# 326 help!! want to beef it up!!



## mojorison (Oct 26, 2011)

i have 67 pont lemans with 326 4 bbl would like to find out how to beef it up. the best bang for the buck.....anyone know???


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## geeteeohguy (Feb 2, 2008)

068 cam, and replacing your 2 speed automatic with a TH350. Performance will take a huge leap.


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## mojorison (Oct 26, 2011)

i already have the th350 with 3;36 rear end.. i think the motor needs the work everything else is good but off the line its still a little slow...


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## Instg8ter (Sep 28, 2010)

more cam, 4bbl carb, headers...but there's no replacement for displacement...so drop a 455 or stroked 400 in it and buy stock in BF Goodrich, you can keep the 326 tags to be stealthy....


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## ALKYGTO (Mar 29, 2010)

More cam will likely kill off the line performance as will headers. These are generally used to pick up top end performance. A good set of Ram Air manifolds with a good mandrel bend where it exits the collector is the key to extracting max benifit out of these, see Pypes for what you need here. Instead of a camshaft change, go to 1.65 rockers and replace your worn valvesprings with a set of new ones while your at it. I would'nt do big valve heads on your 326 either, they'll kill your lowend torque and the valves may not clear the bore.

I know you said you had a Turbo 350 already but a 200R4 with an adapter to fit your Pontiac bellhousing will give you a lower first gear and the benefits of an overdrive for better economy on the hiway. You already have about the perfect rear ratio now so I would'nt mess with that.

I would also consider cutting some wieght on the car if you can. Clean out the trunk, get rid of the jack and spare if you haven'nt used it lately (get AAA lol.) Rule of thumb is 1/10 th of a second in the quarter mile for every 100 lbs. If you have a factory 4bbl intake now, it's actually pretty good. An aluminum intake will shave pounds but make sure you use a dual plane and not a high rise single plane to keep the low end torque up. 

A good tuneup and a distributor rebuild with a custom advance curb can really wake up your motor too. Find a reputable local chassis dyno and do a baseline and then start your mods so you can verify that you are indeed making improvements and keeping your A/F ratio in the safe zone. 

You can make that 326 pretty damn peppy, and maybe even surprise some 400's (prolly not the 455's though :lol


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## geeteeohguy (Feb 2, 2008)

I had a 326 in a 4 speed '65 GTO I picked up in the early 90's for cheap and it ran very well with a 3.23 rear gear. It had a huge, unknown lift Crane cam and tubing headers. Mojo, it sounds like you're on the right track. You can do only so much with 326 cubes, though. I would either do very little (cam and /or rockers and blueprint the distributor curb and carburetion) or go "whole hog" and build a bigger displacement engine for it. It's not a one size fits all deal. You need to tailor the car to what its main purpose is. Everything is a compromise.


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## 66tempestGT (Nov 28, 2009)

068 cam will also cure athletes foot and works well on clogged drains too.


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## fasterfiero (Sep 6, 2011)

I have read many like this xe 250 by comp cams, this is going into my 400 soon. I was told this works well with lower compression street engines (like what we run now-days). I bought this rather than the melling oe grinds available. I have to believe this will perform better than the old school stuff, at least for my purposes. Also stick with a factory intake manifold & add a free flowing exhaust.


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## BearGFR (Aug 25, 2008)

mojorison said:


> i already have the th350 with 3;36 rear end.. i think the motor needs the work everything else is good but off the line its still a little slow...


Ok, so if it's "off the line" you're looking for, be careful on cam selection as others have said. It's not hard to get "too much" and kill your bottom end torque as a result. Headers are ok - the key is to not go too big on the primary tube size because that WILL hurt bottom end torque. With a more or less stock 326 I'd try to stay no larger than 1 1/2" tubes --- I have no idea if they're even available that small.

If the car is mostly street driven and doesn't see a lot of highway use, you may actually get a bigger improvement by leaving the motor alone and going with a "looser" torque converter in front of the transmission - one that will allow the engine to rev a little higher at launch at get up into its power band.

Bear


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## geeteeohguy (Feb 2, 2008)

fasterfiero, I have experienced the comp 262 and 268 in a 9:1 389, and these cams absolutely work wonders in a 9:1 motor. I think you'll be happy with your choice.


