- Home »
- Catalog »
- Gaskets and Freeze Plugs »
- Freeze Plugs & Block Acc.
Freeze Plugs & Block Acc.
Pontiac V8 Freeze Plugs & Block Acc.
Seal It Once — Freeze Plugs & Block Acc. for Pontiac V8s
Freeze plugs and block accessories are the parts nobody thinks about until one lets go. A Pontiac V8 block carries coolant core plugs down both sides and across the rear face, a cam tunnel plug, drain plugs, and a run of oil galley plugs that have to go back in the right order.
Butler stocks brass and steel plugs individually, Melling and Butler block plug kits, brass freeze plug kits for cast iron heads, 1/8" drain plugs and brass drain spigots, NPT pipe plugs from 1/8" through 1/2", screw-in plugs for IA II and aluminum blocks, and the Butler pipe plug tool that drives the galley plug behind the distributor.
Browse Freeze Plugs & Block Acc. Products
Items 1-23 of 23
Description: Every plug position on a factory iron Pontiac block — brass core plugs for the sides and rear face, cam tunnel plug, front galley plugs, the drilled plug that hides behind the distributor,...More Details »
Item #: BPI-Block-Plug-Kit-Factory
Condition:
New
Price: $74.95
Description: Melling brass block kit: eight 1-61/64" brass core plugs (sides and rear face), one 2-1/16" cam plug, one 15/16" rear galley plug, two 9/16" front galley plugs and two 3/8" pipe plugs. Does not include the drilled distributor galley plug.
Item #: MEL-MPE115BR
Condition:
New
Price: $29.95
Description: Block drain port, low on each side below the core plugs — 1/8" brass drain spigot with a T handle, opens by hand. One port per side, so order two.
Item #: FSC-135
Condition:
New
Price: $5.95
Description: Block drain port, low on each side below the core plugs — 1/8" NPTF steel plug, 7/16 hex head. One port per side, so order two.
Item #: MCM-50925K209
Condition:
New
Price: $3.95
Description: 1/2" NPT steel pipe plug, internal hex drive. Assorted block ports; measure before ordering.
Item #: PIO-PP568
Condition:
New
Price: $2.05
Description: 1/4" NPT steel pipe plug, internal hex drive. Assorted block ports; measure before ordering.
Item #: PIO-PP567
Condition:
New
Price: $2.05
Description: Oil galley holes — 3/8" NPT steel pipe plug with no orifice. Also the threaded option for the two front galley holes once they are tapped. Not for the distributor-side rear galley if that position was drilled.
Item #: PIO-PP554
Condition:
New
Price: $2.05
Description: Passenger side rear oil galley, recessed inside the block behind the distributor — 3/8" NPT plug drilled .040" to oil the distributor gear. Sits hidden beneath the 15/16" outer plug. Threaded, not press-in. One per engine.
Item #: PIO-PP475
Condition:
New
Price: $5.95
Description: 389-421 Super Duty heat crossover, or the center water hole in the intake manifold — expansion plug. Sold each.
Item #: DOR-555-023
Condition:
New
Price: $1.95
Description: Pair of Pontiac cast iron cylinder heads, 1965 and up — brass freeze plug kit. Heater hose fitting not included; add AAU-P132N or order BPI-1022-HHF.
Item #: BPI-1021
Condition:
New
Price: $26.95
Description: Pair of Pontiac cast iron cylinder heads — brass freeze plug kit including the press-in heater hose fitting for the passenger side rear of the head.
Item #: BPI-1022-HHF
Condition:
New
Price: $55.95
Description: Install tool for the drilled oil galley plug recessed behind the distributor, and for the 3/8 hex block plugs. Plugs not included.
Item #: BPI-1030
Condition:
New
Price: $19.95
Description: Passenger side rear of the cylinder head — press-in heater hose fitting, 1965-and-later original style. Not included in the BPI-1021 head plug kit.
Item #: AAU-P132N
Condition:
New
Price: $33.95
Description: Brass Screw-In Plugs, 1 1/2, Countersunk, Each
Item #: SPE-1579D
Condition:
New
Price: $7.95
Description: Intake side of the cylinder head — 1-13/64" brass plug. Replaced in the same pass as the block plugs. Sold each.
Item #: PIO-EPC134B
Condition:
New
Price: $5.95
Description: End of the cylinder head — 1-3/8" brass plug. Replaced in the same pass as the block plugs. Sold each.
Item #: PIO-EPC80B
Condition:
New
Price: $8.95
Description: Block sides and rear face — 1-61/64" brass coolant core plug. Three per side on 1967-and-later blocks, two per side through 1966, plus two in the rear face behind the bellhousing flange. Sold each.
Item #: PIO-EPC42B
Condition:
New
Price: $2.95
Description: Rear of the block, passenger side outer oil galley — 15/16" steel press-in plug. This is the externally visible one; the drilled 3/8" plug (PIO-PP475) is recessed underneath it and goes in first. One per engine.
