The Stovebolt Site Forums The Shop Area General Truck Talk Hands across the Border

There seem to be many idiosyncrasies surrounding Canadian built bolts. Was there an actual General Motors/Canada...was it part of the stateside GM or a independently run company.

Did these two companies talk to each other...why are there so many differences between the two engines..BIG differences. :confused:

Stuart

GM Canada was originally McLaughlin Motors, which made some deals with Durant to produce McLaughlin-Buicks and Chevs, and was eventually bought out by GM , but kept some autonomy - the differences weren't inside the engines, just in what engines were used - today they're pretty much the same, and some models are only made in one country or the other, but sold in either

Bill

the truck model numbering is different eg.american 3100 is a 1300 in Canada my truck is Canadian built model 1304.

Some interesting things I've found about Canadian GMs.
In the US, the 1954 Buick Special came with a specifically cast 264ci engine. The heads, crank and all sheetmetal and accessories interchange with the larger 322 found in Century's, Supers and RoadMasters, but the block and pistons were specific. And, the block was not simply an under-bored 322; the 264 can NOT be bored to 322. They made a specific block. And the 322 could not be ordered in the Special.
Canadian Specials came with a 322.

I saw a '62 Pontiac station wagon for sale once, with a 409 in it.

And my favorite: Pontiacs up there also came with small block Chevy's; for a couple years (either the late '50s only, or up into the very early '60s), the "script" valve covers on the Pontiac engines had "Pontiac" embossed in them, just like ours down here had "Chevrolet" embossed. I'd like to have a set of those!

And then of course there's the Ford side of things, where the Ford F1 and F100 trucks wore Mercury badging.
Brad

and the Dodge trucks were Fargos

I've had 283's here with Pontiac decals on the valve cover

Bill

Hy guys, the Canadian Pontiac was actually a Chevrolet chassis with shrunken American Pontiac style sheet metal, a totally diferent vehicle from its American cousin. Many interesting differences between vehicles produced in our two countries in the 40s-50s and 60s.

The Canadian Pontiac's 1955 to 1961 came with a 261 inch 6 cyl. as the basic engine.I have 2 of these engines. I think they are just bored out 235's
These full size Pontiacs were huge with only that six to pull them around.
Ter

Pontiac V8 engine
From 1955 to 1981 the Pontiac Division of General Motors manufactured its own, unique V8 engines. Displacement began at 287 in³ and grew as large as 455 in³ (7.5 L) by 1970. An engine of intermediate size (neither a true small-block nor big-block), the Pontiac V8 was a unique design, distinct from Buick, Chevrolet, or Oldsmobile engines. Pontiac's engines were used in its U.S.-market cars; Canadian Pontiacs generally used Chevrolet engines. From 1955 through 1959 Pontiac's V8 was also used in GMC pick-up trucks.

The 287-V8 engine was introduced for the 1955 model year as the "Strato Streak". Not long before the model year introduction, Pontiac management decided that the entire line would be V8-powered.