I remember my first Pontiac motor I was called to look at to see what the problem was it had a big tunnel ram with two four barrels, is it called underneath the car to figure out what happened to the motor the four sets of rods in the front went right to the oil pan and hit the frame what was quite interesting was the brake line was right in the middle of the two sets of rods missing the brake line. I told him you blew up your engine. Old-time street racing back in the early seventies.
We used to call Pontiac engines "nacho ponchos" because the engine blocks and parts broke apart like a nacho chips. Your video here is another example of them breaking apart.
Love your ford content! Always been a big pontiac guy as well. I was very intrigued and excited when i saw the thumbnail. Couldnt click fast enough cant wait to see what you can do with the 350. Love the channel. 👍
That is very impressive! My 474 has Kauffman D port 325 cfm heads. 2.11/1.66 valves 68cc chambers. 4.211 borex4.250 stroke. Eagle crank & rods, Ross pistons, total seal file fit .062" rings. Victor intake, 950 cfm ultra hp dominator. Solid roller from Comp, timing 32 degrees locked. Made 688 HP @6300 and 641 'lbs @5000 rpm. This engine runs on 97 Octane as I add Race Gas additive to 93 octane. Not an engine for getting ice cream. It's got a nasty idle & is explosive. I hope to make a few changes & get 700 HP with D port heads. But I will end-up with High ports as the flow is so much better. I'm raised the roof and widened the bowls to 90.5%. But since I got my SuperFlow dyno operational, calibrated etc. I'm going to alter the short turn. Lay it back as the cam has a .440 lobe with a 1.65 rocker. I could use 1.8 rockers as piston to valve clearance is .0225" intake and .200" exhaust with radial clearance was about .035-.045" if I remember right. I have restrictors in my lifter bores dilled .035" and the rear galley drilled .035 for distributer gear lubrication. I run the BOP polymer gear. So far it works great. Love Pontiacs. I was young when I bought the Dports and regret it, but my goal is to do as much as I can with what I have. BOP rear main seal (Two piece) never any leaks. Cam is ground on a 104 LSA and I will try retarding it at some point. But the heads are ultimately my limiting factor
Looking forward to the build, I think it's invaluable that your experience bias isn't Pontiac. Thrilled you want to challenge the problem solving of the polarizing 350. Pontiac is and underdog and this is one of the underdogs inside of Pontiac hahaha. It's an engine and I'm sure it will respond to well reasoned hotroding! Let us know if you're looking for Pontiac parts to prepare for the build, I imagine there are enough in the community that are happy to act right.
Hey Brent, Tim here, SO ESTATIC to see a Poncho in ur shop!!!....altho i've been a sub'r for some time now, i AM a Poncho guy.... i have a '64 Tempest, 462, Kauffman heads, 248 @.050 hyd flat tappet.....10.44:1 static, have run 10:92 @ 122......."pump gas".....i always put a bit of 110 leaded Sunoco in for safety, when racing..... car weighs 3450 with me in it...... so around 580-600 hp......i was born and raised Pontiac......my brother knew Nunzi personally......yea, the Kauffman heads are the ONLY way to go......screw Edelbrock, NOW Edelbrock makes a D-port head, after Kauffman made them look silly, copying 1969 tech.....while the D-port Kauffmans has the modern heart chamber, better ports, and no need for expensive round port headers......LOVED THIS VID!!!....OH, I'M A HAPPY SUB'R!!!.....THANK YOU SIR!!😅
Big Pontiac nut here, In 1969 the factory Pontiac 428 was conservatively rated at 370 or 390 for the high power version. If you added a bit of cam they would wake up really nice.
That 434 is very impressive for that cam size and a dual plane manifold, though the RPM is probably the best out there for a dual plane. It must definitely make a great sleeper! I hope the 350 build works out just as well for you. As far as the similarities between FE and Pontiac heads go the bore spacing for a Pontiac is 4.62" and an FE is 4.63". Oldsmobile actually falls right in between at 4.625"... I consider them all "medium" blocks based on the bore spacing.
Every time a Pontiac comes in, I sweat till it’s gone. They either run like a raped date or end up with a very strange issue. Cam bearings can be really touchy. Love how the mains come align honed and a lot of the combustion chambers are machined.
