Pontiacs

oldskool · 09-05-2021, 06:46 PM

"...the price of a nice body. Have you priced any nice...bodys lately?..."

Yeah, that will definitely be a factor in deciding what combo to use.

That's the problem with running a '69 GTO. Any clean '64-'72 GTO body is going to be really high.

As for running a '77 combo. I don't know what non-Bird body would be the the cheapest, & easiest to find. I'm guessing maybe a GP. Most everything except GP's & Birds have probably long since been crushed, because of a lack of interest.

Just for kicks, I'm gonna Google & see what I can find that looks decent enuff to possibly build a Stocker with. Will edit & add to this post as I find 'em. Might be interesting.

If I were serious about building a Pontiac Stocker, I'd contact several of the active Pontiac racers, such as Bob Michael. I figure most long time class racers are always looking for decent potential Stocker bodies. So, some of these guys will probably either have something or know where something is that will work.

Checking for '77 GP's 1st. Not gonna list any that $10k cash or less won't buy.

https://www.autozin.com/for-sale/pon...#carid=2731211

https://www.autozin.com/for-sale/pon...carid=14425317

https://www.autozin.com/for-sale/pon...#carid=2841908

https://classics.autotrader.com/clas...prix/101513093

https://www.autozin.com/for-sale/pon...carid=14444230

https://classics.autotrader.com/clas...prix/101427485

Wow ! To my surprise, there seem to be more cheap '77 Birds than GP's. Don't know if any of these are decent enuff to use to build a Stocker, or not. But, there are some for less than $5k. A couple of years back, I bought an '80 Bird, with a '77-'78 style nose, for around $3500 shipped. So, hey, a '77 Bird with a 350 Pontiac engine might be one of the cheapest '77's to build. Lotta rust bucket Birds out there, tho.

https://www.autozin.com/1977-pontiac...289-atzlisting

https://www.autozin.com/for-sale/pon...#carid=1801688

https://www.autozin.com/1977-pontiac...855-atzlisting

For those who can spend $10k for a body, this '78 might work. I think maybe you can change grills & claim a '77 model.

https://www.ebay.com/itm/13386311715...=&toolid=10050

How 'bout a '77 Bonny ?

https://www.autozin.com/for-sale/pon...carid=14381941

Don Turk had his GA for sale, for quite a while, for $10,500. That was a bargain. I'da bought it myself, if I'da had the money.

oldskool · 09-05-2021, 09:22 PM

I'd say if you want a SS Pontiac, GT is the way to go. You can find a good buy on a used GM SS roller, then put your Pontiac engine in it.

https://www.racingjunk.com/Pro-Stock...89&from=search

Or, if you can live with a '77 350, you can probably get by with a good Stocker roller. The '77 350 hp factor is only 250, in GT. I think Larry Maxwell is running 9" slicks on his '74 350 powered '68 Bird.

And there are lots of Stockers running low 10's on 9" slicks & legal Stock suspension. Should be lots of 3rd gen Stock & SS rollers for sale out there, especially when the season is over. Should be able to find a Stocker roller for a reasonable price.

If you wanna stick with an older Pontiac body, for GT, you can use an X-body that didn't come with a Pontiac motor. I assume that will include anything form '71 thru at least '79, & would also include a Phoenix.

And, since the engine & body don't have to match, you can use a '79-'81 Bird body. I think more '79 Birds were sold than any other year. So, it makes sense that they will be more plentiful & cheaper. Have also noticed that the '80 & '81 Birds are usually pretty cheap. I personally don't like the '79-'81 nose. But hey, looks ain't everything. And, I know the nose can be replaced with a '77-'78 nose. I'm assuming the tail can also be replaced with the earlier tail, so that one could run it as a '77-'78.

Anyhow, for GT, there are LOTS of body options.

Mark Yacavone · 09-05-2021, 09:43 PM

Real Pontiac V8 ( no corporate nonsense) in the S/G final at Indy !!

oldskool · 09-05-2021, 11:24 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mark Yacavone

Real Pontiac V8 ( no corporate nonsense) in the S/G final at Indy !!

And so it was !

Thanks for that info ! I most likely would have never even looked at the S/G final.

https://www.dragracecentral.com/DRCS...er=30#indextop

Just a word about the winner of that race. My wife & I use to run against him, bracket racing at I-20 Dragway, in Tyler TX. They called his dad "Fast Eddie". So we called him "Little Eddie". IIRC, he was just a teenager, back then. I think he was driving a Mopar -- maybe a GTX. ? He was pretty good, even then. We couldn't beat him every time. Anyhow, he went on to make a big name for himself, in drag racing. Hey, that's just a little drag racing trivia for ya'll, from days gone by.

