1970 C3 Corvette LT1 | Everything you need to know! The Ultimate Review

What an amazing day spent out in the sun having fun with my friend Dane and his stunning 1970 Chevrolet Corvette LT1!
This is the most comprehensive review I've ever done of a car, mostly thanks to Dane's knowledge and time taken to explain everything. A proper survivor car that's been designed with fine details in mind and great engineering feats, as you will see in the video.
Again a huge thanks goes to Dane for taking me around and for being such a great source of Chevrolet facts, figures and history of the brand.
If you're in New Zealand and want to have your car featured on my channel please feel free to reach out to my email address:
[e-mail]
Video Chapters:
00:00 Intro
01:18 Road Review
07:07 Options & Features
13:29 Trim Options
14:12 The Sound!
15:02 More Driving
16:00 SUBSCRIBE !
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[@charlieb308]

Now I’m divorced and 50, no step kids or fat wife, I want to get a corvette

[@musclecars.universe]

Do it!

[@TRUTHandLIGHT4809]

😂 amen

[@360deyo2]

🤣🤣

[@alvarojarquin1709]

😂😂

[@65stang98]

hell yeah man get a car she couldnt fit in anyways to make her feel real good about herself lmao

[@jimj2041]

I owned a 72 LT-1 convertible with every option including A/C. Horsepower was down in 72 due to 9.0 to 1 compression but still was an amazing car. This guy talking about shifting at 4 grand cracked me up, with the cam in that motor that is where the power STARTED to come on! I really wanted to hear him wind it out in 1st and 2nd. Other than that I really enjoyed the video. My 72 was tame until the tach hit 4 grand then POW you're at the redline. This was in the late 70's and you really had to be ready as the power hit hard and the tires of the time (BF Goodrich Radial T/A's) liked to break loose at the power hit. It was infinitely addictive! Once you knew it was there it was near impossible to leave a traffic light without at least running it up to at least 6 grand. The engine kept building power up to and past 7 grand - in a push rod V-8! I worked as a mechanic back then and bought the car from a customer who got tired of missing shifts and blowing the belts off it. My boss had a 72 454 coupe and I was able to keep up with him getting on the freeway until 4th gear when the weight didn't matter as much and wind resistance required that extra horsepower displacement provides. But on a twisty back road the LT-1 was an absolute blast to drive quickly, especially if you kept it on the cam. Saw people mention they didn't like the sound of this motor. They have NEVER driven one. Between the cam, solid lifters and Holley four barrell any run through the gears was it had a beautiful lope at idle and screamed through the gears with a beautiful mechanical song coming from under that bulging hood. The only car I still have dreams about all these years later.

[@PatandDoopypoopy]

Great post. You are so correct about the power band wanna thrill once it hit 4000 RPM holy smokes it was fantastic from 4000 to 6500 plus

[@Schlipperschlopper]

A Ferrari Daytona is twice as fast!

[@GoodOlRoll]

@@Schlipperschlopper cool

[@dgiorgi2001]

I also laughed when he said this... that Tach Red Lines at about 6k.

[@dgiorgi2001]

@@Schlipperschlopper YEAH AND AT LEAST TREE TIMES AS MUCH TOO

[@ot8618]

scored a 73 with 28k original miles this summer . car is a survivor. same owner for 49 years 👍.

[@musclecars.universe]

Oh wow man, congrats and what a deal considering the ownership of almost 50years straight 😮

[@Schlipperschlopper]

those are deadslow

[@markholroyde9412]

@@Schlipperschlopper I know mate, they are pensioners cars with gold bracelets🤣

[@Schlipperschlopper]

@@markholroyde9412 A Ferrari Daytona is still a fast car and much more valuable

[@markholroyde9412]

@@Schlipperschlopper I know, there are more of them in the UK than anywhere else, ugly as fk overpriced kit cars from back in the day, I would sooner have a DeTomaso Pantera GTS than any of them, and they break down all the time as well🤣

[@canconservative8976]

Beautiful Car.... The 70-72 Stingrays are the pinnacle of the mako shark model. These cars were lighter and their lines sharper. The fiberglass was thinner. The egg crate grills, chrome bumpers front/back and removable rear window... The 68-69 were the working out the bugs years... and from 73 up these beautiful cars were subjected to safety standards, extra weight, side protection steel, soft bumpers. At the end of the day, it is rare to find a 70's vette with a motor that hasn't been rebuilt, and nobody is rebuilding a motor with LOW SPECS!... the are all pushing 350+ HP on a rebuild.

[@LateNightCable]

There have always seemed to be a relatively large supply of stock spec, all original ‘78 Pace Car Editions on the market that people have socked away with very low miles.

