[llwta76]

Several yrs ago the lady I worked with said her husbands '65 GTO ( I saw it run high 9s at the Pontiac nationals) ran a BBC. Disappointed I asked "why"? She said Pontiacs blow up too much. My response ... "Not if you know how to build them" and I walked away. I for one can't understand people who snub their noses at Pontiacs like they're no good. Of coarse they're Chevy and Mustang lovers. At car shows all you see are Chevys and Mustangs. So much so that they've taken them over. My T/A is one of VERY few Pontiacs seen. I feel like I'm not wanted there by a lot of people. I'm proud of my car and just don't understand these jerks. I have no use for that environment.
My buddy ( has a T/A also ) has gotten a negative attitude especially towards anybody that would run a Chevy in a 60s-70s Pontiac. I have to admit that it's a slam to me too. Larry

[Formulajones]

Originally Posted by llwta76

Several yrs ago the lady I worked with said her husbands '65 GTO ( I saw it run high 9s at the Pontiac nationals) ran a BBC. Disappointed I asked "why"? She said Pontiacs blow up too much. My response ... "Not if you know how to build them" and I walked away. I for one can't understand people who snub their noses at Pontiacs like they're no good. Of coarse they're Chevy and Mustang lovers. At car shows all you see are Chevys and Mustangs. So much so that they've taken them over. My T/A is one of VERY few Pontiacs seen. I feel like I'm not wanted there by a lot of people. I'm proud of my car and just don't understand these jerks. I have no use for that environment.
My buddy ( has a T/A also ) has gotten a negative attitude especially towards anybody that would run a Chevy in a 60s-70s Pontiac. I have to admit that it's a slam to me too. Larry

That's been my complaint for decades. I don't have a problem with coming to terms that Pontiacs are few and far between, I came to grips with that a long time ago. What makes things bad are the diehards that can't appreciate anything else. We have Chevys and Fords here too, I like all that stuff. But to see how people respond when you drive something different is disheartening. Case in point...
I had a 71 Pontiac Ventura Sprint that came from the factory with a SBC. Neat car actually. But I could go to the local cruises with my 70 Formula (Pontiac powered of course) and all these Pontiac guys want to be your friend, park next to me sort of thing. The very next week I could show up with the Sprint and as soon as I popped the hood those same guys want absolutely nothing to do with me. Shows me right away what kind of people they are. Not a true car enthusiast if you ask me. So I have no use for people like that, it's not good for the hobby in general. What was even funnier is that these people that call themselves die hard Pontiac people don't even realize that is a factory installation, they think I actually put a SBC in it.

[i82much]

Originally Posted by llwta76

Several yrs ago the lady I worked with said her husbands '65 GTO ( I saw it run high 9s at the Pontiac nationals) ran a BBC. Disappointed I asked "why"? She said Pontiacs blow up too much. My response ... "Not if you know how to build them" and I walked away. I for one can't understand people who snub their noses at Pontiacs like they're no good. Of coarse they're Chevy and Mustang lovers. At car shows all you see are Chevys and Mustangs. So much so that they've taken them over. My T/A is one of VERY few Pontiacs seen. I feel like I'm not wanted there by a lot of people. I'm proud of my car and just don't understand these jerks. I have no use for that environment.
My buddy ( has a T/A also ) has gotten a negative attitude especially towards anybody that would run a Chevy in a 60s-70s Pontiac. I have to admit that it's a slam to me too. Larry

From what I remember, the BBC engines need to get into a tall deck before you get the huge displacement advantage over an aftermarket Pontiac, something like a 535 Pontiac vs. a 555 BBC. I'm not sure for street use there is a huge advantage for the BBC. But if you want to deal with the tall block stuff and build a 632 BBC, I don't know how on a dollar-for-dollar basis a Pontiac can compete with that.

[i82much]

Originally Posted by i82much

From what I remember, the BBC engines need to get into a tall deck before you get the huge displacement advantage over an aftermarket Pontiac, something like a 535 Pontiac vs. a 555 BBC. I'm not sure for street use there is a huge advantage for the BBC. But if you want to deal with the tall block stuff and build a 632 BBC, I don't know how on a dollar-for-dollar basis a Pontiac can compete with that.

Actually google is telling me you can do a 572 standard deck BBC. I'm not gonna lie, I love my Pontiac, but that is pretty tough to beat.

[Formulajones]

Originally Posted by i82much

Actually google is telling me you can do a 572 standard deck BBC. I'm not gonna lie, I love my Pontiac, but that is pretty tough to beat.

Yeah the Siamese bore BBC stuff with standard decks can be built pretty large. I have a GM 502 here that I'm going to do something with soon. With it's 4.470 stock bore and a little 4" crank it's already a 502. 540 is easy to accomplish with a 4.250 crank and that falls right in. Can even go slightly bigger on bore or crank or both and reach 565 or so without much effort. You start getting the wrist pin up into the ring package which bothers some people but that's been going on for decades with all brand engines and proven to be fine.

What dad did with his Pontiac was sort of the extreme on the other end. Since Pontiacs typically have small bores, and the MR1 is no different. He went with a 4.350" bore on his MR1 to leave some meat for future builds, but those things accept an enormous crank without trouble. So he bought a 4.750" crank and stuffed it in there for 571 cubes in a standard deck block.

[i82much]

Originally Posted by Formulajones

Yeah the Siamese bore BBC stuff with standard decks can be built pretty large. I have a GM 502 here that I'm going to do something with soon. With it's 4.470 stock bore and a little 4" crank it's already a 502. 540 is easy to accomplish with a 4.250 crank and that falls right in. Can even go slightly bigger on bore or crank or both and reach 565 or so without much effort. You start getting the wrist pin up into the ring package which bothers some people but that's been going on for decades with all brand engines and proven to be fine.

What dad did with his Pontiac was sort of the extreme on the other end. Since Pontiacs typically have small bores, and the MR1 is no different. He went with a 4.350" bore on his MR1 to leave some meat for future builds, but those things accept an enormous crank without trouble. So he bought a 4.750" crank and stuffed it in there for 571 cubes in a standard deck block.

will that 571 live with extended street driving? I heard those long strokes can be tough on side loading. It will be a long time before I have to pull my 505 but a 571 sure is fun to think about ...

[Formulajones]

Originally Posted by i82much

will that 571 live with extended street driving? I heard those long strokes can be tough on side loading. It will be a long time before I have to pull my 505 but a 571 sure is fun to think about ...

So far it's been perfect. I think it's been together going on 6 years now, maybe more like 7? Time flies. I'm not sure on the exact mileage on it currently but we go on 2-300 mile round trips with it fairly often and it doesn't complain, starts with a blip of the key, runs cool, and overall generally seems to be a pretty happy engine.

[i82much]

Originally Posted by Formulajones

So far it's been perfect. I think it's been together going on 6 years now, maybe more like 7? Time flies. I'm not sure on the exact mileage on it currently but we go on 2-300 mile round trips with it fairly often and it doesn't complain, starts with a blip of the key, runs cool, and overall generally seems to be a pretty happy engine.

That's awesome. Nothing like a sweet hot rod.