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Tempest 4 cylinder 4-Barrel?

Discussion in 'The Hokey Ass Message Board' started by restorit, Oct 7, 2013.

  1. Ice man
    Joined: Mar 12, 2008
    Posts: 983

    Ice man
    Member

    I believe the trans axle is an iteration of the Corvair trany and differential. The problem was the shaft between. LOL
     
  2. I dogged an new BMW M3 on the interstate... I was in much more danger than he with my 560-15 trailer tires, drum brakes and 25 year old (at the time) steering parts. I had to run premium or it would knock, so I assume it was the 10.25:1 version... sounded like a tractor though.
     
  3. stuart in mn
    Joined: Nov 22, 2007
    Posts: 2,406

    stuart in mn
    Member

    Nothing wrong with the driveshaft on those cars, they actually worked quite well. Their biggest shortcoming was the swing axle rear suspension, the wheels could get seriously off camber in corners if you weren't paying attention. In 1963 they improved the design of the rear suspension, but that lasted only one year and they went to a conventional design in 1964.
     
  4. HEATHEN
    Joined: Nov 22, 2005
    Posts: 8,564

    HEATHEN
    Member
    from SIDNEY, NY

    Yeah, the Pontiac Performance Manual that HRM put out in '63 has an article about how to try to combat the design flaws of the rear suspension. I must confess that I scared myself in my '62 a couple times.....somehow, I escaped rolling it.
     
  5. carbking
    Joined: Dec 20, 2008
    Posts: 3,715

    carbking
    Member

    I bought one years ago because it had the original SD Carter 625 CFM carb (I had a buyer for the carb). Took off the 625 and replaced it with a Carter 400 which really woke up the engine.

    Don't remember if anyone ever circle-track raced one of these, but the original SD carb was TOO BIG for running on the street.

    Jon.
     
  6. Gusaroo
    Joined: Dec 19, 2006
    Posts: 285

    Gusaroo
    Member

    definitely a cool motor I'd grab and mothball. I wonder if it runs a v8 cam...using only half the lobes? Hahaha... V8 distributor with only half the wires connected!
     
  7. dynaflash
    Joined: Apr 1, 2008
    Posts: 506

    dynaflash
    Member
    from South

    Picture above of blown motor sure looks like V8 distributor to me ??


    Posted using the Full Custom H.A.M.B. App!
     
  8. jusjay
    Joined: Jan 18, 2011
    Posts: 3

    jusjay
    Member

    Mickey Thompson was guy. He build a 4 cyl and half of 4 dry lakes car call the Attempt I & II. There both at the NHRA museum in Pomona along with the Challenger I. Mickey also back in the day ran a 4 door tempest with a 4 cyl 471 gmc blower motor, 3 speed. Car ran 13's and beat nearly everyone before they kick him out of the running in the "stock" class!!!!
     
  9. HEATHEN
    Joined: Nov 22, 2005
    Posts: 8,564

    HEATHEN
    Member
    from SIDNEY, NY

    There were two distributor styles; one looked like a 4 cylinder distributor and the other looked like a V8 distributor with a cap that had every other wire tower blanked out. That'd be a good way to screw someone up....drop one of the 4 cylinder distributors in their Pontiac V8 and put the 8 cylinder cap back on it!
     
  10. HEATHEN
    Joined: Nov 22, 2005
    Posts: 8,564

    HEATHEN
    Member
    from SIDNEY, NY

    I've had them apart....definitely an 8 lobe cam. Same length and bearing diameter, though.....
     
  11. SlamIam
    Joined: Oct 8, 2007
    Posts: 468

    SlamIam
    Member

    A close friend had a maroon 4cyl x 4bbl x 4spd Tempest in HS in 1966. Unique shifter feel with the long tube to the trans-axle. Sounded like a tractor. Another friend had a Pontiac Sprint with the 4bbl OHC six that would rev to the moon. Sound of that one gave me goose bumps. Don't see either of these much anymore. Most 16 yr old kids where I grew up didn't have the wherewithal to own a V8 back then.
     
  12. Neat car, I can imagione that will be bought up as complete. That little engine is exactly as stated, half a 389. Any hi-perf Pontiac head will fit on it.
     
  13. ttpete
    Joined: Mar 21, 2013
    Posts: 179

    ttpete
    Member
    from SE MI

    Those engines had a habit of eating timing chains worse than the V8. They'd wear out and flop around. Pontiac had a tensioner kit that used shoes on both sides of the chain and two coil springs to pull them together, and we did these regularly.
     

