I have a friend that has a "50" Chevy street rod that has been chopped and slammed. However, when it was built they used a mid to late 70's Firebird front frame clip with a Pontiac 350 and powerglide. I have convinced him that the poor car deserves a Chevy drivetrain. My question is...has anyone ever put a SBC in a Pontiac frame? It seems to me the speed shops used to sell a kit with some kind of adapter motor mounts and trans mount. I think the Firebird and Camaro frames are basically the same, so maybe just use Camaro frame mounts? I know someone who is selling a decent 350 w/TH 350 trans and I would like to hook him up.

Thanks
Dan

Use small block chevy frame mounts and it should bolt right in.

He could just build a 400 pontiac motor or even a 455 since they use the same size block. 400 pontiac motors can still be found fairly easy.

We have a '70 455 in our '72 Lemans Sport. It has a 230 degree hydraulic cam and headers. Makes our L78 Chevelle look a little slow. Big Pontiac engines make great street power. Ours was rated at 360 hp with 500 ft. lb. of torque. With this cam the 455 can idle down the road quietly or light the tires at will. I'm a Chevy guy but have had enough experience with Pontiacs to realize that they can be a fun ride. Had a Ram Air Bird back in '68 with the Royal Bobcat kit, headers, along with a full balance and blueprint. The car sure impressed me. Your friend might just want to keep Pontiac power just to have something a little different.

I appreciate the advice and I know those Pontiac engines are good on torque but the sbc stuff is just so much cheaper and available.

I have put a small block into a Pontiac frame. Really it's a GM frame so think of it like that. All those extra holes in the frame are for every motor GM installed that year. All you have to do is see what holes are used on a Camaro and use those with the appropriate Chevy mounts.
A BB Pontiac is no joke. I used to race a lot and the times I got beat were either by another Chevy or a Pontiac. Even the 350's are pretty good. But the best price for rebuilding is a 400. They have really good heads usually. I have a set of 6X's that are going on top of my Pontiac, when I find one. At one time my El Camino was gonna be Pontiac powered. I even dropped the motor in on the mounts. I used my stock 66 frame stands and the factory 70-72 Pontiac engine mount. It made it a solid mount and fit right in. The alt was on the other side as well as the fuel pump. No big deal.
In your case I would use a Poncho mill. Just my opinion of course.
Now I just gotta find a project for the Pontiac I want to build. Later and good luck with that. Do you have pics? --Josh

I have a buddy that has scattered two 461 Pontiacs this year, one n/a the other with a 8-71 on it, both concreted to the water pump. I don't think the bottom of the block is as strong as a bbc and I sure can't convince him to try one, he's a diehard Poncho guy.

I think there is a BPO bolt pattern on some tranny. You Might want to watch for that.