Been through that too...it helped a lot on my cooling issues..also those pipes that go into the engine that have rubber seals, the pipes get rusty and deteriorate.. I did a vid on getting them out.
Yesterday marked the first full day of monetization for us! Hoping to get a little further ahead in video - I really enjoy making the longer content. Good to hear from ya!
What a frustrating "Burn" to experience....I get a sick feeling in my stomach thinking about such scenarios....Pontiac oil pans and pickups no good...now use Canton. I hope you have healed from the Trauma!
Just a note with the double recessed pistons, and 6 x heads, this motor will not have more than 6.5:1 compression! Pontiacs 400s need to have smaller combustion chambers used in the late 60's to 1970 . I have a 1970 400 with same pistons with double cutaway reliefs too, these were meant to relieve compression in older high compression pistons. Even with using 1970 heads with 87cc chambers, I am barely 8.5 :1 compression. 6X heads have very large over 115cc chambers, and are even on 1975 455 were rated at 7.5:1 compression. 6X heads on a 400 you will have 6.5:1 compression with those pistons ! lol.
Hey can u help a newbie, Pontiac 400 2bolt main using stock bolts (should be used arp), .030 bore (no pistons yet), block machined but still have to set deck height (then I will have the crank, rods and Pistons balanced with the balancer and flywheel), stock crank and cast rods with arp hardware, 6x-4 heads with 3 angle valve job and stainless valves, roller rockers, dual plane intake with a 650 double or I have a 750 double pumper I could use. That's what I have now. Goin in a 85 El Camino with a th350 rebuilt with a shift kit. Need advice 🥺 on pistons, cam, which carb should I run, and torque converter... Rear is 3.73 posi. Daily driver in nice weather and occasional road trip on the back roads. Maybe a quick trip to the drag strip. Fuel type is not a issue. My 1st Pontiac and Thank u for any help.
@@redneckswitwheels I guess my main point it newer smog heads on a 400 Pontiac WILL give you 7.5 compression unless you find a set of DOMED pistons to raise compression. Far easier to find an older set of heads with say 87 ccs or lower. This would be Pontiac #15 or 16 head numbers from 1968 - 1970. Then the rest is cam preference - something equivelent to Ram Air IV will give you a bit of a lumpy idle and good lift and duration for all around performance. Mild stall speed, don't go too high of stall unless you are only drag racing. Good luck!
Timing cover should be put on before before oil pan and snugged up with balancer in to center the seal you didn't locktite or weld the pickup in it will fall out of the pump 😉
I am learning how to port cylinder heads. I have a cracked Chevy head I'm practicing on but Pontiac heads are different and I don't think I would learn anything about Pontiac heads with Chevy heads. What's puzzling about the Pontiac head is I noticed a thick cast iron shelf inside the exhaust bowl on the same side as the intake bowl wall. What's up with that??? Looks like a big restriction. Can I grind that completely off or will I hit water. The Chevy head doesn't have that also it looks like the exhaust bowl on Pontiac was machined perfectly round like a pipe and no 60° bottom cut just a narrow 45° seat.
I don’t mind them - but you gotta be realistic with your goals. This engine will likely be in the high 300hp range, not earth shattering but fun enough to get ice cream in. If I were chasing power I’d look for a 69 block 😉
i heard the same. butler has a spec sheet on their website showing that the 557 cast has thinned out metals due to emissions and making for a lighter motor. how's the motor these days? your work looks amazing btw!
Went with a 60 psi pump and rods are the super cheap basic ones from 75. I’d be surprised if the engine sees 5200 more than 3 times. The old man has very little interest in beating on it.
I heard the 80 can pump all the oil out of the pan at full throttle and starve the bottom end since it can’t drain back quick enough if you keep your foot in it. Stock rods are good to 6400 if balanced. I punished my stock ram air 400 regularly revving over 6k. No issues and I drove it hard all the time.
Forged rods are always better but if you beam grind, shot peen and polish them with arp bolts they aren't bad. I have this done 2 my 70 455 and they are great.
@@briansd2772 your car came from the factory with more clearance on the main and rod bearings and has a larger main journal which is why it had a #80 pound pump
I think it'd be cool as long as you can do a 1967 Beaumont style front end or something like that. Doing a C-1500 is REALLY high on my list. I've spent more time in a 1988-2000 C1500 than any other vehicle 😂. One of these videos I'll do a torque setup for towing with the 400.
