page_title: Pontiac V8 engine
section_title: 326
hierarchical_section_title: Pontiac V8 engine / Small-journal engines:1955-1981 / 326
caption_attribution_description: English: 1967 326 Pontiac Firebird engine
context_page_description: The Pontiac V8 engine is a family of overhead valve V8 engines manufactured by the Pontiac Division of General Motors Corporation that made its debut in 1955. Pontiac began as a "companion" to the Oakland division of the General Motors line of automobiles in 1926. Pontiac successfully competed against more-expensive inline four-cylinder models with their inline flathead six-cylinder engines. After outselling Oakland, Pontiac became the sole survivor of the two by 1932. In addition to the inline 6, Pontiac used the Oakland V8 for one year, 1932, debuting an inline 8 in 1933. The two inline engines were used through 1954, when Pontiac unveiled its OHV V8 in 1955. The development of this V8 dates back to 1946, when engineers began considering new engine designs for postwar cars. They came up with a 269-cubic-inch L-head design. Pontiac engineers tested their 269 cu in V8 in 1949 or 1950 against a downsized Olds rocket V8 overhead engine. The Olds engine was a 303 cu in, Pontiac reduced the size to 270 cu in in for testing against the 269 engine. The test results showed Pontiac that an L-head engine simply couldn't compete with overhead valve V8 engine designs.
context_section_description: In 1963 Pontiac dropped the Buick division built 215 cu. in. aluminum V8 it had offered in the Tempest and replaced it with a small-bore version of the standard 389 cu in (6.4 L) Pontiac V8. It shared the 389's 3 ³⁄₄ in (95.3 mm) stroke, but its bore was 3.78 in (96.0 mm) for a displacement of 336.66 cu in (5.5 L). It was rated at 250 hp (186 kW) with 8.6:1 compression and 260 hp (194 kW) at 10.25:1 compression. Both used a single two-barrel carburetor. In 1964 when the new "A" body intermediates came out there was a new corporate (GM) engine size limitation to anything less than 330 cu in (5.4 L). and so the 326 bore size was reduced to 3.72 in (94.5 mm), giving a true 326 cu in (5.3 L). The 326 subsequently became the optional V8 engine for Tempests, and later the Pontiac Firebird, through 1967 and maintained the 17 degree cylinder head valve angle for its entire production run.
  A higher-output four-barrel carburetor version was offered, called the 326 HO (High Output). With higher compression and dual exhaust it produced 280 hp (209 kW) for 1963–1964, and 285 hp (213 kW) for 1965 through 1967, its final year.
caption: Pontiac 326 engine in 1967 Firebird
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