[crash1369]

i just got a PMD 350 out of a 71 lemans, does anybody make a rebuild kit for it or do i have to buy everything seperatley? i want to get allot of power out of this motor, as much as i can while still being reliable i am planning on building it myself but i am a novice this will be my first motor so i want to make the process as easy as possible. thanks for the help

[BVR421]

You can get a rebuild kit at Autozone, good quality and you can substitute better than stock parts when you order. Order by noon, next day delivery. Summit also sells complete rebuild kits. They are just not on page one of their catalog like ford and chevy parts.
You also might want to talk to a Pontiac builder close to you they can usually get a custom kit together for you for very little more $. Pontiac Dude in Florida, PPR in California, PaulSpotts in Pa, JimTaylor in NJ, KRE in Ohio, TinIndian in Ohio, CVMS (Pbody) in Va., Greg Merrick in Colorado, etc, etc. there is an expert near you LOL in fact they can all sell you a complete ready to run crate motor. Then once you get the parts you get to learn to deal with a local reliable machine shop.
If I had a 350 that needed an complete rebuild I would have to consider that a used mostly stock 400 will still make more power than a new hopped up 350.
If the 350 you found still runs you might be able to have some fun with it before putting a lot of cash in it and develop some basic mechanical skills if you are just learning about these motors. A PMD 350 has a relatively small cylinder compared to the bigger Pontiacs and that may be why it does not respond as well as a 350 chev for the $$$ invested. Thats why most of the hotter Pontiacs are using the 400 or 455 block. Thats not to say it cant or wont be built into a real screamer but that would take a stubborn person who has more $$$ than I do LOL
Best money a novice can spend right now is to buy a $20.00 repair manual for your Pontiac and at the same time also buy the Jim Hand book, both will save you tons of money in the long run. Look for "Building Pontiac Performance" book on this Performance Years site, I think its less than $20

[crash1369]

allready have jim hands book, i got the 350 for free and its going into a fiero so itll make plently of power, im going to get it bored out anyway so itll be a little bigger. ill save the bigger motors for bigger cars once im done with this i need to find me another firebird.

[Thumpin455_GTO]

What trans you gonna use in the Fiero? I been contemplating the Toronado transaxle swap in one for a while now. I saw that done in HPP a few years back. Always thought a V8 Fiero would be too much fun, especially embarassing the 4 cylinder kids and Mustangs.

[PONTIAC DUDE]

Best thing to do is e-mail a Pontiac engine builder of your choice with your current specs or info.
Then list what your goals are.
Then rougly your price range.
Through e-mails back and forth you will end up with a game plan and everything is in writing. Right in front of you so you can see where your going or any updated changes.

For anyone out there. And FWIW:

It is easier if you keep the same e-mail going back and forth with all the previous correspondence, as with most builders The mail gets pretty heavy and you loose track of what goes with what for a reference, parts, pricing and changes made.

[Mr. P-Body]

I agree with what Ken says about the e-mails! Best way to keep track of everything.

No kit contains the optimum selection of performance parts. One must be "made up".
That's no big deal, as most of us have "canned" performance recipes. I'm working on an NHRA Stock Class car right now, using the 350 Pontiac.

Dave Windingland of Dave's Auto Parts, Ferncliff, VA, has "FearArrow", an '88 SE with a 455 in it. It uses the TH325 from an '80 Riviera (same FWD unit as Toronado and El Dorado of the era).
We feel the TH425 from the early '70s FWD big cars to be the better choice. Many TH400 perfromance parts fit, and the trans is bulletproof.
The biggest challenges were adapting the starter to the pass side, headers and keeping axles in it (Moser has the cure for that one...). Fabricating the engine cradle turned out to be quite simple.

You can see the car on our website (www.centralvirginiamachine.com)

The car has run 11s on 89 octane, no bottle. It goes 10s on the 100-hit. He says it still drives like a Fiero!

Jim

[crash1369]

thanks for the help everypne, i am probably going to stay with the getrag 5spd thats in it. rebuilt of corse the tornado trans would be a good way to go obviously it can handle way more power, hell it came with a 455 but i dont want an automatic and the stick shift options are pretty limited.

does anybody have websites or address or anything for some of the engine builders mentioned above, i live in PA so some info on the guys nearby would be great.