[Formula8]

Originally Posted by Dragncar

Old muscle cars are more about the actual engine than the car itself. Even my wife knows if a Pontiac is taking off at the drags by the sound of the engine. Its very important.
The high end engine builder who balanced my engine hates LS engines. Ugly and anyone can just drop them in and make power. They are for the unskilled.
Ruins the car. Its no longer a Pontiac.
I even hate it when they stick LS engines in old Chevies. If you can not take the correct engine and put a nice FI system on it, modern hyd roller and nice exhaust get out of the hobby. Because at that point you are a unimaginative check writer.
All those guys at the track who just drive up in a Hellcat do not get any real respect. They just think they do.

I guess we know why PDC is saying "bye Felica" to this forum

Good luck to you PDC, I have learned a lot from you sharing your experience with your cars on this forum. Particularly your thoughts on trans/rear gear ratios and tire/wheel fit.

[napster]

I guess if I listened to certain people I should sell my 1,300 mile 1979 10th Anniversary with the 403 and auto combination for a song and a dance since it is not a Pontiac.

No. I don't think I will.

[PDC]

Hey, it's all good. I really hesitated starting this thread and alluded to that in the original post. I said I would take no offense to those who don't dig the new car and now its up to me to stand by that. But I have learned over the years that how someone treats you / talks to you has a lot more to do with how that person feels about him or her self than how they feel about you. It's worth a few jabs (from people I've never met and never communicated with?) to hear genuine enthusiasm from the folks that I've really enjoyed getting to know on this forum.

I readily own that I am not mechanically inclined. I've got no formal training, limited experience, and no shop with the kind of tools necessary to do engine-out work - even if I knew how. I have mad respect for the many excellent mechanics on this site and genuine appreciation for the knowledge they share.

I'm 53 and have been a Pontiac guy since my very first car at age 15. I even mentioned that in a comment below - stocking the shelves at the local K-Mart to afford a simple re-build of a boneyard 389 and installation of a 3.42 posi. My older brother and his buddies were all Pontiac guys - and in the 80s that was big deal. When life forced me to sell my first Firebird for something more practical, I swore that if I ever earned enough dough for a weekend car, it would be a Trans Am - and my favorite year has always been the 73.

Did I 'write a check' for my cars? Yup. And several more along the way. I owned them for 10 years - kept them both 'traditionally' Pontiac - and loved every mile and every smile. I tried to turn every bolt I could teach myself how to turn and did as much of my own maintenance as I could, with a lot of guidance from this forum.

Thank God building a car is not a requirement of owning or enjoying one, or I'd be walking everywhere I go. Thank God building a house is not a requirement of owning one of those, either, or I'd be living under a bridge. I totally get belittling 'check-writers' - but who knows, maybe it takes a certain number of 'check writers' out there to make some really valuable Pontiac products financially viable for the aftermarket?

[72projectbird]

Dont worry about it. Someone will always have a problem with whatever you do. If you kept it Pontiac powered there would be guys complaining about what heads you used, what rotating assembly etc etc.

I love my LS. I love driving it, modifying it, tuning it, and even enjoy the butthurt it causes.

Unless those guys are paying the bills, their opinion means less than chit.

[Mike Fowke]

PDC - Give us an update when the new '73 is finished. I'd be especially interested in your impressions of the DSE stuff. I've been on the resto-mod road with my '78 T/A since I started auto-crossing.

[PDC]

Originally Posted by Mike Fowke

PDC - Give us an update when the new '73 is finished. I'd be especially interested in your impressions of the DSE stuff. I've been on the resto-mod road with my '78 T/A since I started auto-crossing.

Thank You! I absolutely will. It is mechanically finished and running - just getting started on paint. Timing might have it finished right when we see the worst of our winter weather in my neck of the woods - in which case I might not have it in my garage til March. Current owner says the DSE suspension (and low profile 18s) are 'firm' but not at all 'unpleasant' around town. He said he took a 35 mph ramp getting on the freeway at just over 60 and the car was flat and rock solid - felt like he could have rounded it with ease at 70+

[pokey1]

Originally Posted by PDC

Thank You! I absolutely will. It is mechanically finished and running - just getting started on paint. Timing might have it finished right when we see the worst of our winter weather in my neck of the woods - in which case I might not have it in my garage til March. Current owner says the DSE suspension (and low profile 18s) are 'firm' but not at all 'unpleasant' around town. He said he took a 35 mph ramp getting on the freeway at just over 60 and the car was flat and rock solid - felt like he could have rounded it with ease at 70+

I would love to hear about it as well when you are finished. Have had my GTO since 76 but always seemed to love the early 70's birds. What you have, drive and have fun in is what it is really all about. Kept mine at least corporate pontiac for along time and finally with the 6 speed T56, 9" rear and coil over suspension I really do have alot more fun just going out driving it and having fun more than before. Drives alot nicer than before altho I still run a pontiac bullit..who knows.. may swap that someday..

[Scott Stoneburg]

Originally Posted by Dragncar

Old muscle cars are more about the actual engine than the car itself. Even my wife knows if a Pontiac is taking off at the drags by the sound of the engine. Its very important.
The high end engine builder who balanced my engine hates LS engines. Ugly and anyone can just drop them in and make power. They are for the unskilled.
Ruins the car. Its no longer a Pontiac.
I even hate it when they stick LS engines in old Chevies. If you can not take the correct engine and put a nice FI system on it, modern hyd roller and nice exhaust get out of the hobby. Because at that point you are a unimaginative check writer.
All those guys at the track who just drive up in a Hellcat do not get any real respect. They just think they do.

The muscle car hobby is built around engine swaps. I am personally not a huge LS fan, but I know its a good platform, the block is a good durable design, heads work well. I will keep mine Pontiac powered for as long as I own it but thats my choice. I also dont understand the "hate " for so called checkwriters. Not everybody has the mechanical appitude or the facility to do it themselves. I am more of a do it myself guy, but know a few that are not. They are great guys and are really into their cars.
Good Luck with your new build. PDC.

[scott70]

I myself couldn't bring myself to run anything in my gto but a Pontiac engine but I don't slam people for doing whatever they want to their cars. I never thought Id ever change from my original Muncie 4 speed but if anything were to ever happen to it I would definetly install one one of those tremec 5 speeds that someone put a link to recently. Smaller case.handle 600 trq,no cutting and has the option to move things around so the shifter location is through the original doghouse. Better 1st gear and O.D ? Yeah Id love it.

[Formulajones]

Being that Chevrolet has been sticking Chevrolet V8's in Pontiacs since 71, and Pontiac engines completely died after 81, I really don't see the big deal. You would think people would get over themselves by now.

I've owned Pontiacs that came factory equipped with Chevrolets, still great cars. I've owned several LS powered vehicles and they are great engines. I also like the Pontiac engine for what it is. So it really doesn't matter to me either way what engine is in it. It's still another classic car that is still on the road and that's all I care about.