Has anyone scanned the Hot Rod P1800 article? I bought the ebay 289 powered P1800 in NC...want to see if there are any similarities between the cars...the car was pro built, has corvette rear, full stewart warner gauges, hubcentric 15 inch steel wheels, Delco front calipers

Thanks

Al Taylor
1963 P1800
1965 P1800
1971 P1800
289 Ford powered 1800

Very good! Many of us envy you!

I have seen comments about frontal weight, including a guy who removed his V-8

However. the Corvette rear should help. Has the battery been moved to the trunk (the rear of the trunk) Keep the tank full, carry some tools.

I AM curious about weight distribution.

Someday when my basket case runs...
--
'96 855R,'64 PV544 driver, '67 P1800 basket case, '95 855, '95 854, the first three are mine, heh, heh, 485,000 miles put on 9 bricks

Weight difference might not really be all that dramatic. The B18/20 is pretty chunky for a 4 cylinder.
--
'63 PV544 rat rod, '93 Classic #1141 245 (now w/16V turbo)

Depending on accessories the quoted weight for a cast-iron 289 is something like 475-500 lbs. The B20 is quoted at 341. So, about 140 lbs difference. Probably noticeable but not game-changing for street driving.

Running an aluminum V8 would of course give you all the power with no weight disadvantage. (Buick/Rover 3500?)

Or move up a few decades - the LS family of alu blocked V8's. 3 or 400 HP from the factory, weight is a fair amount less than an iron blocked V8, and the aftermarket is just massive.

The cars the engine come in might not always be great (disposable wrapper), but the engines are awesome.
--
'63 PV544 rat rod, '93 Classic #1141 245 (now w/16V turbo)

Would it fit? I think the 289 beats it due to width. I'm pretty sure you can get some 3V heads that are just as good as anything available for the GM too.

I'd like to get one of the local LS powered cars to fit one of these:



Remember the 2 door Pontiac we exported to the US before the Aussie dollar rocketed to parity & beyond? We have loads of them in 4-door version.

--
Three 164's, Two 144's, One 142 & a partridge in a pear tree.

"Remember the 2 door Pontiac we exported to the US before the Aussie dollar rocketed to parity & beyond? We have loads of them in 4-door version."

You've evidently forgotten - the 4 door Pontiac (G8) was exported from Australia to the US for a little over a year, just before GM decided to pull the plug on Pontiac altogether. Great car, and I'm not just quoting some road test mag or internet chatter... I own one. :)

It's a fantastic sedan - good handling (rear wheel drive with near 50-50 weight distribution), good brakes, and decent ride (prolly a smidge too stiff for the boulevard set). And the really fun part? With the 361 hp LS in a 3990 lb car, it's a rocket to boot; mid-13 seconds in the quarter mile, absolutely instantaneous throttle response, and an honest 25 mpg at 70+ mph. After some negotiation and not much at that, the car cost me less than $26000 out the door, brand spankin' new in early 2009. It will most likely be a long, long time before I get another new car bargain like this one.

--

Gary L - 142E ITB race car, 73 1800ES
BlueBrick Racing Website
YouTube Racing Videos

Let us know how it corners. That is a lot of frontal weight. Also the brake bias; do the rears lock up before the front brakes?

Klaus
--
My name is Klaus and I am a V ♂ lv ♂ holic