Why Not A 400

The engine builds typically found in HPP are aimed at making power, either pushing the envelope for streetable performance or just trying to find the boundaries of the Pontiac V-8. Both have become easier in the past decade thanks to a flourishing aftermarket that provides hardware to improve output and minimize the catastrophic failures that can often follow. But the pursuit of ultimate output isn't for everyone; in fact, it's probably not even for the average hobbyist. That guy wants his car to be as fast as possible, but he also wants it to start and idle when Sunday finally comes around and he has time to take it out. That guy is looking for balance.

Charlie Chandler could be considered "that guy." He's been a fan of muscle since he was barely old enough to drive, back when some of the greats were still rolling off assembly lines. Since that time, he's had the opportunity to own quite a few musclecars, but drag racing isn't really part of Charlie's regular routine. As an M.D. and a family man, much of his time is spoken for, but living in Los Angeles does provide a steady flow of sunny days to motor in classic iron. So when he spotted a '69 GTO convertible sitting forlornly on a Santa Monica side street, he knew he'd found the perfect street machine. It took six years to finally get the Goat away from the previous owner, and then he had to deal with the blown-up factory 400. Even though it was a base engine rated at 350 hp, it was the factory-installed numbers-matching block. Sadly, it had been mortally wounded. Being a four-speed convertible, Charlie felt that it would be worth the effort to try and preserve some measure of originality, so he shopped around for a properly coded block and a shop to build it.

Finding the shop was simple: Charlie already knew the guys at Westside Performance in West Los Angeles, and he knew that proprietor Ted Toki had spent the better part of the last 35 years building engines for hot rods. In fact, Ted had spent that time building entire cars, many of them for the strip.

Westside Performance itself is a bit of an anomaly, at least in the heart of a big city. Few traditional speed shops have survived the roller coaster of economics, fuel shortages, smog police, and real estate booms that have occurred since the '60s, even in the center of the L.A. car culture, especially in an area as desirable as the patch of land occupied by Westside. But there it is, much as it has been since the '60s.

The most unusual part of Westside is that it remains a full-service speed shop, not just a retail store for aftermarket goods. In back, off the alley is a garage where any of the items sold inside can be installed, and this is also where the engines are assembled. This is the heart of Westside's R&D, which Ted sums up succinctly: "Most of our stuff is based on trial and error. We've had it either work or not work." After 35 years, they've got a pretty good idea of what works.

Ted spends a lot of his time these days working out combinations that are beneficial for street cars, trying to extract the most power and durability from engines that will see regular use. Being somewhat old school, Ted always has an eye on the budget as well. This would certainly not be the first Pontiac for Ted. He's been messing with them for decades, along with some of the other GM powerplants like Olds and Cadillacs. Walk around the back of the shop for a few minutes and this is quickly confirmed, as shelves filled with core parts, many of them Pontiac, line the walls.

This particular build began with its own problems. First, the block the Doc had located to replace the original was junk. Boring it (again) had actually uncovered a tiny casting void that became a pinhole, which went all the way through to the water jacket. Yet another block was sourced, only to find that it had already been bored 0.060-inch over previously and not very well. Charlie was about to start the search for a third when Ted came up with a plan.

Boring past 0.060-inch over for most engines is pushing it, though Toki says the 400 Pontiac usually has enough material to go even farther. But for this build, taking the bores just a little bit more, 0.065-inch total, would do the trick. That would bring each bore to a 4.185-inch diameter, the same as a 0.035 over 455. The significance of that relationship is that modern, high-performance piston rings for that bore size are already sitting on a shelf somewhere, just waiting to be slipped over a custom piston and into the 0.065-inch over Pontiac 400, as a 0.060-over Chevy 400 small-block is the same size.