After looking in the classified a few times, ive stumbled upon poncho 400's (with 6x heads) , a buick 401, buick 3.8T's

Id like to know, if any have built a pontiac or buick, what was their HP & ft-lb results ..

Ive got my mind set on the poncho 400, because its a tougher block that the chevy 400, has been proven not that hard to accomplish, its available, priced resonably, and with a 400+ cu.in, I wont need a high stall TC as compared to a 350sbc build ... and yes, its diffrent

I dont know anything on the 401 buick, tho this is a long term project, I dont plan on finishing it this summer.

So if anyone has info or experience on the subject, please share

 

checkout the Poncho mill swap sticky, as there are some good builds/ideas in there. Also, do a search on 6x heads, as there are two different types, with the 6x-4 having the smaller cc volume.

 

They just spoke about the fitment issues, and headers-intake.

 

I'm normally against oddball stuff,but,if your gonna be different..........
DO A 500 CADDY!!!!
I been wantin' to see it for a while,I got a 4 month old,zero time,and my Iroc and the engine build for my daily driver pickup eats up any cash I might have.

C'mon dude,you gotta do it.I can offer no honest advice about the swap,but it can't be any wierder that a Buick or Poncho,and what's left to be said for 500lb.ft. of torque?

 

I actually looked for caddy's first, tho only thing I found was an old caddy, with a 425 for like 2k+

I dont have the space or cash for that right now.

I found the mills listed, and trying to work from there ..

 

Of the ones listed, I'd go with the Pontiac 400 or the 3.8 Turbo. The 401 Buick is whats known as a "nailhead" engine, and doesn't share much (if anything) with the later Buick 400 and 455.
The 400 Poncho has excellent parts availability, and new stuff is coming out all the time (unlike the 401 Buick). Aftermarket heads, stroker kits, superchargers...its getting "almost" as good as building a Chevy in that respect. Power is limited only by your wallet.
The 3.8 Turbo has tons of potential, but by the time you get it in the car and running you're going to have a ton in it, unless you get a really good deal on a wrecked TTA or GN. If you start with a GN donor car, you'll be doing a lot more work, esp if you're trying to make it look like a factory installation. Its still a very cool swap, and if you're not intimidated by the electronics it would be a good way to go.

BTW maybe I should start pulling engines and selling them on Ebay... I can find more Buick/Olds/Pontiac/Cadillac engines here than I could ever use, and rarely for much over $100 each. Buick 455s and Cad 472s and 500s especially! I notice at least a dozen of them every time I go to the yard!
Hopefully I 'll make some real progress on my 87 TA 455 after Christmas, but I'm also planning to swap a near stock (cam, shaft rockers, intake, carb, and headers) Caddy 500 into my 85 TA in the very near future. Should be fun.