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gra-sonas · 3 years ago

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Alex Manes and Michael Guerin take a big step in their relationship when they decide to move in together in the Roswell, New Mexico Season 4 premiere. This move's importance cannot be understated. It emphasizes their development as individuals and as a couple while still showing they have room to develop -- together. Plus, it bodes well for the fan-favorite couple heading into the alien drama's final season. "Steal My Sunshine" knows how significant this decision is for Alex and Michael because their scenes together in this episode call back to pivotal moments from the past seasons. If that's not an excellent way to kick off the rest of Malex's cosmic love story, what is?

Roswell, New Mexico is another CW reboot of a WB series -- this one Roswell, which premiered in 1999. Michael Vlamis plays Michael Guerin and Tyler Blackburn plays Alex Manes. Alex is a military veteran who loves music while Michael is an alien mechanic and scientist. Alex and Michael fell in love when they were younger, but outside forces drove them apart -- including Alex's abusive, homophobic father Jesse Manes. The pair endure and survive a lot of trauma from both their childhood and adulthood. In the show's latest season finale, they finally rekindled their romance, like a certain Grey's Anatomy couple.

"Steal My Sunshine" finds Michael leaning into his doubts about their relationship's progression. Last season's newcomer Dallas becomes a necessary voice of reason who holds up a mirror to some of Michael's experiences and encourages him to "find the courage to push past this." Michael's internalized pressure comes from a reasonable place after breaking a miniature gazebo that holds sentimental significance to Alex. This gazebo becomes the source of everything from character backstory and meaningful references to Malex's past to a possible bridge to their future.

Alex shares that he created the gazebo with his mother as a symbol of his ideal Roswell. By the end of the season premiere, Alex tells Michael, "I don't need to build a pretend world when I get the chance to build the real thing with you." It's a big deal to hear these two repeatedly assure the other of their love. It's extra special that Alex and Michael can speak about their insecurities with each other without fear of rejection. It's also incredibly meaningful that afterward, Alex asks for Michael's hand because that's where they'll start. That small gesture is grand for Malex considering Roswell, New Mexico's past.

Alex and Michael held each other's hands in front of the statue memorializing Jesse Manes in the Season 3 finale "Never Let You Go." It's then that Alex and Michael knew they had finally beaten Jesse. They were a unified front in that episode and it all started with holding hands. Such a gesture may seem minuscule in the physical intimacy department, but it's not for Michael and Alex considering the abuse they faced for holding hands and loving each other in the past. Now they get to build a safe and loving home together, which is beautiful. It's also something Roswell, New Mexico has been building to with the fan-favorite couple. Who can forget when Alex sang to Michael in a crowded cowboy bar?

One of the lines Alex sang in the Season 2 episode "Mr. Jones" was "I can build your heart a home, and if I did, would you come home?" Michael walked out of the bar, believing their timing wasn't right. But in the Season 3 episode "Angels of the Silences," Michael told Alex, "I'm home." Michael and Alex are each other's home; nevertheless, sometimes Michael needs extra reassurance, which is why Alex says "Guerin, you are the one piece that I cannot go through life without," in that same episode. Alex echoes that sentiment in the Season 4 premiere when he assures Michael that the gazebo isn't everything to him.

Despite Michael's initial doubts, he and Alex are now in a good spot in their relationship. They're embracing vulnerability and tackling challenges together. Even though "Steal My Sunshine" suggests this season is leading up to a Liz and Max wedding, there's a possibility of a Malex wedding, too. Michael shows great interest in understanding how Max knows it's the right time to propose to Liz. Plus, it would be incredibly fitting for Alex and Michael to continue building their ideal world at the actual gazebo in town. Whether wedding bells are in Alex and Michael's future or not, they're building a home in their shared space and each other before the series finale, and that's spectacular.

#malex #alex manes #michael guerin #rnm speculation #rnm spoilers

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ugh-againwiththenames · 3 years ago

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Cursed Sn*per Thoughts

Misha, in his panel, said something very interesting at Denver con that I think was lost in translation (or certainly hasn’t been brought up enough while we're circling like vultures about CW snipers and poor word choices):

(you know what to do...below the cut)

"I'm not supposed to talk about that...” [waaait] “...it's not canon"

It's the ‘it's not canon’ that's the important part of that sentence (honestly, not the first time yesterday people missed the important part of the sentence). If we didn't know before, I think it's pretty clear now what the Sn*per was so intent on all those years about Misha not talking about Destiel (because it was not explicitly canon until 15x18) and this was the first con back since then - so NOW he's allowed to talk about the gay love confession but…He is NOT allowed to talk about what Cas is doing/feeling now that the show is over, because it isn't scripted/textual/CANON. He’s not allowed to discuss Castiel in Heaven/the Empty because it’s NOT canon. He CAN now talk about the confession – he CAN now talk about his love for Dean and he CAN now pontificate on when/how and what his feelings were/represented – because the confession, and its intention is now canon.

