I think the last b-body Pontiac to have a real Pontiac engine was in 1980 with the 301. I have a 455 to put in my 1980 wagon. No headers were made for this application. However, since all Pontiac engines have the same external dimensions, I'm thinking that a set of headers from an earlier Trans Am should work. Certainly my wagon would have more clearance room than a TA. a. has anyone tried this? b. has anyone done this engine swap and what did you use?
Last B-body with a Pontiac was the 265\301 in 1981. If you want to use "real" headers I believe a set of long tube 1970-1981 F-body headers will fit. I know for a fact they fit quite nicely for 1971-1976 cars. Personally if I wanted upgraded exhaust I'd just use some Ram Air manifolds ('70-81 F-body) as there is way less headaches if you aren't racing. They fit the '71-76 cars so should fit the '77-81 chassis as well.
I agree with elB. The factory Ram Air manifolds are the way to go. Talk to Ram Air Restorations; they manufacture those manifolds for all the retailers. They will probably be able to tell you which ones will work in your car. If you've modified that 455, you might want to order the oversize manifolds. https://www.ramairrestoration.com/pontiac.html?cat=12
I agree I have a set of 197o GTO Ram air III reproduction manifolds on the 400 in my 78 Catalina Safari. They are a nice fit. I had more of an issue fabing up a duel hump trans cross member than fitting the manifolds. I would check with RAR about availability, I know that a couple of years ago they had lost the availability at the casting plant they were using. I don't know if they found another supplier.
