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Pontiac of the Month

FBIRD69's 1969 Firebird

2024 March
of the Month

Rexs 73GTO

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Everything posted by Rexs 73GTO

  1. 1st off Pontiac doesn't take the comp. out in the pistons like a chevy. All Pontiacs take the comp. out in the heads. You don't use different piston to make or reduce comp. The heads determine the comp. When you cut the heads you can change the comp. If you want a certain comp. then you will want to look for different heads. saying that you can go on Wallace Racing web site & then search for the heads you want to get your target comp. But the pistons your looking for , for pistons fro a Pontiac 350 in very hard. The 350 is almost a forgotten engine when looking for parts.
  2. When you replace the rear main seal replace it with a newer one from Butler which is either a 1 or 2 piece seal made of neoprean (sp), as the old rope seal will leak again on you as they all do. The one from Butlers is about $ 40.00 but well worth it.
  3. The T400 from the bonnie is longer which will require you to cut & balance the driveshaft & then make a new trans cross member as the trans will sit farther back under the car. You can use the t350 as it will bolt right up to your newer 455 & will hold the power the stock engine puts out. If you use the t400 you'll have to change the driveshaft & trans output to. The T350 uses vacuum to shift it so all you need to do is hook it right back up the way it comes out. If in the future you build up the power of the 455 maybe you'll want to change to a T400 trans , but get the correct one that will bolt in without a bunch of changing item ,,, just in case your on the road & break down , that way it can be fixed without a lot of problems.
  4. Actually looks like it had water in it. Changing the fluid will sometimes cause some concerns but not changing the fluid & filter will always cause problems. What year is the G/P ?? Why does it have a long tail in it. If you have the choice I'd replace the trans with the correct trans as you can end up with other concerns by having the wrong trans in the car. Also if you drive it all the time & you aren't going back to 100% stock I'd install a 200r4 or a 700r4 tran sso you have an overdrive trans which will make long distance driving much easier on the engine, & it's just as easy to do & may even be cheaper. How about some pics ???
  5. Your rear end should be 3 degree's higher then the trans . you have to have that angle so it won't ware out the U-joints. The engine should sit 2-5 degree's low in the back to make everything line up correctly. Anymore then that will make the engine look funny sitting in the engine bay. Won't hurt but will look funny. The angle on the engine is there to keep the engine full of coolant all the time. If it sits to level the engine will end up with air pockets inside & cause over heating problems. Other then that it looks like you've got a great project going & really want to see it when finished.
  6. With your car you need to keep within 2 years of your car to make sure you are able to ahve all the brackets work in the places they need to be. It's best if you find an engine that either came out of your year or a 82-84. That way you'll have min. of problems. The engine out of the 66 won't bolt directly up as the motor mounts are much different, but they do make adapters but you'll need some experience with them to make all the other stuff bolt up as it won't have all the needed bolt holes in the heads to bolt everything up. Swapping engine in the later models is a lot different then doing it in say a 67 GTO . Don't make the mistake that some do & think it will just drop in & then give up because it is a LOT harder then it should be. If it's your 1st make it simple so you don't get in over your head & get mad & lose the interest in the hobby because it becomes a cluster,,,,,,.
  7. 1st you need to get rid of the 8 bolt water pump by changing the timing cover to the newer style. Then you will start to cure your problem. Check your timing, to advanced will cause it to overheat. You need to let us see your engine & what you have for fan, rad. as that will make a difference . You say it's stroked,, to what ??? Are you using water or anti-freeze & water. What temp T-stat do you have in the engine? We need a lot more info to help you.
  8. Why isn't your kick down cable connected. That has to be connected & adjusted correctly or your engine will stall as it controls the amount of vacuum & when your trans shifts. You need to have someone with the experience to help you or your going to burn up your trans if you haven't already.