Let's take this and transplant it to our other boy - THIS is why Jensen will always have to say "it's open for interpretation" (or some version of that) - why he cannot give an answer - it's not canon either way for him to answer and have a textual opinion (and 15x18 FUCKED him because he will - as a character - never get closure and NEVER be able to discuss it) - if he had said it back/or denied it in that episode, THEN we could ask those questions and he would be allowed to answer them. However, because canonically he never responded, it's up in the air (as his response would fucking suggest). Personally, I think this frustrates the hell out of him; I think he's trying so hard to come up with different ways of saying the same thing – but he's vastly limited in what he’s allowed to say. With Jensen continuing to work with WB through Chaos Machine, I find it very unlikely that he will purposefully break his NDA. That’s a really slippery slope for him to navigate (without the added pressure of the damn fandom).

But Misha, Misha gave us a peak into the real issue (and I don’t think it’s the first time he’s done that either, I think he’s been trying to tell us for a while) - and it's not that they can't discuss Destiel, it's that they can't discuss anything that isn't textually canon, and so...this is an issue that is going to continue to come up at EVERY single con from here until we recognize that Jens cannot say anything different than what he has already.

Now! Something else to consider - Misha and Jensen are FINE. There is no animosity or tension between them - the body language alone this weekend proved that - do you really REALLY think, and I want you to think about this very very hard - do you think that if Jensen was slandering or avoiding Destiel in public for the fucking hell of it, Misha would be ok with that? That they haven't discussed this so much that they know each others' opinions on it very well? Do you THINK that Misha would be that close with someone who hates the idea of it? Lol guys - come the fuck on now and think this through (honestly lately I feel like this is my resting state in this fandom…think this through!). Misha and Jensen are still flirty and cuddly and touchy – Jensen’s inability to discuss Destiel is not due to his discomfort at all, but due to the fact that his feelings (regardless of what he THINKS they are/would be) were not CANON.

Can we, please, come up with questions at cons, because (holy hell this is gonna be a repeat offender at EVERY con), can we PLEASE find ways to avoid asking questions about things that aren’t canon because that is, honestly, the first and most important reason we will not get the answers we want, and no amount of yelling about it is going to change that.

Here’s another can of worms for you…I don’t think there’s any blame to place here. I don’t think that Creation is responsible for “silencing” Destiel now that I’m thinking about it (they have cut out those questions NOT so that they don’t get asked, but so that the actors don’t need to dance around answers that they cannot LEGALLY give) **striking this after the creation interruption during the Misha/AlCal panel** (and that’s ok, I can be wrong); I do not think that TPTB are in any way WRONG about not wanting the actors in their show (their INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY) to think beyond what they’ve been written to do…I understand (please don’t cancel me) I UNDERSTAND that Jensen and Misha have knowledge of their characters and whether they think decisions were good or bad, and I KNOW that they have those characters in their pocket and are fully aware of how they think they would react/how they feel/what they would do or say – but that is NOT THEIR JOB (as much as we would like it to be, as much as the man who has played Dean/been Dean for 15 years should probably have been consulted in a number of places over the years...), he did not write the character, it is absolutely not his job to “become” that character and speak for him outside of canon in his day to day life. He now owns (at least some of) the rights to Supernatural, so, shall we maybe just see what happens in the future when he’s allowed to take canon and OWN it himself?

Added note: I am literally just in the process of watching these panels – I listened live (if that wasn’t clear from the live blogging happening yesterday); I may have even more thoughts on this topic shortly – in fact, I probably will. But for now, this is what I took out of yesterday’s panels. Body language proves an even larger tell in these issues (and so far, all I’ve seen are a few .gifs, a few photos etc.) and even from that small amount of available media it’s sooooooo clear what is happening there.