Item #: PIO-EPC39
Condition:
New
Price: $1.95
Description: Rear face of the block, directly behind the camshaft — 2-1/16" steel plug sealing the back of the cam tunnel. One per engine, and it is unreachable once the flexplate is on.
Item #: PIO-EPC112
Condition:
New
Price: $3.95
Description: Front of the block behind the timing cover — 9/16" press-in plugs for the front end of both main oil galleys. Set of two, one per galley. Same holes can be tapped 3/8" NPT instead.
Item #: PIO-EPC48-2
Condition:
New
Price: $3.95
Description: 1" Flush Fit Pipe Plug For Rear of IAII & Aluminum Block (5/8" thick)
Item #: SPE-1FP
Condition:
New
Price: $4.95
Description: Aluminum/O-ringed Screw-in Block Plug for IAII & BP/AL Blocks(each)
Item #: ALL-APFP-1
Condition:
New
Price: $17.95
Description: Aluminum/O-ringed Screw-in Block Plugs for IAII & BP/AL Blocks(set/6)
Item #: ALL-APFP-6
Condition:
New
Price: $99.95
Items 1-23 of 23
Popular Brands:
More About Freeze Plugs & Block Acc.
1. Coolant core plugs and block drains
The coolant side of a Pontiac block is straightforward as long as you count the holes before you order. Plugs go down both sides of the block and across the rear face, with a small threaded drain low on each side.
| 1 61/64" cup plugs | the standard Pontiac coolant core plug, used down the sides of the block and on the rear face. Butler sells them individually in brass so you can buy exactly what you are short. |
| Rear core plugs | these sit behind the bellhousing flange. They are an engine-stand job only — you cannot reach them with the engine in the car, which is why they get replaced on every rebuild whether they are leaking or not. |
| Block drains | the standard Pontiac drain is 1/8" pipe thread, one per side, so order two. Butler carries a steel plug with a 7/16" hex head and a brass drain spigot. The spigot is the upgrade — brass does not seize the way a rusted steel plug does, and it drains by hand instead of by wrench. |
| Brass or steel | steel is what the factory used. Brass is the cheap insurance against doing this again, and it is what Butler reaches for on a rebuild that is meant to stay together. |
2. Oil galley plugs and the one behind the distributor
The oil plugs matter more than the coolant plugs, because when one is wrong the engine keeps running and quietly destroys itself.
| Front of the block | two main galley plugs live behind the timing cover. They can be 9/16" press-in plugs or, once the holes are tapped, 3/8" NPT pipe plugs in the same two locations. Threaded plugs are the performance answer — nothing pushes out under high oil pressure. |
| Rear cam tunnel | a 2 1/16" steel cam plug closes the back of the camshaft bore. |
| Rear outer oil galley | a 15/16" press-in plug on the rear face, outboard of the cam plug. This one is visible from outside. |
| The plug behind the distributor | underneath that outer plug is a recessed passenger-side cam galley plug, and it is a threaded 3/8" NPT pipe plug, not a press-in. Butler stocks it both solid and drilled — the drilled version carries a .040" hole that feeds oil to the distributor gear. Match what came out of your block. Butler's pipe plug tool is made specifically to install and remove this plug and the 3/8" hex plugs in the block; expect it to be seized and heat it before you lean on the tool. |
3. Cylinder head plugs and the heater hose fitting
Heads get plugged in the same pass as the block, and they use their own sizes.
| Head plugs | a 1 3/8" brass plug for the end of the head and a 1 13/64" brass plug for the intake side. Butler also packages a brass freeze plug kit for 1965-and-up Pontiac cast iron heads, sold with or without the heater hose fitting. |
| Heater hose fitting | the press-in fitting goes in the rear of the passenger side head. It is the original style for 1965-71 and will fit all 1965-and-up Pontiac heads. |
| Early Super Duty | Butler stocks an expansion plug for the 389-421 SD heat crossover and intake center water hole. |
4. Kits, and what changes on an aftermarket block
If you are doing a full rebuild, buy the kit — it is cheaper than discovering you are one plug short with the block already painted.
| Butler Ultimate Block Plug Kit | every plug the Pontiac block needs, including the drilled plug that sits inside the block behind the distributor, plus the Butler install tool. It also includes two optional 3/8" threaded plugs for the front of the block to use in place of the press-in plugs, which are included as well. |
| Melling brass block kit | eight brass 1 61/64" plugs, the 2 1/16" steel cam plug, the 15/16" steel plug, two 9/16" steel plugs and two 3/8" steel pipe plugs. The 9/16" and 3/8" pairs are alternates for the same two front holes, not four separate positions. |
| IA II and aluminum blocks | the freeze plug holes are threaded, so the cup plugs are replaced by screw-in plugs — a 1" flush fit pipe plug for the rear and 1 1/2" countersunk brass screw-in plugs for the sides. |
Order the plug set at the same time you order the gasket set, and lay them out against the bare block before anything gets painted or assembled. Every one of these is a five-minute job on a stand and an engine-out job in the car.
Not sure what your Pontiac needs?
Call our tech team at 866-762-7527. Tell us your engine, heads, car, and power goal, and we will put the parts together as one combination that works.