Getting my hood scoop ready to install. Non functional, so no big hole in my old hood. Chrome is pitted, considering painting it in future, but the pitting kinda suits the "driver" quality 63. This scoop is from a 58 or so, later ones were painted grills, not chromed.
63 Parisienne sport coupe (The Big GTO), black, maroon interior, 409 4 speed; former owner of a 59 El Camino, 63 Corvette SWC, 62 Chev Bel Air SC. 1963- Pontiac top selling car in Canada
Mahone Bay, NS Still not old enough to need an automatic
Getting my hood scoop ready to install. Non functional, so no big hole in my old hood. Chrome is pitted, considering painting it in future, but the pitting kinda suits the "driver" quality 63. This scoop is from a 58 or so, later ones were painted grills, not chromed.
I like. I cut the hole in my spare hood. I found some small, channelled weather-stripping for around the base of the scoop. Mine has a painted grill.
__________________
Prince Edward Island
'64 Parisienne CS "barn find" - last on the road in '86 ... Owner Protection Plan booklet, original paint, original near-mint aqua interior, original aqua GM floor mats, original 283, factory posi, and original rust.
I had one on my 62 with a hole cut, I found it was a PITA when washing the car with all the water going in on top of the engine. The Chevy hood had no ridge up the middle and the scoop fit like it was made for it.
This is the car the hood came off, I got it in North Carolina.
-- Edited by DonSSDD on Sunday 24th of December 2017 08:14:50 AM
63 Parisienne sport coupe (The Big GTO), black, maroon interior, 409 4 speed; former owner of a 59 El Camino, 63 Corvette SWC, 62 Chev Bel Air SC. 1963- Pontiac top selling car in Canada
Mahone Bay, NS Still not old enough to need an automatic
I had one on my 62 with a hole cut, I found it was a PITA when washing the car with all the water going in on top of the engine. The Chevy hood had no ridge up the middle and the scoop fit like it was made for it.
This, it fits great. For windows ... I found it at our Waste Watch (dump):
My hood (still a work in progress). I "dollied" flat my ridge:
-- Edited by Pontiacanada on Sunday 24th of December 2017 08:47:57 AM
'64 Parisienne CS "barn find" - last on the road in '86 ... Owner Protection Plan booklet, original paint, original near-mint aqua interior, original aqua GM floor mats, original 283, factory posi, and original rust.
Finally finished my factory tach installation. Bit of a bear getting the nut on the top stud. It's super hard to get at and I really didn't want to pull the dash pad. Doing that involves pulling the cowl vent panel at the back of the hood to get at one stud, removing the inside A pillar mouldings and 1/2 a dozen screws along with a couple of studs that push into clips. I'm not that keen on removing and replacing stuff on this car any more than I have to. It's currently very tight, pretty much rattle and squeak free and I'd like it to stay that way.
45 minutes working blind was all it took to get that top nut on! Bottom nut was easy, that stud is visible from the back of the dash when lying with your head on the driver's floor mat. The clutch pedal was a pain though, I finally pulled the clip on the pushrod under the hood and put the clutch pedal to the floor to give me headroom. First time in my life I hated a clutch pedal!
I've forgotten a lot of the Pontiac stuff I learned when I built my 455 but from what I recall that is a tame enough cam to work well and still make good power.
I've never had a 400 but lots of guys say they are a great engine. You clearly aren't making rookie mistakes with too much cam, too much carb, wrong intake etc like you see guys do so often. Bigger isn't better!
__________________
1966 Strato Chief 2 door, 427 4 speed, 45,000 original miles
1966 Grande Parisienne, 396 1 of 23 factory air cars
It's fun hearing stuff that is obviously "tough" but sometimes they're all bark and no bite. Pet peeve of mine, tons of cam to impress the guys at the drive in but nothing to back up the image.
__________________
1966 Strato Chief 2 door, 427 4 speed, 45,000 original miles
1966 Grande Parisienne, 396 1 of 23 factory air cars
I really like the 200R4's but I was told they have a very limited life beyond about 350 ft-lbs torque - unless you get a, '86-87, "BR" code tranny. They can be built to take a lot more torque, but when I looked into it, Hi-perf parts were $$$.. From my experience with Pontiac 400's, you might be a tad over 350 ft.lbs. I ran a used 200R4 behind my 350 HO (380 ft.lbs) and it got pretty slushy after very few miles, but the tranny was just a junkyard special so it's condition could have been compromised. Did the Lemans have a Powerglide in it - so the 200 will mate up with the existing drive shaft etc? Or, did you luck out on finding a BR code 200R4?
Should be a great engine. I've known a couple guys in recent years who've had bad luck building 400's. Not sure why - maybe they got too aggressive with CR or cam, or they're bored out too far, don't know, but both of them had overheating problems, pinging, valve train problems etc. Both of them had the rebuilds done at "performance shops" - different shops in different provinces. I owned a 400 (loved that engine), but I've never built one myself - wouldn't think it'd be that tough. I'd love to have another. It'd be worth the hassle and criticism to have that torque in the Beaumont.
I found the 455 a lot more complicated to build vs. a small or big block Canadian Pontiac engine. The intake tied in with the front cover, the reverse rotation distributor, stuff like that. And that awful rope seal on the crank.
__________________
1966 Strato Chief 2 door, 427 4 speed, 45,000 original miles
1966 Grande Parisienne, 396 1 of 23 factory air cars
I love an LT1 and a 6 speed. What a nice combo. Sure it's not an LS for power but an old school guy like me still loves the old style engines the best.
The basic part of it must be pretty much a bolt in?
__________________
1966 Strato Chief 2 door, 427 4 speed, 45,000 original miles
1966 Grande Parisienne, 396 1 of 23 factory air cars
I love an LT1 and a 6 speed. What a nice combo. Sure it's not an LS for power but an old school guy like me still loves the old style engines the best.
The basic part of it must be pretty much a bolt in?
The engine is the same other than replacing the frame mounts from the 6-banger to an 8... the tunnel has gotten and will receive some less than serious metal work.. I had to cut to allow the ZF to sit where it should... The T-56 would have been the better option from what I have been reading but alas, this is what I have.... the shifter is at the left rear as well where the T-56 is ahead and more center. The shifter setup on the ZF created the most grief and extra work.
Oh yea, I never thought about the shifter part. Yes, I think the T56 fits pretty much where a 4L60 would fit other than that stupid reverse lockout business. When I put the T56 in my 94 Impala the floor had a slight massage to make clearance for that.
Is the ZF the same length as a T56?
__________________
1966 Strato Chief 2 door, 427 4 speed, 45,000 original miles
1966 Grande Parisienne, 396 1 of 23 factory air cars
Moved the compressor from the house to the shop,wired it up and installed the air lines. Would have been done a week ago but my perimeter drains thought they were more important. Backed up into the crawl space!
Polished some stainless. Seems Dougie didn't want his door trim so he sent it to me along with a bunch of 4dr trim. Figured I might as well clean it up before sending it back (only finished 1). Guess hes going to have to do the rest by hand,only one though.....the other will have a beer in it!!
I ran a used 200R4 behind my 350 HO (380 ft.lbs) and it got pretty slushy after very few miles, but the tranny was just a junkyard special so it's condition could have been compromised. 