You can start by defining what you want to end up with - Stock or Drag car? Smooth commuter or lumpy as hell screamer? That will help determine your the what parts to use, then there is the "How to get it done" part. I can tell you you can get 325 HP gross out of a Pontiac 350 for reasonable price if you carefully select the parts. Hint - you want small combustion chambers to get any type of compression...again depends on your goals. Oh - I just noticed you posted two years ago.....any progress?
@@LSxHunter I think my exhaust is way to constricted..I want to go duel.. But I'm burried with projects.. 1962 sunbeam, mg midget, flathead Harley, milling machine and lathe repairs, and a lot of other stuff.. Trying to fix the power control arms and shocks on the lemans. (hit a big loose chunk of steal in the road, from some truck bumper. My luck,,sheared off the shock and bent the control arm. (i still drove it 60 miles) America steal! Ha!
In my experience, Pontiacs are hard on timing chains. I used to have to replace them at 80,000 miles as they had stretched and retarded the camshaft. Do you agree? Do you know why?
I’ve never really had issues with them but in all honesty I don’t tend to keep them in one piece for more than 20k miles. Every one I’ve pulled apart had some sort of timing chain slap. Id think the reduced tension would slow cam rotation and throw it off, maybe only a degree? The only thing I can think of is it’s a fairly long chain with no guides at all.
iirc it was because a majority of Pontiacs from the 60s-70s came from the factory with timing gears that had nylon teeth to reduce noise. They typically started to wear out around the 70-80,000 mile mark and the teeth would start to break off and get caught in the oil filter screen. You can get way more miles & peace of mind out of a steel gear & chain set
You said Melling double roller chain, while putting on a mesh chain. You didn't mention if the heads were 6X-4, or 6X-8 heads. Your compression will be just of that of a Model A. I single plane intake for that build..........Just...........no.
How cheap could you bring a 400ci pontiac? It was born to drink gas from the Milk jug. Weight is an important key to fuel economy. Pontiacs are nothing but heavy. If i wanted to lose Weight on my 66 starchief executive 389ci 4bbl th400 and 8.2 BOP. I would need to drill my hole body and frame as swiss cheeze racers. Than it may not pass safety road inspection here. My mecanic shop would go like.... whaaaat? Is that a f150 frame or what ?
Serious question- Have a 1981 Trans Am turbo, been sitting in garage for 25 years, motor runs fune. Just want pontiac guys to go thought it with fine rooth and comb now before i redo interior. Its a CA car, no rust so keeping it. Need your addrrss or phone number, I am in metro Detroit area, lets talk
I'm glad you mentioned the water pump clearance check. I think a lot of people miss this step. Great video. Thanks for sharing your hard work.
I've been kind of surprised by the amount of people that aren't aware. It's a night and day difference.
Been through that too...it helped a lot on my cooling issues..also those pipes that go into the engine that have rubber seals, the pipes get rusty and deteriorate.. I did a vid on getting them out.
Nice Job ,Don’t Whurry Just Be Happy,It’s Okay To Have A Longer Video,Thank You !!!
Yesterday marked the first full day of monetization for us! Hoping to get a little further ahead in video - I really enjoy making the longer content.
Good to hear from ya!
Looking good.
Thank you for putting information on tapping down the divider plate on the back of the water pump. Great video. Subscribed on one of your other videos
Nice, Ever since i had a oil pump pickup work loose and fall off I tack weld the pipe to the housing. it was a 454 chevy and it wasn't good.
What a frustrating "Burn" to experience....I get a sick feeling in my stomach thinking about such scenarios....Pontiac oil pans and pickups no good...now use Canton. I hope you have healed from the Trauma!
Just a note with the double recessed pistons, and 6 x heads, this motor will not have more than 6.5:1 compression! Pontiacs 400s need to have smaller combustion chambers used in the late 60's to 1970 . I have a 1970 400 with same pistons with double cutaway reliefs too, these were meant to relieve compression in older high compression pistons. Even with using 1970 heads with 87cc chambers, I am barely 8.5 :1 compression. 6X heads have very large over 115cc chambers, and are even on 1975 455 were rated at 7.5:1 compression. 6X heads on a 400 you will have 6.5:1 compression with those pistons ! lol.
