Not specific to the 389 but I'm sure if you do a search for a Pontiac forum you'll find something to help
What do you need to know? What year 389? There are differences depending on the year but all Pontiac V8s are based on the same general design. The Performance Years Pontiac board is my favorite, the Ames Performance Pontiac board is another one.
its a 63 mated to a slim jim... its my daily car the engine is running strong but i dont want to wear it out... i'm trying to decide on mating it up to a newer trans or just putting in a whole new engine and trans... curses i really hate to do it but i need it to be dependable
Being a '63 it needs an adapter to bolt to any of the post-65 transmissions, there is no provision to mount a starter on the block. But you'll wear out the transmission before the motor, I had one of these in a '60 and it ran like a raped ape even though it seemed to have a burned valve on one cylinder and the compression was down a bit - and it leaked oil which I'd forget to check often enough and when it got too low it would start to run rough where the lifters weren't getting filled. First car I had that adding oil made it run better. But I drove it all over anyways, and I'd still run it around if the car itself hadn't rotted out. On the bright side, the front mounts on the block don't change, going to a 65-up Pontiac motor is just a matter of making sure the trans fits and making a mount for it.
i'm not too worried about the over all durability of teh engine its the little things like a waterpump or a fuel pump or a starter or what have you i do intend on going to wyoming in this car ( i live in Virginia) and need to have the ability to pick up parts at a NAPA or auto zone or whatever
You can physically swap out to even a 301 front cover as far as the water pump goes, but it may take some games to get it sealed around the crank snout. Most of the later water pumps are easier to get, though, so even going to a late '60s cover would probably do it. The fuel pumps are all pretty much the same; the starter I used to just carry a spare in case I needed it. The ignition is about the same as most 58-74 GM V8's. There is a good Pontiac tech thread here on the board if you do a search, it hasn't been bumped to the top in a while, but lots of interchange info in it.
The water pump is the same from 1961-early 1963, there were several changes in later years to the water pump and the timing chain cover. The earlier ones used a four bolt water pump, they went to a six or eight bolt pump in mid 1963. The fuel pumps are a fairly common item, used on many years (some later year cars had a return line, yours should just have a single inlet connection.) The starter is another 1961-1964 item as well - it bolts to the transmission instead of the engine block like later starters, but the internals (brushes, bearings, the Bendix) I believe are the same. The slim jim is the weakest link - they weren't very strong, there aren't very many people left who know how to rebuild them, and it's expensive if you can find someone to do it. Having said that, for non-performance use they can last a long time if they're maintained (make sure the linkage from the transmission to the carb is adjusted properly.) I've had a couple '61 Catalinas with that transmission that went 150,000 miles before they died. There are adapters from Wilcap and Bendtsen's that will adapt a later transmission to the earlier Pontiacs (the tranny will bolt up without the adapter, but the problem is there's no place to attach the starter.) I've heard rumors that *some* '63 blocks had bolt holes for the starter but I've never seen one in person. A TH400 will probably be a tight fit in the transmission tunnel - some people have claimed they fit without any issues, but most people I know have at least needed to do some clearancing with a big hammer, if not actually do some cutting and welding. A TH350 will fit better, as will a 200R overdrive, but the 200R will probably need some upgrades to live behind the Pontiac engine. If the slim jim is working fine and you're not beating on the car, I'd probably leave it be for now.
I'm running a '64 front cover and water pump on my '61 Bonneville. I had to do some minor grinding on the water pump housing so the original pulleys would all fit and line up, but it wasn't a big deal. There may be bigger problems in getting the pulleys to all line up when swapping to later covers and pumps, depending on what belt powered accessories (power steering, a/c) may be present.
nah that slim jim is spittin out the fluid faster than i can pour it in. i've been looking into a chev 4.3 conversion just hate the thought of getting stuck in the middle of nowhere without the ability of getting parts for this engine... i allready have one car like that. Problem is that i also hate the idea of putting a sbc in the car
Hmm....do you mean a 4.3 V6? putting that little Chevy in there sounds like more work than it's worth, especially for something that won't have enough power to move that big car around very well. Probably the simplest thing will be to find a 350/389/400 Pontiac engine and trans combo from a newer car and drop it in. Actually, a 350 Pontiac may be the cheapest way to go, as a lot of guys yank 'em out and replace them with bigger engines.
