I love stirring up the Ponti boys. I have done it in the past.....:rub:
We just get a little tired of seeing our cars ruined with stuff from other brands.
Why?.....the factory put Chevs in them. What about the 403 Oldsmobile engine in the 78-79 Trans Ams?
Seeing you asked... This is just my view. The Canadian Pontiacs (Parisienne and Laurentian) aren't real Pontiacs, just rebodied Chevies. Not only do they have a Chev engine, they have a Chev chassis as well, which is completly different to the USA Pontiac.
Pontiac stopped producing the 455 in 1976 and the 400 in 1978. The problem GM had, as we entered the age of emissions testing, was they had 5 different families of V8 engine to comply, unlike Ford and Chrysler, who share the same family of engines across their range. Consolidation started to take place. Olds engines also turned up in Cadillacs as well as Pontiacs.
Now, having said all that, if they came from the factory like that, well, whatever floats your boat. The thing I've never got is the thinking that if you 'drop a Chevy in it', it magically becomes a much better car. If you're looking to build something that makes 500hp as cheaply as possible, you can't beat a Chevy - not because it's a better engine - because it's not, just because the aftermarket supports it so well. All the parts are out there, it's just a matter of $$$.
On the other hand, most of our cars are used sparingly and when they are used, get driven on public streets at the speed limit. A pushrod V8 from a Buick/Oldsmobile/Cadillac/Pontiac works every bit as well as anything Chevy produce.
Puting a Chev engine in your '69 Grand Prix, as well as costing you time, money and effort, makes the GP less of a car (again, just my view) and worth less money when you go to sell it.
Like I've said to you before, if Chev engines are so great, why aren't you putting them in Fords and Mopars?