Quick Question

[79Bandit]

hey guys i own a 79 trans am with a 400ci out of an 68 bonneville..now my question is how much power should i be expecting from this car? everything on its edlebrock minus the carb wich is a holley 750 its to long to give you guys the list of things done to it but in short it has a shift kit detroit locker and pinion rear end. what should i expect from her? i mean she will toast a 04 mustang gt havent had the chance for a 05 or 06 yet but it just seems like she doesnt go like i thaught she would. let me know what you think.

[MrPbody]

The Bonneville engine is a high compression (10.5 or 10.75:1, advertised, 10.2:1 "true"). Running it on 93 octane gas is killing it to DEATH! It also "sports" the 067 cam (anemic for performance, good for low-end torque). You need to be a bit more specific about the "Edelbrock everything". Performer intake? RPM? Torker? You see my point... Edelbrock cam too?

There's a ton of good stuff for the 400. The engine is easily capable of 450 HP with low compression and pump gas. With aftermarket heads, 500 is a fairly easy deal.
The big gains come from more displacement. It has become VERY popular to "stroke" 400s to 461 CID. Eagle offers a high quality "kit" for this purpose. The 400 block is more desirable than the 455, as the main bearing "tunnel" is 1/4" smaller in diameter, making the block a bit thicker where it counts. With the stroker, 455 performance is realized.

I'm not sure exactly what you mean by "locker and pinion". Do you know the ratio?

Tell us what you want to do with it!

Jim

First I want to thank you for getting a real Pontiac engine, in your Pontiac.

I don't have the numbers for your rear gear numbers, and you said you have some other things going on out back, so knowing this will also get a ball park on how your car is putting power to the ground.

You may have some highway gears in the car killing your off line power, or you may have so low or number high of a grear set that your car is falling on it's face.

knowing what rear grears you have and the numbers/letters on your heads (located in the center between the 2 center spark plugs) as well as your intake and carb will give us and Idea what has been done or not been done to your engine.

So hears a short list you may want to try to get from your car.

1. The size of the engine, if you know for sure it's a 400 thats great, but since so many "want to be's" are out and about it's a good idea to check for the cast that says it's size , you will find it on the front driverside of the engine, it will be on the side with the frezze plugs, look for "400".

2. Pontiac used it's heads to bless the compression of each engine, so you will have a number or number letter cast into the head in the middle between the 2 inner spark plugs.

3. Are you running points, or HEI?

4. What intake do you have, factory or aftermarket, what brand, with what name?

5. If you don't know the cam, thats ok, but if it's other then factory it's good to know.

6. What trans are you running, if the pan is a "box" it's a TH350 if it looks like a T bone steak it's a TH400, do you have a stick?

7. Rear end 10 bolts on the cover? or 12?

8. Whats been done to the rear, Limited slip? different gears?

Lots of questions , but with all that info some people here can point you in the direction you want, be it hot street, road race, or drag.

Did your orignal radio have a CB built in?