Last year for the Chevy 250 I-6 in a Firebird, starting in 77 the base engine was the Bent 231 Buick V6. 3-speed manual trans. It does have Power Steering & Brakes, along with Sport mirrors, but I cant see any other options in the bad interior pictures. I don't car for the Exterior color, or the wheels, and the price is a bit "optimistic" but looks to be in good shape. If I was still in the NW & still racing with the Inlinners International Club I would have to look at this one. https://portland.craigslist.org/clk/cto/d/1976-pontiac-firebird/6487182828.html
I dunno......seeing that stovebolt inline 6 in that Pontiac is just.........wrong, lol. and and possibly .
Too bad they threw away the OHC 6 from the 60's. It would have been perfect for this. Imagine it with electronic fuel injection, a better tune, etc, making 1 hp per cubic inch, I'll bet.
Pontiac used a 215 cu version of the Chevy 230 in 1964-65, made there own 230 & 250 OHC-6 for 66-69 then used the standard Chevy 250 I-6 for 1970-76. Then it was Buick 231 Bent V6's (with a few 252 Buick's in the early 80's) Unfortunatly a OHC-6 will not clear the hoodline up front where the timing belt cover sits. so you need an odd looking forward sitting power bulge or scoop. I think its a Kool car for about 1/2 the asking price. If its in as good of condition as it looks in the pictures. With a Clifford 4bbl intake, small 4bbl carb & a cam. it would surprise people by running high 13 to low 14's in the 1/4 mile and still be streetable. I know the Chevy 6 can wrinkle the noses of Pontiac Snobs, but it is what the car was built with. My very Quick research shows out of the total of 22387 Base Firebirds sold in the 76 Model year, only 3134 were sold with the base Chevy I6. I haven't been able to find a breakout of Manual/Automatic's or even if a 4-speed was offered. so I would say its a rare example and to see it survive thru to this day with the original drive train is very rare.
How many parts are interchangable between Pontiac and Chevy sixes? Because, both share identical displacements, I assume it would save production costs, by only casting an ohc head
Actually almost no parts interchange, a few small gaskets & the Distributor cap, rotor, & Points & Condenser are about all that directly interchange. The 1bbl carbs are similar but jetted differently.
Yes, I knew the stovebolt was a moniker applied to the 50's motor but wanted to magnify the wrongness of using this six in that car in 1975. I like KK's opinion that the Pontiac OHC, modernized of course, might have been a better choice in this car. Betting the OHC was a taller engine though, would it have fit under that low hood?
Definitely not a Rockford. Jim could never outrun the bad guys in this, unless they were maybe in a Beetle.
GM wasn't known for updating anything, unless cornered into having to do so. I'm sure, emmission compliance is what doomed the L-6s
The hood of a 2nd gen Firebird would not clear the Timing belt cover of the OHC-6, it was actually one of the minor reasons it was dropped, as they would have had to gone with either an unattractive "power" bulge at the front of the hood, or proceed with the DOHC program they had prototyped as the 2 cam sprockets were lower than the 1 cam sprocket. In the end they decided to do neither and use the Chevy OHV I6 for the Firebird & the OHC-6 for the A-body Lemans & Tempest. Then just before production they dropped the OHC-6 entirely for cost reasons. As for why the Straight 6's were dropped I believe it was more of a packaging issue and gas mileage thing. The Buick V6 fit into more auto chassis both FWD & RWD, the I6 would only fit into the planned RWD Chassis. The 250 I6 was used in cars thru at least 1978 as I remember taking parts off of I6 powered 78 Impala's in the local yards. The 250 & 292 straight 6's were used in trucks thru the 1980's Next year the Chevy trucks will get another straight 6 option, a DOHC Diesel for the 2019 model year.
