Car of the Week: 1969 Pontiac Trans Am

[mongooz]

Kevin Beal of Spotford, N.H., is the owner of the very first Pontiac Firebird production car to get the Trans Am package. This particular car is a bit out of the ordinary owing to its early build, so let’s first look at what the 1969 Trans Am represented before getting into the unique details behind the first example.

The 1969 Pontiac Trans Am

The Trans Am — a true Pontiac muscle machine — started out as a sports-racing car. It was planned as a competitor in the sedan class of the Sports Car Club of America (SCCA) Trans-American Cup series. Indeed, a shortened version of the name of that racing series was used for the car, and Pontiac paid the SCCA a $5 per car royalty for its use.

The racing version was originally planned to be powered by an ultra-high-performance, low-compression 303-cid small-block V-8. The engine was designed specifically to “fit” the displacement limits of the Trans-American Cup racing class. Only 25 of these engines were built, and they were sold to competitors as a replacement to the 400-cid big-block V-8s originally fitted at the factory.

read more: https://www.oldcarsweekly.com/car-of-the-week/car-of-the-week-1969-pontiac-trans-am

 

[VoidTerraFirma]

I really dig these OG TAs. But I dig a Firebird ragtop from this era even more.

 

[DinoMikeSr]

NOTE: I forgot the Pontiac blocks were different. Leaving the post up though.

The 400 cid engine I recall being a small block. We had a couple of cars with them; the article refers to them as a big block.

Big Block Chevy like a 396 or 427 or 454

Small block 400

Pontiac 400

 

[Tig]

The 400 cid engine I recall being a small block. We had a couple of cars with them; the article refers to them as a big block.

Big Block Chevy like a 396 or 427 or 454

Small block 400

Yeah, I thought the 400's were small blocks.

 

[DinoMikeSr]

Yeah, I thought the 400's were small blocks.

I added to my post above because I forgot that Pontiac and Buick blocks were a bit different. I had Buick with a 350 engine, I wouldn't consider it a big block but the intake was wider and so the heads appeared further apart than say a typical chevy 350.

 

[mongooz]

I added to my post above because I forgot that Pontiac and Buick blocks were a bit different. I had Buick with a 350 engine, I wouldn't consider it a big block but the intake was wider and so the heads appeared further apart than say a typical chevy 350.

the Pontiac 400's ARE big blocks, they are the descendant of the 389 (same as the GTO) which were certainly considered big blocks.
chevy and ford made 400 small blocks, that were related to the 350/351. but not the Pontiac. the article is correct.

 

[Jbird]

Not related to the above car or Pontiac, but related to the Trans-Am series of cars...I just watched a video a few days ago where the owner of a shop that does youtube videos had a guy bring in an all-original 340 six-pack out of a Challenger T/A.

They put it on the dyno, the guy adjusted the carb mixture to where it was supposed to be (all monitored by computer), and the engine was getting 325 hp and 360 ft lb torque. This was with original exhaust and everything.

Those engines were factory rated at 290 & 340(?), so it makes me wonder how much the big 3 fudged on their HP numbers? I've heard they did that for insurance purpose?

 

[mongooz]

Not related to the above car or Pontiac, but related to the Trans-Am series of cars...I just watched a video a few days ago where the owner of a shop that does youtube videos had a guy bring in an all-original 340 six-pack out of a Challenger T/A.

They put it on the dyno, the guy adjusted the carb mixture to where it was supposed to be (all monitored by computer), and the engine was getting 325 hp and 360 ft lb torque. This was with original exhaust and everything.

Those engines were factory rated at 290 & 340(?), so it makes me wonder how much the big 3 fudged on their HP numbers? I've heard they did that for insurance purpose?

the manufacturer's ratings were crap, and it's been pretty well proved on dynos decades later. a dual quad 426 Hemi only puts out 425 h p? yea right.
same goes for GM an Ford. i had a 1971 Torino Cobra, 429 Super Cobra Jet, 4 speed.....385 HP? bullshit.
i also had a '72 340 Challenger and my best quarter time was 12.97. that's not 290 HP.