Pontiac! In high school, my buddy would borrow his Dad's 69 Firebird 400 Ram Air and we would burn the tires off of it! (Until his Dad had to buy 2 sets of rear tires in 3 months! 😂) That car could MOVE! Couple of questions Brent; With those huge open areas in the block's lifter valley, are the blocks prone to splitting? And what about all the oil drainback windage? Last question: Does the downward facing exhaust port hurt flow because of the sharp exit turn?
Brent, I seem to remember someone on the old Network 54 FE forum saying something about Ram Air IV or V heads being used on ,or being able to bolt up to a FE... Seems it was the blind fellow with the hot 390 Galaxie 500 , that mentioned it... don't remember his name. Throw a set of FE gaskets on the Poncho and see if it's a match.
They make stroker kits for the Pontiac 350 to 398 it’s the way to go Pontiac was destroyed by GM Because it gave to much Competition to Chevrolet And was a better engine too
I'm a Ford guy love Ford engines but if I didn't have a Ford the 455 Super Duty and even the 389 and 400 we're much better engines than Chevy engines in terms of Street engines more responsive and they sounded a lot better too.
I've always loved the power and sound of Pontiacs . Looking forward to the outcome. 👍
I remember my first Pontiac motor I was called to look at to see what the problem was it had a big tunnel ram with two four barrels, is it called underneath the car to figure out what happened to the motor the four sets of rods in the front went right to the oil pan and hit the frame what was quite interesting was the brake line was right in the middle of the two sets of rods missing the brake line. I told him you blew up your engine. Old-time street racing back in the early seventies.
I love Pontiac engines ! A very unique design that makes amazing power ! Good ole American V8
We used to call Pontiac engines "nacho ponchos" because the engine blocks and parts broke apart like a nacho chips. Your video here is another example of them breaking apart.
Love your ford content! Always been a big pontiac guy as well. I was very intrigued and excited when i saw the thumbnail. Couldnt click fast enough cant wait to see what you can do with the 350. Love the channel. 👍
Im a pontiac fan, ive had many early model TA's, 70, 71, 2-73's all 455 4spds! Best damn muscle cars ever made!
That is very impressive! My 474 has Kauffman D port 325 cfm heads. 2.11/1.66 valves 68cc chambers. 4.211 borex4.250 stroke. Eagle crank & rods, Ross pistons, total seal file fit .062" rings. Victor intake, 950 cfm ultra hp dominator. Solid roller from Comp, timing 32 degrees locked. Made 688 HP @6300 and 641 'lbs @5000 rpm. This engine runs on 97 Octane as I add Race Gas additive to 93 octane. Not an engine for getting ice cream. It's got a nasty idle & is explosive. I hope to make a few changes & get 700 HP with D port heads. But I will end-up with High ports as the flow is so much better. I'm raised the roof and widened the bowls to 90.5%. But since I got my SuperFlow dyno operational, calibrated etc. I'm going to alter the short turn. Lay it back as the cam has a .440 lobe with a 1.65 rocker. I could use 1.8 rockers as piston to valve clearance is .0225" intake and .200" exhaust with radial clearance was about .035-.045" if I remember right. I have restrictors in my lifter bores dilled .035" and the rear galley drilled .035 for distributer gear lubrication. I run the BOP polymer gear. So far it works great.
Love Pontiacs. I was young when I bought the Dports and regret it, but my goal is to do as much as I can with what I have. BOP rear main seal (Two piece) never any leaks. Cam is ground on a 104 LSA and I will try retarding it at some point. But the heads are ultimately my limiting factor
Looking forward to the build, I think it's invaluable that your experience bias isn't Pontiac. Thrilled you want to challenge the problem solving of the polarizing 350. Pontiac is and underdog and this is one of the underdogs inside of Pontiac hahaha. It's an engine and I'm sure it will respond to well reasoned hotroding! Let us know if you're looking for Pontiac parts to prepare for the build, I imagine there are enough in the community that are happy to act right.
Really interested in your take and findings on the Pontiacs Brent. Love your work!👍
GM should never has stopped making these engines imho. And that's sayin' something coming from a Cleveland engine fan like myself. Great video.
