steveeoaktree

Well fellas, this the first review that I have posted on Forever Pontiac regarding Computers. I had previously reviewed items for an online computer hardware store, as well as building many custom systems over the years. When mom wanted to buy an "off the shelf" system, I couldn't hack that so we built one. Starting with a Cooler Master mini ITX case and a MSI a55 mobo, the decision was which APU to try? I then decided to build the lowest priced, quality system that I could. I found an A-4 3400 new and stuck it in there not expecting much. Mom basically surfs the web and not much else so I figured that it'd be OK for that... Well fellas, I was shocked at the performance of this little APU. I bought her a 24" 1080p monitor (a Dell swivel) and the graphics are utterly amazing! Paired with a Plextor sata 3 SSD the thing starts and runs very quick. I spent a total of $314 including the monitor, and it outperforms any value prebuilt system that I have ever used... by far. The case came with a small, compact 150w power supply which is ample for this system so it's very light on the energy bill as well. After building many rigs with dual 7870's, single 290x's and many others.. I wonder why I didn't try one of these little APU's before...?

Just a few thoughts for anyone that could use them.

Hey guys, I am looking to treat and coat the interior steel in the GP before installing any new interior panels. There is some surface rust here and there, and I want to prevent any further damage and coat it with some sort of preventative coating. 20 years ago, I'd just sand it and use cheap bedliner coating but would like to do a much better job from here on out. I will be using the same coating to do the floors as well. I have the aluminum-backed rolls of insulation to install over the initial coating as well.

Thank y'all for any direction!

Well, learning the cons of buying a car off the internet... The more I investigate, the more I find. On my last weekend off, I noticed some fire damage under the hood, probably caused by fuel line rot... Not too bad except for some melting of the wire connections to the fuse panel on the firewall side. After further investigation, ended up replacing the fuel pump and lines. This caused me to look closer elsewhere and it reminds me of a shoddy used car lot doing things to help the thing sell. Like painting the rally II's over the rust ( and the spokes with what looks like model paint and brush), red priming over the burned paint, and rigging a 1993 caddy sunroof glass into the hole that isn't close to the right size... I'm sure most of y'all have more experience than I at purchasing vehicles from afar, but for those that don't please look close and make sure to buy through e bay or somewhere that has buyer protection. None of the things are beyond repair, but would've been much easier if they were just left alone. (Takes twice as long to un fix then properly fix ha ha) On the bright side, I am getting stage 1 done on the exterior which includes sanding and priming the body to get her through winter while I get the interior done. I will upload some pictures later today after I get the priming finished!

Thanks for all of the assistance y'all give on here.

For what it's worth, the 2bbl and the quad are essentially the same carb until you lean on the loud pedal a little harder.  Put a puppy under the pedal and keep your foot light and the quad keeps those two big back throats shut. 

 

 

Of course, that takes a level of self control. All it takes is one annoying Prius at the stop light and suddenly that puppy and your wallet are gonna get thinner in a hurry ... as will your back tires .... and the Prius's owners self esteem.

 

 

Don't kill the puppy. Priuses just aren't worth it.

 

 

 

 

 

High flow cats are something like $40 a piece, and worth a couple of horses all by their lonesome. Cheap power no matter what else you're considering.

I have researched several brands of cats, and the prices vary considerably. Which would you consider to have the best price to performance ratio? Living in Indiana, I don't really have to worry about any sort of emissions testing but then again, am not wanting to create a pollution machine either... (If it was the late 80's I may just weld up the exhaust having forgotten to install cats... ha ha) Already have the x-pipe and am planning to order the ram-air resto manifolds when the budget allows.

Thanks

All great advice once again Frosty. The engine in the car now is the stock '76 400 which is going to remain that way, and is fine for unleaded fuel, although I did have to just rebuild the carb and change the fuel pump... (of course due to the dang methanol and 40 years old.. ha ha) The old oil smelled like 100 octane ethyl... No knocks or ticks after that and t5he tune up/oil change (knock on wood). With 66,000 on her that engine should last until next spring when the build will be ready (I hope). I'll be working on the body and interior this weekend, so I'll be sure to upload some progress, and hopefully the weather seal kit'll arrive too!

http://www.steelerubber.com/search?year=1976&make=pontiac&model=grand-prix&style=2-door-hardtop

 

Everything you could want in rubber that isn't tires.

Thank you for the link! I was hesitant to buy without knowing where the quality is...

Thank you Frosty! I figgered that one of y'all Poncho guru's would know... I had found some online but without a recommendation it's hard to tell what will really fit (especially on e bay) Thanks again.

Hey fellow Pontiac enthusiasts, where would I look to get replacement door and trunk seals? When the car arrived, It was like completely rotted away and the h2o can just go straight into the doors. Also, isn't there a trim piece that should go where the top of the doors meet the windows?

Well, after an exhaustive period of research, (and reading Jim Hand's book) I have learned a lot about the Pontiac engine. The blocks and internals are mostly very sturdy for up to 400 HP/450 TQ with minimal changes. As long as there is not any abnormal wear inside, I can just hone, crosshatch, and re ring her along with a polishing of the crank and new Clevite bearings. I was going to modify the intake to remove the exhaust crossover, but decided not to as I would pay for it this winter... haha (Indiana sometimes has pretty rough winters) The number 068 cam equivalent is going to now be my choice, as it was either that or the comp XE262 instead of the mild summit cam. The wide LSA will keep the power band consistent from idle to 3000+ and that is what I need. Replacing the valve springs, exhaust valves, and going to ARP studs is all I really need to change from stock. shaving .020 off the heads, (and having the intake ports matched to this) and a good valve job along with getting the timing correct will put me in the 8:1 dynamic compression range which is fine for torque. I just wanted to let y'all know what I found out, and thanks again for the advice!