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sailorsally · 3 years ago

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someone on Twitter made a good point about the prequel news. (paraphrasing) how are the CW ordering pilots when just recently it was revealed that they're a/ broke and b/ for sale? how are they still doing business like nothing's changed? who is paying for these new pilots if the CW have no money and they don't know who will own the network (or if the network will still even exist) by the time these pilots are supposed to air? is the magic money tree Warner Brothers? CBS? someone else?

i saw a post on here recently that I cannot find anymore because tumblr search is horrible, but essentially what it was saying is that C//W saying they never made any profit off SPN is a common thing networks do to save on taxes/royalties. Basically what it was saying is that WB is the main company that owns both CW and the studio that actually shot the show and how WB would move money from one of these 'branches' to another to conceal any financial gain & thus avoid paying taxes/royalties. As to who is paying for those new pilots - we know that w*lker got some money from Texan govt ( I am not american and don't really know how shit works there so im sorry in advance if I'm mistaken about everything) and for the prequel maybe they have a) already negotiated a deal and sold CW and whoever bought it is on board b) it's not for sale anymore c) it's being 'sold' to another'branch'within WB itself. Things are starting to get into motion for real now so I guess we'll learn soon enough.

#spn prequel #ask sally

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haloemoji · 4 years ago

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Girl u know what just kills me about all this. It’s like why does the cw CARE so much like literally no one in the real world gives a shit about supernatural, it’s a fantasy tv show that ran on the wb/cw for way too long, the only people who still care months after it ended are people who are already fully bought in! What does it MATTER if misha collins runs his mouth on twitter or cameo or whatever. Like I cannot stress enough how deeply deeply inconsequential it all is

#this is making my head split #supernatural #misha collins

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bookdork1 · 4 years ago

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If you don’t want to answer, I am okay with that but why are posts saying that SPN fandom is having their own Johnlock conspiracy?

Hey! I don’t mind answering, but just a quick disclaimer, I wasn’t around for the Johnlock Conspiracy. I watched Sherlock and was aware how unhappy people in the fandom were with the last series, but I didn’t actually witness TJLC unfold in real time and only read about all its events in a masterpost a couple of years after the fact. So I can’t really say for certain how closely what’s going on in the spn fandom right now really correlates to TJLC.

That being said, the reason people are saying the SPN fandom is in the midst of its own TJLC is because we are extremely suspect that the finale we received was not the finale as it was originally intended. Yet while TJLC was largely driven by pure fan spec, there is already like some actual proof that the CW/WB screwed us over and is in the midst of trying to gaslight unhappy fans into accepting the ending that we got. Below are a list of some of the finer points that have come out or been brought up in the days since the finale aired, some with links to excellent posts that explains each point individually:

1.) The CW/WB pushing the narrative that they couldn’t get Misha back to film because of Covid, despite the fact that we have literal proof that Misha was in Vancouver, quarantining, at the same time as Jensen and Jared.

2.) The weird way in which four separate montages and dean’s overly drawn out death scene are used to fill time in the finale coupled with the fact that there are scenes that are just *missing* (either edited out or just weren’t filmed) from 15x20:

3.) Misha saying Cas was supposed to have a different ending (this was said separately from what he later said about the Jimmy Novak thing, which is a whole separate spec). It's obvious he can’t speak freely about any of it without having to risk professional repercussions and we can assume that’s true for everyone part of the cast and crew.

4.) Jared being the only main cast (or crew) member to say *anything* positive about the finale episode when everyone else is free from ass kissing while he has a new show set to air in January. He cannot currently make enemies with the network, so his silence would be too deafening, while the others’ is more subtle. I don’t have a direct link to this because I didn’t save/reblog any of it, but his post on twitter and stuff from his interview today is out there.

5.) Jensen doing ADR work for 15x18 after they had already wrapped filming on the final two episodes. This particular part of the finalegate hasn’t been proven, but it is suspect as hell —edit: we know Jensen did ADR, that’s not what isn’t proven, what’s up for debate is whether or not he dubbed over an (affirmative) verbal response from dean to the love confession—

6.) The market research that went into Destiel. While this particular post doesn’t have strict relevance to what’s going on in the finale, it does indicate that people behind the scenes have been pushing for a long time to get destiel canonized and on the air. There was intent to end the queerbaiting and that intent made it very far up the foodchain, but it obviously still lost out in the end.

7.) The part of this that is most centered on fan instinct is one section of the fandom’s insistence that the bad finale should not be laid squarely at the feet of Dabb and the writers. This piece of the puzzle comes down to simple critical thinking skills, because one look at the carefully crafted four season arc of the show under Dabb’s tenure speaks to why 15x20 is not only ooc for Sam and Dean but also for the writers who helped them grow so much in four seasons. Dabb isn’t D&D, he didn’t just forget what changed in the show while he was in charge, a lot of which was about expanding Sam and Dean’s found family and allowing them to grow away from each other and their toxic codependency. That’s why it makes no sense for Dabb to then give us a brothers-only (and 20 seconds of Bobby!) finale.