By the way, for those who don't know, the '68 Bird that Julie Biermann drove at Indy belongs to Tim. He also ran a real nice '68 GTO, a few years back.

john corcoran jr · 09-06-2021, 12:54 AM

A few things to think about if building a GT car. The first would be the cost of the core car and parts availability.. The cheapest would be the 79-81 Birds. Parts are readily available for 67-81 cars. 82 to 92 cars require more work to find parts and cost more but you can find aluminum hoods and front bumper bars.

Aerodynamics play a part in this. In GT you would be likely running up a against a jellybean car like a Cobalt or a Sunfire like Don Kennedy's during class eliminations. Sorry DK but your Sunfire doesn't have the cool factor that your last Firebird had. I have been told that the 91-92 Birds were the most aerodynamic cars Pontiac ever sold. 2nd gen Birds were GM's first computer designed car with at least thoughts about aero.

Body and engine fitment should be looked at. Pontiac had to redesign its air cleaner housings and intake manifolds because of the low hood line of the 2nd gen cars. Do you avoid a shaker hood or jack the carb on up in there? A Qjet and a Victor intake will fit under the hood of an 82-92 car. If you ever changed spark plugs on a 67-81 Pontiac, you would be amazed at how easy it is on a 82-92. In the 1980's people complained about the increased cost of chassis work on an 82-92 but now consider on a gen 2 car will you have to replace all the sheetmetal from the spring pockets back while moving in the framerails? I wouldn't even think about doing a 4th gen car even though I know some have been done. A more interesting choice would be a modern GTO with traditional Pontiac power. Good aero, was built with a Chevy v8 and donor cars are out there. Did you know if you put a 6x 400 with a manual trans in, the class designation is GT/O.

oldskool · 09-06-2021, 12:05 PM

"... A more interesting choice would be a modern GTO with traditional Pontiac power. Good aero...and donor cars are out there."

Now there's an Idea I hadn't thought of. Anybody seen or heard of a Pontiac powered GT car, using a late model GTO body ?

I like it !

Mark Yacavone · 09-06-2021, 12:20 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by oldskool

"... A more interesting choice would be a modern GTO with traditional Pontiac power. Good aero...and donor cars are out there."

Now there's an Idea I hadn't thought of. Anybody seen or heard of a Pontiac powered GT car, using a late model GTO body ?

I like it !

No, and the wheelbase is quite long, by comparison.

09-05-2021, 06:46 PM	#1
oldskool VIP Member Join Date: Dec 2014 Location: The Land of Bayous, Boudin & Crawfish Posts: 1,668 Likes: 223 Liked 747 Times in 362 Posts	Re: Pontiacs "...the price of a nice body. Have you priced any nice...bodys lately?..." Yeah, that will definitely be a factor in deciding what combo to use. That's the problem with running a '69 GTO. Any clean '64-'72 GTO body is going to be really high. As for running a '77 combo. I don't know what non-Bird body would be the the cheapest, & easiest to find. I'm guessing maybe a GP. Most everything except GP's & Birds have probably long since been crushed, because of a lack of interest. Just for kicks, I'm gonna Google & see what I can find that looks decent enuff to possibly build a Stocker with. Will edit & add to this post as I find 'em. Might be interesting. If I were serious about building a Pontiac Stocker, I'd contact several of the active Pontiac racers, such as Bob Michael. I figure most long time class racers are always looking for decent potential Stocker bodies. So, some of these guys will probably either have something or know where something is that will work. Checking for '77 GP's 1st. Not gonna list any that $10k cash or less won't buy. https://www.autozin.com/for-sale/pon...#carid=2731211 https://www.autozin.com/for-sale/pon...carid=14425317 https://www.autozin.com/for-sale/pon...#carid=2841908 https://classics.autotrader.com/clas...prix/101513093 https://www.autozin.com/for-sale/pon...carid=14444230 https://classics.autotrader.com/clas...prix/101427485 Wow ! To my surprise, there seem to be more cheap '77 Birds than GP's. Don't know if any of these are decent enuff to use to build a Stocker, or not. But, there are some for less than $5k. A couple of years back, I bought an '80 Bird, with a '77-'78 style nose, for around $3500 shipped. So, hey, a '77 Bird with a 350 Pontiac engine might be one of the cheapest '77's to build. Lotta rust bucket Birds out there, tho. https://www.autozin.com/1977-pontiac...289-atzlisting https://www.autozin.com/for-sale/pon...#carid=1801688 https://www.autozin.com/1977-pontiac...855-atzlisting For those who can spend $10k for a body, this '78 might work. I think maybe you can change grills & claim a '77 model. https://www.ebay.com/itm/13386311715...=&toolid=10050 How 'bout a '77 Bonny ? https://www.autozin.com/for-sale/pon...carid=14381941 Don Turk had his GA for sale, for quite a while, for $10,500. That was a bargain. I'da bought it myself, if I'da had the money. Last edited by oldskool; 09-06-2021 at 12:16 AM.