[@kfm908]

I had a Blue 72 l48 automatic.Loaded with every option.I bought it in Jan. 76 with 35k on it. It was a great car.I sold it at 100,000 miles.U joints,wheel bearings and Tachometer gears were the only problems I had in 4 years

[@musclecars.universe]

what a great story, thanks for sharing!

[@Schlipperschlopper]

Due to the BABVVO and TEBBVO laws, all petrol cars will unfortunately soon be banned from public streets in the EU, CH USA and Scandinavia :-( In Germany, the Green People's Party has given the order to shorten the fuel supply from 2025 by reducing all conventional gas stations to just one state-run central gas station per city or county Now they even want to slow down all gas pumps by 20 liters per minute to 2 liters per minute... From 2027, some car spare parts will also be banned in the EU... such as exhaust systems, turbochargers and even some engine and gearbox oils. .. California and New York will do the same from 2027... So no more investing in petrol cars... They even created a new type of crime here called emissions and smoke crime . "Bundesabgasbespaßungsverbotsverordnung" BABVVO in Germany and HESCHLAVVO in Switzerland.

[@harryharry3193]

@@Schlipperschlopper BS

[@douglasparise3986]

​@@Schlipperschlopperwe love our big V8s in the states. I don't think it's gonna happen

[@joevette6290]

My donney brooke 70 LT-1 had no options at all except an M-22 and a 4.56 rear! It burned rubber in every gear but stolen in1982 in Montreal but your blue LT-1 is a jewel!!

[@musclecars.universe]

So sad to hear that buddy

[@MrWill73]

Beautiful 70LT1! Shame they only made that engine for only 1 year. In ‘71 the compression went down to 8.5 to 1 from 11.0 to 1 in this car. Also the solid lifter cam went away in 71. Great automobile!

[@JohnSmith-if4et]

Solid cam went away in 71? WOW I did not know that! Guess I’d better change all the lifters in my 1972 LT-1 Corvette because they make a lot of noise….Nope buddy! The 72 LT-1 was the LAST solid lifter High Performance Small Block Chevy, Last Holley carburetor and Hi-rise aluminum intake too! You could also get C-60 option which was air conditioning on the 72 LT-1

[@canconservative8976]

Except generally a 1971 or 72 Vette has it's engine rebuilt so the original specifications do not matter anymore!

[@joevette6290]

Actually it was 9-1 compression in 71 and 72!!

[@thud9797]

Last year for LT-1 was 72 and it was still the same engine and camshaft as 70 except for pistons with 9 to 1 compression just like 71. Horespower 70: 370 71: 330 72: 255 (Net)

[@markmartin5765]

I have a 71 454 4pd convertible,love your guys take on this car,the held lights and wipers! Normal for a regular driver.

[@musclecars.universe]

that's for sure

[@torres3800]

This gets me stoked to get going on my recently acquired '72 Vette. 😎

[@musclecars.universe]

Honestly the best compliment I could receive about my video. Thank you so much and good luck with your project!

[@vandalorianvandalorian4769]

I owned a LaMans Blue 1970 LT-1 roadster. What an engine!

[@musclecars.universe]

That's amazing

[@robertveronese4405]

70 LT1 was a great engine with 370hp and a redline of 6500! Much better handling than a big block, except with a ZL1 or aluminum heads.

[@deadshot4245]

had a 1970 split bumper with a cammed lt-1 was a great street strip rod daily drove it in vegas no ac because dedication to the cause

[@ht24d64]

Just for your info:1965 was first year for 4 wheel disc brakes, not 1963

[@musclecars.universe]

Ok cool, that's interesting. Will refer back to Dane, the owner in this video. Thanks for pointing that out.

[@thud9797]

That is true, 1965. And also after 1964 they still had so many drum brake parts in stock that they offered a Drum Brake Credit for deleting the new for 1965 standard disc brakes and ordering the drum brakes instead and 316 buyers did just that and took their $64.50 credit.

[@jamesalexander7659]

Beautiful C3 , I own a 1964 C2 coupe 327-300 hp close ratio 4 speed and my brother has a 1968 convertible 427-390 4 speed

[@musclecars.universe]

C2s are honestly my favorite ever!

[@jamesalexander7659]

@@musclecars.universe i agree

[@oleksandrhrebeniuk7598]

Amazing video. Love so much this model!

[@musclecars.universe]

Yes that's a great car indeed 🙏

[@russellboyd-jb8jv]

GREAT VIDEO.I HAVE A 1977 CORVETTE L82, TORCH RED, A REAL HEADTURNER FOR SURE.

