# GTO engine builds



## 68goatragtop (Mar 19, 2011)

I have been searching this forum all night looking for what kind of heads and good cams etc to get for a daily driver GTO and i have found some but the info is very scattered throughout the thread and sometimes isnt complete. I would just like to get going something for easy access for noob like me to find out some good setups for the GTO engine to make it a good performing daily driver. It is very much appreciated of anyone that bothers to share there engine setup.


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## 68goatragtop (Mar 19, 2011)

also if you have any HP, torque, or CR figures those would also be greatly appreciated.


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## Mr. P-Body (Jan 20, 2011)

The "sky" is the limit. What exactly do you want to "do" with it? Pontiacs aren't really any different than other engines. Find the "quirks" and address them. Find the "strengths" and enhance them. 

I'm of the opinion, the first thing you should do is get Jim Hand's "How to Build Max-performance Pontiac V8s", published by SA Designs. This is a very good study of the ol' *****, and is the most recent. In the "back" there are a bunch of combinations that are "tried and true". Be aware, though, the book is now 7 years old, so siome of the material is obsolete. With the "upsurge" in Pontiac "building", we've learned a lot to make them even better. 

Also beware the "nay sayers". Your best source of info "on the net" will come from professional engine builders. There are plenty of "gurus" that will give advice based on a tiny "sample". That will "skew" the info gathering.

If you describe exactly what you're after, I'll be happy to provide an "outline".

Jim


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## Eric Animal (Oct 28, 2007)

:agree.......excellent reputation!


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## 68goatragtop (Mar 19, 2011)

well thank you Mr. P-body. I shall go look for that book this afternoon. What i am trying to do is create a well running daily driver or weekend driver just to have a little fun in. i have a #14 head and i also have a 350 with hardened valve seats with unknown heads on it. Anyways i want an engine that will run well on todays pump gas and still have plenty of power.


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## BearGFR (Aug 25, 2008)

68goatragtop said:


> well thank you Mr. P-body. I shall go look for that book this afternoon. What i am trying to do is create a well running daily driver or weekend driver just to have a little fun in. i have a #14 head and i also have a 350 with hardened valve seats with unknown heads on it. Anyways i want an engine that will run well on todays pump gas and still have plenty of power.


Not knowing your comfort level with building your own engines and such, I'll tell you this: the best thing you could do would be to "hook up" with Mr. P-Body, tell him what your plans and wants are along with generally what you want to spend, and he'll help you get there. He helped me plan my build and I'm very happy with the result, and unlike some - he'll share what he knows with you even if you don't spend any money with him.

Here's a link to his shop: Central Virginia Machine Service - Home of the ***** Engine!


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## 68goatragtop (Mar 19, 2011)

BearGFR said:


> Not knowing your comfort level with building your own engines and such, I'll tell you this: the best thing you could do would be to "hook up" with Mr. P-Body, tell him what your plans and wants are along with generally what you want to spend, and he'll help you get there. He helped me plan my build and I'm very happy with the result, and unlike some - he'll share what he knows with you even if you don't spend any money with him.
> 
> Here's a link to his shop: Central Virginia Machine Service - Home of the ***** Engine!


thanks bear. i shall do that!


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## geeteeohguy (Feb 2, 2008)

X3: Jim (Mr P-Body) is the guru when it comes to building streetable Pontiac engines that run very well on today's pump gas....and produce equal or greater power than they did originally. I think his motto is "Flow trumps compression" or something like that....


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## Uly49 (Jan 27, 2011)

I currently have Jim building an engine for me and it should be done in the next couple of weeks....the quality of information has been very good and his response times have been excellent as well. He would be a great resource and could certainly help you down the correct path.....I have dealt with a lot of different personalities over the years and Jim is a straight-up guy...not many I can say that about......
Scott...


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## Mr. P-Body (Jan 20, 2011)

Come on guys... I'm blushing... - But thanks for the kind words. We DO try our best at all times!

Jim


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## geeteeohguy (Feb 2, 2008)

68goatrag, I put together a 389 a couple years ago that by dumb luck turned out to be the formula Mr. P is using: high quality dished pistons to lower the compression to about 9:1 and a modern grind cam that is designed to work better with lower compression. (the cam was an XE268). We ended up with an engine that screams, and it does it on 89 octane. It runs as hard as my high compression-old school 389, and I have to use racing fuel ($$$$$). Later, I got onto (and into) these forums, and discovered that there is a whole science to making these engines run well with today's poor fuels. Several individuals see this as a welcome challenge, and contuinue to build very impressive engines that will literally "blow away" the old-school stuff and they do it on pump gas with engines that are driven daily. Hang on...it's about to get fun!!


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## Joe C2 C5 (Apr 13, 2011)

You may also want to check out the new book by Rocky Rotella, "How To Rebuild Pontiac V-8s" from the same publisher. It just came out and with the book Mr. P-Body mentioned you will have a good base of knowledge to work off of. I agree with everyone else, Mr. P-Body has the knowledge and I only wish I lived closer to his shop.


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## 68goatragtop (Mar 19, 2011)

well thank you to all of you guys. I shall contact him.


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## Thumpin455 (Feb 17, 2010)

Jim is one of the builders who can get you a great running pump gas engine, that is for sure. I've been around for quite a while in the Pontiac community as a whole, and he wont lead you wrong or just want a credit card number before he talks to you. I've had good experiences with a number of other Pontiac builders too, if you cross reference the information on pump gas street engines, you will find Jim to be on the money. He does good race stuff too from what I have seen.

Then there are some of us nuts who do things differently and enjoy an inexpensive fuel that can withstand lots of compression. Right now its fringe but its gaining in popularity. I dont make any money from it, I just like the power I get, and it easy to just put a flat top shortblock together, port then mill some 72cc heads, and have lots of fun with it. Now that I have the Qjet figured out pretty well, and Holleys are incredibly easy too, all you need is pumps close by. I havent dynoed one yet, but I would love to give it a try.

With a 350 you can go pump gas real easy, they would take a very small chamber to get too much compression. The big thing is not using the heads that will drop the compression under 8.5:1, like 4X 455 heads. That makes me want to put a turbo on a 350.


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