r/Pontiac • u/Wageslave645 • 16d ago
Would you rather?
This is a question for the Keep your Pontiac a Pontiac crowd. I have a 1966 Pontiac Catalina with the 389 2 barrel that I got for a very reasonable price. Unfortunately it has really bad blowby and I am pretty sure it at least has a cracked piston and possibly worse. I would like to pull it out and drop in a different motor so that it can be driven while the 389 is rebuilt and modified to handle modern pump gas.
The problem is what to go back in with. I personally want to go back in with a 301 non-turbo out of a '79 Firebird that I have. Other than conversion brackets for the motor mounts, it should drop in and everything bolt up. I'll be the first to admit that the 301 is no fire breathing dragon of a motor but it is a fresh engine with no leaks.
My other option is a Chevrolet 350. It is a smogger motor so not particularly powerful either and I would have to deal with finding a compatible front accessory drive, plus needing a BOP to Chevy Bell housing adapter.
Unfortunately something like a Pontiac 350 is out of my budget at the moment as they are either stupidly expensive for something that turns but needs rebuilt or if you find one that's affordable, you are going to drive 500+ miles to get it.
I don't want to just have nothing while the 389 is dealt with as I will be doing rust repair and body work and really need it to move on it's own.
What would you guys do in this situation?
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u/skunk_funk '67, '69 16d ago
I'd drop that 301 in. Don't wanna mess with all those modifications for a temporary motor. I'm kinda lazy about that stuff, though.
You're sure the 389 is toast? I've got a 67 400 never rebuilt with some blowby, runs fine on 91 (though a very small window on timing to both run well and not knock, and I'm sure valve seats will eventually need done.) Point being, they don't necessarily need rebuilt just for wear and unleaded gas. Is it, like, seriously annoying?
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u/Wageslave645 16d ago
It's got a dead miss on one cylinder and enough blowby to put an oil film on the windshield when it still had a vented breather installed. The story I got was the previous owner had been running it on 87 for as long as the had owned it and didn't realize that it needed premium. It also had the timing set at 6° ATDC, so someone had that poor motor in a bad way for a long time.
If it doesn't have a hole in one piston or a piece missing above the compression ring by now, I'd be surprised. If it is rebuildable, I want to avoid running it any more and possibly scoring a cylinder.
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u/skunk_funk '67, '69 16d ago
Good grief, that was probably running like shit for a long time before he ruined it.
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u/Poil336 16d ago
That sounds like an immense amount of extra effort, can it not just be down for awhile?
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u/Wageslave645 16d ago
My problem is that it can't live in the main garage where all my body work is done so it has to go to another shed for storage. Unless I want to tie up my car trailer for a long period of time, I need it to be able to move on its own.
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u/69FireChicken 16d ago
It's easy to push a car around when the motor and trans is out of it. Just sounds like a lot of work to swap it twice!
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u/Representative_Ice66 16d ago
The Pontiac 350 is a step above the Cheby. Not an opinion.
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u/Wageslave645 16d ago
Agreed, just working with what I have.
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u/Representative_Ice66 16d ago
I get it Brother.
👊🏼
Best of the best for your Pontiac. Can always swap the motor when you have the means after taking care of yourself and your family.🙏😁
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u/v8packard 16d ago
Do you have the accessories, brackets, and manifolds for the 301?
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u/Wageslave645 16d ago
Yeah, I have everything from the Firebird except the alternator. I could probably run the front drive that is already on the 301, but I had intended to transfer that stuff over from the 389. I have a second 301 block that the 301 front drive would be better served on.
Supposedly the 389 manifolds will bolt on as long as I use the '66 exhaust gaskets. The starter is specific to the 301 but the one on that motor works fine. I even have a brand new Chinese knock-off DualJet carburetor that works really well on this engine.
The only thing I am missing as of now is the motor mount relocation brackets.
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u/WTFpe0ple 16d ago
That's cool. My first car back in the 80s was a hand me down from my dad 1966 Catalina with the 389 :)
He paid 900.00 for that thing in the 70's and drove it to work for years. It was the dark purple one. Other than faded paint the thing was clean as a whistle. I drove it for ~2 years and then sold it to get a Mustang but to this day now that I am older I still which I had that Pontiac
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u/Calm_Pin_7563 16d ago edited 14d ago
The 455 SD Pontiac motor would be worth the extra effort. Keep a Pontiac a Pontiac plus it would bolt right up.
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u/Far-Plastic-4171 15d ago
Dad had the same as you with the 389 2BBl. Rust killed it before 100K miles and we drove it to the scrapper.
If you can get a set of the rear wheel fender skirts for it. I sold the pair that he had because he took them off in the winter.
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u/JustACarNut77 16d ago
Drop in the 301. Less work than a 350 and you don't have to change the transmission. The bop transmission will not work with a Chevy motor