Engine Components- External
Pontiac V8 Engine Components- External
Outside the Block — Engine Components- External for Pontiac V8s
Engine Components - External covers everything that bolts to the outside of a Pontiac V8: oil pans and pickups, windage trays, dipstick tubes, valley pans, harmonic balancers, pulleys, starters and crankcase evacuation. Get these wrong and a healthy short block still leaks oil, drops pressure in a corner, or will not clear the chassis it has to live in.
Butler stocks stock-appearing replacements right alongside race hardware: Canton, Milodon and Moroso oil pans, Tomahawk and louvered windage trays, ATI, Romac, Powerbond and Butler AAC balancers, March and CVF serpentine systems, IMI mini starters and complete Butler evac pump kits.
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1. Oil Pans, Pickups and Pan Hardware
The pan has to suit the chassis, the pickup and the way the car is driven. Choose the pickup to match the pan, never the other way around.
| Stock replacement | Canton's baffled six-quart pan fits all Pontiac V8s in production chassis and uses an M-54S pickup with a 3/4" tube. Milodon's factory replacement pan holds six quarts plus filter, and in Butler's experience with that baffle design a windage tray is required to keep oil pressure steady. |
| High capacity | Canton's 8" high capacity pan uses a side kick-out under the starter and an 8" deep by 11-1/2" wide sump, and requires the 15-401 pickup. Moroso's deep sump steel pan runs 9-3/4" deep and eight quarts for 1967-81 Firebird and 1964-87 mid and full-size chassis. |
| Road race | Canton's shallow road race pan uses a 7" deep sump for a six quart system for 1970-81 Firebird and Trans Am, but it will not clear some stock exhaust. Milodon's GTO road race pan fits 1964-73 GTO and LeMans with 389-455 and will not fit a Firebird. |
| Clearance | Butler's rule is 1/8" to 1/4" of oil pan to pickup clearance, checked with every pump and pickup combination regardless of the pan. Reinforcement plates and a magnetic drain plug round out the hardware. |
2. Windage Trays, Crank Scrapers and Dipstick Tubes
These three share the same space under the crank, so plan them together.
| Tomahawk 3/4 length tray | Stock-style coverage for a factory block. A 4.25" stroke crank may require spacing, it is not for use with a 4.5" stroke, and the number 2 and number 4 main caps must be threaded for it to mount. Not intended for aftermarket blocks. |
| Louvered tray | Designed for the IA2 block, it also works on any Pontiac V8 with splayed or regular main caps, two bolt or four bolt, on strokes up to 4.500". It will not work with the stock lower dipstick tube, and a crank scraper is recommended with it. Shim with rectangular stock, not washers, and know that more than 1/4" of shim may not let the pan fit. |
| Crank scrapers and dipstick tubes | Scrapers are cut for a specific stroke, in 3.75", 4.210"/4.250" and 4.500" versions. The lower tube changes depending on whether a windage tray is used, and the upper block tube presses through from the inside out, so the pan has to be off. Butler sells stainless tubes and complete 1966-79 kits for A/C and non-A/C cars, with an optional install tool. Not for aluminum blocks. |
3. Harmonic Balancers and Dampers
A Pontiac balancer is a tuned damper, not a pulley spacer, and the rubber in a fifty year old original has usually let go. Two questions pick the part: how many bolts, and does the class require SFI.
| Stock replacement | Butler's AAC four-bolt unit covers 1968-79 except 301, carries stock timing marks only, works with A/C pulleys and may need honing to fit. The 1959-67 six-bolt AAC damper is a two-piece assembly that bolts inside the pulley, with Grade 8 pulley bolts, a crank key and an extended hub for later crank snouts. |
| Performance street | Powerbond's street balancer for 1968-79 heat bonds the rubber between a modular iron center and the inertia ring, with etched marks in two degree increments from 0 to 40. It is not SFI approved. |
| SFI race | The Powerbond race balancer uses a CNC machined 1045 steel center, meets SFI 18.1, is approved to 12,500 RPM and is machined to work with stock A/C pulleys. Romac offers SFI approved steel and steel over aluminum units. ATI Super Dampers come as a 6-3/8" or 7" three-bolt internal balance unit, or a 7" aluminum shell version that lightens the crank nose, all with laser engraved timing marks. |
4. Valley Pans
The valley pan is the part here most likely to ruin an intake installation. Clearance has to be checked every time.
