What year did Pontiac quit putting pontiac motors in the trans-ams,

  • Thread starter Thread starter Philip W
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Philip W

firebirds, formulas,? I have a pontiac 400 motor and 400 turbo transmission, and I want to put it in a 82 to 88 style firebird, transam. I don't want the smoky and the bandit style, I would like it, but too expensive. Any pontiac buffs want to help me out, I would apreciate it. Any feed back on how hard it would be to put this motor in a chevy based pontiac would be great too.
 
in 1982 there was a smoky and the bandid TA as well.. That was the year they stopped putting Pontiac motors in the TA... It will be ok to put that motor in any TA... Just motor mounts and wiring, and the basics IE exhaust and stuff like that...
 
Philip W said:
firebirds, formulas,? I have a pontiac 400 motor and 400 turbo transmission, and I want to put it in a 82 to 88 style firebird, transam. I don't want the smoky and the bandit style, I would like it, but too expensive. Any pontiac buffs want to help me out, I would apreciate it. Any feed back on how hard it would be to put this motor in a chevy based pontiac would be great too.
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The actual last year for a pontiac built engine in a Pontiac T/A would be 1980
in 81 they used the last of the 4.9L Pontiac (301) engines early in the run and used 305/350 chevrolet engines after that ..
The last 400 Pontiac was installed in 1979..
The 82 and newer (3rd gen cars) Are NOT made to allow the instalation of the larger and heavier Pontiac engine, it has been done but there are ALOT of mods the car would need to make one fit and exhaust is near impossible as No hedders or even stock manifolds will fit with out major mods ..
the TH-400 is also a different trans set up than the 3rd gen chassis is set up for (there is No mounting provision for the required "torque arm" and the transmission mount will be off by quite a bit requireing a custom fabricated mount ..and hood clearence becomes an issue also because of the taller hight of the Pontiac engine.. then there are cooling and accessory mounting problems ...
it's just Not worth the effort in my opinnion...
 
Thats what I meant lol, I worded it wrong, 82 was when they started using chev motors...
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I have seen a few 406 SB and a few 502 BB installed in Camaro and T/A's and the owners said it was pretty simple... I personaly dont have experience doing that but have put thought into it for my 96
 
carguy_z28 said:
I have seen a few 406 SB and a few 502 BB installed in Camaro and T/A's and the owners said it was pretty simple... I personaly dont have experience doing that but have put thought into it for my 96
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Yah, the chevrolet engines are easy to install weather it's a Small Block or Big block, but the Pontiac engines are a different animal all together..
The car in my avitar is a 88 T/A I built a couple years ago it had a BBC and a TH-400 with a narrowed 9" ford rearend, everything fit together but ground clearence was poor with the Hooker hedders, the only ones that will work without major mods on a third gen chassis..
 
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