Hi everyone... New to posting on here but I've used the boards for quite a bit of info over the years. I'll post up some of my previous projects at some point. Also, I'm new to the Indy area so if there's anyone lurking around the northside, let me know...I'm always up for meeting new folks. Anyways, I'm about to pick up a 50' Pontiac with a straight 8, and although I'll probably keep the I8 for awhile, I have a lead on a 316 and hydramatic from a 56' that I'd like to swap in. I'm pretty decent with fabrication/welding and such so I don't forsee any major issues, but I've heard mixed stories on this motor essentially being a "drop-in" or close to on these cars. My questions are... Can the 316 mate up to the I8 hydramatic in its stock location, then just fab up new frame mount locations, or will the engine sit too far back? If I take the 316 and it's current hyrdamatic mated to it, I ***ume I'd need to move the whole thing farther forward, including the crossmember location, which would just mean I'd need to lengthen the driveshaft. The 56' is a donor car, so I'm going to be able to get the crossmember, throttle linkage...anything else I might need. I'm just curious if anyone has done this swap recently and can give me some insight as to the easiest way to do it. Thanks!
No, nothing needs to move forward that I know of. '56 was a transition year from the same Hyrdramatic as in your car, to the dual-coupling type used through '64. You may need to cut the firewall braces like folks do when they do a V8 swap to similar year Chevrolets, is all. By '53 or '54 the frame had provisions to mount a V8 engine from new. Your biggest issue is steering clearance, but if you're running the stock '56 manifold arrangement that should be fine also.
I had to read the ***le like three times before I got that. I read once that the 287 was originally supposed to be available in the '54, but that Pontiac's general manager died in a car-train wreck and put everything on hold until '55. That makes me think the '55-'59 engines might have been designed with an eye toward working with the '49-'54 ch***is.
Thanks for the reply / replies! Cool...ideally if my current hydramatic is fine, I'd like to just leave it in place and pull the 316 over and into. So basically what I'm looking at is fabbing spots for the motor mounts and running the throttle linkage....can it really be that easy?
I can tell you from personal experience that a V-8 drops into a '54 Pontiac with very little work. If the '50 Pontiac frame and firewall are essentially the same (which I believe they are) the only thing you'll even need to be careful about at all is location of the steering box as it might interfere with the motor mount and/or exhaust manifold. We put an Olds engine in my '54 Pontiac and the steering box would have interfered with the Olds motor mount if we hadn't been able to move it back on the engine block. Once that was done it all went together like it was meant to be that way. We were even able to hook into the original exhaust. You will need either a really deep fan shroud or use an electric fan.
If you are intending on using the 50 Pontiac hydro, don't! The transmission is way under the capacity of the V8 and it is a single range transmission. Also, the front and back bell housings(55 or 56 dual range hydro) will be needed to adapt the early hydro to the V8. If the 316 comes with the dual range (and not the DC) hydro, then you are good to go.
Pontiac in late 1956 built up some 317 performance parts including a dual quad intake, cam, lifter and valve train package and also a form of the Chevy V-8 Rams Horn exhaust manifolds. The engines ran very good and the success resulted in the 1957 347's with a performance package and the tri-power carburetion set. I still see some Pontiac performance items from that era. I just saw a dual quad intake manifold in Pomona earlier this year. Those are good strong engines. Normbc9
Was doing a search for fabrication ideas/pictures for 316 motor mounts, and came across this post. MY 316 has two untapped bungs appr where motor mounts are tapped and threaded on a SBC. My thought was to drill and tap those two bungs, and then add a third strap down to mount over two oil pan bolts. Any suggestions as to how this has been done in the past?
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