dunewolf

i am going from a v-6 to 400 what kinda radiator would you recomend and because my firebird has t tops would i have to brace the body so it wont twist??

Kross4031

i have a pontiac 455 with a griffin 4 core alum rad. dual 12" electric fans , 160 degree thermostat, and i cant get it to run cool. 170 to 190 degrees at an idle. and over 250 driving it. got me stumped. thought it should be the other way around. and most people will tell you to brace it.. but if you dont plan on putting super sticky tires on it for traction,,, well, what's the point. IMO.

five7kid

Subframe connectors should be considered a must on these cars regardless of the body style, engine, tires, or use.

Unless you don't drive it.

five7kid

You're building up air pressure under the hood. Is your cowl sealed only to the air cleaner? If not, the pressure from the windshield is overcoming the pressure in front of the radiator.

Kross4031

wide open pin on glass hood. never thought of that. i'll try taping a piece of cardboard to close up the hood and see what happens.

firechicken76

I was just wondering about weight, how much would an 86 t/a with a pontiac 455 and a t-350 weigh roughly?
isnt stock weight with the 305 around 3100?
im just wondering because I have a 76 esprit and it weighs 3700+ and I have access to an 86 t/a and was considering the swap.

daturbosix

my car was a 305 car, and i have the factory springs still in the front.

i saw somewhere that a all iron poncho motor was only about 100lbs more than a all iron sbc.

since i have deleted the ac, heat, power steering, emissions, battery, cruise control, and almost anything else that isnt needed to run the car sits slightly higher in the front then it does in the rear.

__________________
Looking for 12-bolt or 9"

For Sale: 10 bolt with all the goodies, 3.73, less than 1000 miles on it.

firechicken76

my engine is actually a 428 out of a 68 grand prix or some other boat. Im considering aluminum heads, a victor manifold, and roller cam. so that should drop about 50 lbs off the motor.....from the sound of it I should go with maybe the kauffman heads as opposed to the round port edelbrocks? I dont mind running a cowl hood scoop, I just wish it woulf fit under the Ram air style hood.

poncho@home

Definately the kaufmans. We made 595 HP with a mild 455 and the Kaufmans. And even had 14-15" of vacuum at 1000 idle!(900-1000 rpm)

__________________
1989 Pontiac Trans Am GTA
5.7 - AUTO
1.89 60ft
13.34@103 MPH
www.HOBRacing.com

firechicken76

what sized cam? what were the flow specs on the heads? what manifold? carb? need info!!!!

daturbosix

yeah if you can PM me the build info that would be much appreciated. ive got a engine waiting for a build, and not sure what way im going, but you really sparked my intereset.

was this a pump gas motor?

__________________
Looking for 12-bolt or 9"

For Sale: 10 bolt with all the goodies, 3.73, less than 1000 miles on it.

firechicken76

bump

84t/a5181

Ok, so I might be the only chump who is obsessed w/keeping his stock hood, but I'll throw this question out there and hope someone knows something about it. Edelbrock makes a dual quad intake called the p-65 for poncho. It's some kind of vintage design from the 60's that they keep in production. "So what", I say till I start reading the specs for the hieght of the carb pads...it appears that the way they measure it it's actually a slightly LOWER profile than the performer intake which is an exact replica of my vintage cast unit (which topped w/a Q-jet fits nicely now)! Interesting. Edelbrock carbs look fairly low profile as well...could just be my imagination, I've never had one. if I topped a p-65 w/2 650 avs carbs thats 1300 total cfm, theoretically, and it might all fit under my hood. Question being: would it be purely eye candy or would I get performance comparable to the guys running victor intakes? The whole setup if I do it right w/proper hardware and linkage and w/2 new carbs will run me $1200 or so...too much to spend for cosmetics, but cheaper than a set of alum heads, and not a whole lot more $ than a victor/dominator combo w/air cleaner and fuel log. Anybody know anything about this intake setup?

84t/a5181

Ok, so I might be the only chump who is obsessed w/keeping his stock hood, but I'll throw this question out there and hope someone knows something about it. Edelbrock makes a dual quad intake called the p-65 for poncho. It's some kind of vintage design from the 60's that they keep in production. "So what", I say till I start reading the specs for the hieght of the carb pads...it appears that the way they measure it it's actually a slightly LOWER profile than the performer intake which is an exact replica of my vintage cast unit (which topped w/a Q-jet fits nicely now)! Interesting. Edelbrock carbs look fairly low profile as well...could just be my imagination, I've never had one. if I topped a p-65 w/2 650 avs carbs thats 1300 total cfm, theoretically, and it might all fit under my hood. Question being: would it be purely eye candy or would I get performance comparable to the guys running victor intakes? The whole setup if I do it right w/proper hardware and linkage and w/2 new carbs will run me $1200 or so...too much to spend for cosmetics, but cheaper than a set of alum heads, and not a whole lot more $ than a victor/dominator combo w/air cleaner and fuel log. Anybody know anything about this intake setup?

