hey guys, jim here. i like street performance, nothing radical. i have owned 350 chevys, 351 windsors and 390 big block fords. i know what to expect from these engines and i prefer an engine with at least 400 to 450 horse power which is easily obtainable with any of these engines with just bolt ons. i am in the process of buying a 1970 to 1972 lemans with a 350 engine in it for my next vehicle. i know absolutly nothing about the pontiac 350 as a performer but i have read several articles on this engine and most say the 350 is a slug and the only way you can wake it up is to install a stroker kit. does this really have to be done to get a good performer out of this engine? 389, 400, 428 and 455 pontiacs can run with the best of engines. whats the real deal with the 350, will it perform?
350 pontiac engine info
- Thread starter jtgb428
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All the Pontiac blocks share the same block and cams and basic head design and intake manifolds etc. As with any make more cubes more power. Pontiacs though have never put out the same power per dollar invested that a Chevy will. Few Pontiacs had forged cranks while most HP Chevys did, same situation with rods. So you will not get 400 to 450 HP from a 350 Pontiac with bolt on components and be streetable.
Icefan71
New member
Pontiac didn't really pursue any high performance applications with the 350. They did make a 350HO in 1968 and 69. I think they made around 325-330 horsepower. It is possible to get some performance out of them with the right heads and cam. You may find some folks on the Performance Years forum http://forums.performanceyears.com/forums/ and PSP forum http://psp.aquacomp.net/ that can help. There aren't too many fans of the Pontiac 350, but they are out there. Oh and be prepared. Many will tell you to just ditch it and get a 400 or 455.