With our project engine block fully machined and the Butler stroker kit balanced and checked, we are almost ready for preassembly using the myriad performance parts that were provided by Summit Racing Equipment, but that will be covered in the next issue. First, RaceKrafters will attend to our 6X Pontiac head castings.

The Specialty Equipment Market Association (SEMA) trade show, held annually in Las Vegas, prides itself as the automobile aftermarket industry’s largest assembly of manufacturers and products. SEMA’s most recent show, November 1-4, 2011, proved that in spite of the passing of the Pontiac brand, many manufacturers are developing new products to enhance your driving experience, whether it’s on the street or in racing environments, such as the dragstrip or the road course. We begin our SEMA New Parts Tech Guide with new-to-market suspension gear for vintage and late-model Pontiacs.

LS-based engines factory installed into so many late-model Pontiacs are a hot rodder’s dream. The entire Gen III/Gen IV engine family is a straightforward yet effective design that’s been embraced by the aftermarket on many levels. A wide array of components intended to accentuate or significantly boost their already-impressive performance levels is readily available from many sources.

If you’ve ever owned a vintage Pontiac, you’ve had to deal with rust in some form. The favorite place for it to hide is in the rear quarter-panels. Road sludge kicked up from the tires, blocked drainage holes, a leaking rear window, and age all contribute to this very common condition. The good news is there are patch panels available to service that area for many Pontiac models, and we’re going to show you how install one on a ’67 GTO, along with a trunk inner side-filler panel and a portion of an outer wheelhouse.

In the process of owning, restoring, and driving your Pontiac, problems will crop up from time to time. Be they routed in age, outdated technology, or poor initial design, you still want to fix them with a better part to avoid future hassles. Other problems are project related, having little to do with the design and engineering of your Pontiac. Rather, they come from the desire to do things better and/or easier.

With the engine block for our 455-based stroker mule engine completely machined, Craig Wise of RaceKrafters will now work on the rotating assembly, which includes the crankshaft, connecting rods, pistons, rings, and rod bearings. Our mule will enjoy all new internal parts thanks to a stroker kit sourced from Butler Performance that consists of a forged 4340 Eagle crankshaft, Eagle connecting rods, Butler-designed Ross forged pistons, and Total Seal rings. Thus, many of the procedures that would be required to retain used parts do not apply, especially since the Butler Performance assembly comes balanced already.

Whether you prefer your Pontiac be equipped with an automatic transmission or a manual, nothing feels better than a positive high-rpm upshift into Second gear that chirps the tires while accelerating at full throttle. It’s easily achieved with a manual transmission since the driver can upshift at any desired rpm, but automatics are considerably different.

What’s one of the first things you admire in a First-Generation Firebird’s cabin? If your answer is the console, then Pontiac’s designers did their job well, for they purposefully created the “seat separator console” (as it’s officially called) with a camera-grain finish, bright trim molding, (and in ’68 and ’69 optional) burled-walnut-style appliqués to fixate your eyes directly on it.

We are all aware of the many recent advancements in performance part engineering for a traditional Pontiac engine. These range from new cylinder-head technology to a myriad of valvetrain and rotating assembly parts, along with ignition and fuel system evolution. With this in mind, HPP is embarking on a long-term strategy to build a test stroker 455 of our own.

Wrenching

For those who prefer a stock appearance in their Pontiac’s engine compartment right down to the battery, you have a few choices—buy a reproduction battery, a sealed maintenance- free reproduction battery, or disguise the modern aftermarket battery you already have with a battery topper to appear factory.

Most would be happy with 580 hp and 611 lb-ft of torque from a 455 street engine, but DCI knows there’s more inside

Long-stroke aftermarket crankshafts and large-bore aftermarket blocks are commonplace in modern Pontiac builds. Powerful street engines commonly displace more than 460 cubic inches and are capable of generating 600 lb-ft of torque and/or achieving peak horsepower at an rpm that was once considered unrealistic. Combining such an engine with a manual transmission can make for great fun, but it’s generally far more power or speed than an original Muncie or Borg-Warner four-speed can handle, and complete transmission failure is often reality.

Like the Fourth-Gen Firebird, the GTO is hindered by a sub-par rearend once engine output is increased. Unlike the Bird, however, the GTO uses an independent rear suspension and inadequate tire size to handle the 350hp LS1 and 400hp LS2. The result is drivetrain-murdering wheelhop.

For many Pontiac hobbyists, original-equipment tires are a sign of heritage and honor. They signify a car’s low-miles, pampered life, and the preservation of brand history. That’s why, although uncommon, it’s not impossible to find survivors from the ’60s and ’70s still wearing their decades-old rubber and a plethora of late-model Pontiacs—from ’09 back to the late-’80s—still rolling on original tread.

A connecting rod may be the most stressed component within an engine—absorbing compressive loads and resisting centrifugal forces during each crank revolution. When considering how robust a connecting rod must be, it’s no wonder most feel that the lowly cast connecting rod is the weakest link in the Pontiac performance chain. Some actually believe it will spontaneously self-destruct when exposed to any significant load in a high-performance engine. Not true.

This is a continuation of the "Preserving A Performer" article. Click here to read the original article

Have you ever placed your Pontiac’s shifter in Park (automatic trans) or Reverse (manual trans), twisted the key to shut the engine off, and found that you can’t get the key out? It may have caught you off guard the first time or two, but it probably didn’t take long to become accustomed to grasping the steering-column collar and rotating it counterclockwise that last little bit.

Simply put, an engine is a pump. By increasing its ability to ingest fuel and air, convert it to energy, and evacuate the remains, it will make more horsepower. We set out to show just what you can expect from installing a better-flowing intake manifold on your mildly modded LS1 Pontiac using Chris Kirchner’s ’99 T/A.

The cylinder block is the foundation of any engine. It houses the crankshaft; connecting rods and pistons; camshaft; and oiling system passages. During each revolution, the block endures extreme cylinder pressure and rotational stress in practically every direction. It must be designed and constructed of material that’s durable enough to prevent fatigue and failure when operating within its intended limits.

An intake manifold routes a combustible cocktail of atomized fuel and air from the carburetor to the engine, and its design can have a significant effect on operational characteristics. Certain examples accentuate low-end throttle response and street manners, while others may sacrifice some to improve top-end charge. The best manifold for a street driven combination is one that yields the best compromise of the two.

Technology has had a positive effect on traditional Pontiac performance. Today’s monster mills perform considerably better on the dragstrip than yesterday’s race engines, but are often so reliable and docile that they can be driven on the street regularly. While much of that can be attributed to cylinder-head and intake-manifold design, as well as fuel and ignition-system advancements, modern valvetrain components are equally as responsible.

Ask any professional racer or engine builder and you’ll hear that cylinder-head airflow is the most important factor in achieving the greatest peak horsepower from any engine. For years Pontiac racers were forced to use heavily ported cast-iron originals, and peak airflow rarely surpassed 300 cfm at 28 inches of pressure. Many new cast-aluminum Pontiac cylinder heads have entered the aftermarket within the past several years, and they have completely revolutionized Pontiac performance.

Since its debut in the ’90s, the LS engine market—Gen III and IV small-blocks—has grown exponentially, with new and better parts being introduced at a fever pitch. What does this mean for us? As the market gets more competitive, prices are coming down, not only on the vehicles themselves, but also on the aftermarket parts that make them faster. A forged 383 rotating assembly is less than $2,000 these days!

If you’re like many modern-day car owners, you’re accustomed to calling upon a key fob to control your car’s door locks remotely. Even imagining a return to the days of manual door locks seems barbaric.