400 big block rebuild for 79 trans am

[jonnie25]

im trying to fiqure out the best opptions to rebuild my 400 and i was wondering if any one could give me any idias

[maxwedge]

MrPbody our resident Pontiac engine/performance expert will kick in here when he sees the thread, in the meantime, what are your hp goals/usage , only way for anyone to give any meaningful advice.

[MagicRat]

Or do a search on MrPbody's previous posts. Most of them, it seems relate to building these engines and you can pick up lots of valuable info.

[MrPbody]

Thanks for the "segway", guys!

Jonnie,

We are certain this car is equipped with the 400 Pontiac and not the 403 Olds, correct? The Pontiac has the oil "fill" on the driver's side valve cover. The Olds has a "pipe" that protrudes from the front of the engine. Please forgive such a basic question, but we HAVE seen them confused.

First things first. Get Jim Hand's "How to Build Max-performance Pontiac V8s", published by SA Designs. This is the only CURRENT study of the ol' Injun. Get familiar with some of the "quirks" of the Pontiac. As you proceed, you will learn that the reputation of the Pontiac is both good and bad. The "good" comes from properly built and "run" Pontiacs. The "bad" comes from people unfamiliar with it, using techniques and approaches that work on OTHER engine families. When done correctly, Pontiacs are pretty hard to argue with. Afterall, GTO didn't get a reputation for LOSING...(:-

The block in the '79 is either a "556" or a "988" (last three digits of the casting number). If there's a "XX" stamped into the front, it's the "good" one (988). For any SERIOUS performance applications, the "557" may not be a good choice. 400 "cores" are plentiful, though, so not a "show stopper".

NOTE: There are no "big block" or "small block" Pontiacs. All the significant Pontiac engines have the same external dimensions, same bore spacing and deck height. We refer to them simply as "the Pontiac". 265 and 301 from the late '70s/early '80s "don't count". If you wanna "sound like a Pontiac guy", that's how you approach it. If you use the terms "small block" or "big block" around Pontiac guys, they WILL "correct" you. It's not an ego thing or anything like that. The purpose os to put some "distance" between the Chevy folks and the Pontiac. Too many youngsters "assume" the Chevy and Pontiac use the same engine saying "but it's all GM..." The Pontiac comes from BEFORE the "corporate" deal, when each division had their very own engine design.

Welcome to the upper crust of GM performance! (for the Chevy guys' "benefit"... Argh! Argh! Humor...)

Jim