I am looking at a 86 Iroc with 140 original KM.New brakes and tires.no rust anywhere.
Here is what is done to it.
79' Pontiac 400sbc
-torquer II intake
-rochester quadrajet carb recently rebuilt.
-Hooker headers
-True duel exhaust.
700R4- Stock.
I was wondering what would be good mods to wake this motor up. With trying to keep the intake and headers that are on it.
Obviously heads and cam. What would be a good combo for street/strip. It will not be a DD but I want it to be close so nothing too lumpy.
Basically my goals are a low 12 second with maybe a high 11 second Et.
I will more than likely throw a 100 shot at it also.
The first mods if I get the car will be frame-ties, and possibly a higher stall converter.
Thanks Jay

 

Is it a 400 Pontiac or a 400 Chevy? There's a big difference and we can't really suggest parts without knowing.

The Torker(II) isn't that great of an intake, unless you plan on putting an S/C, turbo, or a HUGE(250+) shot of nitrous.

 

Ahh good call I thought they were the same. He said it is from a 1979 Pontiac Trans AM.

Sorry.

Jay

 

It's not real likely that it's a Pontiac motor. Not impossible; just, not real likely.

Likewise, being "out of a" 79 Trans Am, doesn't guarantee that it is the original motor from a 79 Trans Am; or, for that matter, that it is even "out of" the engine compartment. Kind of like people that sell crappy heads as "out of a Vette", and go out to their parts-car Vette out in the back 40 someplace, open the door, and take them out of the back seat. Yes it happened to me, and yes I walked. Yeah, they're "out of a Vette" all right....

But however all that may be, since a Trans Am is really just Pontiac's "version" of the Camaro, the basic chassis accomodates the Chevy engine by simply putting the Chevy motor mount stands for a Camaro into it. My brother-in-law had a 79 Trans Am with a 400 (an Olds 403 in his, actually); and when he got sick of enjoying that slug-slow turd, he stuck a 454 in it. Bolts right up, as long as you change to a Chevy-case transmission, and of course the motor mounts.

It's not hard to tell the difference. A Chevy 400 looks just like a 305 or a 350, with very minor detail differences; notably, the crank damper will appear to have a chunk missing from its oute circumference. Other than that, it'll look just like any other SBC from the outside. Casting number will be 509, 511 or 817. There are NO OTHERS, so if it's a SBC and the casting # isn't one of those 3, it's NOT a 400.

A Pontiac motor looks completely different. The water pump is a roundish flat thing, that fits into the timing cover which is an aluminum casting about 1½" thick.

An Olds motor has a water pump much like the Pontiac, but usually has an oil fill spout in the front of the intake. Its valve covers also have alot more bolts than Chevy or Pontiac (7 IIRC). Here's a post with pictures that are somewhat charitably and overly enthusiastically described as an Olds motor "in" a Firebird; I would be more inclined to describe this as an Olds motor supported by a Firebird, at the point it exists in the pics. https://www.thirdgen.org/forums/engi...7-87-bird.html This one is kind of like the "heads out of a Vette" example I gave, except that at least, this Olds motor is "in" the engine compartment.

I gotta agree about the T2. What a pile of dung. That was one of Edelbrock's first attempts to marry the advantages of the single and dual plane designs. Instead, it pretty much has the worst features of both. Throw that thing away and put a Performer RPM on it, the car will be MUCH faster and have better driveability.

But first, find out what it REALLY is, and go from there.

 

Well i looked at the car. Body is straight no rust one ding. the front and rear bumpers will need a repaint. The ttops dont even have rust!. Undercarage is good.

For the motor...

It ran great, but seemed louder than faster. I dont think he really got on it but it didnt move that quick. And I asked him is this actually a pontiac. He said yes from a 79 T/A. Then he said the T2 intake is from his old 305. and the Hookers headers are off of a Chevelle?

I dont know what I want to do yet. He want 4G CDN, but I would have to spend another 2500 for cam and heads to make it move. so that is 6500 and it still needs a repaint.

Im still waiting to hear the desicion from my other buddy with a 87 Iroc LT1 powered with ported intake, heads and a hot cam. 4L60 with a stall converter. He ran a 12.8 on DRs last week also.

Jay

 

Screw the intake. An intake is $150 or something. Chump change in the big picture. Although, if it fit a 305, then it's a Chevy motor, and that didn't "come in" a 79 TA, although it could easily have "come out of" one.

Focus on THE BIG PICTURE.

You went and looked at it.... I assume (since you're intelligent, like everybody else on this BBS) you did the smart thing beforehand, and looked at some other pictures of the possible brands of engine that it "could have" been, like on eBay or something, so you would be able to instantly identify with certainty. So, which one was ACTUALLY IN IT?

 

If that intake was on a 305, then you must have an SBC in that car. Most likely a 350, maybe a 400sbc. The 350SBC came in a '79TA... It's not a 400SBC, but it sure looks close..

I test drove a '79 TA with a 403, what a dog... Pray that's not whats in there, not much you can do with that..