my buddy has a 4.3 in his 48 fleetline, and has o problems pulling a trailer... i would however like to stick to pontiac the next problem is that i have a line on a 4.3 for $300 outta wrecked van. It seems around these parts people like to hold onto their pontiac parts havent found just an engine for less than 800 which is way too rich for my budget to allow. Other reason i'm hesitant on getting an adapter, Bendstens has one for 700, but then there is the issue of drive shaft, would i need to change the column? The slim Jim has reverse all the way down... i hadnt even thought of that.
Man thats what i thought so i'll need pontiac engine and trans.... Geezus i was hopin to have an inexpensive car for a change!!!!! FUCK IT SBC its gonna have to be... Next question how much difference is there between pontiac n cheby 350's
Other than the fact that they're completely different, not much. Pontiac 350s in running condition are usually given away if not sold for dirt cheap. Putting a Chevy engine in your Poncho would be a mistake. A trans adaptor from Pontiac engine to Chevy trans or vice versa is only about $70 from Summit or Jegs. Visit the http://forums.performanceyears.com/forums/index.php Performance Years forums, you'll find out more there about different drivetrain swaps for the early Pontiacs than anywhere else.
i really do not want to go the sbc route but am really having a hard time finding an eng and trans that is not one... of course i've only started looking like a week ago.
The detents are in the transmission, not in the column shift. There would be some fairly minor adapting to mate the linkage to a later transmission, and then the only thing is the PNDLR on the dash won't match up. You can make a replacement for a few bucks with a little piece of plexiglass and some rubon transfer letters from an art supply store. I looked at Craigslist and found a Pontiac TH400 transmission for $175 in Norfolk http://norfolk.craigslist.org/pts/546290578.html, an entire running '77 Lemans for parts in Richmond for $200 http://richmond.craigslist.org/pts/536552337.html (although this one may not have the correct motor mounts to fit your car but adapter plates are available), and a '73 455 engine and TH400 transmission for $1500 in Fauquier county http://washingtondc.craigslist.org/nva/pts/561860227.html but that sounds pretty expensive even though it has just 71,000 miles. If you fan out to neighboring states you may find some other deals.
That TH400 won't have provisions for the starter that your engine needs so it would require an adapter plate (1964 and older Pontiacs = starter bolts to transmission, 1965 and later = starter bolts to engine block.) The point is, this stuff is out there - just keep your eyes open and you should be able to find it. Personally, of the listings I posted earlier, I'd talk to the guy with the 455/trans combo and see if I could beat him down on the price. You'd need a big hammer to get the tranny to fit in the trans tunnel, but the engine would bolt right in. The tranny mount would need some modifications, and the driveshaft *may* work, but if not a decent driveline shop could take care of that.
Grand Prix in '64 had the block-mounted starter, and supposedly the GTO used the 'GP' block, so it had it too (haven't been under a '64 Goat, but I have a '64 GP). In the '63-64 cars, the Cat & GP, running the RHM375, had a tighter trans tunnel than the SHM325-equipped Bonne & Star Chief shells- Cat/GP DO need some hammer time to swallow a THM400. Another real good board for Pontiac info is www.classicalpontiac.com- I used to hang there in the early '00s; lots of experienced Pontiakers there. turbo- I have a '65 389/TH400 available here in Jersey if interested. It's all together but hasn't run since '00-01.
Listen to these guys, NO sbc in your Pontiac! Such a pitiful copout! If you do some searching, you'll find what you need, just don't get in a crazy hurry. And yes, classicalpontiac.com is a really good resource. Make your way into the QandA archives and you'll find out anything and everything you want to know about Poncho motors if you use the search function. Good luck and Viva la Pontiac!!!
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