Thanks for the reply bigD!
I really appreciate the recommendations.
I plan on having the parts and pieces down to the machine shop next week barring any major findings in the tear down. If everything is a go I’m planning on the following beside the normal clean and inspection.
1.Line bore, block the deck. I’ll shoot for that recommended quench.
2.Hone to 30 over for ease of finding new pistons. Dished pistons for decreased C/R. I will go with the upgraded rods ARP bolts throughout. (thanks for the rod recommendation!) Balance connecting rods and pistons. Do you have any ring recommendations?
3.Heads reconditioned w/hardened seats, SS valves, upgraded bronze guides/springs. You don’t recommend porting the heads?
4.Polish/balance/chamfer the crank (hopefully it won’t need too much, it’s from a low mileage family car). Do you have any bearing preferences throughout the engine ?
5. I’ll check into the Voodoo cam, thanks for that! If I go with a roller setup is there any concerns on this engine with bracing? (Sorry I’m still learning on these Pontiac’s)
6. Rear seal (a small but big deal) I’m planning on the rope style seal from Best Gasket. Pros/Cons vs. Vitron?
7. I was told there is a hidden oil galley plug on the rear of the engine that not only “must be there” but was recommended to drill and tap it for better cam oiling. Good or Bad idea?
8. Is an upgraded oil pump available /required for this build?
9. Recommendations for timing chains?
10. I’d like to keep the original intake manifold, Q-jet w/forward fuel line and ignition for originality.
I really appreciate all the insight here. We don’t have (or I haven’t found) much of a Pontiac following here in Salt Lake. So I don’t have many people to bounce ideas off of. I’ve found what I feel is a very capable machine shop (tooling wise), but unfortunately this and other shops I’ve talked to local seem to have limited Pontiac experience.
I am by no means an expert and there are a lot of other people on this forum that have much more experience than me on Pontiac engines. That said, I went through exactly the same process you are going through on my 67, so I already found many of the answers.
The main thing you should ask yourself is how fast you plan to spin the engine when you are done. An 8 grand engine will take significantly more work and parts than a 5 grand RPM engine.
One caveat to all my comments. I have built and run my engine, but haven’t driven it yet, so take all this with a grain of salt.
1. I would not block the deck unless it is warped. It will change all the stock measurements. Only do if needed.
2. The rings I used came with the ICON pistons. They were 4032 Alloy.
3. If you are looking at an 8 grand RPM engine, then maybe. A lot of people screw up their heads getting them ported by people that don’t know what they are doing. It sounds like what you are describing, you probably don’t need porting.
4. I used Clevite for all bearings. They are a very good brand and I don’t think you can go wrong.
5. Bracing more depends on how fast you spin it and how hard you will be driving it. Just on street, it probably is not necessary. Strip or high RPM, you will need it.
6. I used Vitron one piece and haven’t had any leaks. Some people have reported bad results with Vitron and have gone back to rope.
7. Yes, the hidden oil galley plug. Just remind your machinist and verify it is in when you get it back from machining. As far as drilling the oil supply hole, my understanding is that is not needed unless you go high RPMs. I would say if you don’t need it, don’t do it.
8. From my reading, the big mistake Pontiac builders make is getting a high pressure pump. Stick with 60 psi. In some applications, there is a need for higher volume, such as when you drill out the oil galley, but if no major changes, stock 60 psi should be fine.
9. I just went with a comp double sprocket chain drive. That should be fine for any basically stock build. I have seen some say to stay away from the double sprocket, but I think that was because of non-stock covers and clearance issues.
10. The Qjets are what the engine and manifolds were designed around, so you should be good. Remember, the more you change from stock, the more potential problems you will run into.
