pontiac 400... would you do it?

[Suicide-D]

I have an opportunity to pick up a firebird with a 400 in it, the car is running and driving. I can purchase this car for a mere 400 bucks. I just dont know about putting that motor in anything. it only made 180 hp new. the car is an 81 and the engine is out of a 78. it has headers and big ole edelbrock on top.. looked like a 700 cfm.. the body is not great, not the worst i've seen either. I could replace the 305v6 with this 400 and run it til I get my 454 completed. Can anybody tell me what it would take to mount that sucker in my truck. I have the v8 towers already. would I have trouble with the motor mounts?


Would you do it?

[Longhorn Man]

Is it a Pontiac 400, or an olds 403...huge differance.

[Suicide-D]

came out of a 78 firebird? i didnt look at any numbers

[Dean23]

Run away quickly, or lay down til the feeling goes away. Keep your engine in your truck till the big block is ready. The pontiacs dont like to rev, and they are a pain to mount cause they are way different then the chevies.

[Suicide-D]

ok then my instincts are intact.... I really didnt want to expend the energy on the swap, if it was going to be a pain... i'll sink that 400 bills into the big block

[lofly'a]

although i'm a longtime pontiac lover, i would'nt touch it either. the 400's after 76 were duds unless you sink a lot of dollars in them (small valves) and the 403 was a modified 350 olds engine Wimpy).

[Longhorn Man]

If it is a Pontiac motor, then it'll bolt in real easy. I had one in the Longhorn.

[Suicide-D]

i don't know what it is ... it could be anything. the guy that has it doesnt know anything about it. I'll wait for the 454...i dont need another car to get rid of....

[>X<]

i hate my 350 pontiac that i ahve in my 71, 160 hp stock, oooh! parts are a ton, i have a 400 block sitting in shop with heads and six pack intake, 50 bucks and its yours, needs rebuilding and alot of head work, at least then you wouldnt have to spend much on itntial cost. but i would put teh money into the chevy like you said

[O'l Buck]

aren't poncho's motor mounts offset??.....I have a grand prix out here in the yard that someone transplanted an Olds 350 in and it sat crooked in the frame, looked like hell and when you put it in reverse, the P/S pump came over and rubbed on the steering gear.............the 350 rocket looks much better in the 49 f@rd IMO

[jiggs]

If that motor originally came in a 78 bird, and is a Pontiac, it is NOT junk.That motor is worth building in my opinion. Shave the heads .030, put in a cam with about 220I 230E and you have about 350 hp and 400lb-ft of torque. It will rev to 5500 easily and make you very happy. Plus will all that you will have big block low end torque with small block wieght(add 50 lbs) I ran and still do with the "real Pontiac" crowd, don't discard them as junk. By the way, is 2.11 I 1.66 E small valve heads? That engine also came factory in 77-79 with 9:1 compression. Pontiacs are not revvers, they make up for it with gobs of torque. Go to www.classicalpontiac.com and ask a few questions in the QandA. They will tell you the truth.

I may be one of the last lovers of the old Ponchos but I have to spread the gospel while I still can