Technical Is an OHC Pontiac straight 6 worth messing with?

My Dad had one in a new '67 LeMans with the Sprint option and a 'glide. I wanted him to get a GTO, but you know, "gas mileage". As was said, it would stay in first all the way to 80 mph. 10.5 compression and no matter what you did to the timing, it would detonate unless it was fed Sunoco 260. It was the first motor to use a fiberglass reinforced Gilmer belt to drive the cam. Nice performance for an I6 and had a great sound. It sure looks pretty with triple Webers. Here's a link to the Car and Driver install in the XKE: https://www.curbsideclassic.com/blo...-moments-pontiac-ohc-six-powered-jaguar-xk-e/ Just one more of John DeLorean's ideas to take Pontiac into a more European direction.

 

One of the draw backs in the day was like other engines with timing belts poor quality belts.

 

Just checked on a belt. $100 eBay $155 Kanter.
Machining small stuff ain’t an issue
But I drive the crap out of my old rides.
May make a low ball offer and see what happens.
It would look nice in my 49 gmc though

 

If you can find an issue of the Sept. 1965 Hot Rod, there's a good article on the introduction of Pontiac's "New", OHC six.

 

Check "Rock Auto Parts" : timing belt : $23.79, Head Gasket : $43.79, Mahle Premium Rings : $24.84(4.14 ea cyl).Yes, the parts are available if you search

 

There was a 230 cubic inch motor in 66 and 67, then it went to 250 ci for 68 and 69. Both sizes had two carburetor choices, a low po single barrel and a quadrajet. The 66/67 4bbl was rated at 207 hp. The block essentially uses a Chev 6 crank, rods, and pistons. Deck height is same as Chevy. A friend had an OHC Pontiac with a 292 Chev crank. The cam followers were unique at the time... one end rested on the valve while the other end sat on a "hydraulic lifter" that was designed to pump up to push the follower against the cam surface. Thus, the lifter was the fulcrum.
The timing belt was a new item. Think of the crankshaft position vs the cam position... if you milled the head, the cam got closer to the crank and you had to take up the slack since shorter belts were not available. This was usually done by shimming the accessory drive (drove the oil pump and distributor) on the side of the engine. These engines would rev forever. My car set an AHRA mph record at 85mph.... I had extremely tall slicks so it wouldn't ET worth a darn. The quadrajet engines are worth saving; the single barrel motors are not except that the share the same block, crank, and rods. The heads may be the same, I forgot. My car was a 66 Tempest with a shipping weight of 2770 lbs. Biggest drawback was the Saginaw 4 speed with a 3.11 first gear....the 1-2 shift was too steep. Brand new, the car cost $2476. Except for the cam and cam followers, these motors should be fairly cheap if you have the block and head. Most HP cams are regrinds on a stock core, they remove material from the heel. To compensate, some folks put a spacer (flat washer) under the hydraulic lash adjuster (lifter) to space it up a tad. Block looks funny without the head since there is no pushrod locations. The QJet motors had a split cast iron exhaust manifold, made a mellow sound.

 

Messaged the owner if they could send a pic of the exhaust and intake.
Then figure out if we can work on a price.

 

When 55 MPH was the national speed limit, I put a 250 OHC w/webers, tube headers, lots of detailing & polishing in my '38 Chevy chopped 2dr. sedan. Just like to offer something different in my engine compartment, for do overs.. I'd go a 200r/similar instead of the available 400... dyno dave

 

Research Tom Langdons HOLE SHOT SIX/ ANGLIA. He addressed a very simple fix for valve train issues. The intake and headers are not a huge deal/ and like the chevy six- the 230 takes a 283 piston- 302 piston for .125 over/ the 250 a 307 piston/ or a 327 piston if you go .125 over. Got to remember Langdon was the engineer on the 230-250-292 chevy at GM at the time if my memory is correct. Someone on here can /will correct me if I am off. True -SBC pistons are not the best design( skirt shape etc/ but I used them because I had them- lot better stuff out there right now if you are willing to pay for it.. The key question to be answered is do you like it / are you willing to pay the price to be different. Having built more than my share of Chevy sixes / two of which were blown /with a home made intake and no tech support other than a few as crazy as me at the time- I can tell you it was fun/ and mine were fast considering no more than what they were-( and they were NOT the fastest- but they didn't eat parts) but it wont be straight forward and it wont be as easy as the chevy six- For the record if I had one I would build it- but then I do some strange stuff.. best wishes and Happy New Year

 

Haven’t heard back from the seller in over a week
Oh well. A 292 popped up.

 

I've been researching the motor for my '50 Fleetline. If I can find a 4-bbl. Sprint 250 version, I'll grab it but it will be another year or so before I'm prepared to start thinking about engines. The car came with a good-running 350 V-8 but I'd rather run a 6 in it.

 

https://www.hemmings.com/blog/article/inside-the-sprint-six/

Good article...


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I had a 66’ Tempest OHC Sprint/ 3 speed.
Fun, and got attention being different but the pedal was not a 8...


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I went to work as an engineer at IHC Motor Truck in Ft. Wayne, Ind in 1966 and my first assignment was to evaluate that engine. Did a ton of tests on it. Neat experience.

 

The mother of one of my friends in grade school had a brand new convertible Firebird with the OHC 6 in it. 4 speed car too! I thought it was an awesome engine then and I still do! I don't have any idea how hard it would be to get parts or keep running but man, it'd be great just on an engine stand sitting in the garage! I may be wrong but I believe John DeLorean was the force behind this engine.

 

Anthony Ill do you one better than that. I have a 230-250( chevy) block heads/ tins( pan side and valve cover rods and pistons/ etc- - no crank - ILL GIVE THEM TO YOU IF YOU WILL COME GET THEM - Its the last of my six stuff. We have just gone a different direction/ or at least for us.
You can pretty much build the bottom end -dirt cheap with a lot of SBC stuff - we did. yep there is a lot of really nice stuff that is way ahead of that now- but it will work when its all you got.

 

A little reminder

 

Houston Mississippi is just a couple hours from the school.
Hmmmmmmm

 

Its yours if you want it. I think I have an intake/exhaust - stock and maybe even a HEI unit - the block is a std bore. I have several buckets of small parts. All is stock stuff

 

Thanks.
Students haven’t built an inliner .......yet

 

No time like the present. 230-250 cranks are a dime a dozen. Usually a couple left over at every machine shop in the country. Drill the snout and tap before you build. Balancer goes on real easy that way.

 

I have a friend that has a crank in an incomplete long block.

 

You are set / there is a set of offy side covers/ and valve cover for sale here on the Hamb -yesterday if I remember right.

 

Eye candy

 

Parts are expensive and hard to find. An automotive engineering degree might be in order also.

 

30,000 trouble free miles so far , have to modify a Chevy starter cause actual ones are almost nonexistent...... , his other car, custom 53 Pontiac has one with almost 100,000 miles on it !!

 

flatjack don't leave us hanging what where the interesting points?

 

@tombstone, Can't believe how cool that thing look's. Would love to hear it?

 

FIVE 2G's? WOW! That's a lot of carburetion! Are they all working? I used to race with some guys who ran 5 97's on a 320 ci straight eight Buick, but this is outrageous.

 

Yes they are all hooked up on progressive linkage. I know the putz that owns that green booger!