Thanks for all the great tips! Nose to tail service including all lube points is the first goal to complete. Most people don't remember, or think to have the tranny serviced, but it's something that is necessary. Regarding the torque goal, it's not imperative, especially compared to longevity, mileage, and keeping the engine parts working together as well as possible. I do realize that the 2bbl is not many peoples choice, but I figured it to be similar (as century has stated) to the roch. 4bbl without the secondaries, so it didn't concern me much. Dual exhaust is a must, possibly with lower restrictive cats and mufflers, but nothing too exotic as like you stated there is no point with the 2bbl. The same amount of air goes in and out. The torque converter is a great point as well, I'd surely never thought that it would be that much of a difference, that's for sure. I just don't really want to mess with changing the carb and intake as it works very well and truthfully has plenty of torque for cruising right now. Will feel much better though after seeing inside the engine to assess any issues that may have gone unnoticed... oil starvation, sludge, etc... That will make some decisions for me right there in some areas. Thank y'all again for all of the great tips. First on the agenda during our plant shutdown next week is the nose to tail lube and fluid changes and constructing a temporary red plexi sunroof cover to seal out the moisture!

Hp is over rated. Torque is what you want, and those old motors came with that in abundance.  If you want to embarrass some Fart-Canners, look at the rear end ratio. A little work there will leave them farting in your wake.

 Ha Ha that is true... Honestly, in my humble opinion, this car was built for driving comfort and style which is what I plan to do with her. This winter, I'll work on a poncho build with a 389 block that I bought from Franks (maybe clone the 421 SD?) to put in something else. Maybe a 60's GP? I'm fine with the ratio, especially if that mild cam gets the torque number above 300 and reliability and longevity is good. One thing that I have been considering is that "hidden" oil gallery plug: Some say to drill her out a tad to help with distributor to cam gear lubrication but I surely don't want to disrupt the oil pressure. I will surely tap the gallery plugs and use threaded plugs to eliminate the chance of them popping out. Another is the porting. I will stick with a 2bbl but I will help the airflow out by smoothing them out. I have also seen threads on blocking the exhaust crossover and machining the intake to remove the heat from underneath the carb, but surely there must be a reason that the Pontiac engineers designed them that way right?

No plans to do anything more than just cruise the car. If it was a 30,000 mile car, I wouldn't touch it except for routine maintenance. I will install dual exhaust, but not huge with a crossover. Stock manifolds and the stock 2bbl Rochester as it functions very smoothly. Mileage is important of course, and I don't really stick my foot in it enough to warrant a 4bbl anyway. I'd just rather spend the money on the paint and interior truthfully. Growing up, dad called this type of engine work an engine "service" lol but I personally haven't worked on anything old since 1991 when I got rid of my '71 Olds. The BOP main seal is something I will surely purchase as well. I will purchase a good quality oil pump, just not a "race" type. Even though these motors had little horsepower, I was thinking that with that mild cam, the torque would be more than adequate . I do realize though, that planning correctly is very important. Thanks fellas for the thoughts!

I believe Saginaw. Like 1hr from Detroit he said. I was impressed by his knowledge of every nook and cranny of the sunroof, and GM as a whole. Nice ol' Wolverine.

   Hey fellas, I've been enjoying reading through your forums! I am going to pull the '76 400 2bbl and just do a basic re ring, and machine (where necessary). Have all checked including lifter bores, mains, rods, cylinders etc... and the cross hatch put into them...  I'm looking for a mild, fun to drive cam to stick in there, and from what I have learned, these ol ponchos love a wide lsa? what about the summit k2801? Since I'm just going to do a valve job, take the die grinder to match the ports to the exhaust man gaskets, and of course change the bearings, oil pump and timing set wouldn't this work well? No plans to mill the heads or increase compression with the exception of maybe a thinner head gasket. I don't want this thing loping around just something to throw new duals on and drive her.

Any advice is appreciated!

Thanks, Stevee

Thanks to advice from Stratman, I found a ASC sunroof guru that actually stocks the factory replacement sunroof parts! His name is Kelley, and is located in Michigan. I spoke with him yesterday to line up what I need for my '76 GP and wanted to pass on the info.

Phone # 1-888-298-8140 Kelleys sunroof parts

Good Luck!

Thank y'all for the hospitality ! Yeppir, hoping to make Columbus, and thanks much for the PHS info as well fellas. Had no idea that that was so readily available. I know it came out of West Virginia, but not much else. It's been a bit of a search to find an ASC replacement sunroof but I think I made strides today! Stratman, you hit it in regards to the attitude of the 70's pacial expressions... ha ha. Just glad the waterfall is in great shape. I've seen so many beautiful ponchos on here already, reminds me of road trips growing up as a kid... these cars were everywhere...

Thanks again y'all

   Hello fellow Pontiac enthusiasts, Just wanted to drop a line an introduce myself and my baby. Recently (finally) purchased a 1976 Grand Prix with the factory sunroof and 400/th400.  One of my all time favorite Pontiac faces on her! Going to restore her while driving to the factory. Hopefully, I can draw from y'alls experience when it comes to the specifics that I don't know yet... and I'll help out whenever I can. Gonna try and have her ready enough to make it to goodguys....??