have a 69 400 4sp with HEI I seem to have the timing curved in ok car runs good does not over heat normally unless it gets over 85-90 F outside
however after running around for a hour or so it really does not want to start after shutting it off ( slow cranking not battery) It does not seem to be too hot I am at about 190 -210 F temp does go up when shut down prolly not that unusual Maybe just a normal issue after driving stop light to stop light trying to see if there is anything to do its currently 9 degrees in MI so its obviously in storage now
Find the biggest battery cables you can get your hands on.
I used ZERO gauge cables for the positive and negative sides.
To note, I'm just using a factory style remanf. starter and a Duralast Gold battery and a set of ceramic coated Hedmans.
Haven't had one HOT start issue since the cables were installed 20+ years ago now.
When it's hard to start, voltage drop the battery cables to see if there is any high resistance issues going on, Google or YouTube the procedure if you're not familiar.
Pontiacs have an inherit hot start problem, they generate a lot of heat at the starter, sometimes it works for years and then as the solenoid gets tired you have issues. Some guys replace the starter, some guys go to a hi torque starter ( I did), some guys go the Ford remote solenoid set up route.
Yep have had a high torque starter for a while now they are smaller and positioned further from the headers The battery cables mentioned before are interesting.
There are two separate hot start issues. One is where the solenoid doesn't work and you turn the key and there is nothing. The second issue is slow cranking. For some mysterious reason pontiacs can be much harder to turn over when hot than when cold. I solved the slow cranking issue with a 1000 CA battery and 1 gauge cables. I have a theory that for high compression motors, when cold the lifters aren't pumped up so the intake vale closes sooner and the compression is lower making cranking easier. When hot, the lifters are pumped up and the cranking sees the full compression.
There are two separate hot start issues. One is where the solenoid doesn't work and you turn the key and there is nothing. The second issue is slow cranking. For some mysterious reason pontiacs can be much harder to turn over when hot than when cold. I solved the slow cranking issue with a 1000 CA battery and 1 gauge cables. I have a theory that for high compression motors, when cold the lifters aren't pumped up so the intake vale closes sooner and the compression is lower making cranking easier. When hot, the lifters are pumped up and the cranking sees the full compression.
I like the thinking that it could be lifter-related, however one problem. Intake valve closing sooner, that increases dynamic compression ratio. Intake closing later decreases dynamic compression. However, maybe the lack of lift itself is reducing cylinder filling. Would be interested to test standard lifters against bleed downs like Rhoads.
Other possibilities in addition to the solenoid getting hot or weak grounding, would be ignition timing. A cold engine likes additional timing compared to a warm engine. Too much advance when fully warmed, and it may cause too much peak cylinder pressure acting on the piston as it reaches TDC.