Air & Fuel Delivery
Pontiac V8 Air & Fuel Delivery
Feed It Properly — Air & Fuel Delivery for Pontiac V8s
Air & Fuel Delivery is the part of a Pontiac V8 build most people underestimate. A stock 3/8" line and an in-tank sock will feed a rebuilt 400 all day and will starve a big stroker or any EFI conversion the first time you lean on it in third gear.
Butler covers both paths: mechanical pumps from Carter, Holley, Edelbrock and RobbMc, in-tank EFI pump modules from Tanks Inc, Aeromotive and Holley, stock replacement and EFI-ready fuel tanks, high flow sending units, regulators, filters, complete line kits and air cleaners.
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1. Mechanical Fuel Pumps
A mechanical pump off the front of the cam is still the right answer for most carbureted street Pontiacs. The only question is how much the engine actually needs.
| Stock rebuild | Holley's mechanical pump flows 110 GPH free flow with shutoff pressure preset from 6.5 to 8 psi, fits all Pontiac V8s and needs no regulator. The fuel body can be rotated to suit your plumbing, with 1/4" NPT inlet and outlet. |
| Competition mechanical | The Carter Competition Series pump is rated at 120 GPH free flow with maximum pressure of 5.5 to 6.5 psi and a 1/4 NPT female inlet. |
| High volume | RobbMc six-valve high volume mechanical pumps are the top of the mechanical range, one rated at 130 GPH to support 550 or more horsepower, and a larger version rated up to 1100 horsepower. That covers a lot of carbureted Pontiacs without any electric pump wiring at all. |
| Plumbing the outlet | Butler builds fuel pump to carburetor inlet kits in -6 AN and -8 AN for RobbMc, Carter, Holley and Edelbrock pumps feeding either a Holley or a Pontiac Quadrajet, in black or Endura finish, so the hard part is done for you. |
2. Electric and In-Tank Pumps
Once you go EFI, or once a carbureted combination outruns the mechanical pump, the pump belongs in the tank. Submerged pumps run quieter, stay cool and do not suffer the vapor lock and cavitation that plague an external pump on a hot day.
| In-tank retrofit modules | The Tanks Inc PA series module, in 190, 250 and 400 lph, retrofits an internal pump into an original gas tank, with a reservoir tray that eliminates the starvation common in non-baffled tanks. |
| Aeromotive Phantom | The Phantom 200 supports up to 600 horsepower N/A on EFI and 750 horsepower N/A carbureted, and the Phantom 340 steps that to 850 and 1000. Both fit tanks 5.5" to 11" deep, use a baffle and basket to keep the pump submerged, and require a return style system. |
| Holley and Sniper | Holley 255 lph OEM style EFI tank modules bolt directly into the factory tank by chassis, covering 1961-64 full-size, 1964-67 and 1968-72 A-body, 1967-69 and 1970-73 Firebird and 1974-81 Firebird and Trans Am. Sniper in-tank retrofit pumps are offered at 340 lph with or without a return. |
| Inline and complete kits | Holley carbureted electric pumps from 97 to 140 GPH and street and strip billet EFI inline pumps. Butler also packages complete in-tank pump to EFI and in-tank pump to carburetor solutions, each with a new fuel tank and the whole fuel system. |
3. Fuel Tanks
Fifty year old tanks rust from the inside and lack the baffling a modern pump needs.
| Stock replacement | Tanks Inc steel replacement tanks cover 1964 through 1972 GTO and LeMans, 1967 through 1973 Firebird, 1971-72 and 1973-77 Ventura, 1973-79 Phoenix and 1974-81 Firebird. They go back in like the original tank did. |
| EFI-ready | The same tanks are offered in EFI versions ready for an in-tank module, including notched corner variants where the chassis needs one, plus matching gas tank straps. |
| Sniper EFI tank systems | Holley's EFI conversion tanks are a direct fit with no modifications. Each kit includes the tank, a 255 lph pump, internal baffling, a fuel level sender and the filler neck, in coated galvanized steel powder coated silver, with a large internal fuel tray to prevent pump starvation. |
| Late F-body | EFI tanks are also stocked for 1982-92, 1993-97 and 1998 Firebird. |
4. Sending Units
The sending unit is the quiet restriction in a stock fuel system. A factory 5/16" or 3/8" pickup is a hard ceiling no matter what pump is pushing it.