BONUS.) Samantha Ferris saying she and Chad Tyler Lindbergh were never invited back for the final episode of Supernatural. While this one doesn’t have direct bearing on the rest of what I’ve said, it is really weird that they weren’t going to be around for Dean’s heavenly surprise party when it was literally set to occur in Ellen’s roadhouse. I really don’t think Jenny the vampire would have showed up without covid, but why would Ellen and Jo and Ash not be around even in a better world where everything would have filmed on schedule and aired back in May? Its just *weird* that characters that are still beloved would have been shafted like this.

I *think* I hit all the highlights of #spnfinalegate, I’m honestly no expert, but this has been what I’ve observed going on in the last few days

**edit** other people are tackling this question so much better, so here’s links to those posts as well:

this one is more a general gathering of off things and sources

and this one is like an overall amazing explanation PLEASE READ THIS ONE

#spn #supernatural #15x20 #spn finalegate #fuck the cw #the cw network

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justanearth-boundmisfit · 7 years ago

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saturnine-cas replied to your post: P1. I just found out that the CW and WB are...

My theory (also wishful thinking that I’m going to believe because it makes me feel better) is that Misha is not really in his element or agrees just doing some random small talk. I saw the recent interviews of J 2 and I was not impressed… Like, really nothing substantial. I can’t imagine Misha being like oh yes, I married, two wonderful kids, working away is hard, yep spn goes on since forever, bye. Lol. I imagine he’d let the sarcasm flow free like on larry king lmao

I think that Misha would go anywhere to promote RA. A lot of people calls him egotistical or attention seeker, but the truth is the man knows about marketing. And that’s what he does a lot of times. Larry King was a special situation, but it’s the example of how he would go anywhere to do promotion for RA or gishwhes. I think he would be fantastic with Colbert or Kimmel. Both great Trump critics. It makes more sense to send Misha to a talk show like that than jensen tbh, more in the political mess usa is right now. It would be a trip with Misha. The married/two kids/beer/bar drone on, it’s the discourse the j’s have, surely they give the production what they can ask and what they cannot. Having seen the Larry King interview, it’s pretty obvious that Misha doesn’t give a fuck about pre-prepared questions, and that’s maybe why the network, that is so PR it hurts, doesn’t send him. He is too real for them imho. Also, contracts, here the excuse about the contracts I find it more valid. We are being told: see there’s only two mains. Sad but true imho. But I will go with your theory too, just so you can be happy, lets believe that one. :D

#saturnine-cas #replies

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valeriemperez · 7 years ago

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There were a lot of nice moments in the crossover, but there were also a lot of really really ugly ones. (Hello, Oliver pointing a gun at Earth-X Felicity's head. Also the general humanization of the dopplegangers.) I don't know who thought N*zis was a good storyline, but I'm glad it's over.

The Earth-X Felicity moment was godawful for me on so many levels. Overall, even the parts of the crossover that tried to treat Nazis like the real-life threat they are also failed to connect the dots to present-day antisemitism and antiblackness, which is a massive fail. Not to mention that fact that our heroes didn’t even think about going back to Earth-X to save a planet full of oppressed people from genocidal racists. Stein died, but the purpose of the Nazis was to make Felicity realize she wanted to marry Oliver? Almost everything about that aspect of the crossover was garbage, because you either hit hard and make it an in-depth moral lesson (which you have no business doing on supposed family shows) or you just make it a fictionalized evil empire and don’t shove paraphernalia in everyone’s faces for 4 hours.

But yes, there were a lot of really nice character beats.

@eboniangelvibez said:

At least Oliver+Fefe admitted they couldn’t do better than Barry+Iris’ wedding vows!!

LOL, it’s the little things.

I take it back, i thought there was going to be a re-do wedding and it didnt happen. Then olicity had the nerve to join in on their moment…

They’re getting the whole wedding next week, so I don’t get why they had to get married in the crossover.

I always hated the double-wedding idea, but I at least figured that it would’ve been at least kind of pre-planned, like they would’ve collectively agreed before Diggle showed up that they would get married with Barry and Iris. I didn’t expect them to have such little respect that Felicity would actually propose to Oliver right when Diggle was about to pronounce B&I man and wife (especially after vehemently saying she wouldn’t marry Oliver earlier on).

That’s what I figured too. I hate being wrong lmao.

Do you think we might still get a WA honeymoon? I thought we might with the hint that CP dropped but then B & I were talking about mai tai & beaches & now I’m thinking this is what CP was alluding to, just talking about it. What do you think?

No, I think Candice was alluding to her and Grant’s lines in their Legends scene.

