rare Stage 2 option in '69-'70 that included a dual quad setup from your Buick dealer...I'm reaching from memory, but not sure.Maybe someone can confirm this.
@@rsstrazz6261 Not as streetable and would 've required new intake manifolds and possibly hood mods. Gas mileage and warranty was also a big factor. As I recall, Hemi's had practically no warranty at all. Maybe a 6-month warranty. The GS a 50,000 mile warranty.
Just goes to show an automatic is faster than a 4 speed. I had a firebird 4 speed and the long and clunky throw on Super T10 was horrible for speed shifting. Id take an automatic any day if racing and cruising.
How does this match up show that an automatic is faster than a 4 speed, since both of these cars were equipped with turbo 400 3 speed automatics?
While there's no doubt that modern, quick shifting automatics are faster than manual transmissions, back when these cars were competing the 4 speeds were often quicker than the 3 speed automatics. The first gear in the 4 speed usually had a stiffer ratio than the first gear in a 3 speed automatic, and that stiffer first gear helped launch the car harder.
Having 4 speeds instead of 3 also meant that the extra gear could keep the engine operating within a narrower rpm range, helping it stay in it's peak power band.
Toe to toe heavyweight bout, wow!!
better driver Buick LS6 losing off line
And Chevy owners everywhere are crying their eyes out😅
I honestly thought the Chevelle would be faster, I guess the tourqe of 455 made a difference.
Those GS 455s were absolute torque monsters and pulled hard off the line
The Buick weighed more and had a higher MPH which means it also made a little more HP.
Driver issue
Dude you got beat by a Buick !
I've been seeing bowties get beaten by Buicks since, oh, about 1969. Doesn't get old either.
@@Zekais nice !
The fastest magazine times, 13.12 @108mph for the SS Chevelle, 13.38 @105mph for the Buick. Both cars were fast for 1970. I think the Hemi Cuda was the fastest magazine time with a 13.0 -13.10.
Look again the 70 stage 1 ran quicker than the hemi cuda,it's featured in the 70 hotrod magazine..
@@camclarke9952 Please cite magazine month, issue. 13.38 @ 105 is the number that's been published for decades. BTW 108 mph for the Chevelle, 105mph for the Buick shows which car is faster.😂
@@2t713 yes but on the track the Buick hits the line first lol
I love those ss chevelle's I thought it would do a little better maybe driver taking it a little easy on it 😉. I'd like to hang out with the guy on the bicycle seems he's in all the videos he sees all the good racing 🤣
Yep driver Ls6 lost off line not hooking up.
Damn! My 1st car was a 1970 Skylark in gold with same white roof as that GS but with a straight 6. What I wouldn't give to have it back and drop a V8 into it! Thanks for the memories! I looked cool in that car and loved it even with the 6.