Turncoat
I was hoping you would get back to this build. Especially with stock heads. Keep up the great work and thanks.
That's nice , I owned a judge ...in my firebird...needed what you built..
Hey Brent,
Tim here, SO ESTATIC to see a Poncho in ur shop!!!....altho i've been a sub'r for some time now, i AM a Poncho guy.... i have a '64 Tempest, 462, Kauffman heads, 248 @.050 hyd flat tappet.....10.44:1 static, have run 10:92 @ 122......."pump gas".....i always put a bit of 110 leaded Sunoco in for safety, when racing..... car weighs 3450 with me in it...... so around 580-600 hp......i was born and raised Pontiac......my brother knew Nunzi personally......yea, the Kauffman heads are the ONLY way to go......screw Edelbrock, NOW Edelbrock makes a D-port head, after Kauffman made them look silly, copying 1969 tech.....while the D-port Kauffmans has the modern heart chamber, better ports, and no need for expensive round port headers......LOVED THIS VID!!!....OH, I'M A HAPPY SUB'R!!!.....THANK YOU SIR!!😅
Very impressive power from to 434. Considering the mild cam timing, as you pointed out! The heads must be great items.
Big Pontiac nut here, In 1969 the factory Pontiac 428 was conservatively rated at 370 or 390 for the high power version. If you added a bit of cam they would wake up really nice.
That 434 is very impressive for that cam size and a dual plane manifold, though the RPM is probably the best out there for a dual plane. It must definitely make a great sleeper! I hope the 350 build works out just as well for you. As far as the similarities between FE and Pontiac heads go the bore spacing for a Pontiac is 4.62" and an FE is 4.63". Oldsmobile actually falls right in between at 4.625"... I consider them all "medium" blocks based on the bore spacing.
Every time a Pontiac comes in, I sweat till it’s gone. They either run like a raped date or end up with a very strange issue. Cam bearings can be really touchy. Love how the mains come align honed and a lot of the combustion chambers are machined.
I wish you were closer to central texas... I have a stash of poncho 400 parts I no longer have any use for.
EBay those nacho poncho parts
Pontiac!
In high school, my buddy would borrow his Dad's 69 Firebird 400 Ram Air and we would burn the tires off of it!
(Until his Dad had to buy 2 sets of rear tires in 3 months! 😂)
That car could MOVE!
Couple of questions Brent;
With those huge open areas in the block's lifter valley, are the blocks prone to splitting?
And what about all the oil drainback windage?
Last question:
Does the downward facing exhaust port hurt flow because of the sharp exit turn?
Thanks Brent!
Real gearhead
I wish you could take a look at a 472 or 500 Cadillac engine. The blocks look very similar to Cleveland blocks.
You got it backwards. The ford Cleveland copied the caddy design. Ford copies the other manufacturers too much.
What brand of hydraulic roller lifters do you like for the Pontiac ? Thanks
The Lykins OCD/Detailing will pay dividends to any make build, Yea for small cube/RPM HP..
❤ PONTIAC ❤
Have you or will you performance build any Y-block engines? My Second favorite Ford design after the F E.
Have you ever done a Ford Flathead V-8?
Another Pontiac Ford-like feature; All those damn water pump bolts.🤐 Generally, good engines though.🙂
Brent, I seem to remember someone on the old Network 54 FE forum saying something about Ram Air IV or V heads being used on ,or being able to bolt up to a FE...
Seems it was the blind fellow with the hot 390 Galaxie 500 , that mentioned it... don't remember his name.
Throw a set of FE gaskets on the Poncho and see if it's a match.
Look at a set of RA5 heads and compare them to FE Tunnel Ports.
Kauffman Hi Ports?
They make stroker kits for the Pontiac 350 to 398 it’s the way to go
Pontiac was destroyed by GM
Because it gave to much
Competition to Chevrolet
And was a better engine too
I'm a Ford guy love Ford engines but if I didn't have a Ford the 455 Super Duty and even the 389 and 400 we're much better engines than Chevy engines in terms of Street engines more responsive and they sounded a lot better too.
Design wise, not that strong of a looking block. 😮
But the GM firing order is wrong.