  9. Depends on how the engine was built. You seem to have good parts but if the bearings aren't clearanced & rings the same just right it will last but not very long. 10.5 with the heads is a bit high for a big shot unless your racing it only. Keep your timing down low & don't take it to much over 6000 rpm's as Pontiac makes power down low not at the top like a chevy. If you over rev it it will be gone in no time. Plus you didn't say what cam your using, what pistons, & which rods. Just because there forged doesn't make them all that strong. If the forged pistons are to heavy???? Was the engine balanced & line bored ? If all you did was put in new parts that to will make it go away very soon. Also did a Pontiac person build the engine or was it like most built by a chevy person & that in itself spells trouble. Oil pump,?? There are a lot of little things that need to be done to a Pontiac engine that a chevy builder will over look & cause you all kinds of trouble.
  10. DON'T EVER !!!! ,,, try to compare a chevy engine with a Pontiac 350. They are not alike in any way except they are both 350 CI. The chevy engine acts completely different then a Pontiac 350. It really doesn't matter what cam you use but the cam you have now is WAY to big. Pontiac's use their power in the bottom end & a cam with about 420 lift is all your going to need. Something with about 230 duration & 420 lift is all you going to need & anything bigger is just a waste & will make it run badly. The heads your using & size of the engine would preform best with the good old std. Ram Air III cam or when you go to buy one use the the one listed by any of the companies as an S cam, Pontiac used that in their 350 HO engine & it makes 330 HP with the # 48 heads which are the Ram Air III heads . But with your heads it will still give you good performance & about 300 HP.
  11. The biggest reason you will wipe a cam at start up is using the WRONG oils for break in. You must use the break in oils today as the oils that are sold for cars today don't use any ZZDP & the newer oils are JUNK for older flat tappet cams. You MUST use the break in oils & then use the oils that have the correct amount of ZZDP in them or you will wipe out the cam every time. It's not because the cams aren't hardened it's the oil your using. Because of the gov. ZZDP was taken out of most all newer oils, thats why you MUST buy the custom oils for ALL flat tappet cams,,, our older cars or you will damage your engine over a short time because there is no ZZDP in those oils. Most all newer engine have roller cams which don't require ZZDP ,,,,, but it's a must with flat tappet cams. If you don't engine failure is YOUR fault not the cams.
  12. If the engine is a 67 or newer the size of the engine is cast into the side of the block. It will be 350, 400, or 455. The year of the block is cast into the boss at the dist. When you know the year & size you can then look at the block on the right side (passenger) just below the the head there will be some numbers & a 2 letter code. When you find the 2 letter code you can post here & i can tell you, or you can go the the Wallace Racing web site & there is LOTS of info on that site to give you any info you will need about the engine & heads you have. By the way the head codes are cast into the center ports of the exhaust side, it will be for instance $X or $^ or 48. It will be a 2 number or number & letter code.
  13. I want to have my 73 GTO in the POTM, I hope I'm doing this correct.
  14. View Advert HELP I need a part. Hi guys & gals , I'm looking for a dash bezel or dash face plate for my 73 GTO. I don't care what color it is as long as it has the wood grain on it & that it is not cut up where someone tried to put in an aftermarket radio. I don't want one that is all broken either. Please tell me & show me what you have. Also I'm not rich so please don't try to sell me one that is over priced. Thanks in advance. Please help me out. Advertiser Rexs 73GTO Date 04/05/2017 Price $40.00 Category Auto Parts
  15. Here are a few of my 73 GTO. I bought this car new & it is my baby. After having it for a couple of years I sold it as i just got married & thought I needed a more family car but I kicked myself every day I didn't have it. While on leave at home I saw my car sitting at a parking lot at a restaurant with a for sale sign on it. I made a U-turn on a major Hwy. to be able to turn around , went in & found out who had my car & told the girl I'd be over in 2 days to pick it up. I came back & her father said she had again changed her mind,,, but he said he was going to teach her a lession as this would be the 3rd time she had backed out. We talked about my car for about 20 min's more & I gave him the money & I got the title & brought it home. I spent the next 3 days cleaning & tuning & adjusting thing as it ran terrible & was so dirth inside. But I had it back & even my wife was happy about it. Now it will never leave me again.