  14. A V8 cam will fit in the block but, will not run because of different firing order. Tempest 4s had flat 180degree cranks. V8s had 90 degree cranks.
    Many V8 parts work though- dist, lifters, rods, pistons, bearings, t chains, etc, etc. Over the decades, many have even used half of more modern V8 intakes as well. V8 header fits too.
     
  15. 40FordGuy
    Joined: Mar 24, 2008
    Posts: 2,907

    40FordGuy
    Member

    That was a rather fun item,...Although, in it's day , a lot of guys ignored it. Someone said that because it's half of a Poncho V8, you could use one of the V8 cams in it ? If true, half of the lobes would be dong nothing.

    Has anyone heard that story ?

    4TTRUK
     
  16. 40FordGuy
    Joined: Mar 24, 2008
    Posts: 2,907

    40FordGuy
    Member

    Oops..... i missed the "cam" post.... Forget the question !!!

    4TTRUK
     
  17. eppster
    Joined: Jan 26, 2011
    Posts: 223

    eppster
    Member

    Two guy's ran them in 32' Ford mods at Sportsman's Raceway Park, Colorado Springs, Colorado, in the mid 60's. Rules were flatheads, in-line sixes or four cylinders. They were very competitive and had a very wild exhaust sound at high rpm. One of the guys raced under a different name because he was a Colorado Springs cop. No names because thats all I remember !
     
  18. HEATHEN
    Joined: Nov 22, 2005
    Posts: 8,564

    HEATHEN
    Member
    from SIDNEY, NY

    Years ago, I ran across a vendor at Carlisle that was selling a pile of parts from a Tempest four powered rail, including an Edelbrock Torker for a Pontiac V8 that had been cut in half and welded shut.
     
  19. Ocean56
    Joined: Oct 5, 2009
    Posts: 128

    Ocean56
    Member
    from Michigan

    My dad had a Tempest wagon with the four-banger/3 speed manual tranny in it.
     
  20. Yep, and finding that tensioner kit today would probably be nearly impossible. I had one of these in the mid-70s and it was hard to find then (and expensive...). Best bet these days would be a gear drive.
     
  21. HEATHEN
    Joined: Nov 22, 2005
    Posts: 8,564

    HEATHEN
    Member
    from SIDNEY, NY

    I had a '62 Lemans coupe in '82 and, even then, I had to jump through hoops to come up with brake shoes for it. It also needed rear shocks, and thank God for the guy at Carlisle that had piles of N.O.S. Delco Pleasurizers.
     
  22. indyjps
    Joined: Feb 21, 2007
    Posts: 5,377

    indyjps
    Member

    Any major issues converting this to pontiac V8, th400, 9" rear - standard drivetrain set up? Looks like a decent car and a convertible, the engine is cool but I'd sell it to someone else. Or just use it in an open hood hot rod.
     
  23. Poncho60
    Joined: Jan 23, 2011
    Posts: 278

    Poncho60
    Member
    from N Illinois

    You should go over to the Performance Years (PY) tech forums...all PONTIAC, sign up and do a search. Tons of info on that subject. Not simple and not cheap according to what I've seen on the threads.
     
  24. r53
    Joined: Oct 14, 2013
    Posts: 7

    r53
    Member
    from Denver

    Let us not forget the old scout 800 with the 1/2 a 345 !!!!
     
  25. pontman
    Joined: Mar 18, 2011
    Posts: 419

    pontman
    Member

    Gear drive does not work well in these engines. If you don't believe me try it.
     
  26. pontman
    Joined: Mar 18, 2011
    Posts: 419

    pontman
    Member

  27. GRX
    Joined: Mar 28, 2014
    Posts: 68

    GRX
    Member
    from MD

    Ahhh ... the good old Pontiac "Hay Baler". Timing a bit off they'd buck like their namesake. They can perform quite well in the right hands. Nunzi does better with them than many guys with their v-8's.

    > Nunzi's 1963 4 Cylinder Super Duty Tempest <

    http://youtu.be/zYkb542laiM
     
  28. bchctybob
    Joined: Sep 18, 2011
    Posts: 5,190

    bchctybob
    Member

    Hey Restorit, grab the grill and valance panel off that Tempest for me will ya? Ha, ha. They look a little better than mine.
    I've been dressing up one of those 4 cyl Pontiacs for display in my shop 'cause it always gets comments. (My Tempest is getting a 400, a 4 spd, and a '57-64 Pontiac rear end) I noticed the timing chain tensioner and thought it was pretty cool but I didn't know it was an add-on.
     
  29. bchcytbob - Sorry, you gotta buy the whole thing to get the valance and grille!

    GRX - Saw the video. Nice! The engine doesn't sound like most 4 cylinders.
     

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