Felicity was really unbearable in this crossover. How obnoxious can one character be? I feel bad for EBR having to play her. I thought she was going to redeem herself when she and Iris were working together (which was great) but then she sells Supergirl out to save herself and interrupts the Westallen wedding remix because she suddenly decided to marry the guy she’s been lukewarm to all season and whose doppelgänger tried to kill her like an hour ago. This whole thing was so gross for Olicity.

I had no issue with Felicity this crossover other than in the final scene. I don’t think she sold SG out, and I think she and Iris behaved admirably for most of it. But I do think at this point we have to assume that it’s part of her and Oliver’s characters to just make things about themselves lol.

I cannot believe that Iris & Caitlin ended up having more screentime in the other episodes of the crossover than in the actual flash episode. Honestly I found it strange in general that on most of the other shows episodes they generally focused on their characters during their hour, but with the flash we barely saw any of their mains (including Barry.) I know it’s partially because that’s when the climax was built up, but there had to be a better way to give the flash cast some focus.

Yeah, poor Barry was basically wallpaper the whole crossover, except for when he was trying to marry Iris. I am glad Iris got to do a little rescuing in The Flash episode, but it was only like 3 minutes’ worth. And poor Caitlin only got 20 seconds, Lord.

In the crossover Leo & Ray kissed, Alex & Sara kissed & ended up in bed, Olicity kissed & talked all about each other but WA got, in 4 hours, 2 small kisses & a lot of hugs. It’s just hard for me not to make comparisons between WA & other couples when the differences in their intimacy level is glaring. Do you think b/c WA is an interracial couple that the CW or WB is hesitant to give them more intimacy for fear of backlash?

I honestly don’t think it’s that. Aside from OF hogging screentime, they and WA both got two kisses. Plus, homosexual pairings also draw backlash.

What a bait and switch! They used WA to hype up the crossover only to sideline/downplay them in favor of focusing on others. Everyone was there for THEIR wedding, it was THEIR momentous occasion, but it felt like they took a backseat the entire crossover. Oh, and Oliver and Felicity are without a doubt the most selfish, self-absorbed couple on TV. WA deserved so much more.

Yup. Flash was out there doing charity work and has nothing to show for it. But that’s what charity is, so bless them for being so gracious.

For a crossover that was supposed to be largely centred around the Westallen wedding, there was A LOT of focus on O/F. Not even just the non-proposal/double wedding BS or even the fact that they overall had more scenes than WA, but I was also watching some scenes again and literally every conversation between Oliver/Barry or Iris/Felicity (or all of them together) always somehow ended up being about O/F’s relationship. I’m all for WA being the gold standard, but I feel like they were just used.

They absolutely were used. The crossover was all about Oliver (and by extension Felicity), with Kara getting a lot of screen time too.

#the flash #tw: nazism #eboniangelvibez #anonymous #tatiana's thoughts #more asks under the cut #long post for ts #negativity for ts

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itsworn · 8 years ago

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Don’t Be Fooled: How To Spot A REAL 1970 Chevelle SS

Proof Positive

The 1970 Chevelle SS is not only one of the most sought-after cars in the world, but it’s also one of the most faked and cloned as well. There is nothing worse than hearing about a fellow car enthusiast purchasing a bogus car and becoming a victim of fraud. The purpose of this article is to identify some basic features of the 1970 Chevelle SS, which can help the average enthusiast detect fabricated features and lower the risk of making a bad purchase.

Titles or terms such as True SS, Numbers Matching, and Correct Original are frequently used as selling points for a 1970 Chevelle SS. This can be very misleading, as these terms are often used loosely—and even abused. With any assertion, there must be sufficient facts or documents to support the claim in order for it to be deemed accurate. We offer up some technical insight on these terms as well as the supporting evidence that should be present to back them up.

Proving the authenticity of a 1970 Chevelle SS can be a very daunting task without the existence of sufficient documentation, such as the original assembly plant “buildsheet” or the vehicle’s original warranty card (Protect-o-Plate). The vast majority of 1970 SS Chevelles in the “For Sale” market do not possess either of these documents; therefore, we will mainly focus on the physical characteristics of the 1970 Chevelle SS rather than the documents themselves.

When documentation is no longer available, a thorough inspection of the car’s driveline components and body is imperative. The main purpose of this inspection is to check for the original existence of mandatory components that were standard equipment with the RPO Z25 SS396 and Z15 SS454 options. It must be noted that options such as front power disc brakes; SS-style, round-gauge dash; 12-bolt rear end; RPO M40 (if originally equipped with automatic transmission); and RPO F41 suspension do not prove a 1970 Chevelle to be an original SS model, but evidence to support that all of these options were originally present is mandatory. The RPO M40 automatic transmission was the only automatic available for both RPO Z25 and Z15 packages, hence the reason for including it in this list.

