Parts car for my 78 Catalina Safari
 

Well there have always been a couple of things I did not like about my 78 Catalina Safari, the biggest thing being the Buick 350 Powering it. Then the not working aftermarket A/C System. So I was always keeping an Eye out for any 77-78 400 Powered Catalina or Bonneville for a donor car.
Well this solid looking wagon recently popped up, at 1st it looked like a real base car with no roof rack, dog dish's, and not even a passenger side rear view mirror. But on closer inspection it has a 400 4bbl, factory A/C (supposedly working), Power windows, locks, & Pwr split front bench seat. Along with a AM/FM Stereo Radio, Cruise, Tilt wheel, & a gauge package with a clock.
I know the engine will be a 557 block, but I am only looking for 300 HP as this is our summer Dog hauler and car trailer tow car. (something the Buick 350 struggled with) so I can live with that. But it gives me all the needed parts to put a 326-455 Pontiac V8 in my car, plus a tone of spare Parts. My car has most of the other options already so other than the A/C most will be spare parts.
Fingers crossed that the original owner may also have ordered a better rear axle ratio than my cars 2.73, even just a posi would be great for the 8 3/4" axle as they are not easy to find either.

Very nice! Hopefully the engine is in good shape. I liked my '78 with all of those options and miss it.

I don't know the condition of your car, but this one looks pretty good as is - I'd think about fixing it up instead of swapping out all the parts. Seems like it would be a lot easier.

I've read several references recently here on the board to that late 557 casting...are they really that weak and undesirable?

The trouble with that car is its color, my wife hates Blue and green cars, and really detests Blue and green interiors. Our Catalina is Chesterfield Brown with a tan interior, it also has better paint & lower miles, along with a spotless interior.

As for the 557 blocks they are OK as long as you don't expect them to live with more than 400HP, for a street driven car with moderate HP they are fine.

Is that really a 400???
I'm asking, because I don't see the oil dipstick near the AC bracket....Don't have a good line of vision behind driver side head, to see if dipstick is behind head...

I hope it's a 400!!!

Well at least it was originally, the cars VIN has a Z in the correct spot. I hope its just missing the extension tube and long dip stick

I've never seen a 400 with a R4 compressor....maybe with the shorter compressor, the non AC dipstick was used...

Hope the car turns out like you need!!!

I’ve never seen a 400 with the R4 compressor either. Some people say they were available on the big cars but out of 20ish I’ve seen over the years they were all A6.

I admit I had thoughts on the engine being a 301 too due to the dipstick being missing, but I think the bolts on the intake are correct for a traditional Pontiac. I also didn’t want to raise a stink ;-) Simple way to tell is to get the head casting numbers...

That's a good Idea, Hoping to see a 6X and not a 01.
Now that you both mention it I agree about the R4 Compressor, But I have heard the same that they may have been put on some big cars, assembly plant dependent.

The seller does state it was an original west coast Washington State car.

Double Checking the VIN 2L35Z8X122386 It looks like a Fairfax KS Built car. My old 78 Chevy Impala Wagon (that my current Catalina replaced) was Chevy 350 Powered with a A6 Compressor, it was a Ramos Mexico Built car.

For over a dozen years i had a 400/6X4 400 core deal with a major Pontiac engine builder. Though I was buying at smoking deal price, i next to never pulled any of the 557 casting blocks. due to neccessity, i did strip many of them in cars of timing covers, oil pans, valley pans & hardware. Being unable able to keep up with the incidentals eventually wore me out & I bowed out. During that time i popped the hoods on litterally 1000's of 77 & 78 Bonnevilles, they were very common fresh kills in the Pick-N-pulls. The R4 compressor being installed on a 400 Pontiac was a fairly rare deal, only found in a few '78's B series. During the 90's I pulled the only 2 sets of R4 compressor mtg brackets i encountered on '78 400's. The correct 400 R4 mtg brackets look a lot better than substituting longer bolts and a stack of washers under the turbo 301 cast alum compressor mtg bracket, went that route for a while in my '80 Turbo in the mid 80's.

Thanks for that, makes me feel alittle better that they were rarely equipped that way.

I just looked at the engine photo again, closer, again...

Looking where the AC bracket attaches to the intake bolt/stud....that intake runner is raised up (as it could only be on a 400, NOT a 301). I've only robbed parts off of 265/301's. Those intakes are FLAT! No up raised runners on them..

Well I asked for some pictures of the head codes, I don't know if I will receive them before I drive to pick it up after Christmas. It does look to have the 2 plane 4bbl intake, not the single plane 301 style intake.

I've had a bear of a time getting my R4 compressor to seal so I'd convert over to a better one if I had the chance... ;-)

Good score though. Any 400 is worth it if you ask me. Even the lowly 557 blocks.

Well after asking the very not mechanically inclined seller to send me a picture of the head code on the passenger side, This is what I got, I think I can just make out an X so it should indicate 6X heads, also confirms the short Oil Dip Stick & Tube installed.
I was afraid of having him actually try and remove the Trans line Clamp hiding the head code, or the heat riser cover that will cover the drivers side.

....and with the R4 compressor mtg, you actually get a decent view of the passenger side cyl head casting code.

To quote Jethro Bodine, "Hot Dog!" The dipstick tells us the truth! A 400 it is!!!

I forgot about the 265 & 301 dip stick tube being on the rear of the block on the drivers side! I only owned 1 and traded it in in 1983. Well at least the dipstick locations confirms it has a 326-455 V8 in it. I do suspect that it has the original Z code 78 400 4bbl in it though, everything else looks original in the few bad pictures I have.

I will find out Friday when I go to pick it up.

Always nice to know you didn't get a dud engine!

I know it's not Friday yet but I'm sure anxious to see you pick it up and get photos ;-)

Thanks Ben, so am I. I am always Curious to Document little known variations of odd ball Pontiac's. I now wonder if it is one of the engines without a Harmonic Balancer, just a Hub to mount the lower belt pulleys like the late 76 400 4bbl I have in storage from a 76 GP. Easy to tell by what type of bolt on timing scale it has. Smaller Plastic = HB, Larger metal one = Hub.

I should know by noon tomorrow.