what engine should I swap

I own a 1979 Starlight black Trans Am. It's just an average T/A, not a special edition, but it's a Trans Am all the same. On that end, the engine in it is not very important to me. Firthermore, somebody swapped out the 403 ahead of me and threw in a Chevy 305! Unbelievable, I know right. The engine is practically bone stock other than the help of a MSD Blaster setup and ACDELCO performance distributor. I believe the original carb was swapped to this engine making it a Q-jet 600 cfm. I hope to make this an awesome street car because a full resto is pointless when it reads 128K miles! My project is going to begin with a good engine selection. That is where I need everybody's help/opinions. I have thought of using a 400 Pontiac engine that I can getwith a #'s matching tranny as a package deal and it's at a local shop. I know these engines can be built quite well for street. I also have considered a torque monster engine such as a 383 stroker. I know it's a Chevy engine but it's hidden under the hood and fast. That I'd also have to buy or build up from parts. Of course, I felt a big 455 would settle nicely between my Trans Am fenders as another option. I heard somewhere that you have to cut the engine bay to shit just to get that big block to fit. However, I have heard stories that contradict this too, claiming they are the same block with alternate displacements. For my sake, I hope the latter one is true. Finally, even though it's a long shot, I wondered what it would be like with a roaring diesel as a powerplant. I know those engines are notoriously huge and loud and costly to fix, but think of the raw power! Additionally, they make tons of powerchips and turbo's for those engines. I admire Ford's new 6.0L powerstroke diesel, but I'm sure it's to big to fit. How big of a diesel engine could I fit in my 1979 Trans Am. I know it sounds real funny and probably nobody can answer it. Hey, just think of how that kind of engine would make the car like a beast! Pick a favorite engine of the ones I mentioned and a reason for your selection and sent it to me. Or, list them in the order of preference. Thanks for the input everbody!

I own a 1979 Starlight black Trans Am. It's just an average T/A, not a special edition, but it's a Trans Am all the same. On that end, the engine in it is not very important to me. Firthermore, somebody swapped out the 403 ahead of me and threw in a Chevy 305! Unbelievable, I know right. The engine is practically bone stock other than the help of a MSD Blaster setup and ACDELCO performance distributor. I believe the original carb was swapped to this engine making it a Q-jet 600 cfm. I hope to make this an awesome street car because a full resto is pointless when it reads 128K miles! My project is going to begin with a good engine selection. That is where I need everybody's help/opinions. I have thought of using a 400 Pontiac engine that I can getwith a #'s matching tranny as a package deal and it's at a local shop. I know these engines can be built quite well for street. I also have considered a torque monster engine such as a 383 stroker. I know it's a Chevy engine but it's hidden under the hood and fast. That I'd also have to buy or build up from parts. Of course, I felt a big 455 would settle nicely between my Trans Am fenders as another option. I heard somewhere that you have to cut the engine bay to shit just to get that big block to fit. However, I have heard stories that contradict this too, claiming they are the same block with alternate displacements. For my sake, I hope the latter one is true. Finally, even though it's a long shot, I wondered what it would be like with a roaring diesel as a powerplant. I know those engines are notoriously huge and loud and costly to fix, but think of the raw power! Additionally, they make tons of powerchips and turbo's for those engines. I admire Ford's new 6.0L powerstroke diesel, but I'm sure it's to big to fit. How big of a diesel engine could I fit in my 1979 Trans Am. I know it sounds real funny and probably nobody can answer it. Hey, just think of how that kind of engine would make the car like a beast! Pick a favorite engine of the ones I mentioned and a reason for your selection and sent it to me. Or, list them in the order of preference. Thanks for the input everbody!


First of all, screw the diesel.
A diesel in a Trans Am, get real. As far as the best choice for the car stick with a 400 PONTIAC engine. It gives you the best of all, cheap parts (compared to a 350 or 455 Pontiac), good performance for the money and a solid bottom end. As far as modifying the engine bay is concerned, there is no need to. All Pontiac blocks 350/400/455 share the same block size, bore stroke and journal size are different, but from the outside they are the same,so you could even drop a 455 in there with no problems, you need different engine mounts and depending on the tranny you will need a different crossmember.here is also a nice link to check.
http://ourworld.cs.com/gaotman428/pontiacengines.htm
I believe a real Pontiac needs to be powered by a real Pontiac engine, another reason why I dislike Firebirds and T/a from 82 up.
As far as your other question is concerned, in regards of speakers in the car (different post of yours) you are right in 1979 nobody needed more than the 2 speakers in the back, and if you ask me I don't need much either, if you want to step up and put more speakers in there, I'd put them in the trunk.Cutting holes in your car and especially the door panels and side panels will get costly if you or somebody else later decides to install replacement panels and get rid of the speakers, there are hardly any replacement panels, and the used stuff is getting hard to find and expensive. I would not waste a good pair of panel, you can install another 6by9 under the dash that will give you 3 speakers in the car, combined with a decent amplifier and a boom box in the back you should get some good sound out of it if you wish to, without ruining the appearance of your car, plus you keep that stuff well hidden, so you don't have to worry about waking up in the morning and your stuff is gone, but again as always, it is your car, do whatever you like, but that is my opinion.

i must say hes right stick with the origonal pontiac engine. i go with the 400 but im old and set in my ways. if you can find one from the 60's they had 300 or more horses stock from the factory

i must say hes right stick with the origonal pontiac engine. i go with the 400 but im old and set in my ways. if you can find one from the 60's they had 300 or more horses stock from the factory

That is right, but any 400 can be brought to that level easily with a cam, headers, the usual stuff, and it is not going to cost a fortune...