[@musclecars.universe]

Awesome bro

[@russellboyd-jb8jv]

@@musclecars.universe YOUR VIDEON WAS DOPE, REALLY BANGIN FOR SURE, KEEPMTHEM COMING CHILI FRESH.LOL

[@pnwripping6636]

The LT-1 is a blueprint racers version of the normal hydraulic cam 350. The LT-1 has a solid lifter cam with a very aggressive lift and duration giving it that torque that it's known for.

[@musclecars.universe]

Thanks for the info wow that's very cool

[@TheJagjr4450]

There have been a LOT of LT1's shipped to NZ and AU... I also know of 4 shipped to Europe in the last 2 years. I have 2 LT1's and I know of a couple of other collectors who own more than one.

[@musclecars.universe]

Well just so you know there's possibly a '63 Split Window coming up for sale soon. Would you know if there's a market for it there in Europe, you know of anyone looking for it?

[@roberttom3024]

That is sweet! … I would love to have one identical to yours! … Very nice indeed!

[@PatandDoopypoopy]

With 411 gears they are a rocket ship however I really enjoyed when we put in 355 gears because it would just pull and pull for days which was just fantastic. Absolutely it was much faster with The 411 gears but we would laugh out loud while the 355 gears We're pulling for days

[@thud9797]

I've heard that from several owners and I always liked a mid 3-series gear like 3.36 or 3.55, this is what Chevrolet offered with the LT-1. M20 (wide) 3.55 std, 3.36 or 3.70 opt M21 (close) 3.70 std, 3.55 or 4.11 opt

[@alexgolovchenko3791]

Really nice car Dude! Love it. The colour is perfect. The LT1 is not talked about nearly enough, one of my favorite engines. The fastest car I ever drove was a '69 Camaro equipped with an LT1 out of a '69 Vette. Smoked both rear tires through third gear at 100 mph, a real monster! 😎

[@MacroTiger]

good job !!

[@musclecars.universe]

Thanks a lot!

[@lastmanstanding1767]

Got a 70 LT-1 my dad bought new. 11,379 true miles burnt orange in color

[@musclecars.universe]

That's awesome bro

[@harryharry3193]

HOLD onto it as long as you can. enjoy it. think of your Dad! you have a special car from a special Dad

[@user-hn2bo2pn7t]

What a beautiful growling beast ❤

[@markklecker2832]

That motor is a solid lift cam with Rev capabilities of at least 6500 RPM if not higher.

[@vegar6013]

What a gorgeous car.

[@musclecars.universe]

so good

[@nealryan82]

Beautiful car.

[@musclecars.universe]

Definitely

[@hornetbrown]

That don't sound stock. It sounds really, really good though. Healthy brute. James Brown coulda been talking about this car when he made the song 'Sex Machine'.

[@tj7870]

NICE!

[@BubbaSmurft]

'65 was the first year of 4w disc's, 63-4 was front disc, rear drum.

[@musclecars.universe]

Well, the more you know

[@eagle7267]

Incorrect. 63-64 are 4 wheel drum.

[@BubbaSmurft]

@@eagle7267 Right you are, my mistake.

[@CorvettesandCassicCars-mw6me]

Great channel

[@musclecars.universe]

Thank you, most welcome!

[@dgiorgi2001]

1963 DID NOT HAVE 4 wheel disc brakes, they were drums. 4 wheel disc were offered as an option in 65 and standard equipment from 66 corvettes on. The LT1 in 170 WAS 370 hp, in 71 its was 330hp and finally in 72 it dropped to 270 hp. All of these years shared Fiber Optics as well as Four Bolt main blocks with casting numbers located behind the distributor ending in 010. . This 1970 shown here has a few rare options like this shoulder seat belts and the tilt telescoping steering column. I owned a 70 LT1 and a 67 L79 (350 hp) which was a much better car to drive.

[@rickmorales6226]

Has the same seatbelt setup as my LLV

[@markperkins8858]

this is so bloody fast for 1970 350 ci Chevrolet these engines are going for 17k online there's 3 for sale at present I'd have one in my Holden any day very impressive for 52year old engine

[@hornetbrown]

You can buy a whole vintage Corvette that's driveable for $15-20K, depending on the year. Something like what's in the video (super clean) it would be more near or just over $30-35K.

[@alfredstewart5107]

​@@hornetbrown the car in the video is a Lt1, it'd be at least a 70k car

[@SlavicWeapons]

i have the urge to buy one thats badly damages and rebuild it with all the most modern shit just to see if it would pass all the laws for mass production (in the USA)

[@musclecars.universe]

I strongly support this ☝️

[@joevette6290]

That LT-1 has nice options like power steering power brakes and tilt and tele and electric windows And everything looks correct too!! Where are you in Europe????

