Hello all, please allow me to introduce myself. My name is James and I'm looking into the restoration and tune of my 1978 Bonneville. While the car has been quite sound mechanically it has suffered too many salty roads and winters outside. The bumpers are totally rusted out and will have to be replaced, as have all the ones I've found in junkyards.

I also am quite disheartened at the lack of any preformance parts for it, espically in the bottom end. The motor is just not giving the kind of power I'm looking for, in fact I would go so far as to say that its gutless. This simply will not do. I came here in search of parts and advice on how to build it up into something impressive. I would like to use the 301 engine but if I there are no sources for parts for it then I would be forced to forsake the pontiac engine and simply repower it with a small block Chevy.

Welcome...

Being a 78 it'* not surprising about being gutless. Many cars were suffering the beginnings of emission controls and the econ yeards.

Welcome to the family. Let'* see some pics. It would be fun to watch her evolve.

ya i would go 350 sb with a 350 turbo. welcome btw, and where at in ohio ya from??

I myself hail from Toledo Ohio. Its just the idea of putting a 350 chevy into a pontiac seems so, evil, I mean thats when they ruined the GM name was when they did all that nonsence mixing and matching, and your lousy catilina came with the same wimpy 4.3 V6 that was in a pickup was in a caprice that was in a malibu that was in a blazer that was in a caddilac that was in an oldsmobile that was in a buick. I'm caught between pontiac pride and the fact that the pontiac of this era was somewhat subpar on preformance. I am debating if I could fit a larger 400 pontiac engine from an older car into it. I'm still not sure of the dimensions however.

You could keep a Pontiac engine in that car it will be hard to find one though. You could use a 455 Pontiac engine with a 400 turbo trans and posi traction. That would make a hell of a bonneville. Welcome to the club.