Thread: 326 Pontiac engine

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Found a 326 Pontiac engine from a 63 car and since I've never worked on one, I was wondering if they are any good as a engine for a build up. This one has a 2 barrel carb.

It will kind of depend on what your goals are and what you are putting it in,more info? The down side is the 326 was not around long and was phased out by the 389 which has a lot more aftermarket parts available.

The 326 Pontiac was meant for fuel mileage and not alot of HP. If you want a good driver motor, its fine . but like was said the 389 or 400 Pontiac were the HP motors.

It's not the best, (hp wise) to build. But the good news if you just want a good running motor, is pontiac's 326, 350, 389, 400, 455 have the same block. As size goes. So all heads, manifolds, cams, etc, etc will interchange. Down side as they use same outer block size, engine is big and heavy for cid. I ran one once in a race car, because we were limited to 350 cid, and we didn't have 350, and it was nothing to write home about. But if it runs use it. You can always get a 389 or 400 block later and headers, intake, dist will fit. And it's not a sbc. Ive got one, (sbc), but it's nice to see somthing else being used.

I had a 326 in my '64 LeMans; it was sometimes referred to as a "baby GTO" in that particular guise - it had the same four barrel as the "lo-po" GTO, true dual exh., and a Muncie 4 speed. Basically, it was a GTO without the badging and fancy woodwork, and a 326 instead of the 389. That thing was a pretty good runner in factory trim, and would hold it's own against almost anything of similar size, and many with bigger engines, as well. If it had the benefit of a good rebuild/blueprint job, and some cam and flow work, it can put out very respectable performance. A set of Super Duty heads or other hi performance factory or aftermarket items, a GTO Tri-Power or other triple-deuce or dual quad manifold, some headers -- well, like I said, the right build, and it might really surprise you. There are several sites on the "net" that are Poncho oriented, and a lot of info out there. Of course, for the same amount of gold, or nearly so, you can build a 400 or 455 and have just that much more oomph. There is virtually no difference in the basic design from the earliest Pontiacs to the latest.

I bought a motor out of a 66 GTO years ago, was supposed to be a 389, but turned out to be a 326!! 3 dueces and a 410 gear and a cam, it surprised a few big blocks plus it stayed together for years unlike the previous 389's !!