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Pontiac 316 V8 Engine

The 316 V8 was a very important engine for Pontiac as it made its push for recognition in the horsepower wars. One version of the Pontiac 316 called the Strato-Streak gained a lot of notoriety due to the fact that it was the first engine ever from Pontiac to be equipped with dual quad carburetors. This engine helped Pontiac push further into the NASCAR as well because of the impressive 285 horses that the 316 produced. Only around 200 of the Strato-Streak 316 engines were ever produced so if you ever find one then it would definitely be worth some money.

The Pontiac 316 V8 was only around for the 1956 model year as the demand for bigger engines and more horsepower kept growing. This small war between the big three led Pontiac to produce the 347 V8 engine for the 1957 model year by simply lengthening the stroke of the 316.

Comment Script

Comments

Owner
Hey guys, I have a Strato-Streak 316 in my 56 Chieftan, (73,745 mil). Unfortunatly it olny has the single 2 barrell carb.
#1 - Randy Dinwiddie - 01/25/2010 - 21:13
Wow
That's pretty impressive to have Strato-Streak 316 no matter what carb you have. I wonder how hard it would be to put the double 4 barrels on it?
#2 - Brian - 01/27/2010 - 20:38
Hey I didn't see the coment until today. I think I can just change the intake manifold? I saw one for sale on Craigslist. Leave a email add, I'll send a pic.
#3 - Randy - 06/13/2010 - 02:12
High Performance 316
The 285 HP engine was a limited use item with an Isky E-2 camshaft. Pontiac never offered a warrantee with any engine that had a solid lifter camshaft. These engines did not come from the factory installed in the car. Pontiac shipped the cars with the highest horsepower regular production order (RPO) engine and the additional parts were drawn from the parts department at the dealership for installation by the dealer or the owner.
#4 - Seamus McGowan - 02/04/2012 - 02:06
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;-) :-) :-D :-( :-o >-( B-) :oops: :-[] :-P

 

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Engine Specifications

1956 with 2 Barrel Carb
(Lower Compression)
Max Brake Horsepower - 192 @ 4400 rpm
Max Torque - 297 @ 2400 rpm
Stroke - 3.25
Bore - 3.9375
Compression - 7.9
Firing Order - 18436572

1956 with 2 Barrel Carb
(Higher Compression)
Max Brake Horsepower - 205 @ 4600 rpm
Max Torque - 294 @ 2600 rpm
Stroke - 3.25
Bore - 3.9375
Compression - 8.9
Firing Order - 18436572

1957 with 4 Barrel Carb
(Standard Transmission)
Max Brake Horsepower - 216 @ 4800 rpm
Max Torque - 315 @ 2800 rpm
Stroke - 3.25
Bore - 3.9375
Compression - 8.9
Firing Order - 18436572

1957 with 4 Barrel Carb
(Automatic Transmission)
Max Brake Horsepower - 227 @ 4800 rpm
Max Torque - 312 @ 3000 rpm
Stroke - 3.25
Bore - 3.9375
Compression - 8.9
Firing Order - 18436572

1957 with 2 X 4 Barrel Carbs
(Strato-Streak Model)
Max Brake Horsepower - 285 @ 5100 rpm
Max Torque - 330 @ 2600 rpm
Stroke - 3.25
Bore - 3.9375
Compression - 10.0
Firing Order - 18436572