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## fasterfiero (Sep 6, 2011)

geeteeohguy, thanks for the input. Hopefully I will get some time and get it installed......I will report my impressions once done..... there is a video on youtube of a 461 with this mild comp cam and it seems impressive..... also some very cool gto's drag racing for anyone interested.


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## BearGFR (Aug 25, 2008)

Be careful about using examples of larger displacement engines to predict how a cam is going to 'act' - it makes a big difference. A cam that is relatively "well behaved" in a 461 with a reasonable idle, sufficent idle vacuum for accessories, and with good bottom end response could very well be an unruly BEAST in a 326 wth no idle vacuum and no bottom end.

Bear


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## danthepontiacman (Jul 5, 2008)

whatever you do i would keep the 326 in the car and not do a swop, so many tempest and lemans owners have made gto clones or just threw a biger engin in and to me the engin is the heart of a car, its the same has dropping a chevy 350 in a gto. it kills the heart, 326's are not to race with but that eing sead, most are in better shape then other pontiac v8s do to the fact that larger v8s were raced and abused were has most smaller ones wert, built just has strong but not abused, besides getting t oaround 300 hp is easy on a 326 and if you want off the line power, change from highway gears to mid range.:cool


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## ALKYGTO (Mar 29, 2010)

BearGFR said:


> Be careful about using examples of larger displacement engines to predict how a cam is going to 'act' - it makes a big difference. A cam that is relatively "well behaved" in a 461 with a reasonable idle, sufficent idle vacuum for accessories, and with good bottom end response could very well be an unruly BEAST in a 326 wth no idle vacuum and no bottom end.
> 
> Bear


:agree


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## fasterfiero (Sep 6, 2011)

Great point beargfr & alkygto, I sent my info to comp and went with the one they picked for me. The cam I bought was one of the mildest "of the shelf" grinds they advertise. After I bought it, I did a search and found some cool videos. I was surprised to find a 461 with this tame of a cam.... but then again, these are pontiacs, not high rpm small blocks. Beargfr I saw your dyno sheet,"WOW" very cool...... would love a ride in that someday also congrats on rotm nov. Someone mentioned stall converters, another good point to consider... bottom line is the intended use.... and how much time & $$$ you want to invest.
Have you guys checked out the gto drag racing videos on you-tube???


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## ‘Vid (9 mo ago)

The biggest problem you will face with this project is this: You pop the hood and tell the onlookers that it’s only a 326. NOBODY is going to believe you! 

Hey I think it’s great that there are people who want to build Pontiac 326’s. They’re a very nice street motor where you still can have a lot of fun stepping on the gas. It doesn’t have to be 600hp/600tq. In a world of so many big inch strokers with cavernous ported heads, it’s really nice to see a few points on the board for the smaller displacement guys. Kudos to you.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


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## Jim K (Nov 17, 2020)

There is nothing wrong with a 326. It's a great motor. Yeah a little smaller than average in CID but that shouldn't deter you from what you want.. As many others here have already said, with that size motor, it's a trade off. I think for everyday street use, try to keep your A/F velocities up for good response in the lower RPM range which would tend to lend itself to staying closer to stock with some small changes in cam etc (Bear and Alky have mentioned previously). Then of course, if money is no object (said with a bit if jovial joking in that statement) you can always go the opposite Like HO racing specialties did with THEIR 326.
H-O Racing 326 RAIV Race Engine


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## 67lemans (Oct 30, 2009)

I am running a summit 2800 cam in my 326. I think someone here recommended it to me a while back when I pulled the engine and resealed it. The cam experts here can probably comment on it in a 326 if you ask. It works great for me, street manners, down the highway, occoasional burn out. Oh, and I'm an old guy - don't race. I'm running posi 3.23 gears and a turbo 350 with 215/R65/15 tires - I kept them kinda narrow so I could still spin themif need be. I just have factory logs with a dual exhaust and h pipe. HEI seemed like it was a good improvement too. I'm pretty budget minded so just went with basic stuff nothing spendy. Eddy carb with factory 4 barrel intake (came with the car). Runs perfect. 

The dream in my mind would be a 455 with good street manners and a 200R4. Maybe someday.


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