Gallileo60

What about weight issues??? How much heavier is the big block versus what we have in them now??? How will this affect handling..My car seems kinda nose heavy anyway......Would love to hear from you guys who have a big block in your car....Thanks, Tom

dwillis

Ok.I know this isn't the for sale forum but this is probably where most of the Pontiac guys will look,so if it is ok I would like to post something I have for sale specific to them..
I have a set of 1.65 Harland sharp full roller rocker arms that were used in my 455 for about 50 miles...I had to change them out because it was too much lift for my stock heads...I was unaware of this till I broke springs and bent pushrods...lol...but They are still in great shape and I don't have the car anymore so I need to get rid of them...they are from summit...part # csp-s6001-65 they are $225 there I would take half or less or be willing to trade some stuff....thanks

brp88gta

i have lots of pontiac parts in my basement too. if anyone needs anything pontiac related let me know. we have heads, manifolds 455 blocks, trans'. just email ber101@albright.edu if you need any pontiac parts

poncho@home

We have a bunch of parts available as well. Visit www.HOBRacing.com to see our catalog

__________________
1989 Pontiac Trans Am GTA
5.7 - AUTO
1.89 60ft
13.34@103 MPH
www.HOBRacing.com

motormouth19

well what happened to the tpi 455 with torker II intake did it work or what??? i know this is a few years late but come on

Project: 85 2.8 bird

tpi for Ponchos? yes. http://www.rancefi.com/ManifoldsforSale/pontiac4.htm


http://www.rancefi.com/ManifoldsforSale/pontiact.htm

Camaro5690

I have a question, I have a pontiac 400 for sale near me that I am thinking of buying, but it is out of a 67 Pontiac Catalina. Would I be able to run that on premium gas without haveing to add any additives?

dwillis

oh yeah..I don't see why not..I have done it before..just swap the points for an elec. ign. and maby get a new or rebuild the carb...it should run fine...

five7kid

1967 was the leaded gas era. If it hasn't been done already, you need to have the exhaust seats and valves replaced with hardened.

72vega

the tomahawk intake is junk.. http://www.pontiacpower.com/Chinese%20Intake.htm and as for running the 400 on premium, you usually have to run premium fuel in it anyways. i know my litte 350 pontiac in my 73 lemans demands 91 or it diesels when i shut it off. come to find out in the glove box is a sticker that says "run at least 91 octane unleaded or low-lead fuel".. go figure, and its only 7.6 to 1 compression, hah!

Project: 85 2.8 bird

yeah, my 76 Bonnie had the mighty 7.6-1 cr too, and when I sold it back in 01 it was still running like a champ (wife wanted a car she could reach the pedals in, and alsowanted a car that wasn't 19' long) I just put in 87 octane in it. same w/teh 77 T/A i had, 87.

1stBird

Does
----------
Does anyone know if the RARE reproduction Ram Air exhaust manifolds will work with the Cheif Many Horses Mount kit???

Thanks

daturbosix

^ no idea. i know that their headers WILL not fit without a tubular k-member.
nomatter what they say, the engine sits 1 inch too low.

swimster

If you are having a problem with your motor fitting under the hood, it is because you have not changed the stock pontiac block mounts to aftermaqrket ones that put the motor at the same crankshaft center height as the stock SBC motor.. pontiac mounts are about 3 inches taller than chevy mounts.. and that said, when I first dropped my 500 horse pontiac motor into my firebird to check fitment, I was able to close the STOCK steel hood with only a missing air filter and filter stud. this motor has an edelbrock torker intake and q-jet carb.. If I get my hands on a set of aftermarket mounts that lower the motor to the correct height, an aircleaner will fit with no problem.. not to mention having a taller cowl hood.. If you have fitment issues, you either have a HUGE intake or you're not using the appropriate mounts. If you use stock PONTIAC mounts, your drivetrain will be up on an angle from the driveshaft and throw the geometry off.. this will cause premature u-joint failure and vibration at certian speeds. If you don't believe me, you can measure the height of the pontiac mount holes in relation to the crankshaft centerline and compare to the SBC mounts.

Also.. pontiac produced a largew number of cast iron manifolds that were similar to the old mopar cast iron "headers".. many of these function almsot as well as headers and will make fabbing an exhaust much simpler. otherwise, you can buy a set of headers to fit the large pontiac cars and you will just have to modify about 7 inches back fromt he collector.. this portion will have to be angled inwards to follow the front framework. you can then run dual pipes or cross the driver's side over to the pass side behind the transmission and run a 3 or 43 inch pipe.

Anyways.. I've posted MUCH of this info before, but people keep asking the same questions as the information is not being read...