The following photos will assist in providing a better understanding of the physical traits of a 1970 Chevelle SS. A thorough inspection is essential to drawing well-informed conclusions based on your findings, and it will also enable you to make excellent purchasing decisions.

A couple of fully documented 1970 SS396 Chevelles. These cars have only a single repaint, all original body panels, and are unrestored. Both cars also retain their original assembly-plant buildsheet and Protect-o-Plate.

1970 Chevelle SS454 LS6 M22 4.10 Positraction. Cranberry-red with code-788 red bucket-seat interior.

1970 Chevelle Malibu original-paint survivor, featuring a 307ci engine and automatic transmission. Classic white, with gold bench-seat interior.

Examining the firewall of a 1970 Chevelle can be very helpful in determining the existence of certain original assembly-line provisions. This information can be compared with the floorpan as well to draw additional conclusions. The provisions for these options are generally located in the areas depicted in the Exhibit 1 photo above. A 1970 Chevelle cannot be proven to be an SS model by examining the firewall alone, but it can provide evidence to support the likelihood of certain RPO options that were originally present.

A 1970 Chevelle cannot be proven to be a SS model by examining the VIN (Vehicle Identification Number), nor by examining the Body by Fisher (cowl tag) plate, unless the car was assembled at the Oshawa Canada Plant, which was the only plant to list the RPO codes directly on the cowl tag. Notice the existence of RPO Z25 (SS396) on the tag pictured above.

The general consensus among Chevelle enthusiasts is that the Leeds Plant in Kansas City, Missouri, identified the cars that were to be assembled with SS equipment with the infamous “L” designation on the cowl tag. But it also must be noted that a few rare cases of SS models have surfaced without the “L” designation. An example of the “L” designation on the cowl tag is pictured above.

The most prominent physical trait of a 1970 Chevelle that can prove with absolute certainty that it was originally an SS model is the existence of evidence showing that any RPO L34, L78, LS5, or LS6 engines was the original engine. 1970 Chevelles assembled with the RPO Z25 SS396 option were assembled with 3969854 casting-number engine blocks. The casting number and the date it was cast was molded into the rear of the engine block just above the bellhousing area.

The big-block Chevrolet engine-assembly plant located in Tonawanda, New York, used a specific dating system for casting the 1970 Chevelle SS: a letter of the alphabet indicating the month, followed by the day of the month, and a “9” for the year 1969 or a “70” for 1970. The photo above shows a casting date of I 12 9. This would indicate the following: I = September; 12 = 12th day; and 9 = 1969. (Note: Dates that were cast into a mold used the letter “I”, items dated using a stamping method skipped the letter “I” and therefore M would equal December.)

The date the engine was assembled, the cubic-inch displacement, and the transmission designation was stamped on the front right-hand side of the engine directly in front of the right-side cylinder head. The stamping T0916CTW indicates the following: T= Tonawanda, New York, engine plant; 0916 = September 16 assembly date; and CTW indicating RPO L34 engine and RPO M40 transmission. Notice the block was cast on the 12th and built on the 16th. It is common for engines to be either cast and built on the same day or more than four months later. The 10A100454 stamp is what is known as a VIN sequence number. This stamp was done at the final assembly plant and not at the engine plant. It was for warranty purposes and both the front engine pad and the vertical pad directly above the oil filter were used for this stamp. The final assembly plant of the car in question will determine which of these two locations it will most likely appear. The stamp 10A100454 indicates the following: 1=Chevrolet Motor Division; 0=1970; A= Atlanta, Georgia, assembly plant; 100454 is the last six digits of the vehicle’s VIN. This is the stamp that is used to signify “Numbers Matching” and is very important. In order for a 1970 Chevelle SS to be appropriately deemed Numbers Matching, it must meet all of the following requirements: the casting number of the engine block must be correct for the car in question; the casting date and assembly date of engine must precede the assembly date of the car generally by two weeks or more (this is to allow for shipping from Tonawanda, New York, to the various assembly plants); the VIN sequence must match the assembly plant’s procedures with the location of the stamp as well as the appropriate font for the assembly plant in question; and the last six digits of the VIN sequence must match the last six digits of the car’s VIN.

The engine-block casting number used in 1970 Chevelle SS featuring the RPO Z15 SS454 option was 3963512.

As explained previously, the casting date pictured indicates J 14 9, which translates to October 14, 1969.

