how about a pontiac 400 into a 89 firebird
can it be done?

any info helps.

 

There are several people who've done it, I'm sure. Better let them chime in.

 

I know a couple of people have done it, but IMHO its not worth it. Everything needs to be modified and there aren't many parts for the swap. But if you like to do stuff the hard way go ahead. It will be much cheaper and easier to just put in a SBC, heck even a BBC will be tons eaiser.

 

Well, here we go again. At least once a week someone asks this question, no doubt without searching at all, and starts a big mess. Yes pontiac engines are great. Yes you can put it in a thirdgen. Yes it will cost lots of money. No it will not be any faster than a SBC. Do a search and you will find all you need to know.

 

yo i did a search, but all i found was a whole pile of nothing. i wanna know what needs to be moddified, and so on. all i found was people arguing whether it could be done or not.
chris

 

Search Results:
third result--Yes there is bickering, but all the info is here.
https://www.thirdgen.org/techbb2/sho...ht=pontiac+400

Heres another
https://www.thirdgen.org/techbb2/sho...ht=pontiac+400

Basically, you are going to need all the bracketry and what not from the 400. You will need to go to an aftermarket place like
www.chiefmanyhorses.com or Indian adventures, and order mounts and headers. Expect to pay out the *** for these. Also, make sure that you rebuild said engine before installing it. a used engine is just that, a used engine. I think you would be better off installing a 350 chevy, because of cost. Someone is gonna jump in here and argue, but if you rebuilt the motor, and install it into your thirdgen, look for about a 2000-2500 dollar difference between the chevy motor and pontiac. Of course you gotta run what you got, so if its in good shape, go for it.

 

thanks alot man, yeh the motor only has about 65k miles on it, i just replace the rear main oil seal and all the bearings. i would much rather have a sbc but i have a pontiac 400.

 

That's why we have swap meets...

 

It will cost you more to put that "free" engine in there, than to buy a SBC core and put that in.

"I have it" or "I can get it free" is the wrong reason to put a foreign motor in any car; but more so than usual in these cars. They have design features that are more hostile to transplants than most cars: tight firewall and tunnel clearance, the torque arm, exhaust hassles, hood clearance, ..... the list of things that can bite you just goes on. None is insurmountable of course, but each one costs money, and is an opportunity to screw something up, or create something unreliable that breaks all the time, or just makes it take longer and be extra aggravation every time you turn around.

If you're one of those guys that has had lots of Brand P( or Brand O or B or C or whatever it might be) motors over the years, and you have go-fast parts for them as opposed to one set of smogger land-barge turd parts, and you know them really well, and you have sources of other parts you might need, and you just really like them, then you're a great candidate for a swap. There's a bunch of people like that on these boards that will jump up and down and tell you how cheap and easy it was for them, which might be true; but unless some one of them is willing to come to your house and lead you through it and gift you what it takes that you don't have laying around like they do, take their advice with a grain of salt.

All of those motors can be made to run pretty good; but just because you have a 400, and someone can post that they heard of a 400 once that put out 475 HP, it does not automatically mean that yours puts out 475 HP as it is now without spending untold mega$$$$. You might very well go through all that hassle, finally however many $$,000 down the road you get it done, and discover that a stock 350 Chevy will kick your butt. Wouldn't be the first time that's happened.

Examine your reasons for doing it carefully. Make sure they're the right ones. If not, trade or sell that motor to somebody that has a better use for it, and get one that fits your car with less grief.

 

Once again, RB has spelled it out. Exactly as it is. Those motors are great, when built properly, but they just arent worth the hassle when the chevy engine can be acquired so cheaply.