Seems like whenever someone on the HAMB is doing the inline 8 engine, they are using a Buick. Why not the Pontiac flathead, inline eight? Are the Poncho and Oldsmobile straight-eight engines somehow inferior to their Buick counterparts? Reason I ask is there's this straight eight Poncho flathead engine complete with carb and auto tranny in a warehouse that is being sold, and they are hauling the contents of the warehouse to parts unknown. I'm thinking that engine would be pretty cool in a T roadster and am considering making an offer on it. How do these Pontiac Flat eights perform, say, as compared to a Buick Inline eight?
Poncho 8's are flatheads. Redline's around 3200rpm. Unique sound. I have a 52 Pontiac straight-8 I had plans on using. Probably ruined it by taking it apart and it's sat for a while now.
I want one BAD. Heard there isn't many Hi-po parts for them tho. There is a guy here on the HAMB running one with a multi carb set up or something. I'll think of it. You can also do a search on them on the HAMB.....there's a LOT of information on them here. xxx Brandy
Me too! I think one would look killer in a stretched-frame '29 A roadster with the original grille shell. Intake manifolds for inliners aren't terribly hard to fabricate - I'd go with two two barrels, but I'm conservative, for major kudos around here go with eight one barrels or something equally crazy. A header wouldn't be impossible to build either, guys do it every day for run-of-the-mill mills. The true "rat rod" look requires zoomies, though, which would be even easier. I think a cam is going to be your major difficulty, and transmission choices. The downside when compared to a Buick Fireball? It's a flathead, so it doesn't breathe as well. Use it as a torque motor, like it was inteneded, and you'll be happy with it.
Here is some of what I have saved. http://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=3200&highlight=inline+pontiac http://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=51029&highlight=inline+pontiac
I have a flat 8 in my 54 Cheiftain...The motors are steady Eddies but there isn't much power if that is what you are looking for. A great sound and a motor that is pretty reliable (even though I am having a spark problem right now). I have driven mine from Philly to Hartford two times without fail. I love them. Larry
The Pontiac flathead straight eight is a meat and potatoes engine that will run FOREVER! They're down on power compared to their OHV counterparts, but you CAN NOT beat them for reliability! Pontiac strived to give their customers a rock solid, durable engine and they did it! You won't find much in the way of hop-up parts, but they're cool enough on their own to warrant a second look! The flathead straight six Poncho is equally as reliable, just two cylinders shy. Either one will give you a motor you'll never have to think twice about. As a bonus,by 1947-48, Pontiacs were open drive, so the manual or auto trannys behind these motors are easily adapted to other cars and rods with open drive rear axles. Buick clung to closed drive into the 60s. I've worked on these motors and LOVE THEM! They're everything a Shitbolt Chevy ISN'T!! That is to say, they're worry-free inliners that look killer and won't leave you walking!! Not big powerhouses, but they'll get ya there and back every time!!
Sounds like the description of every flathead engine I've ever seen discussed. The Harley flathead springs immediately to mind. Someone once said: "If you want to ride around the world, do it on a flathead." Anvil reliability. Besides, what other flathead engines besides the Ford and Merc V8s and the Ford bangers has anyone attached a high performance image to? In reality, a '40s rodder probably would have used the Indian, except that engine was still in a Pontiac back then! The Fords were plentiful, so they got used. Therefore an aftermarket developed. It's not necessarily because they were better motors. Although it did help that a V8 replaces a banger a lot easier than an inliner does.
The Hudson I-6 Flatheads were hot cars right from the factory, they ruled stock car racing for a long time.
Whoops, brain fart. Sorry. Unfortunately, we don't see those as swaps very often. That's probably why they didn't occur to me. Speaking of them, then. I wonder what it would take to make a Poncho 8 or 6 perform like the Hudson? Besides factory support back in the '50s, that is. Seems a more valid comparison than the Buick.
Actually, aren't the Hudson 308s, sixes, not eights? I thought the Hudson 8 was gone by the early fifties.
I think Plymouth 6's were popular, at least as popular as a flathead 6 can get. Also incredibly tough, used in farm/construction equipment for decades This beast belongs to a HAMBr, Blueskies
Timbo, stop highjacking the PONTIAC thread! I'm having a good time with all the interest as of late. xxx
My deepest regrets, I shall perform a sacrafice in the name of Chief Pontiac in recompense. This is Abomber's Poncho powered T, "Seek & Destroy" suprised no one posted this yet,
Buddy of mine had a '50 Pontiac I8, said it busted a head gasket everytime he ehit the highway. Abomber's roadster is AWESOME! Man, I love everything about that!!
WHAT!? Am I the only one who doesn't want a big, long, heavy engine with no power? My vote goes for a doorstop. If you're big enough to move it to open the door, then your vote trumps mine. On the CD player: Lipstick, Lies & Gasoline - Fred Eaglesmith. Song: Pontiac.
a 1950 pontiac I8 packs 268 ci worth 109 hp. if it is around that vintage, and an auto trans, it'll be a hydromatic. i have one, good condition, figuring on putting it back in my 50 pontiac someday as i have plans for my 283 and 327. cool old motor. if the 47-48 ponchos were open driveline, i know the 49-54s were too.
CR's on these motors are pretty low. Think it's 6.7:1 for manual trans motors and the "hi-compression" head for hydromatic equipped cars bumps it up to a whopping 7.5:1 or thereabouts. Someone swapped a Hi-Comp head onto mine, and I have manual trans setup.
haha! now that i think of it, i seem to remember back in march of 02 when i intro'd here, first post, back when i planned to put my 327 in my 50 pontiac, when fraz told me something like "bend over and get ready to take it for putting a bellybutton SBC in place of a pontiac I8 in my car! still have that I8, and she'll be going home whenever i feel the burn to get that car on the road. just haven't felt like fabricating floors and body mounts for a while, especially when all i have to do is turn the key in the impala that i built to cruise! gonna be even harder to get anything done but burn gas when the astros that UPS dropped off today are on the impala!
Hey whats really nice is to have the only one in the WHOLE WORLD!! with Edmunds speed equipment on it..... When we jacked the sucker out of my 1936 the front end came up about 10 inches I believe that slug of iron is about 1250lbs.. Roy pagnini
Yeah, they're heavy alright. add another 250-275 Lbs for the hydromatic but they're reliable if you don't try to wind 'em up like a SBC. My 48 Poncho had one with a hydro and I switched the 3.90 gears out for a set of 3.23s.....drove the car all over the US. Knocked down 17 MPG at a steady 65 mph. Keep high gears in the rear-end and let the low end torque do the work. I recommend the hydro too. 1st gear is really low and will work great with a high-geared rear axle for those "jack rabbit" starts. They have a great sound..use a good radiator tho..the flathead design makes a lotta heat to control. The open driveshaft design goes all the way back to the mid 30s...easy to hook up to any rear axle. Don't forget to grab the slilp yoke from the original driveshaft....they're coarse splined...
I remember seeing an old aluminum finned head for a straight 8 poncho a couple ago for sale. So there were (are) some speed parts for them...
The Jalopy Journal
