Crossbreading acceptable??

[BRIAN]

I am starting my 68 Bird build and have been undecided about drivetrain. I have a healthy 383 sbc ready to go but for some reason I am thinking it isn't going to be right without a Pontiac engine in there??

I also thought of the LS1 as it seems to be more acceptable???



Pontiac engines cost about 2x the money to build are heavy, etc, etc. Any opinions???

[PeteRR]

Blasphemy. I've got a few Ford parts on my Road Runner, but I'd never run a foreign powerplant. Especially a sbc.

[69rs]

I'd never run a foreign powerplant. Especially a sbc.

Yeah, you wouldn't want it to be fast or anything!

[pushrod243]

GM thought that it was okay 3rd and 4th gens had corporate motor but oh yeah they werent selling good enough to keep producing.

I still say the ls1 is the most bang for your buck just get one from a firebird and your in!

[race-rodz-inc]

hey... my 34 ford truck is mostly chevy parts... all the important ones anyway... motor/trans/brakes. of coarse its acceptable... if not normal to have old fords with chevy drivetrain.

[Streetking]

Call Butler Performance..

SW

[race-rodz-inc]

and...i have a cobra project with all viper suspension... its crossbreeding in the snake family.

i say run the sbc... if no other reason it will really pi$$off the purists

[wick]

The thing about a Pontiac is a 326 is the same size block as a 455. I have always built 455's with very good results and have smoked many a sbc and bcc. Before you guys start knocking me, I have seen plenty of good running Chevys but I just like the Pontiac.

The most common mistake I see with guys building Pontiacs is they build them and try to run them like a Chevy. You can build a stock bottom end 455 with the right cam and the right head and a stock intake and make all kinds of torque. No replacement for displacement. Bigger the gun, bigger the hole. When in doubt, bore it out.

Just my .02 cents.

[bobzdar]

Call Butler, Nunzi, Spotts or Kauffman depending on who is closest.


It does not cost 2x to build a Pontiac. Price a 400hp Pontiac vs. a 400hp sbc, odds are the Pontiac will be cheaper as you won't need aftermarket parts to do it and will only have to pay for machine work/assembly once you've got a good core engine (which you may already have in your '68). Weight difference is about 50-75lbs depending on what aluminum parts you run...There is an aluminum block available but that is big $$. Saves ~100lbs. Stock cast crank and block are good to around 600hp, aftermarket rods (~$300 for forged h-beams, also good to ~600hp) are highly recommended for over 6000 rpms in a 400 or 5500rpms in a 455. Good aftermarket aluminum heads run around $1800 ready to bolt on, enough air flow for 550ish hp. A little more $$ gets cnc ported heads good for over 600...

It all depends on what you want to do, check www.performanceyears.com forums and www.classicalpontiac.com Q&A and ask away, but DO NOT put an sbc in it. If that's the route you want to go, sell it and buy a camaro, lord knows there's enough of them out there...

[yody]

but DO NOT put an sbc in it. If that's the route you want to go, sell it and buy a camaro, lord knows there's enough of them out there...

Yes DO NOT put a Small block chevy in there at ALL costs!!

....But put a BIG block chevy in there like me!! :rolleyes5

[Bill Howell]

A true protouring car is by nature a custom vehicle. I see nothing wrong with crossbreeding, especially if it stays in the GM family. The good thing about LS motors is they are GM parts, not Chevy or Pontiac. I would not even consider an LS in your application as crossbreeding, just updating. :icon996:

[MuscleRodz]

You got it, use it. Otherwise i wouldn't do it. BTW, is DeRaad (sp?)done with his crossbread project yet????

Mike

[RobM]

if it were me id put what ever motor I had in there that would fit the bill power wise. maybe its because I’m a youngin' but the way I figure it is we all drive muscle cars and they are all awesome cause they are American classics. im not bias towards ford, GM, mopar or any thing else for that matter i just love classic American styling, hi performance and that v8 rumble. i say go for it, hot rodding has been about transplanting since its beginning. with out transplanting we wouldn’t have hot rods!!!

[Jim Nilsen]

If you keep the hood closed you can tell them anything you want. Put the badges on the car you want to get them to believe.

I remember being out of town in a bar and wearing a Peterbuilt hat. A guy asked me what kind of engine I had in my Peterbuilt. I could have made him believe anything I wanted with enough bull. Being honest I told him I had a chevy truck and it was just a free hat. Guy I was with said I should have had fun and had the baddest Pete ever built since I knew enough about big rigs to do it.

Noone really cares except people who are prejudiced and have to talk to totally like minded people to be accepted. Probably why Pro-Touring is so cool. You aren't expected to be the same cause we are all into something completely different and if you can pull it off in style it is what fits in.

Kind of like , if nothing in your living room matches then anything you bring home will fit right in.

Jim Nilsen

[Ralph LoGrasso]

Go with the LS1. Best bang for the buck motor, and the pontiac and chevy ls1s are identical, there is no brand specific motor. 450rwhp (no nitrous) can be had for under $6-7k. It's hard to beat.

[CamaroAJ]

friend of mind down the street put a 502 BBC crate engine in his 79 T/A and got pontiac valve covers on it. looks bad as hell, he's won a few shows with it and it runs 11.60's drives it to and from the track.

[kmcanally]

You got it, use it. Otherwise i wouldn't do it. BTW, is DeRaad (sp?)done with his crossbread project yet????

Mike

I was closely following that project but his website has not been updated in a while...

[wantahertzdonut]

Engine swapping is fine, but to tell you the truth, I get really tired of seeing SBC's popping up in everything. They are cheap and are a good engine but seriously, it gets boring. Look around, everyone has put an SBC into everything!

With that said, I should state that the LS1 is a fine, fine engine and I wouldn't hesitate putting it in an older generation Firebird. Heck, if I ever built a small block A-body car I'd consider an LS1. I think they're a lot better than the previous SBC's too, and since they came in 4th gen firebirds, your car would make a fine home for an LS1.

I should also say I'm not a purist, I just like to be a little different when my resources allow for it. An SBC isn't very different.

With the market going the way it is, there's countless go-fast parts for every engine out there. Old Pontiacs can be built to all sorts of crazy specs. One other thing is a built BBP is the meanest, angriest, and best sounding engine out there. I'd highly suggest building a Pontiac engine for your Firebird! Build it mean, and be proud of what you have. I think you'll get a lot of happy reactions when you pop the hood and people see you've still got a thundering Pontiac engine under the hood.

Oh, and in regards to the weight, a BBP is no heavier than a BBC. Plus you can buy AL heads and an intake and save at least 100lbs.

[Steve1968LS2]

Well today there is no such thing as a Chevy, Pontiac, Buick or whatever engine.. on GM corporate engines.

In fact the LS1 was used in the PONTIAC Trans-am so it would be like putting a Pontiac motor in the car.

Follow my drift??

Nothing wrong with keeping a vintage Pontiac motor in the car though.. sort of refreshing to see.

Or you could piss off everyone and put a supercharged 03 Cobra motor in the car.. lol

[JoshStratton]

friend of mind down the street put a 502 BBC crate engine in his 79 T/A and got pontiac valve covers on it. looks bad as hell, he's won a few shows with it and it runs 11.60's drives it to and from the track.

Is it black? I think I got a pic of it from DHardison. Looks killer!