Before finishing up the engine (that had been started by the previous owner), there were a few things I wanted/needed to change.  My friend Jeff was concerned about the oil pan fitting and his concerns were justified when I contacted Canton. The 15-450 pan that was on it does not fit a First Gen.  So I ordered a 15-400 7 qt pan and the 15-401 pickup to go with it.  Like the prior owner did on the other pan, we had to "clearance" it a bit due to the height of front windage tray bolts.

I also sold the mechanical MSD distributor and MSD 6AL box that came with the engine.  I instead am going with an MSD "drop-in" distributor with vacuum advance and has the ignition built-in.  No need to run the external ignition box which will save some clutter.  I will be installing these soon.

We also verified that the oil dipstick reaches into the sump area (which it does) but  I will still be needing to figure out something for the external routing of the stick once I get the headers on.

I installed the March serpentine pulley kit, chrome power steering pump, and chrome 100 amp Powermaster alternator.  I also through in the plugs just to get the engine closed up.

Up next is the distributor, wires, carb, and starter (GPE).  My Doug's ceramic headers are on backorder until Sept., but I may borrow a pair to get the engine fired up on a stand within the next few weeks.

8/27/06: While surfing the Performance Years Pontiac Forums and inquiring about different carb options, I ran into a local person that builds Holley carbs from scratch.  After several discussions with Jeff, I had him proceed to build me a custom Holley Pro-Form HP950.  See pictures above.  Jeff REALLY knows carbs and has custom installed several "options" on my carb for about the same cost (or less!) than you can buy one off the shelf!  If you are looking for a carb, email Jeff at: Shaker455HO@aol.com.  He builds 'em to your setup and tests them on his own 455 T/A before sending them out.

7-5-09: Wow how plans change!  The update above was from almost 3 years ago!  I decided to update this section now that the engine is just about done and installed.  As you can read in other build sections, I test fired the engine on a test stand before the final install.

Things that I have done as a part of this update include: installation of a Lokar dipstick, installtion of the crankcase breather/catch can, and final mounting of the fuel line (tapped and attached 1 clamp to the subframe on the passenger side where the line comes from under the car).  I ope to start putting the radiator/support/inner fenders/fenders on this week!