Hey can u help a newbie, Pontiac 400 2bolt main using stock bolts (should be used arp), .030 bore (no pistons yet), block machined but still have to set deck height (then I will have the crank, rods and Pistons balanced with the balancer and flywheel), stock crank and cast rods with arp hardware, 6x-4 heads with 3 angle valve job and stainless valves, roller rockers, dual plane intake with a 650 double or I have a 750 double pumper I could use.
That's what I have now. Goin in a 85 El Camino with a th350 rebuilt with a shift kit.
Need advice 🥺 on pistons, cam, which carb should I run, and torque converter... Rear is 3.73 posi. Daily driver in nice weather and occasional road trip on the back roads. Maybe a quick trip to the drag strip. Fuel type is not a issue. My 1st Pontiac and Thank u for any help.
@@redneckswitwheels I guess my main point it newer smog heads on a 400 Pontiac WILL give you 7.5 compression unless you find a set of DOMED pistons to raise compression. Far easier to find an older set of heads with say 87 ccs or lower. This would be Pontiac #15 or 16 head numbers from 1968 - 1970. Then the rest is cam preference - something equivelent to Ram Air IV will give you a bit of a lumpy idle and good lift and duration for all around performance. Mild stall speed, don't go too high of stall unless you are only drag racing. Good luck!
I want one of these for my landcruiser but running an injected holley carb !
I ONCE got Clivette H style bearings for another wngine, I would see if they have them 4 Pontiacs.
Nice job thanks for the video
Thanks for checking it out! Hope all has been well for you.
Timing cover should be put on before before oil pan and snugged up with balancer in to center the seal you didn't locktite or weld the pickup in it will fall out of the pump 😉
I am learning how to port cylinder heads. I have a cracked Chevy head I'm practicing on but Pontiac heads are different and I don't think I would learn anything about Pontiac heads with Chevy heads. What's puzzling about the Pontiac head is I noticed a thick cast iron shelf inside the exhaust bowl on the same side as the intake bowl wall. What's up with that??? Looks like a big restriction. Can I grind that completely off or will I hit water. The Chevy head doesn't have that also it looks like the exhaust bowl on Pontiac was machined perfectly round like a pipe and no 60° bottom cut just a narrow 45° seat.
Love it. I am building pretty much the identical engine. 75 block bored .030. 46 heads and a similar cam to the 2802. Is this one bored?
Whats your take on a 557 block? I've heard some bad things, but I don't know how true. Thats why I went with a 481 block. Love that color!!
I don’t mind them - but you gotta be realistic with your goals. This engine will likely be in the high 300hp range, not earth shattering but fun enough to get ice cream in. If I were chasing power I’d look for a 69 block 😉
i heard the same. butler has a spec sheet on their website showing that the 557 cast has thinned out metals due to emissions and making for a lighter motor. how's the motor these days? your work looks amazing btw!
Need a windage tray,, every Pontiac i tore apart had a windage tray,, it will work w/o however its best to control the oil..
Hope you address the 2 weak points of the Pontiac v8. The oiling system, hopefully you went with a 80 psi pump, and the CAST rods.
Went with a 60 psi pump and rods are the super cheap basic ones from 75. I’d be surprised if the engine sees 5200 more than 3 times. The old man has very little interest in beating on it.
I heard the 80 can pump all the oil out of the pan at full throttle and starve the bottom end since it can’t drain back quick enough if you keep your foot in it.
Stock rods are good to 6400 if balanced. I punished my stock ram air 400 regularly revving over 6k. No issues and I drove it hard all the time.
Forged rods are always better but if you beam grind, shot peen and polish them with arp bolts they aren't bad. I have this done 2 my 70 455 and they are great.
FWIW.....my '74 TA with 455 came stock with an 80 psi pump, I've been racing it for 5 years with 5700 rpm shifts, with no oiling issues.
@@briansd2772 your car came from the factory with more clearance on the main and rod bearings and has a larger main journal which is why it had a #80 pound pump
What do you think about use a 1976 Pontiac 400 for a ck1500 pick up? A lot of low end torque not? Same objective, cheap for cruise.
I think it'd be cool as long as you can do a 1967 Beaumont style front end or something like that. Doing a C-1500 is REALLY high on my list. I've spent more time in a 1988-2000 C1500 than any other vehicle 😂. One of these videos I'll do a torque setup for towing with the 400.
Try a chevy 400 small block ? Getting hard to find..
