Product Description

Have you been searching for a book dedicated strictly to Pontiac performance? Look no further - How to Build Max-Performance Pontiac V-8s is the one you need. From the 287 to the mighty 455, from Tempests to Tri-Powers, this book covers it all. Pontiac performance began back in 1955 with the mid-year introduction of a 4-barrel induction package. From there, the performance people at Pontiac upped the ante year after year, putting together performance packages for the 326, 389, 400, 421, and 455-cubic-inch engines. From Tri-Powers and Ram Air packages to factory cast headers, Pontiac has a performance and racing history as memorable and unique as any. Author Jim Hand begins with a year-by-year timeline, tracing Pontiac performance packages from 1955 through 1979, and then moves on to chapters on bottom end parts, and cooling, oiling, and ignition systems. He has also included special sections on the available carburetors including Tri-Powers, Q-Jets, Thermoquads, and AFBs, as well as detailed info on head porting and exhaust systems, featuring quantitative flowbench and drag-strip results. If you want to increase the performance of your Pontiac, How to Build Max-Performance Pontiac V-8s will show you how.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #361608 in Books
• Published on: 2004-09-10
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 128 pages

Customer Reviews

great book that you must have!!!!!!!!
really interesting book even if you don't own a pontiac excellent general info applicable to any carburated engine,easy to understand and.... just get it you won't be disappointed !!!!!!!!!

Tin Indian tuning
This book takes the reader through the stages of tuning a Pontiac V8, from 350 ci, through to 455 ci. What it doesn't do is give you "packages" of precribed power output. It'll take you through how to get the best from almost every stock part, and a few aftermarket parts too, but what you must do is decide is to what to use. Neither does it give you any information on the authors 11-second, 4000lb Pontiac station-wagon, something the book would greatly benefit from.
Apart from that, it's a well researched, well laid out book, that any V8 Pontiac gear-head should have on their bookshelf.

Jim Hand knows his Pontiacs.
Jim Hand is a well-respected authority on high-performance Pontiacs. I really identify with his scientific approach to basically getting the most for your money from what you have to work with, rather than throwing money at it until it goes fast. You'll find a lot of very good, useful information in his book. The book isn't a step-by-step assembly manual, nor a shopping list of speed parts. It's really all about putting together a matched and well thought-out combo for your Pontiac-powered ride.

The book covers cams, carbs, intakes, heads, blocks, exhaust, cooling and ignition and generally simple, effective modifications, tips and tricks to tailor those things to your particular combo. You'll find a good bit of Pontiac engine development history in the front and a section on engine combos from the various Pontiac performance vendors around the country in the back.

I really only have one even slightly negative thing to say about this book and maybe I'm just nit-picking. I feel the title isn't exactly accurate. The book is really more about building a fast, powerful, reliable and STREETABLE Pontiac, reflecting what Mr. Hand has done with his own 11.0 second station wagon. From the first paragraph on the first page, "...how to obtain high performance at the most reasonable cost." The title would lead you to believe you'll be learning how to build full-on dragster engines or something, which is not the focus of the book. I'd guess true "Max Perfomance" and "reasonable cost" are generally mutually exclusive.

Luckily, I already had an idea what to expect from the book, being familiar with Jim Hand's car and having read all the online articles he's done along with a great many of his postings on Pontiac sites. I'm glad to say I wasn't disappointed. Thanks Jim for pouring your 50+ years Pontiac experience into the pages of this book.