The assembly date reads T0129CRV, which indicates Tonawanda, New York; January 29, 1970; and CRV for RPO LS6 and M22 manual transmission. Notice the casting date precedes the assembly date by more than three months. This indicates the engine sat around waiting to be assembled by this length of time. Also, notice the larger font and the upside-down stamping. This was normal procedure at the Kansas City, Missouri, plant.

The casting-number main case for 1970 Chevelle SS with RPO M20, M21, and M22 manual transmission was 3925661. A few early-production cars were also equipped with 3925660 casting-number main case. The M22 carried 26-input and 32-output splines, while the M20 and M21 are known to carry 10-input and 27-output splines.

An excellent example of the infamous RPO M22 “Rock Crusher” manual transmission. The date-code stamp P0C23C indicates P=Muncie; 0=1970; C=March; 23=23rd day; and C=M22. The last letter of the date code indicates the RPO transmission: A= M20 and B=M21. It is also very important to check for the assembly-plant VIN sequence stamping, which will be in close proximity to the date stamp or on top of the transmission. Engines and transmissions were the only driveline components that received this stamp for warranty purposes.

Take notice of the seven-bolt side cover and shifter attaching arms that are attached with a bolt instead of a stud and nut used in earlier years. The part-number tag indicates 3978766 WO, which stands for M22. A M20 transmission part-number tag would be 3952659 WB, and M21 used part numbers 3968011WL and 3968012WL.

RPO Z25 SS396 and Z15 SS454 were only available with RPO M40 Turbo-Hydromantic 400 when equipped with automatic transmission. The photo above indicates a casting date of 12-69 (December 1969). This date is located on top and the rear of the transmission just before the tailshaft attachment bolts.

The identification tag is attached to the passenger side of the transmission above the pan rail. This tag indicated the model year, engine type, assembly date, and trans serial number. The tag pictured indicates 394, which is January 29, 1970 assembly date (394th day from January 1, 1969); 70= 1970; CY= special shift point (RPO LS6); 1732= transmission serial number. RPO LS5 received code CS and a few were known to be code CR. RPO L34 received code CF and RPO L78 received code CW. The special, high-performance RPO LS6 (CY code) and RPO L78 (CW code) TH400 were also equipped with a heavy-duty six-bolt torque converter.

The VIN sequence number on this transmission is 10K192328. This stamp is located on the driver’s side just above the pan rail. Inspect this stamp to determine if the transmission is original to the car.

The photo above is a casting date of a 12-bolt rear-axle assembly. The casting date K 21 9 is similar to dating system used on engine blocks: K=November; 21=21st day; and 9=1969. This stamp will be on the back-side of the rear-axle assembly directly to the lower right of the differential cover.

A prefix code that designated gear ratio and determined whether the rear-axle assembly was equipped with a limited-slip or an open-style carrier was stamped on the righthand-side axletube facing forward. This was followed by a stamp that indicated the build date of the rear-axle assembly, a letter that designated the assembly plant of the rear-axle assembly, and a number indicating which workers assembled the item from either first or second shift. The photo above is an example of a rear-axle assembly only offered with the RPO Z15 SS454 option indicating a CRV 1128B2 stamp. This indicates the following: CRV= 3.31 gear ratio and Positraction (RPO Z15 only); 11=November; 28=28th day; B=Buffalo, New York, rear-axle assembly plant; 2=2nd shift. The build date of the rear-axle assembly generally precedes the build date of the car by at least two weeks to allow for shipping from the rear-axle assembly plant to the various final-assembly plants. Notice the slight stair step in the CRV and the font, which is correct. Careful examination of authentic rear-axle stamps is important as they are sometimes bogus.

RPO F41 performance suspension was standard equipment on all SS models. This carried a front stabilizer bar that measured 1.25 inches as opposed to a 1-inch bar for the standard Malibu suspension. A photo of the F41 1.25-inch front stabilizer bar is pictured above.

Standard Malibu suspension with the 1-inch front stabilizer bar.

All 1970 Chevelle SS’s were assembled with power-disc front brakes. The correct power-brake booster for a 1970 Chevelle is stamped “9391” on the rear of the top-center tab. This is the correct part number and should be present if the car is still equipped with the original unit.

The stamp on the front of the pad is the date it was assembled and it generally must precede the assembly date of the car. The photo above shows a date of 276, which is the 276th day of 1969. These boosters are usually stamped “Delco Moraine” to identify the assembling manufacturer. This stamp is on the front side and usually upside down. There is a very high probability that a car equipped with the correct “9391” power-brake booster dated within 90 days prior to the build date of the car was equipped with front power-disc brakes from the factory.

