I Know, I Know, It's a Pontiac....

[RubberCtyRauder]

I thought of TRNSAMO earlier when you got it. What plate did you make?

[cpe6]

Nice clean find, would not want to modify that at all....

[martyo]

I thought of TRNSAMO earlier when you got it. What plate did you make?

Just what you said!

[martyo]

Nice clean find, would not want to modify that at all....

Modifying cars is an illness.

[71cyclone]

I concur.

...

Wow - if im not mistaken ,the 6.6 TA means it is a Pontiac engine and not the Olds derivitave . Great score anyway you look at it.

[martyo]

Wow - if im not mistaken ,the 6.6 TA means it is a Pontiac engine and not the Olds derivitave . Great score anyway you look at it.

You are correct, it is indeed Pontiac powered.

The car is currently a slug by today's standards, but a blast to drive nonetheless.

[cpe6]

A classic slug.

[lifespeed]

Wow - if im not mistaken ,the 6.6 TA means it is a Pontiac engine and not the Olds derivitave . Great score anyway you look at it.

The 403 Olds was a better motor than the Pontiac, which has numerous weaknesses.

[chief455]

Wow - if im not mistaken ,the 6.6 TA means it is a Pontiac engine and not the Olds derivitave . Great score anyway you look at it.

Actually, the 6.6 decal was on both 400/403 powered cars.
the fifth VIN digit Z denotes Pontiac 400, along with instant visual confirmation loooking at the engine. Easiest = Olds motors have a front mount oil filler pipe - not on Poncho or Chevy powered GM cars.

The 403 Olds was a better motor than the Pontiac, which has numerous weaknesses.

Oh, shot to my heart!
I won't even ask, in my experience with making Pontiacs fast and reliable were design strengths!
I'm done, no thread hijack.

[lifespeed]

Oh, shot to my heart!
I won't even ask, in my experience with making Pontiacs fast and reliable were design strengths!
I'm done, no thread hijack.

My first hot rods were Pontiacs, '71 LeMans Sport 350, then a '70 GTO I got without a drivetrain. My buddy had a '68 Firebird with a 428. Cylinder head flow wasn't that great, but the worst was the enormous crankshaft main bearing journal on 400ci and above. The bearing speed was too high and they would spin bearings.

I loved those cars, especially the GTO. They are why I own a Marauder today, as they are similar chassis cars. But I put a 454 Chevy rectangle port in it.

[chief455]

My first hot rods were Pontiacs, '71 LeMans Sport 350, then a '70 GTO I got without a drivetrain. My buddy had a '68 Firebird with a 428. Cylinder head flow wasn't that great, but the worst was the enormous crankshaft main bearing journal on 400ci and above. The bearing speed was too high and they would spin bearings.

I loved those cars, especially the GTO. They are why I own a Marauder today, as they are similar chassis cars. But I put a 454 Chevy rectangle port in it.

You hit 2 of 3 general design flaws. The head flow by other engine standards, is low in CFM, even port volume in CC's.
But, that has been easily remedied with specific valve seat angle and short turn radius / bowl blending.
So, a mild port job on standard cast iron heads yield tremenous gain. What the heads did do, by design, is promote port velocity. Those 'small' runner ports on fairly large (400/421/428/455) engines made torque. Gobs of it. That was the Pontiac upper hand.
Another good thing on most heads was standerd equipped screw in studs and stamped steel pushrod guide plates. No need to machine for those needed things, like most 'other' brand engines.
The main bearing journal issue you mention is on the 421/428/455 blocks = 3.25" journal
It was a large mass of area to lubricate, and oil routing was wrong. Main journals were fed by holes in the cam bearings!
400 and smaller blocks all shared the same, stronger 3" main journal.
On the upside of this was interchangability! Cranks could be swapped within that 3" or 3.25" journal family. Rods on ALL 55-79 V8 were the same dimensions, so hi perf rods can be swapped, and piston pin height was the same between small/big journal engines.
Today, you can put a 455 crank into a .060 bored 400 block with standard rods, .030 455 pistons and have a 474" torque monster
Heads 65-78 ALL interchange, within compression ratio requirements. So put a regular 400 low compression head on top of that 474" short block, and you just made 500-600 lb/tq in the 9.5:1 compression range with stock, garden variety parts.
Last design flaw, I feel, were the valve springs.
How many guys back in the day revved their GTO thinking it was a small block Chevy, and floated the valves/broke the entire engine.
RPM had to be limited to 6000 on the high side, unless you went in and matched good aftermarket springs.
Otherwise, design goodies, like - intake manifold seperate from lifter cover tray kept hot oil away, and allowed intake swaps with only gaskets - even the distributor could stay in.
Harmonic balancers came off without a puller, flywheels were zero balanced, and the external block dimensions and bolt locations were the same - 326 through 455!
Intakes, covers, distributors, pumps, cams, it almost all swaps!
Man, we could swap parts on the cheap with a Pontiac.
Last, I scored several cars from guys that put a 454 square port, 350/350 horse small block, yada-yada, thinking they made their Pontiac 'better'.
They just didn't figure out how to make Pontiacs run, and went the easy route. Should have bought a Chevelle if your engine is orange
I'm teasing, it's alot like Marauders as you said - this mod motor is too much for some, and they take a lower cost/less ability demanding route.
I'm happy you had some nice Pontiacs, I'm sure many reading Marty's T/A thread did as well.
Peace.

[lifespeed]

You hit 2 of 3 general design flaws.

Yeah, I remember all those characteristics you mention. If you work at it you can make darn near anything go fast.

I like to think I'm pretty objective when it comes to cars and not too much of a brand fan boy, although Pontiac will always have a place in my heart. The GTO had no motor when I got it, and looking at it with an objective eye there is no comparison between the 454 Chevy and 455 Pontiac. But I have seen plenty of fast Pontiacs at the dragstrip.

[chief455]

Yeah, I remember all those characteristics you mention. If you work at it you can make darn near anything go fast.

I like to think I'm pretty objective when it comes to cars and not too much of a brand fan boy, although Pontiac will always have a place in my heart. The GTO had no motor when I got it, and looking at it with an objective eye there is no comparison between the 454 Chevy and 455 Pontiac. But I have seen plenty of fast Pontiacs at the dragstrip.

I've owned both, cammed 454 and 455, both in A body cars. If the 455 is matched with the right convertor and gear, it will out run a 454 dollar to dollar.
Until recently, you could not build a Pontiac for the same money as a Chevy, so back then, yes = 454 made sense.
Look at Street Outlaws - fastest street car in the nation = Pontiac!
I built this, low compression, .030 455, ran 10.32 in full interior street trim. Dipped into the 9's with stock leaf springs, traction bars and stock front suspension.
I'm hoping Marty stays Pontiac when the bug bites to modify his beauty T/A the thread is about!

[slickster]

Very cool

[Turbov6Bryan]

Hey Mo that's a good-looking Trans Am almost looks like the color of Jim Hand's Pontiac lemans station wagon here in Missouri...

If you ever decide to build that Pontiac motor up it's got those 6x-4 heads on it I hear they flow just as good as 670 heads, just not all the compression! Good for 93 octane

I grew up around Pontiacs ever since I was born, my dad's first car 67 firebird bought in 1970 we still got it. Sitting in my stable is his 67 and my 68.

Chief455... If your bored do a google image search for one of my usernames

Quick6'n'-K.C. 90% of those cars are/ were mine over the last 20 years

Trying to access photobucket, have to leave