Engine choice for old Pontiac

If you dare taint that beautiful Pontiac with anything other than the original 389, I'll place a Voodoo curse on you that will cause you navel to be infested with the flees of a thousand camels.

keep the big chief freshen it up add a mild cam maybe EFI the thing and add an ODtrans then dress it up in your favorite style or heck leave it stock internally after all isnt it going to be a custom? just keep that big poncho in that big poncho its just better that way...

It is my humble opinion that your car was one of the classics of its era. I would hate to know that you didn't Poncho power it. Comp Cams for cams, Edelbrock for intake or Automotion for multiple carb systems, an MSD ignition system and a higher stall converter. There may be some later heads that will fit which flow better., These will all wake up that motor and will not cost a lot. Its never going to be super fast because of its weight. I believe tri-power was one of the engine options at that time.

Pontiac definitly! You might consider a 455 if you like, most wouldn't know it wasn't the 389 and would get you some extra cubes. A cam ,tri-power,or dual quads would be neat.