326-455

[photoman66]

greetings

being new to the world of the Pontiac I was after any info about which parts from the Pontiac 326-455 range are interchangable. I've got the chance of getting some heads and manifold off a mid 70s 400 but have no idea if they will fit my 326.
Any info would be fantastic
Cheers

[MrPbody]

Photoman,

The heads froma 400 will physically bolt on the 326 but it's not recommended. The combustion chambers are much too large to provide a compression ratio that will make any power. The 326 heads are better for the smaller engine. With some changes, they are actually pretty good performance heads (slightly larger valves, judicious port work, high quality valve train parts).
I highly recommend you get a couple of books to educate yourself in the Pontiac arena. To know what fits what, the old HO Racing Heavy Duty Parts and Blueprinting manual is one of the better reference manuals for parts (stock, not modern).
The most current and comprehensive book for a streeter today is Jim Hand's "How to Build Max-performance Pontiac V8s" by SA Desigs.
You'll find very little interest in modifying the 326 for performance. The bore/stroke ratio is not conducive to high performance. While you CAN improve it significantly, the same money spent of a 400 or 455 will yield FAR more performance.
Do NOT confuse 326 Pontiac with 327 Chevy. Two completely different animals. Where the Chevy DOES respond well to modifications, the little Poncho won't.
Be very careful who you accept advice from. A typical Chevy shop's outlook is "it's only a Pontiac". They tend to make the same changes to the Pontiac as they do a small block Chevy. Not only will it not perform up to expectations, it won't "live" either. This is where most of the bad reputation Pontiacs have comes from. When properly built, a Pontiac will be a far better "street" engine than the small block, and rival the big block for performance. We have many Pontiac engines revving well over 7,000 RPM on a regular basis. It's all in the preparation and parts selection.
BTW, welcome to the Pontiac family!

Jim

[photoman66]

Thanks heaps for your advice. Do you think it is worth putting on an Edelbrock Performer manifold and a 4bl carb without doing any work to the heads?
What's a good place to buy those books you mentioned online

thanks once again!