| Tomahawk stock reproduction | A steel reproduction of the stock two-piece 1968-and-up design, modified to clear all solid and hydraulic roller lifters, with a PCV provision and a stock look. Not for EGR intakes, 1964 and earlier Tri-Powers, or 301s. The install kit with grommet, gasket, PCV valve and bolts is sold separately. |
| Aluminum valley pans | Butler has these custom made from thick aluminum with hardware, and they are required to clear many solid roller and all hydraulic roller lifters. There is no PCV provision, so Butler does not recommend one for street use unless a crankcase vacuum pump is on the engine. Do not install the studs more than 3/4" deep or you can damage the cam bearings. |
| The clearance check | Valley pan to intake clearance on a Pontiac must always be checked, with stock or aftermarket parts alike. You may have to grind the bottom of the intake runners or the top edges of the pan. |
5. Pulleys, Serpentine Systems and Accessory Drives
Two paths, and they do not mix. Keep the V-belt setup correct, or convert the front of the engine to serpentine.
| V-belt pulleys | Crank, water pump, alternator and power steering pulleys, individually and as matched kits. Serpentine conversion kits from March and CVF are also stocked for a car that already has usable accessories. |
| All inclusive serpentine | March Style Track, Revolver, Ultra and Sport Track systems for 326-455 with or without A/C and power steering. CVF's Wraptor covers all three accessories in one kit. Chassis matters: Revolver systems are built for 1967-69 Firebird and for 1970 and later GTO, Firebird and Grand Prix with a GM Type II remote pump. |
| Alternator relocation | Butler's kit converts to a serpentine crank pulley and drops the alternator to a low mount, in an electric water pump version and a mechanical version for 1969-1/2 and later engines with the 4.5" water pump. |
6. Starters
Heat soak, header clearance and cranking compression are why a Pontiac ends up with a mini starter.
| IMI mini starters | Block mount units for 1964 and later blocks in 1.2 kW, 1.4 kW and 2.0 kW, with 4.4:1 gear reduction, a Nippon Denso motor and an adjustable drive end housing. IMI rates the 1.4 kW version for compression up to 14:1, and these can be used with Ram Air exhaust manifolds. |
| Butler milled versions | The mounting pad is milled an extra .075" for better fitment with flywheels, with an extra shim for flexplates. Pinion to ring gear clearance runs 0.100" plus or minus 0.050". For 1961-64 389 and 421 there is a bell housing mount starter rated to 11:1, plus an adapter kit for 1961-64 blocks. |
7. Crankcase Evacuation and Air Cleaners
Crankcase vacuum is one of the cheaper gains on a serious Pontiac.
| Butler evac kits | The complete GZ kit runs braided hose and -10 AN fittings from the valve cover to the pump, with a billet adjustable vacuum relief valve, the Butler 1" billet crank mandrel and the recommended 3.5" drive pulley. Moroso three and four vane kits use a -12 AN weld-in bung. |
| Before you order | An evac kit needs an AN fitting in the valve cover and a baffle is highly recommended, which is why Butler sells evac valve covers with both already installed. These kits are not compatible with A/C and are not recommended for autocross or road race use. |
| Air cleaners | 14" assemblies, bases and lids for a 5-1/8" neck in flat, 7/8" drop and 1-1/8" drop, with paper or washable elements 2" to 4" tall. Butler will CNC mill a lid with your logo. Not for Dominator carburetors. |
If you are not sure which pan, tray and dipstick combination will live together in your car, call the shop. Butler would rather sort the fitment out on the phone than ship you a pan that hits the crossmember.
Oil Pans, Dip Sticks, Tubes & Oil Accessories Harmonic Balancers/Dampers Pulleys & Serpentine Belt Systems Evac Pump Kits & Accessories Starters Air Cleaners/Filters Alternator Relocation Kits Valley Pans and Accessories
Not sure what your Pontiac needs?
Email our tech team at tech@butlerperformance.com. Tell us your engine, heads, car, and power goal, and we will put the parts together as one combination that works.