455 into a 78 Chevy Malibu

[Tomo]

Have intentions of putting a pontiac 455 w th400 into a 78 Chevy Malibu. Would be interested in talking to someone who has done this or something similar. Don't know about mounts,exhaust hood clearance, etc.
thanks
tom

[Tomo]

Have intentions of putting a pontiac 455 w th400 into a 78 Chevy Malibu. Would be interested in talking to someone who has done this or something similar. Don't know about mounts,exhaust hood clearance, etc.
thanks
tom

[Ken K]

The holes are already drilled in the frame for the motor mounts, there are a bunch of holes, you just have to figure out which ones to use for Pontiac motor mounts. The transmission crossmember is unadjustable, you might be better off using a Turbo 350. The biggest factory radiator they make is a 3 core, the radiator from a 3rd generation F body will also fit. Dual exhaust is also another problem, they make aftermarket exhaust systems but they don't fit very well. To do it right you need to remove a section of the crossmember right out. You can weld a brace on top with some channel iron and use a cutoff wheel and remove a section of the crossmember and run the exhaust right through the middle of the crossmember.

[Tomo]

Ken, thanks for the info. A few more questions for ya. What mounts to I buy to bolt to the Cheby frame? What other trans would fit better? Actually toying with the idea of a low compression 455 w dual turbos. ## daily driver is a 87 Buick T-Type ##. Not sure of fuel injection, engine management or even hood clearance. Exhaust would obviosly need to be custom. Any more info would be appreciated.
thanks
tom

[Ken K]

You can use the motor mounts from a 78-79 Grand Prix that came with a 301, maybe even latter, I don't know when they stopped using them. The transmissions that will work are, Turbo 350, 200 4R, 3 speed manual, 4 speed manual. Manual transmissions are rare, they stopped using them in the early 80s, you can buy the pedals and linkage on Ebay sometimes. The rear ends are 7.5s, some of the Monte Carlo SS and Turbo Buicks used a 8.5 10 bolt. High Performance suspension pieces are easy to get. You can use the front springs from a 3rd generation F body or a S10. The front sway bar from a 3rd generation Z28 works, the front sway bar from a WS6 Firebird won't work because it's too big. The rear sway bar from a 64-72 A body is the same as the 78-87 G body. You can find rear sway bars on some Oldsmobiles.

[RA462]

The trans crossmember from any g body with a 200-4r will work for a TH-400. Trans mount location between a TH-400 and 200-R4 are really close to the same. Floor pan clearance in my car is tight. I have a 455/TH-400 in my 86 Grand Prix race car. The Grand Prix's also used 265 ci Pontiac motors. A friend's dad has a 81 with 4000 miles on it! It has a 265. I used Chevy solid moroso mounts for on the frame and made my own for the engine block. Made my own 1 7/8" D-port heads too! http://forums.performanceyears.com/groupee_common/emoticons/icon_cool.gif

[Mr. P-Body]

Indian Adventures offers all the necessary parts to put a Pontiac V8 in the G-body, including a very nice set of headers, that FIT!

[Coollx]

KEN K, are you saying that the bolt pattern for the engine mounts of a pontiac 301 is the same as a 400 or 455? Because I'm putting a 455 in a 1986 GP and knowing that would be helpful since I always thought a 301 was the pontiac black sheep and didn't match anything.

[Stuart]

The 301 is kind of the black sheep of the Pontiac family, but it does bolt into the car the same as the rest.