Check for the heavy-duty steering shaft. The heavy-duty shaft pictured above has the extra bolt attaching the coupler at the rag-joint area. All SS models will have this heavy-duty steering shaft. The standard Malibu will not have the heavy-duty steering shaft.

Standard Malibu steering shaft.

A 12-bolt rear differential was standard equipment on all SS models. The rear sway bar was part of the RPO F41 suspension package. The casting number for a 1970 Chevelle 12-bolt rear-axle main case is 3969278. The casting number is located on the front-lower side of the axle assembly.

The 10-bolt pictured carried casting number 3969277 and was standard equipment for the 1970 Chevelle Malibu.

Other items to investigate in the RPO F41 suspension were boxed lower-rear control arms and additional frame supports. The boxed control arms will include metal reinforcement plates welded to the bottom of the control arms to provide additional strength. The F41 boxed lower-rear control arm is pictured above.

Standard Malibu suspension without the boxed-in lower control arm.

Additional frame supports included with RPO F41 suspension attach to the center-rear frame support above the rear-axle assembly and to the front attaching point of the lower-rear control arms. It should also be noted that stiffer front and rear coil springs as well as heavy-duty front and rear shocks were also included in the RPO F41 suspension package.

Standard Malibu suspension without the lower control arm to frame support braces.

All SS models carried the round-gauge-type dash assembly pictured above with either standard idiot lights or when the RPO U14 Special Instrumentation option was added. The instrumentation on 1970 models used numerals that had a greenish hue, and 1971 and 1972 models were white. The steering column and gauge area is always black on all SS models. The round-gauge-type SS dash was also used in Malibu models when the RPO U14 option was added.

Standard Malibu sweep-style speedometer dash assembly.

All SS models that were equipped with RPO C60 Air Conditioning were also equipped with RPO V01 Heavy-Duty Cooling. This included a four-core radiator which had a larger driver-side radiator tank. This required a special radiator support with a special tab that was tack-welded in place on the lower driver’s side to accommodate the bigger radiator as well as a similar special radiator top plate. An example of this special radiator support is pictured above. A quick glance at any firewall can determine if the car was equipped with RPO C60 Air Conditioning by the opening in the firewall. If so, the car must have this special radiator support to be correct. This radiator support would also be present and mandatory when the RPO LS6 engine option was coupled with RPO ZQ9 4.10 Performance Rear Axle Ratio. RPO V01 Heavy-Duty Cooling was automatically included with the ZQ9 4.10 option for the RPO LS6 engine.

Standard radiator support that accommodated both the two- and three-core radiators.

All SS models featured a black accented grille. Inspect to determine if the grille has been changed or appears to be original.

Standard Malibu featured a gray-colored grille.

The front-bumper parking-light lenses will be clear on all SS models with amber bulbs. More often than not, the cars that were born with clear lenses remained clear. If a car has amber front parking lenses, that should be a red flag.

Standard Malibu amber front parking lens.

All SS models were assembled without the Malibu-style moldings that run from the quarter glass area along the top of the doors and fenders. An inspection of the inside of these panels for welded up molding holes will provide helpful information to determine if these body panels were originally installed on a SS model. Also, check for the correct location placement of fender SS emblems. Use a known SS fender as a guide. These are drilled incorrectly very often.

Standard Malibu featuring the molding.

All SS models were assembled with a black-rubber rear bumper pad with an SS insignia. Inspect the bumper pad and bumper bolts for signs of being changed. Original bumper-bolt heads will be a full 1-inch diameter and almost flat. Incorrect bolts will have a much taller crown and are usually smaller than 1.0 inch in diameter.

Standard Malibu featured a solid-chrome rear bumper without the black SS rubber pad.

If you are considering the purchase of a 1970 Chevelle SS, you would be well-advised to do your homework before entering the vintage-car market in search of your dream car. Identifying and becoming the beneficiary of a good buy is extremely dependent upon becoming a knowledgeable buyer who is familiar with the vast level of information briefly discussed in this article, such as engine codes, rear-axle codes, transmission codes, driveline dating systems, correct part numbers, and casting numbers to all driveline components. It’s also crucial that this information is stored into your memory, as you must be able to recite it at a moment’s notice in order to capitalize on bargains when they present themselves.

The stealthiest of buyers are armed with a lethal amount of knowledge and won’t need to research a car on the spot, which is definitely a recipe for missing the boat. The adage “luck is where preparation meets opportunity” definitely applies to the vintage-car market. Indecisiveness, apprehension, and doubt are ugly kin that will fog the sight of your ship when it comes in. Being prepared, experienced, and well informed will let you see your ship in high definition with your name written all over it, and you will most certainly jump on board.

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