How to Rebuild Pontiac V8s
Author: Rocky Rotella Published by: Car Tech ISBN: 978-1-61325-563-6 Price: £27.50
Despite both being part of General Motors and many of their cars over the years sharing the same basic underframes and some semblances of bodywork, Chevrolet and Pontiac have always gone their separate ways when it came to the engines. Since the Fifties, Pontiac have tried to maintain a slightly upmarket edge over Chevy and they have been arguably a little more aggressive in their marketing of the performance aspects of their vehicles. Their V8 arrived in 1955 and while it was developed constantly in the following decades, there was a surprising amount of compatibility between them, allowing parts from diverse years to be fitted to many different engine blocks.
This conscious attempt to back-engineer many of the significant oily bits makes Pontiac engines particularly easy to work on. This book takes you through the restoration and overhaul of a typical Pontiac V8 from early Sixties to late Seventies. Pontiacs have always been popular here in the UK, especially Firebirds, so there must be many who will benefit from this manual. It explains where to obtain good quality parts, creating a plan, the disassembly of your engine, explaining all the various parts that will require inspection and either repair or replacement, in the process. It provides information on factory replacement and aftermarket parts, many of which are available. It explains where professional machining services could be required, preparation for reassembly of the overhauled parts and final assembly.
There is then a chapter on start-up, break-in and tuning. There are two comprehensive appendices, the first providing detailed torque references and the second Pontiac V8 facts. These list block codes, plus crankshaft, cam, distributor, manifold and cylinder head data, which will assist the owner in identifying exactly what's in their engine. With clear text and excellent photos throughout, the guidance provided should prove invaluable for anyone considering an overhaul of their Poncho's motor.