Started Stripping Down the 78 Catalina Safari Parts car I bought over a Year ago!
 

Some may remember I bought this car for the 60,000 mile 78 400, to replace the Buick 350 in our Dog hauling Brown 78 Catalina Safari. I removed the front Clip to make removing the Engine and Trans easier.

The only upgrades I plan on doing is replacing the Crankshaft Hub with an actual Harmonic Balancer, Replacing the Timing Chain, and installing an earlier 69-76 Timing cover with the cast in timing marks, as the plastic bolt on Timing marks used on the 77-79 engines seem to be made out of unobtainium!

If anyone needs any 77-79 B-Body parts, let me know.

Are you going to replace the rear main seal???
I hate the snowball effect of replacing one thing, then another, then another...
The newest rear main seals and pan gaskets that have been available for a while would tempt me to do them, AND an oil pump. Take the oil pump apart. There's a thread here that has a new pump with main passage blocked off with casting flashing...

The 400 in my TA started showing evidence of a cam lobe going away at 60,000, and I maintained that engine perfectly!!!

Does the parts car have 5" wheel bolt pattern??? or 4-3/4"??? just wondering...

I don't plan on doing the rear main seal as it is actually almost dry, just a drip or 2. I do plan on replacing the oil pan gasket and rocker cover gaskets as both are leaking. I am torn on the oil pump, it showed 60 PSI on the mechanical gauge I put on it last week. But I will feel like an idiot if it fails son after I install the engine and the oil pump fails in a few weeks.

Its a roll of the dice. I am just trying to minimise the work to get it installed before summer. All eight cylinders had 135-142 lbs on the compression test last week. So all indications is it should be a solid 180 hp Motor. I did find it has 1 broken exhaust manifold bolt on the drivers side, bummer.

I finally got the engine & Trans Pulled out, seperated, and the engine on the stand to clean up and work on. So far I have only broken 1 exhaust Manifold bolt, but I still have 1 more stubborn one to go that didn't come break free with heat & an impact gun. So it is soaking with penetrating oil over night. I removed the front cover and found that it has had the timing chain replaced already, but it is very loose (or is it the original with all the plastic fallen off?)

Does anyone know what the AT5 Stamp on the front of the drivers side head means?

No nylon teeth timing gears in my experience after 1971, this car should have had an all-metal gear and chain set. Check the date code on the big sprocket for the chain set and you'll find out if it's originally a GM one and how close to the engine build date it is.

AT5 is probably a line inspection stamp. They inked them on in the late '70s instead of the paper tags from the earlier cars.

My 77 had no nylon gear teeth...yours is likely original

Interesting that Pontiac V8's stopped using the Nylon Coated timing gears in the early 1970's. When I replaced the cam on the original Buick 350 in my fathers 78 Catalina Safari a couple of years ago (before the rod bearing spun) it still had a Nylon coated car sprocket.

AT5 stamp I was given a possible other explanation by a long time Pontiac Engine plant Cold test engineer. He didn't start until 1981, so his experiance is only with 301's & Iron Dukes, but he said that they would randomly Hot test a few engines a week, and they would be hand stamped AT# for assembly test and the number the test engine was, in this case the 5th one of the week. He says he can not be sure that is what it means though.

Making any progress?

Not much, I got sent out to a customers site about 5 hours from home at their request, then I spent 4 days sitting in a hotel awaiting permission to enter their plant. It never came so I am back home.

I did get the old timing chain off, cleaned up the block & valve covers. And moved it out of the shop and brought my Father car back into the shop to start pulling the Buick 350.
I have never torn down a late 400 before, surprised to see a baffled oil pan. I am used to the pre 1976 engines with the short windage tray, and non baffled oil pan. Not the other way around. Also odd to see oil drippers only on the center rocker arms attached to the valve covers. Was this only because of the shared exhaust ports? These late Pontiac 400 are very different than what I am used to!

But that is where it has sat for the last 2 weeks. Hope to get back at it this weekend.

Hmmm. Post a picture or two of those oil drippers, if possible... I have my 77 400 from my car, and my buddy's 400 from his 78 Catalina (he ordered new). Both are on stands in my garage. I've had the V/C's off my 400, but been a long time ago to remember the drippers...

I have another friend. His Dad bought a new full size 78 Buick, with the Buick 350. He never did the performance of that car...

Here are a couple of pictures of what I am calling oil drippers, Block is date coded June 27th 1977 so a very early 78 400.

Making any head way???

Get anything done, this summer???

Just a little bit, Puller the drivers door off for reuse on my wagon. Found a Build sheet under the door panel with a rework complete sticker on it. I will post some pictures when I get a chance.

Does the 400 still have the original vacuum hose from the carb to distributor? If so I need this little plastic connector circled in the pic.......it's a one way restrictor/delay orifice.

Sorry that connector is broken

Hope you can work on it soon, weather permitting! Spring/ summer weather that is!

Thanks for the encouragment, I was playing with the Solstice all winter, now to get the time to finish stripping the parts car, and pull the Buick 350 out of my fathers old Safari!

My good friend's Dad bought a brand new 77 LaSabre off the lot at the local dealer. In fact it was on the lot the same time my 77 TA was. He bought the buick shortly after I bought my TA. It had the 350 Buick engine in it. His Dad usually bought used Cadddies...He HATED the Buick, said it was the weakest running car, he had ever owned...of the the Buick 350 was smogged out by then

TTT