09-05-2021, 09:22 PM	#2
oldskool VIP Member Join Date: Dec 2014 Location: The Land of Bayous, Boudin & Crawfish Posts: 1,668 Likes: 223 Liked 747 Times in 362 Posts	Re: Pontiacs I'd say if you want a SS Pontiac, GT is the way to go. You can find a good buy on a used GM SS roller, then put your Pontiac engine in it. https://www.racingjunk.com/Pro-Stock...89&from=search Or, if you can live with a '77 350, you can probably get by with a good Stocker roller. The '77 350 hp factor is only 250, in GT. I think Larry Maxwell is running 9" slicks on his '74 350 powered '68 Bird. And there are lots of Stockers running low 10's on 9" slicks & legal Stock suspension. Should be lots of 3rd gen Stock & SS rollers for sale out there, especially when the season is over. Should be able to find a Stocker roller for a reasonable price. If you wanna stick with an older Pontiac body, for GT, you can use an X-body that didn't come with a Pontiac motor. I assume that will include anything form '71 thru at least '79, & would also include a Phoenix. And, since the engine & body don't have to match, you can use a '79-'81 Bird body. I think more '79 Birds were sold than any other year. So, it makes sense that they will be more plentiful & cheaper. Have also noticed that the '80 & '81 Birds are usually pretty cheap. I personally don't like the '79-'81 nose. But hey, looks ain't everything. And, I know the nose can be replaced with a '77-'78 nose. I'm assuming the tail can also be replaced with the earlier tail, so that one could run it as a '77-'78. Anyhow, for GT, there are LOTS of body options. Attached Thumbnails Last edited by oldskool; 09-06-2021 at 12:29 AM.

09-05-2021, 09:43 PM	#3
Mark Yacavone Veteran Member Join Date: Mar 2002 Location: Miles From Nowhere Posts: 7,833 Likes: 2,928 Liked 5,147 Times in 1,964 Posts	Re: Pontiacs Real Pontiac V8 ( no corporate nonsense) in the S/G final at Indy !! __________________ "We are lucky we don't get as much Government as we pay for." Will Rogers

09-06-2021, 12:54 AM	#5
john corcoran jr Junior Member Join Date: Oct 2003 Location: darien, il Posts: 53 Likes: 0 Liked 16 Times in 10 Posts	Re: Pontiacs A few things to think about if building a GT car. The first would be the cost of the core car and parts availability.. The cheapest would be the 79-81 Birds. Parts are readily available for 67-81 cars. 82 to 92 cars require more work to find parts and cost more but you can find aluminum hoods and front bumper bars. Aerodynamics play a part in this. In GT you would be likely running up a against a jellybean car like a Cobalt or a Sunfire like Don Kennedy's during class eliminations. Sorry DK but your Sunfire doesn't have the cool factor that your last Firebird had. I have been told that the 91-92 Birds were the most aerodynamic cars Pontiac ever sold. 2nd gen Birds were GM's first computer designed car with at least thoughts about aero. Body and engine fitment should be looked at. Pontiac had to redesign its air cleaner housings and intake manifolds because of the low hood line of the 2nd gen cars. Do you avoid a shaker hood or jack the carb on up in there? A Qjet and a Victor intake will fit under the hood of an 82-92 car. If you ever changed spark plugs on a 67-81 Pontiac, you would be amazed at how easy it is on a 82-92. In the 1980's people complained about the increased cost of chassis work on an 82-92 but now consider on a gen 2 car will you have to replace all the sheetmetal from the spring pockets back while moving in the framerails? I wouldn't even think about doing a 4th gen car even though I know some have been done. A more interesting choice would be a modern GTO with traditional Pontiac power. Good aero, was built with a Chevy v8 and donor cars are out there. Did you know if you put a 6x 400 with a manual trans in, the class designation is GT/O.

09-06-2021, 12:05 PM	#6
oldskool VIP Member Join Date: Dec 2014 Location: The Land of Bayous, Boudin & Crawfish Posts: 1,668 Likes: 223 Liked 747 Times in 362 Posts	Re: Pontiacs "... A more interesting choice would be a modern GTO with traditional Pontiac power. Good aero...and donor cars are out there." Now there's an Idea I hadn't thought of. Anybody seen or heard of a Pontiac powered GT car, using a late model GTO body ? I like it ! Attached Thumbnails Last edited by oldskool; 09-06-2021 at 12:16 PM.