Topic: anyone here either own, or even seen a pontiac ohc inline 6?

[bucky katt]

anyone here ever seen, heard of or maybe you might have one? i found my boxes of hot-rod and car-craft from the 60's and 70's and an article in one was talking about this engine. i'd LOVE to build a 60's pontiac based on one of these. it LOOKS mean as hell thats for sure.

[kirkn]

Never owned one, but very familiar with 'em from my days back when I DID own a Pontiac LeMans Convertible and hung out on the various Pontiac forums.

Supposedly very good motors.

I think it'd be neat, too.

First gen was 230 cu in, laters were 250.  SOHC and you could get 'em with 4-barrel carb.  IIRC, the LeMans that came with 'em was called a Sprint.

Kewl.

[6pkrunner]

Yup several as a matter of fact. A few guys I knew had 68 Firebirds with the 250 OHC 6. I think nostalgia helped grow their image during the last few decades. They were pretty decent, but as kids we lusted after big blocks or high winding small blocks. 6's of all varieties were generally overlooked.
Much like how the 302 Z/28 has become an iconic monolith over time, it really was an okay engine in its day - not overly terrific as delivered. The Zedders were 15 second cars as delivered.

[bucky katt]

i'd love to maybe build a 49-51 ford or merc or maybe a 32 5 window coupe with one of those motors. i knew a guy back in tampa that drives a 49 ford tudor with a 401 nailhead buick in it. i love odd engine swaps.

[6pkrunner]

The 32 5 window is very very cool sounding. Hoodless, or just a louvered top - of course?

[GammaFlat]

My father owned a 67 (I think) Tempest overhead cam 6 "sprint" - I believe there were non-sprint versions as well.  He bought it from the original owner.  By the time my father got it, the cam was worn some so he replaced it.  I think the "sprint" (and maybe either version) tended to eat cams because of bad lubrication - or maybe abuse.  My father, frugal that he was, was horrified when he was picking the cam from a junk yard and the yard guy cut through the cam belt with his pocket knife.  Oh the horror

In any case, as a little boy, I remember that car being capable of a pretty mean burn out and impressed the crap out of me.  My father's friend had the 302 Z at the time and that car was considered something to genuflect to compared to the Tempest.  I'm not sure what the guy had done or not done to the Z28, but it seemed ridiculous fast on runs up and down Indianapolis Boulevard on the Southeast side of Chicago ("where der's nuttin' as wholesome as a fish" -Richard J Daley).   

Years later, I had a 69 Camaro that had a small block, headers, 4bbl, 4spd, 411 gears.  It was a blast to drive but in my recollection, nothing like the 302. 

[bill440cars]

       Back when I was stationed at Charleston AFB from Aug 66'. til May 67', I knew of a Firebird with that engine w/ 4barrel carb And a 4sp. There was also an Austin Healey 3000 that, for whatever reason, someone put the same setup in there. AND that Austin Healey was a Screamer, as if they didn't run pretty good anyway!    

[tramp]

they say that six would out run a small block

[mark]

last time I saw one of those OHC sixes was at the junkyard about 25 years ago.

the local yard has an older Tempest or some such. has the half-a-389 4 cylinder with a 4 barrel on it.

been sitting there for years and still mostly in 1 piece.

[mgbgt89]

I've only ever seen one.. It was in a tempest at a car show a few years ago. I was shocked that GM had an OHC in the 60's.. since they still can't manage to put them in some cars today. Very cool looking motor if i remember right.

[bucky katt]

The 32 5 window is very very cool sounding. Hoodless, or just a louvered top - of course?

louvered top, no fenders and moon discs of course.

[Kevin D]

My folks had a 68 Tempest with ohc6. It was one of the first cars I drove (I turned 16 in 69), and they gave it to us when we got married in 75.  I dont recall it as the Sprint model though, and if you wanted the performance Tempest you got a GTO, and anyways I got on the Honda to go fast. It had cracked valve seats: I got a $400 top end job with new head for it about 73 or 74. It got a leak in the back window and came to be known lovingly as the mushroom car, because when we got rid of it in 78 there were mushrooms growing under the seat.

On a good day it it looked about like this, without the GTO trim, nice wheels and such:

[69modelj]

here ya go.... The "Sprint" version was the hi-po engine at 207 h.p. with a quadra jet. Internal dimensions were similar to the chevy 230 six cyl. Came in Firebirds and Tempests, and was the base engine for the Tempest, 66-69. Was the idea of John Delorian.

[Stev-o]

I had one years ago in a '68 Firebird convertible. Soon after I bought it, it was running bad, had it checked out and it needed to be rebuilt.
Would have been very costly so I replaced it with a Camaro engine!

-Steve

[bucky katt]

here ya go.... The "Sprint" version was the hi-po engine at 207 h.p. with a quadra jet. Internal dimensions were similar to the chevy 230 six cyl. Came in Firebirds and Tempests, and was the base engine for the Tempest, 66-69. Was the idea of John Delorian.

thats a bunch of horsepower from such a small displacement in that time period

[Don R]

With a little work the OHC head could be put on a 292 truck block. And it could bored to 302 ci. The Hi PO one had a 4 barrel and split exhaust. I have a 69 firebird with the HO350 and my buddy had the OHC 6 in his. We never did race not sure why.

[ColinMc]

Just get a jeep straight six, either the old AMC 258 4.2L, or the newer 4.0L....or do the 4.2 with a 4.0 head on it for an instant HUGE hp gain.

Or toyota used a fairly bullet proof 3.0L straight six in the Supras and Cressidas from 87-92. The 7MGTE was the turbo and the 7MGE was the non turbo.

[kirkn]

LOL!  Look at that engine bay picture!  Where's the plastic covering, where's the labels telling you to keep your fingers out of the fan blades, where's the sticker describing the emmisions controls, where's the miles and miles of wires from sensors back to the CPU, where's the emission controls of any kind whatsoever?  LOL!  And the SPACE!  Why, you could change those spark plugs on a rainy day by just climbing in there NEXT to it!

[bucky katt]

i was thinking the same thing. i had a 70 fairlane with the 250 straight 6 in it. i COULD climb in next to the motor if i wanted to. hell, i had a friend that had one with a 428 that had all the room in the world around that behemoty motor.

[wardenerd]

Tempest 1966.  It was sold as a performance economy engine.  A budy of mine had a convertable with one in it