| High flow units | RobbMc 1/2" outlet and return sending units drop into the factory tank on 1964-67 GTO, LeMans and Tempest, 1967-69 Firebird, 1968-72 A-body, 1970-73 Firebird and Trans Am and 1974-79 Firebird and Trans Am. They are a direct replacement for the factory 5/16" or 3/8" unit and a budget alternative to a fuel cell or a weld-on sump. |
| When you need one | RobbMc recommends them for cars over 450 horsepower and for any car running an electric pump with a return or bypass style regulator. The 1/2" return tube lets you run a bypass regulator without modifying the tank, and it can be capped if no return line is used. |
| Details | A billet aluminum base and anodized tubes suit gasoline or alcohol, the stainless sender reads on factory gauges at 0 to 90 ohms, and the restrictive in-tank sock is replaced by an inline prefilter. |
| Level senders | Tanks Inc five-hole GM senders come in 0 to 90 ohms for 1965 and up and 0 to 30 ohms for earlier cars, cut to length for tanks 6" to 24" deep. |
5. Regulators and Filters
Regulator choice follows pump choice, and the wrong pairing shows up as flooded bowls or a lean miss at the top of the track.
| Carbureted | Bypass regulators from Holley, RobbMc, Edelbrock and Tanks Inc hold steady low pressure and return the extra fuel to the tank, which is what an electric pump on a carbureted engine wants. A dead head billet unit is stocked where a return line is impractical. |
| EFI | Holley, Sniper, FAST, RobbMc and Tanks Inc EFI regulators cover the pressure ranges an EFI system needs, including boost referenced 1:1 units for a blown or turbo combination. |
| Filters | Holley billet 175 GPH filters come in 100 micron pre-pump and 40 and 10 micron post-pump. Run the coarse filter before the pump and the fine one after. Russell competition filters are stocked in -6 and -8. |
6. Lines, Fittings and Block-Off Plates
Plumbing is where a fuel system build stalls out, so Butler sells it as kits.
| Line kits | Tanks Inc carbureted and EFI line kits include 25 feet of line and most of the fittings needed to plumb a system with a bypass regulator, and a universal kit is offered without a regulator. Holley EFI line kits come in 40 foot versions. |
| Quadrajet fittings | The Pontiac Q-jet uses a 5/8-18 inverted flare inlet, and Butler stocks adapters to -6 AN and to a 3/8 hose barb so you can plumb it properly. |
| Block-off plates | When the mechanical pump comes off, the hole has to be covered. Butler CNC machines a billet aluminum fuel pump block-off plate with the Pontiac logo, gasket included. Most timing covers use 5/16" bolts and some early models used 3/8", and the plate is drilled to take either. |
| Small parts | AN adapters and elbows, fuel Y-blocks, hose barb fittings, rollover vent valves and fuel pump relay kits. |
7. Air Cleaners and Elements
The last few inches before the carburetor matter, and they have to clear the hood.
| Assemblies | 14" round assemblies for a 5-1/8" carburetor or throttle body neck from Billet Specialties, Edelbrock, RPC and Holley, plus Holley Sniper EFI kits with a 1" drop base contoured to clear the front mounted fuel inlets on a Sniper throttle body. |
| Bases and lids | Flat, 7/8" drop and 1-1/8" drop bases in chrome or black, with muscle car style, ball milled, finned and filtered lids. Butler will CNC mill a lid with a Pontiac, GTO, Trans Am or Firebird logo. |
| Elements | 14" round elements in 2", 3" and 4" heights in washable cotton or paper. |
| Watch the fitment | These assemblies are not for Dominator carburetors, Edelbrock and Carter AFB carburetors need a flat base, and on a shaker car the drop base units only allow up to 7/8" of drop. |
If you are converting to EFI, size the tank, pump, sending unit, regulator and line as one system. Tell us the horsepower target and the chassis and we will build the list from the tank forward.
Hi Flow Sending Units Air Cleaners/Filters
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.