number crunching a 72 TA...
 

My buddy just purchased a 72 sight unseen and what an adventure.

She doesn't have the original block sadly but we wondering what else she has and what the block may have come from.

It is really hard to read the # beside the water pump but at least it has the 455 stamp:

1KN (5 or 8) 13624

Has a 4 speed munci that is loud as hell - are they supposed to be? Seems to shift fine for the short drive from the transport truck:

C27151WJ

The intake is much more experimental looking than my 74's:

Winters 488945

qjet:

7040562 2273

She is pretty ruff around the edges, prolly paid too much but it is still exciting to see a unicorn like this around here.



Thanks!

Carb is off a 1970 400/455. The M-22 Rockcrusher Muncies had the helical cut gears and have a very distinctive whine, maybe your buddy got lucky and has one of those. The 488945 intake is correct for a 72 455 HO

Thanks lime, maybe it won't explode after all...buyer's remorse is always a biatch lol

If he's keeping tabs of things...
Partial VIN I can't decipher yet. But the xx(5)13624 may indicate a '72.
1972 Muncie M22 tag should read 6271517WJ.
Correct carb. will cost thousands of dollars.
Carb. on there now is a 1970 California full-size Pontiac 455 service replacement.

Thanks ransom... I would imagine a black market of parts for this rare bird

Is the nose cone the same as 70-73?

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1970-2 are the same, 1973 is different.

The M22 in my '72 T/A has a loud whine... my '70 Chevelle SS454's M-22 sounds the same. They sound cool.. buy gets kinda annoying after a few hours of driving.

I need one...

The 72 I used to have had a m22 and was loud. I thought something was wrong but shifted fine. Sounded like a blower whine. Ran like that for many miles.

As I got my car, it came with an M22 out of a 1972 Firebird;
music.

I’m happy to help decipher numbers ect. if you want.

I have seen a couple of the ‘72 HO carbs, but a dead ringer stand in should suffice it for most.

My opinion, since all 1972 Pontiac carbs used the same 750cfm dual booster ring fuel bowls, is that even if the correct 7042273 cannot be sourced, there are many stand in 1972 model year replacements that would be just fine - that is, assuming your friend wants to swap it out.

I think you have my number from a couple years back - correct?

Post some pictures!!!!

I've owned a couple of 1972 Trans Am 4-spds over the years. As others have said, the M22 is very noisy. I've also owned a couple of cars with Muncies where the countershaft bearings were going bad. They have a combination of whine and roar. An M22 in good shape will produce an annoying whine, but a M22 with a bad internal bearing is obnoxious. Post the last couple of digits of the VIN, the correct block may still be out there. BTW, a 1972 T/A could come either with a distributor (WD code, I think) or a WM (electronic distributor).

I have a WM out of a Firebird that is a little too close to the build date for my car. I've been looking a block with a cast date around January 1972 for it, the cast date on the block I have is B292 (leap day). I am undecided if I want to use a service block or a WM that is too close to the production date.

I ran M22 transmissions and still have two on the shelves as of today, nice piece of history/conversation that will find their way into future projects I have ( mostly nostalgia strip cars)

On the street it was fun for 1 hour farting around and terrorizing old ladies but got old quick and there was no way my one speaker AM radio could play louder than the transmission.

Was also not a good car for dates unless she was a total gearhead...which only exist in my dreams...

Peter

Ok, she gonna be loud...hopefully he can live with that until the buyer's remorse wears off!

Thanks Unjohnny...yes I do...

Ok, he is overwhelmed with what is obviously wrong before he tackles what should be right but this is good info...also trying to convince him to join the family as he will need the help as I do!

I am genuinely surprised to hear “annoying” ect associated with the transmission;
I love the sound.

I also always had at least two speakers with my radio.

Only got a couple snaps in transient and landedAttachment 642189Attachment 642190Attachment 642192Attachment 642193

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My 72 T/A 4-spd was an a/c car, and I used to take it on trips back home year round, which was three hours one way. It had the Flowmaster transverse muffler that hung in the stock location. Between the a/c fan mower running on high (I live in the south), the whine of the M22, and the drone of the Flowmaster muffler, it would give you a headache after driving for several hours.

Looks like a nice car. Pick at a few things and enjoy.

It's nice to be able to pound my chest and say I have a M-22 Rockcrusher. :D

I agree, all the negative talk about M22's, geez, that's music to my ears and forth gear is quite anyway.

Dave