A running 455 OLDS / Pontiac / Buick could be had for reasonable I would think....You want Torque and don't care about gas milage I assume?
I have a Pontiac 350 sitting on a stand that’s suppose to be my first engine build but I’m scared to dig into it
If you’re like me you’ll learn by doing it - feel free to reach out to me if you need any help or have questions. I’m usually on FB
I’m really kinda looking for a coach to walk me through this build Honestly
You can start by defining what you want to end up with - Stock or Drag car? Smooth commuter or lumpy as hell screamer? That will help determine your the what parts to use, then there is the "How to get it done" part. I can tell you you can get 325 HP gross out of a Pontiac 350 for reasonable price if you carefully select the parts. Hint - you want small combustion chambers to get any type of compression...again depends on your goals. Oh - I just noticed you posted two years ago.....any progress?
Does the pontiac v8s have cooling issues
How much does it cost to get valve seat and headwork done on stock heads? When I see a set of aluminum heads for $2400 it gets a little tempting
I was quoted around $1800 which didn’t include porting from my local shop
@@LSxHunterFor $600 extra why didn't you go with aluminum heads? Just not worth it for a daily driver? Or am I underestimating the cost?
What kind of power does this motor have?
Fairly low - mid 300s depending on the luck of the draw. This is an EXCELLENT option for boost though
How much power will this combo make?
What sort of mpg are you expecting to get..I have a 73 lemans with God awful gas millage..
I’d be pumped with mid-high teens. The 2004R should give a little bit of an edge!
@@LSxHunter I think my exhaust is way to constricted..I want to go duel.. But I'm burried with projects..
1962 sunbeam, mg midget, flathead Harley, milling machine and lathe repairs, and a lot of other stuff..
Trying to fix the power control arms and shocks on the lemans. (hit a big loose chunk of steal in the road, from some truck bumper.
My luck,,sheared off the shock and bent the control arm. (i still drove it 60 miles) America steal! Ha!
Why bother? couldn’t get hold of a 69 or 70 ram air iv
What about this build specifically makes it 87 octane friendly?
Super low compression - it’ll be kinda lazy but for the purpose it’ll be okay.
@@LSxHunter whats the actual ratio?
7.9:1 in this config. I do have a set of 6x-4s that can go on if it’s too unbearable as well to cut out 10cc or so.
In my experience, Pontiacs are hard on timing chains. I used to have to replace them at 80,000 miles as they had stretched and retarded the camshaft. Do you agree? Do you know why?
I’ve never really had issues with them but in all honesty I don’t tend to keep them in one piece for more than 20k miles. Every one I’ve pulled apart had some sort of timing chain slap. Id think the reduced tension would slow cam rotation and throw it off, maybe only a degree?
The only thing I can think of is it’s a fairly long chain with no guides at all.
I remember Pontiac was using nylon coated timing gears to reduce noise, would get brittle crumble off.
iirc it was because a majority of Pontiacs from the 60s-70s came from the factory with timing gears that had nylon teeth to reduce noise. They typically started to wear out around the 70-80,000 mile mark and the teeth would start to break off and get caught in the oil filter screen. You can get way more miles & peace of mind out of a steel gear & chain set
@@Generaider I am sure they were bad but I had my experience with 63 to 68 models and they did not use nylon.
@@Dr_Reason Get an aftermarket adjustable. Or an offset key, if you can find one.
You said Melling double roller chain, while putting on a mesh chain.
You didn't mention if the heads were 6X-4, or 6X-8 heads. Your compression will be just of that of a Model A.
I single plane intake for that build..........Just...........no.
How cheap could you bring a 400ci pontiac?
It was born to drink gas from the Milk jug. Weight is an important key to fuel economy. Pontiacs are nothing but heavy. If i wanted to lose Weight on my 66 starchief executive 389ci 4bbl th400 and 8.2 BOP. I would need to drill my hole body and frame as swiss cheeze racers. Than it may not pass safety road inspection here. My mecanic shop would go like.... whaaaat? Is that a f150 frame or what ?
Serious question- Have a
1981 Trans Am turbo, been sitting in garage for 25 years, motor runs fune. Just want pontiac guys to go thought it with fine rooth and comb now before i redo interior. Its a CA car, no rust so keeping it. Need your addrrss or phone number, I am in metro Detroit area, lets talk
You are in the best place ' Detroit - Pontiac area ' to find help ? Seems like Warrior parts in that area ?