i just picked up a 79 with a 400 with 6x-8 heads ... what would be a good way to get more power, new heads? or mill heads? flat top piston's? which cam?, gears in the rear end? thannks!!

 

Replace it with an Oldsmobile 455....

 

79 what?

If you're talking a TransAM, just build it to 70-71 RA or HO specs and you will have more power and torque than you know what to do with.

It's been years since I fooled with Pontiac engines, but they're easy to make power with. Seems I remember the 6X were pretty good street heads even in smog trim.

If it is a factory 400 be aware that only four-speed cars got that. Automatic 79s were all Olds 403.

Or is this a Pontiac engine in another body?

 

its a 400 i just wanted some idea's for a budget build

 

I feel like youre on the wrong forum for a Pontiac 400 build. Any info you could get here would be meager compared to a true Pontiac forum.

Now that thats out of the way I love Pontiacs haha. But American V8s are cool because no matter what minor differences you see here or there they're all the same basic formula. Find the lowest CC pistons you can, drop in a hot cam (Comp Cam XE274s are pretty mean) and put a 3.55 gear in it and you should be rockin a pretty sweet setup. Anything from there is icing on the cake, ie: zero-deck the block, valve job on the heads, milling the heads. Plan your attack around compression ratio using summit's compression ratio calculator, 9:1 seems to be the max ive seen for regular unleaded, 10.5:1 seems to be the max for premium. I love Poncho 400s because they spin like a small block and have the temper of a big block. Any build should be fun

 

thanks vega

 

performance years .com great pontiac site and good place to get parts.
I have a 66 lemans and I have had good luck getting info there /.