Pontiac 400 (1967 GTO YS)
Hello, all! I’m in the early stages of a 1966 GTO build. I’m not on a shoestring budget, but I am on a lower-mid budget.
First, I’ll be having some relatively minor rust repair work done by a friend. During that process, we’ll separate the body from the frame for the first time in 60 years to address the floors and frame as needed. We’ll be painting the underside of the body, replacing the body mounts, and stripping and painting the chassis. I’ll be replacing/refurbishing all suspension components, braking components, and the fuel system. Once that’s all done and the body and frame are back together, but before the front end is reassembled, I’ll put in the motor/transmission. The car already has a Moser M9 installed but no motor or transmission. We’ll also be rewiring from front to back during this first phase.
Anyway, I purchased a 400 (YS code) from a ‘67 GTO this week. It was running before being pulled out for an LS swap. It has 670 heads and Ram Air exhaust manifolds. No intake/carb. Good compression and seems to be in pretty good shape overall. I’d rather not do a full rebuild right now so that I can spend money on getting the car running so that I can be driving it while working on it over the next year or two. Basically, my plan is to do all of the mechanical/undercarriage/floors and rust work up-front and then do the cosmetic bodywork and interior over time while driving it. And then, at some point, really build this motor into a beast. I realize that may not work out if the motor doesn’t cooperate, but that’s the plan.
With that in mind, how would you approach cleaning this motor up, resealing it, and just running it as is for now if it were you? What lower-cost things might you do to it while it’s out of the car to increase performance? What specs would you check, and what issues would make you stop and do a full rebuild with machine work and the works?
I’ve done almost everything else on these cars to some degree, but I’ve never built an engine by myself. So input is welcome here. Thank you.