Just started our project. It is a 1970 Tempest that has been in Canada since its birth. She likes to cruise and we like cruisin in it. Great to see a site for Canadian car owners. Look forward to some great advice and parts resources.
1960 Pontiac Strato Chief Safari 1960 Laurentian Safari 1960 Laurentian 4door(scrapped) 2001 Grand Am Traded on a '96 Suburban 2WD 2002 Hyundai Accent(SOLD) 1968 Grand Parisienne Scrapped and SOLD
Thanks for the welcome. The car is clean and in very good condition. We want to replace the carpet and also in search of a pair of buckets as the ones in it are not a good fit. She has a 350 Big Block, 375 HP, rebuilt with mild cam and has been blueprinted and mildly bored. 700 Holley carb, with edelbrock mid rise intake, MSD pro billet distributor and Blaster coil, 8mm wires etc. 4 core rad,
~350 TH trans. with 2 stage shift kit and 2500 stall converter. ~3:90 Richmond gears in rear end, with Powertrax posi locker. (the drivetrain is #'s matching). ~Flowmaster dual exhaust, headers...bored and built to 375 with a 3 speed B&M and 3.9 rear end.
A few simple changes to the exterior will be hood, rear wing and fender trim.
All in time and money but until then cruise and have a blast!
Nice to see your cars and the fun you all must be having.
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Cruisin to Have Fun!
Chris & Cheryl 1970 All Canadian Pontiac Tempest Burlington, Ontario, Canada
Do you think the term big block when referring to a Pontiac 350 engine comes about when comparing them to a Chevrolet Small block 350 since both engines could be found in Pontiac cars here in Canada.
It was not uncommon to hear "Big block Pontiac" used and also "Blue Block or Orange block?" "Canadian or American block?" back in the day.
We've had 3 Pontiacs with Blue, 4 with Orange and one with Aqua (261-6). One blue was even an Oshawa built 70 Tempest.
The most common terminology that I have heard over the years is "blue block" vs. "orange block" which in most cases meant the small block Chevy. If someone had a big block Chevy, that was always a bragging point so they usually announced it directly.
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Hillar
1970 LS4 (eventually an LS5) Laurentian 2dr hdtp -and a bunch of other muscle cars...
I agree I only ever used one saying "Blue Block". If you Google this topic you will find discussion after discussion on this question. I guess we might just have one of lifes unsolved mysteries. LOL
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Cruisin to Have Fun!
Chris & Cheryl 1970 All Canadian Pontiac Tempest Burlington, Ontario, Canada
Depends how old you are, some of us are born in the 50's not like Bad TempR who is just a pup.
Anyway, Astro Jet, you are a member of the GTO club and I know you have some well placed Pontiac friends in the states, is it just some Canadians who call a Pontiac 350 engine a "big block"?
Depends how old you are, some of us are born in the 50's not like Bad TempR who is just a pup.
Anyway, Astro Jet, you are a member of the GTO club and I know you have some well placed Pontiac friends in the states, is it just some Canadians who call a Pontiac 350 engine a "big block"?
-- Edited by 73SC at 17:30, 2008-09-15
Yup, yankees just call all Pontiac engines "Pontiac engines", cuz that's what they are. It's only us Canucks who had to get into differentiating what kind of engines came in our ponchos. Another place the blue vs. orange block was always used was the parts counter at Crappy Tire. Today a kid there wouldn't have a clue but back in the 70's and 80's whenever they had to look up parts, the first question was always: "blue block or orange block" - musta been part of the CT training manual.
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Hillar
1970 LS4 (eventually an LS5) Laurentian 2dr hdtp -and a bunch of other muscle cars...
In Quebec, where I grew up in the 60's, 70's and early 80's, they use to call 'em american blue block or let say for exemple : there is an American 400 in that Firebird ! I thought it sounded cool.
In Quebec, where I grew up in the 60's, 70's and early 80's, they use to call 'em american blue block or let say for exemple : there is an American 400 in that Firebird ! I thought it sounded cool.
Thanks for this post Pascal. Like I tell my kids. No sense arguing when you know you're right!
Young pup here! Imagine my eyes were open in the early 80s when I built my first Lemans and even that one had a big blue ? under the hood but only knew that one as a Pontiac Blue block and nothing more. Great to hear all the different names.
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Cruisin to Have Fun!
Chris & Cheryl 1970 All Canadian Pontiac Tempest Burlington, Ontario, Canada
Chris, we are not that young anymore, we were both borned in 1964 (same as GT0,Chevelle,Beaumont, Olds Cutlass, Buick Skylark...) Heck of a good year to be born with Muscles LOL ! Hard to think that in 30yrs time will be 74 snfff.
I worked at Crappy Tire and the computer's they use actually gives that engine option, on some of the cars. Granted, there computors are all from the stonge age.
Yup, yankees just call all Pontiac engines "Pontiac engines", cuz that's what they are. It's only us Canucks who had to get into differentiating what kind of engines came in our ponchos. Another place the blue vs. orange block was always used was the parts counter at Crappy Tire. Today a kid there wouldn't have a clue but back in the 70's and 80's whenever they had to look up parts, the first question was always: "blue block or orange block" - musta been part of the CT training manual.
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1960 Pontiac Strato Chief Safari 1960 Laurentian Safari 1960 Laurentian 4door(scrapped) 2001 Grand Am Traded on a '96 Suburban 2WD 2002 Hyundai Accent(SOLD) 1968 Grand Parisienne Scrapped and SOLD
