Some of you have seen my thread over in the Trans Am/Firebird area, but I figured I would post here as well. Back in August I bought a 15th Anniversary Trans Am. At about the same time I was junking my '73 Catalina. Kept the engine and transmission from the Catalina.

Anyway, now that the boring back story is out of the way, here's what I plan on doing over time, as money provides. (I have enough money right now to get work on the block done, as well as buy the parts to build a complete short block, after that I'm back to saving)

In a nutshell, port fuel injected, hydraulic roller cam, roller rockers, 4 bolt main, 455cid, aluminum RAIV heads, high volume oil pump living in front of a TCIAuto 4L80E based 6X Six-Speed Automatic Transmission.

Just to give an idea of how far ahead this is(n't) I'm just starting to get into the tear down of the Pontiac motor. Inspecting parts, bolts, wear and condition of the block and generally making an enormous mess and having lots of fun in the garage

The way I figure it, is that it may (will) take along time considering I'm not rich, and it's true that I'd be able to finish quicker if I went with a carburetor, TH200-4R, regular cam, and maybe a nice set of heads. What I'm looking for is reliability, ease of maintenance, and the best of both worlds in terms of modern technology in a Pontiac block. Plus, it would be cool and worth the time it takes to save up and earn it over time.

 

Quite an interesting set up you've got going. I'm not sure how much response you'll get about a Poncho motor on this forum. Check out TAC.com....the focus there is on 2nd gen Trans Am but there's lots of knowledge about Pontiac motors.

 

Thanks for the forum link. I also belong to the YearOne forums which focuses strictly on all things Pontiac. I've been picking their heads there for a while and I've basically gotten to the point that I know what parts I'm getting, and how I want the work to be done. Just gotta find a good machine shop to take care of the block. I was thinking probably sending it to Butler Performance in Tennessee. I was looking for something more local, but I can't escape the fact that they are one of the absolute best and they specialize in Pontiac so that's who I'll trust. Once the engine is stripped down and inspected I'll probably call for a quote and let them know what I want to do and see if I can work out pricing, and talk to them about options in how best to get what I'm looking for.