Chevrolet Camaro II (1970–1981)

From the 1969 car to the 1970½: what was new

The second Camaro brought an all-new body on a revised F-body structure, and it arrived months late. Because the new car was not ready, Chevrolet kept building the old one into November 1969 and launched the replacement as a mid-year model. Build information for the new coupé reached the assembly plants in February 1970, and the public introduction followed on 26 February.

The 230 cu in six was replaced by a 250 cu in (4.1 L) six of 116 kW (155 hp gross). This was the first Camaro with a rear anti-roll bar, while the rare four-wheel disc brake option of 1969 was dropped. The Turbo Hydramatic 400 three-speed automatic became available on the Z/28 for the first time. The 454 cu in LS6 and LS7 V8s appeared on early specification sheets, but neither was ever fitted to a production Camaro.

For how this car fits between the original and the 1980s hatchback, see the Chevrolet Camaro model overview.

Henry Haga's fastback and the F-body underneath

Henry Haga's studio drew the long-nose fastback, a shape that carried through twelve model years with only two major facelifts, for 1974 and 1978. Under the skin it kept the F-body layout: a unitary body with a bolted-on front subframe, A-arms and coil springs at the front, and a solid rear axle on leaf springs. The Pontiac Firebird shared the same structure.

For 1970 the range was the base coupé, Rally Sport, Super Sport and Z/28. The Z/28 package was the handling model, while the big-block SS 396 was the straight-line choice. Road & Track included the 1971 SS 350 in its list of the ten best cars in the world, published in August 1971. Big-engined rivals included the Plymouth Hemi 'Cuda, new for the same 1970 model year.

Emissions, bumpers and the net-horsepower switch, 1971–1975

The early 1970s reshaped the car more than any redesign. For 1971 GM lowered compression ratios so that its engines could run on lower-octane fuel. The LT-1 dropped from 11.0:1 to 10.3:1 and was quoted at 246 kW (330 hp gross), or 205 kW (275 hp) on the new net basis; the 396 fell to 8.5:1 and 224 kW (300 hp gross). A 67-day GM strike also cut output.

1972 was close to the end. A 174-day strike at the Norwood plant held up production, and about 1,100 unfinished cars were scrapped because they could not be brought up to the 1973 bumper rules. Fewer than 69,000 Camaros were built that year, and GM management considered dropping both the Camaro and the Firebird before their supporters won the argument. It was also the final year of the SS and of big-block engines, with 970 SS 396 cars, and the badge changed from "Z/28" to "Z28". Outputs were now published only as SAE net figures: 190 kW (255 hp) for the LT-1 and 179 kW (240 hp) for the 396.

From 1973 an impact-absorbing front bumper met the new 5 mph standard, the Type LT luxury model appeared and the Z28's 350 moved to hydraulic lifters, and air conditioning became available on it. The 1974 facelift added about 180 mm (7 in) of length and rectangular tail lights; it was also the last year of the flat rear window and, for a while, of the Z28. Catalytic converters arrived on every US-market Camaro for 1975, together with a wraparound rear window, and the 350 V8 was now rated at 108 or 116 kW (145 or 155 hp net).

Engine line-up from the LT-1 to the 267 V8

US engines were rated in SAE gross horsepower until 1971 and in SAE net horsepower from 1972, so the early and late figures in the table cannot be compared directly; every kW value here is a conversion of the hp figure.

A 229 cu in (3.8 L) V6 replaced the six for 1980, with a 231 cu in unit in California. The 1978 Z28 came with a four-speed manual or the Turbo Hydramatic 350 automatic. One account also gives 195 hp for the 1977½ Z28, but 185 hp is the figure most often quoted.

Z28 comeback, T-tops and the Berlinetta, 1976–1981

For 1976 the 305 V8 became standard in the Type LT and power brakes were standard on V8 cars. The Z28 came back in spring 1977 with the LM1 350, rated at 138 kW (185 hp), or 130 kW (175 hp) in California. That year Chevrolet built 218,853 coupés, and the Camaro outsold the Ford Mustang for the first time.

The 1978 facelift replaced the metal bumpers with body-coloured urethane ones and added amber rear indicators, the Rally Sport returned and removable T-top roof panels joined the options list. Sales reached 272,631, including 54,907 Z28s. For 1979 the Berlinetta took over from the Type LT as the comfort model, the Z28 gained a front spoiler, wheel-arch flares and decals, and an electric heated rear window replaced the old blower demister. With 282,571 sales, 1979 remains the best model year any Camaro generation has recorded.

The last two years brought small changes. The 1980 Z28 received a bonnet scoop with a solenoid-operated flap that opened at full throttle, the 350 was now reserved for the Z28, and the speedometer now read only to 85 mph (137 km/h) instead of 130 mph. The Rally Sport was dropped for 1981, and 126,139 cars were built in that final year. The broader corporate background of these years is covered in the history of General Motors.

Measurements of the 1970–81 coupé

The figures below are for the 1970 coupé. From 1974 the larger bumpers made the car about 180 mm (7 in) longer.

Safety equipment and crash data

No published crash-test result was found for any 1970–81 Camaro, and none is borrowed here from later cars. What can be traced is the hardware that changed during the run: the rear anti-roll bar of 1970, the impact-absorbing front bumper of 1973 built for the 5 mph rule, standard power brakes on V8 models from 1976 and the urethane bumpers of 1978. On any of these cars, brakes, steering and seat belts deserve as much attention as the engine.

Choosing a 1970–81 Camaro

No independent reliability survey covers these cars, so condition and paperwork matter more than the model year.

• Highest outputs: a 1970 Z/28 or SS 396, rated in gross horsepower; documents matter, because engines are easy to swap.
• Slim chrome bumpers: 1970–73 cars, before the larger 1974 bumpers.
• Easiest to live with: a 1978–81 Z28 or Berlinetta, with T-tops if wanted; 1975 and later cars were built with catalytic converters.

More American coupés of the period are collected under classic cars.