[@musclecars.universe]

This video, as far as most of this channel's content, it's all filmed in New Zealand. More specifically here we were in Auckland.

[@anothercarchannel9635]

I don't believe the LT1s came with power steering or power windows. They were purpose built to be as light as possible

[@joevette6290]

@@musclecars.universe that 70 LT-1 is the most " rare" car in NewZealand or in the world!! I love them my first was a 70 LT-1 bought used in 76 and by luck it had a factory M-22 and a 4.56 rear it was fast as hell

[@johnandersonjjr]

To make it more correct I’d put the original exhaust back on it (more refined)I don’t remember red lines after 69.I think the transmission has been changed because the close ratio M21 had a noticeable amount of gear whine in 1st and2nd gear (M22 had a lot)M20 had none.Nice car though despite my nit picking

[@joevette6290]

​@Another Car Channel youre wrong! the first batch of LT-1's had to power steering due to 5 quart oil pan issue but later they put a 4 quart pan and added power steering and every option was available except automatic

[@geraldscott4302]

I absolutely love it. Except for those redline tires. I have never liked those on any car, even if they are oem correct. That car needs a set of RWL BFG 225/70-15 Radial T/As. At least it has the correct 15" rally wheels instead of 22" ghettos.

[@somsom0816]

I’m sick now!! 😂

[@johnroberts4571]

Bro..ur being to gentle to that small block.give her a rip tator chip..

[@mikeraftis6332]

It's 4.5. Lol. Turn that 350 solid cam to 6k

[@decay21450]

Were mechanical lifters noisy? I noticed the red line is 500 rpms more than the 350 hp with hydraulic lifters.

[@thud9797]

They make a slight ticking sound but it's really a nice cool sound. If it's much louder than that then they probably need to be relashed. And yes, the 350/350 (L46) had a 6000 rpm redline tach while the LT-1 had a 6500 rpm redline except in 72 when equipped with air conditioning, on those cars they used the tachometer out of the 454 and it had a 5600 rpm redline to help keep tye a/c belt on the compressor although the engine and everything else was the same.

[@decay21450]

@@thud9797 Thanks for the info. That's funny about the a/c belt. I had a '70 350/350, 4 spd., 355 rear-end, no a-c. Two things I remember were the sweet way it would drop into the torque range when shifting at red-line and quickly wind back up and how great the sound of the exhaust (with the tops off and the back window out) and the sound of the carb (with the open air-cleaner sides) would blend under acceleration.

[@anothercarchannel9635]

Not sure if it's the exhaust, but this sounds nothing like an LT1 to me? Completely missing the deep howl from inside the cabin

[@Schlipperschlopper]

he removed the radiator fan an installed electric fans

[@ray2228]

Dammmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm!!!!!

[@sidefx996]

Wrong, '65 was the first year for 4 wheel disc brakes.

[@curlybill7618]

No air-conditioning less than 300 in 72

[@rogertootkaylok5716]

Still a nice car, but I can't drive a stick shift. But I can drive an automatic transmission Corvette!

[@jamesbarrick3403]

Ultimate review? Just some guy talking about his vette.

[@musclecars.universe]

True, a very knowledgeable 'guy' at that though. Never met anyone like Dane that knows so much about Corvettes, he also recently participated to our Corvette Nationals here in NZ.

[@user-ge7gs5um9j]

Get somebody to show the car that knows something about corvettes

[@musclecars.universe]

and who would that be....you?

[@ejr5480]

A 350 is not ‘fully optioned’! Duh!!

[@musclecars.universe]

Have you watched the video or...?

[@markholroyde9412]

Sounds like a fkn tugboat, horrible things, I owned one for a day...then I saw my reflection in a shop window,,.....,ugh, pos was sold the next day LOL

[@musclecars.universe]

Hahahahaha hater comment at first but then just pure bliss, love it 😆✨

[@markholroyde9412]

@@musclecars.universe 🤣 I have a '68 Roadrunner for 38years in the UK, a '69 Dart and a '68 440 Fury conv, I've been into US cars since I was 9 back in 1970 LOL., it wasn't a hater comment per se😁, cheers.

[@robertbarth8964]

You deserve an mgb. Car that is as reliable as any other Brit car.

[@markholroyde9412]

@@robertbarth8964 I don't need one clown shoes, I have a '68 Roadrunner, a 940hp V10 , '69 Dart, 68 Fury, trot on Junior, Mums calling

[@thelimitlessguy6007]

@@markholroyde9412 I wonder how your Ply-mouth would handle on some Michigan highways. I'd confidently drive any Corvette at high speeds than a Ply-mouth.