[al vegas]

i just got into my 64 catalina. dont know much about muscle cars .i was a tuner guy. so i have a non working 389 in my car now. but i wanna know what else motors i can replace it with that will just bolt on. cause finding a 389 here is hard. any help is much appreciated

[1badLemans]

Since its a pontiac you could look for a pontiac 350, 400, or 455. They also make adapters to put in a chevy 350 as well as to adapt to the trans. The pontiac should drop right in place of the 389 and are usually cheap. Good luck

[ramzoom]

I know of a rebuilt 389 in So Cal that's available....its a 65 manual trans block single 4bbl numbers....longblock...pm me if you'd like details..it belongs to my old man.

[454C10]

why is your engine "non working"?

I would keep it pontiac. 455's are nice in a heavy car.

[BOBCRMAN@aol.com]

Back in the day. I remember trying to put a 421 in a 64 GTO and couldn't bolt a starter to the combo. Early Pontiac had starter bolts in trans/belhousing and late had bolts in block.. Neither starter style would fit.

[al vegas]

Originally Posted by 454C10

why is your engine "non working"?

I would keep it pontiac. 455's are nice in a heavy car.

well it was somewhat apart and its all rusted and cruddy

[al vegas]

Originally Posted by 1badLemans

Since its a pontiac you could look for a pontiac 350, 400, or 455. They also make adapters to put in a chevy 350 as well as to adapt to the trans. The pontiac should drop right in place of the 389 and are usually cheap. Good luck

ive seen a couple 350 available here is there a particular years pref. will a 71 firebird 350 work

[al vegas]

Originally Posted by 454C10

why is your engine "non working"?

I would keep it pontiac. 455's are nice in a heavy car.

im going to keep it pontiac just wanted to know my motor options

[Graham M]

I'd try to get your hands on a Pontiac 400. Those are hot engines, and aren't a bank breaker to buy, nor run. It should be a good fit for a car that size & weight. Not hard to make fast too, as there is a lot of performance parts available for it. Any wrecker should have a good old one, then you can have it rebuilt or do it yourself for a few thousand. Like I say modding it isn't hard to do to get decent figures out of it. Much more so then the GM 400.

While the 455 is an incredible engine, not too many people can afford to use them with todays gas prices.

The 455 (if you read up on it) has an abundance of Nascar technology stuffed into it. It was pigeon holed to conform with Emission regulations, but with just mere bolt ons it can sing and put out some impressive HP numbers, while still being very much stock. Kind of too bad though, as awesome of an engine as it is, it'll drink the gas no matter what you do to it. I forget what that "455" translates too, but I think its around 7.2 liters.

[BOBCRMAN@aol.com]

7.4 L it is cast into a lot of 454 chevy blocks

[1badLemans]

Vegas that one should work pretty good. The earlier blocks like 67-74 are the best because they pretty much bolt into all chassis with not alot of work. Get all the mounts and brackets from the 71 if you can and make sure the 350 is complete as possible. Some pulleys swaps on pontiacs can be a pain. If you just want to get your ride running and on the road, the 350 would be just fine especially if you can afford it and its close bye. Its not the most desireable and will not be a screamer but will power your car just fine untill you can get a bigger engine for some more fun!

[al vegas]

thanks for that advice. now just got to make sure the trans will work if i dont get a long block.

[speedball]

My buddy has a 64 Cat with a 389 and it's one helluva ride!!!! Great looking car you have.

My Dad has a 62 Pontiac Bonneville convertible with a 389 Tri-Power. That SOB flies like the wind. If you have a 389 why not rebuild it?

If your interested i can go over to my Dads and snap some photos of the engine for motivation

[al vegas]

Originally Posted by speedball

My buddy has a 64 Cat with a 389 and it's one helluva ride!!!! Great looking car you have.

My Dad has a 62 Pontiac Bonneville convertible with a 389 Tri-Power. That SOB flies like the wind. If you have a 389 why not rebuild it?

If your interested i can go over to my Dads and snap some photos of the engine for motivation

well the existing 389 is in bad shape corrosion all over and missing here and there pieces so jus a better start with a complete motor. i just had a 65 bonnie befor this 64 cat and that was a boss hogg to. i prefferd the cleaner look of the 64

[al vegas]

Originally Posted by 1badLemans

Vegas that one should work pretty good. The earlier blocks like 67-74 are the best because they pretty much bolt into all chassis with not alot of work. Get all the mounts and brackets from the 71 if you can and make sure the 350 is complete as possible. Some pulleys swaps on pontiacs can be a pain. If you just want to get your ride running and on the road, the 350 would be just fine especially if you can afford it and its close bye. Its not the most desireable and will not be a screamer but will power your car just fine untill you can get a bigger engine for some more fun!

i found a 73 catalina 400. will this be good i pulled out my 389 and in has a two bolt main