  16. Thank you very much & if anyone may want to consider buying this please just let me know & we can talk.
  17. Well My 73 has been in several trims & this one is the current one. In it now is a 400 + .30 which is a 413. I have TRW forged piston with factory rods that have been shot peened & buffed. I run a set of E-heads & a RA IV cam from Crane. I also run a Q-jet with the Pretronix ign. I have RA IV exhaust manifolds & a Performer RPM intake. The engine puts out right at 445 HP & the 373-1 rear end help it get up & go. It has posi to. I had my 455 + .30 over which was a 462 but I kept having trouble keeping bearing in it. The last time I put new bearings in it they went out even faster then the last time at about 400 miles. I took it to machine shop I had used in the past & I found out that the other guys didn't line hone it correctly when I had the 4 bolt caps put in & it was way out. I paid for a bunch of things to be done & most didn't get done & cost me a lot in the long run. But the car went 11:77 at 121 mph with it but it wouldn't stay together very long. I now have it to my old shop & the new build for it is a 455 + .60 over . I now have Ross light weight forged pistons, eagle H-beam forged rods Gapless rings & a new Eagle crank. I'll be using the E-heads after they get reworked along with ??? maybe a roller cam & lifter. But the way the RA IV caCrane worked I may use it again. The RA IV exhaust manifolds will go back on to, along with the Performer RPM intake & Q-jet. The trans is an M-22 with the 373-to-1 rear end it goes great. There are some pics of the car on the interior mods section , But I'll post a few here to.
  18. Well I have a 73 GTO & being kinda new here I'll say that you won't probably see another one like it. I have added a 70-71 rear spoiler to the trunk lid of my car. I took a bit to do as the spoiler if added just the way it was would be angled about 35 degrees up in the front. I took a bit to get it to sit correctly on the trunk . It has been on my car for about 36 years as i put it on in 1980. Most everyone that sees it says that Pontiac should have put it on there from the factory. I have had it to several GTO nats & it always get a lot of attention & praise for the wing on the back. Did I mention I bought my car new & also had a hood tach installed before I picked it up at the dealer. It is the correct hood tach that has the vent in the bottom & has the correct vent tube that goes into the heater box. Lots have seen that to & lots want to buy the vent tube , but it's not for sale. My car is now a 4 spd. but came original as an auto. I ordered a new 73 GTO with the 455 SD engine but it didn't come in. Although the order got picked up & then canceled 5 times before I was told finally that it would not come the way I ordered it. I tried to order another one but it was to late as it took forever to be canceled the last time so I had to take what they had on the lot which was one the owners son was driving. But I got a very good deal on it as it had a lot of miles on it when i got it. 8340 miles, but it only cost me $ 2500.00 out the door with the trade of my 69 Firebird. It came with P.S , P.B. Disc brakes & AM 8-track radio & the sport wheel , vinyle top, & the 400 engine. AF coupe. Thats with the louvered side windows. But it's now a 4 spd. with 373 rear end & posi.
  19. My name is Rex & I'm new here & I drive a 73 GTO & I bought it new, well it was a left over as it was a demo because I ordered an SD455 car & it of course never came in. Here's a few pics of my car. Hope you like it. It will have later this year my new engine in it which is a 469. It is a 4spd. & has posi, with 3:73 rear gears. I run alum E-heads round port RA exhaust to. I have a thing for the Crane RA IV blueprint cam as I've used in in my last 4 engine & just like the way they act. I put the rear spoiler on it back in 1981 & it's a 70-71 rear spoiler that I had to re-angle to get it to sit right & build up the stantions to get it to sit level to. The hood tach you see I had put on when the car was new & it has the defroster vent tube that came with the hood tach as it is one that has the vent tube in the bottom of the tach. I epainted the car in 97 in the garage you can see in the background by myself. It is a CC paint & it shines very good even though it is now almost 20 years old. The 4spd. in the car is an M-22 now. The car came with an auto , but as I'm a retired GM service mgr. & I was working in a Pontiac dealer in 89-92 I bought all the parts I needed to put it in correctly. Looking at the car you can't tell it didn't come from the factory that way. But I wanted a stick in the car & I made it happen. Maybe I'll go back to an auto but I don't think it will happen. The car runs & drives as nice as it looks. Thanks for looking. Rex.
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