Looking for a Pontiac 301

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pontiac guy

G-Body Guru
Oct 28, 2016
582
843
93
Royse City, TX
Use another Pontiac. You can reuse everything off you old motor accessory wise. Even the tin. There are 2 flavors or Pontiac motors you will come across. Call them early and late. The primary difference is the motor mounts. Early stuff has 2 bolts in the block. Late stuff has 3. You want late. Re use your upper mounts. Not the ones that may come on your replacement motor. Early motors can be used but need a different (read expensive) upper mount. Also, no tall valve covers. The 301 has a shorter deck height. Anything you use others than. 265/301 will be an inch+ taller. Tall valve covers get really close to the AC box. You don't want that pain unnecessarily. Replace you lower mounts while it's out as well.

PS the 301 is not junk, it is mostly the victim of a bunch of compromises. Unfortunately the crank is the weak(est) link. I happen to love my 301.
 
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Oldie85

Not-quite-so-new-guy
Jul 8, 2015
15
15
3
I heard through the grapevine that a 75 400 was purchased.
Yes, and I want to thank you for connecting me with that contact. Engine looks real good. I can't wait to drop it in and see what it really does.
 
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UNGN

Comic Book Super Hero
Sep 6, 2016
3,048
3,264
113
Southlake, TX
Hooray! Another car was saved from the lameness of a 301. Worst. V8. Ever.

When I was a sophomore in college I had a '79 GP with a 301, 4bbl and the incredibly rare 4 spd manual. Super Cool.

A Senior with a Baja bug challenged me to a drag race and humiliated me. I had a 307 2bbl Malibu Convertible that would stomp it

Even with only 35K miles on it, the valves would float @ 4800 RPM. There are few motors where you can say a stock Chevy 305 would be a huge step up.
 
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565bbchevy

Geezer
Aug 8, 2011
9,611
12,670
113
Michigan
My first Gbody was a 78' GP with what I considered a pretty lame 301 but at least if was faster than the N/A V6 that came in my Regal.
I would have loved to have swapped in a 400 or 455 Pontiac in there.
 
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Oct 14, 2008
8,819
7,766
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Melville,Saskatchewan
A 400 will haul *ss. My only experience with the 301 was my friends 79 Grand Prix. Pretty sure it was the 4bbl with the hotter cam, no slouch for that year. Pretty sure it also had dual exhaust. Doug was pushing it pretty hard, he said it started knocking. The 301 Turbo has decently thick mains. Add a real crank with more stroke, no garbage siamese port heads, 301 heads are as bad as Olds 307 swirl port heads for flow, horrible. The hardest part is a decent intake, a small run of single plane intakes were cast, modifying a regular Pontiac intake to fit is a lot of work.
 

G.P.

Apprentice
Sep 21, 2019
51
42
18
MAGA North
I Miss my 80 Grand Am that had a 400. i will agree will haull *ss.. mine had 373 gears and a locker from a fbody. pass everything but a gas station.
 
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