While many of us wish we were around when the Super-Duty, H.O., and Ram Air Pontiacs were first tearing up the streets and racetracks, there really isn't reason to wish for the "good old days." If you have an optimistic outlook and power production is more important to you than casting numbers, one could easily argue that we're living in the "good new days" right now.
Why? Well, support for the traditional Pontiac V-8 and Pontiac musclecar-era vehicles has never been better. Extreme-duty blocks are now available in both cast-iron and aluminum, forged cranks are practically falling out of trees, and the cost of forged rods is low enough that they are actually the more economical alternative to rebuilding factory cast rods. Not only that, electronic fuel injection, engine management systems, and supercharger kits are readily available to bring the '55-'81 Pontiac V-8 deep into the 21st century. The "good new days" are truly here.
With the dizzying array of parts now available for the Pontiac V-8, it's a bit confusing to do the mix and match necessary to science out an engine combination. Fortunately, a wide variety of manufacturers have come to the rescue and are now offering complete crate engines based on already proven combinations. Some are off-the shelf offerings, while others are available in a build-to-suit fashion that offers the buyer options and latitude, while still staying within the constraints of those proven combos. Street-strip or full-race, there is a combination that will suit your needs and budget. More often than not, there is a crate engine combo already scienced-out that will come in cheaper than if you did it all yourself, and you don't need to supply an engine for the build.
We're jumping in with a multi-part series to explore what is out there for Pontiac fans in the crate-engine market. To make sure we have all the bases covered, we'll run the gamut from mild to wild, and we'll even get you up-to-date on what's going on in the world of the LS-based V-8, because there are a lot of exciting developments there as well.
This first edition covers the most popular combinations from two different builders. The power levels are different for each engine, and, of course, those power numbers are claimed by the manufacturers.
We are going to kick off this edition of "What's In the Crate?" with offerings from Mast Motorsports and Kauffman Racing Equipment. In the coming months, you'll see more mouth-watering offerings from other popular engine builders and companies. Let's get started!