I was wondering if a 400 pontiac would fit into a 87 camaro.

 

Yes it will. There is an article in (I think) Hot Rod where a guy put a 455 in a third Gen T/A.

 

Different engine. Different motor mounts, different bellhousing/bolt pattern for the transmission. For all that work, I would swap a Big Block Chevy instead. A lot more information available on how to swap a BBC into a 3rd Gen F-body.

But virtually anything is possible if you have unlimited money, unlimited tools, and unlimited time, and enjoy being a trail blazer of boldly going where few have gone before.

Lastly, it is cheaper and easier to make big power out of a BBC than a Pontiac motor. There is not the same availability of parts and at the same price.

 

actually it is very easy to make power with a Pontiac motor but yes you are right in the fact that the aftermarket parts are more expencive and harder to find. But you can take a 400 in that car and put it into the 12's easly with stock parts. The problem is Pontiac motors are torque motors and will be very hard on your factory rearend. Yes the trany has a different bolt pattern (BOP) pattern but other than that is the same, you will have to run a TH350 though sence they did not make a BOP tranny that was overdrive, or get an adapter to fit the Chevrolet tranny to the Pontiac motor (and yes they do make them a friend put a 700R4 behind his Pontiac 455 in a 78 T/A). The motor mounts are in the same position so it should just bolt in with the riht mounts on the motor the ones on the frame will stay the same.

 

Actually the A4 from a Buick GN or Olds 307 will fit the BOP pattern. Also, if I was to build a Pontiac motor, I would opt for the 455. An even bigger torque monstor.

Don't get me wrong, I have always be a "Super Duty" fan. I've owned plenty a GTO and Firebird in my day, and YES, they can definitely be made to move. You are also very correct about them being torque monsters due to their smaller bore/longer stroke combo (455 vs 454).

The Pontiac 400 shares the same bore/stroke as a SBC Chev 400. But the Pontiac is a taller deck motor and has longer rods than the Chevy. I have seen buildups of Pontiac 400s using a 7" rod, if you can believe it.

 

yes you can, yes its easy i am in the process
of putting a 455 pontiac in my 83 ta if you want more info tell me but jim bulter sells a kit with the ram air iii manioflds, motor mounts for it and a 12 bolt rearend, but you still need big block front springs (moroso) 4 core rad. (pontiac overheat) and more stuff i just cant think of right now

 

I have seen the 7" rod buildups also... alot of my friends are Pontiac guys and I have had a couple myself. Most of them run 455's now but they all started out with the 400's and had alot of fun with them. I like the Pontac motors for a street crusier type car but for a race car I am a Chevy man.