jeff@oblio.UUCP (Jeff Buchanan) (01/16/85)
The following was posted to the net a few weeks ago by
D. H. Dawdy:
"
I recently started an engine swap on my car
(a 1970 Pontiac GTO with the 400 cu. in. engine that really left
something to be desired in the performance department).
The engine I decided to swap in was a performacne Chevy 350.
On the surface, with only a little investigation, it seemed
the choice was ideal, since the GTO and Chevy Chevelle share the
same chassis; this means motor mounts would be easy to do and
headers for Chevelle will fit, etc. etc.
Once the project got underway, though, it became apparent that
several things would be a problem:
1) fuel pump location
2) starter location
3) battery location
4) clutch linkage
to mention a few.
I'm not down on the 350 Chevy, at this point, but if I had to
do it over again I would have done a performance build-up on
the Pontiac 400.
It would have caused the fewest headaches and it would have
passed at least visual inspection with no problem. "
This seems like an unusual choice for a GTO engine
swap. I certainly don't disagree with anything stated, but the
obvious choice would have been a big block chevy into the GTO.
Such a swap was extremely popular back in the days of automotive
performance. Guys would pull out the Pontiac motor and replace
it with a hi performance (i.e. 4 bolt main L-88 type) big block
chevy, then go to the local hangout looking for a street race.
Some poor sucker would make the mistake of assuming it had a Pontiac
motor, and then go out and get their doors blown off by "King Rat"
(as in rat motor) to the tune of a couple hundred dollar loss, a
lot of money in 1970.
If one is going to the trouble of doing an engine swap, why
deliberatly cheat yourself out of a good 100 HP? Sure, you could
always say that you built the small block up to produce a "reasonable"
amount of horsepower, but if you had put the same money and effort
into a big block, it would always greatly outperform.
I would like to see stories in the net referencing the
era of cars with horsepower, especially detailed accounts of street
racing as it existed in various parts of the country. To my
knowledge, street racing is non-existant in the U.S. today, but it
would be fun to hear stories to which I could relate my experiences
in Washington D.C. and El Paso, Texas in the early '70s.
Jeff Buchanan