Quote:
Originally Posted by PONTIAC DUDE
So according to your ideals, if I run a Small Block Chevy with the Factory designed Pontiac aluminum heads Casting #987, it is a Pontiac and can be run at Pontiac events?
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Eric made an excellent post. The question remains 'What constitutes a Pontiac Engine?'
"1) designed and built by Pontiac Factory"
a) Pontiac Trans-Ams were offered with the SB Chevy Engine and sold as a Pontiac Vehicle and what they considered to be a Pontiac Engineered Engine. Same Deal with the Buick Turbo Engine design in the TA. Pontiac Engineers changed the Buick castings to Pontiac castings to fit into the TA.
b) Pontiac Engineering contracted with companies like Brodex to offer the Aluminum SB Chevy Performance Heads with a Pontiac LOGO on them and a Pontiac Part Number.
C) Pontiac Big Chief Heads had a Pontiac Part Number and LOGO.
All of the Parts were designed by PONTIAC Engineers employed by General Motors.
So you see that for every reason why the other parts ARE NOT a Pontiac, there are examples where they considered to be a Pontiac Engine.
Again, this is a excellent description of assumed parts and assumed relationships:
2) retains a predominant number of critical factory dimensions and architecture; so that most major factory parts could be bolted on. Bore spacing is the biggie, head bolt pattern (at least the factory 10 in their normal places), timing cover bolt pattern, cam lobe spacing, etc. Note that I didn't give a black & white list....the use of the word predominant is intentionally gray.
Personally I think that when we want to call it a Pontiac Engine we conveniently forget some differences. When we want to disqualify the engine we think of things that will disqualify the engine. Purely a subjective deal.
Slowbird summed it up well:
"This is all fun to talk about but really if someone did spend the money to develop a block with everything to go along with it and people agreed that it is a Pontiac. Just how many people would actually fork over the $$$ to buy one? Maybe 5 people in the whole Pontiac community? There are parts and pieces out there now that have proven to make real good power with what we currently have and not many people have spend the $$$ to buy those. Just my opinion "
It seems that most people will not get into a engineering discussion because the engineering means nothing to them. The show guys bought the cars for that deal and are happy. The street guys are happy as they CAN make more power vs the stock stuff. Most every part for the engine is re-poped today. 5 Guys will be pushing the limit of the current design. Everyone seems happy to stay right where they are in the program.
PMD is dead so there is and never will be any Pontiac Excitement from PMD or Government Motors.
Yep, George, I saw a very nice TA/Camaro at the Texas Mile. Nice "what-if" car for a guy who wants to be different. Expensive but different. Maybe that is the actual DNA of a Pontiac guy: Willing to spend more money to be "Different".
Tom Vaught