Auto Parts: pontiac and chevy, pontiac v8, pontiac phoenix

Question
woundering whats the difference with chevy v-8 and pontiac v-8 can the share parts since they are gm?

Answer
    A Pontiac engine and a Chevy engine have no parts in common.  But we're talking about engines here.  Although Pontiac engines were never used in Chevrolets there are lots of Pontiacs out there with Chevy engines.  For example, all of the F-body cars built after 1981 (Firebirds and Trans-Ams) have Chevy engines.  A lot of the X and G body cars built from the late seventies to the late eighties came with Chevy engines, regardless of the badge on the hood.  What you have to do is go by the engine code in the VIN, if the car has the original engine.  If you have reason to believe that it doesn't, then you'll have to find someone who knows to look at the engine and tell you what you've got.  I once rented a car in Denver, back in the seventies, that was a Pontiac Phoenix.  It had a Chevy straight six engine and a Buick steering wheel!  Didn't bother me, it was a high altitude car and safely took me up to 11,000+ feet without stumbling once.
    Up until the late '70's all of GM's divisions built their own engines.  After a while it got to be too expensive and they decided to consolidate and eliminate.  Olds and Buick V8s were the first to go, and the Pontiac V8 hung on for a little while longer and then it went.  That left the Chevy as the only available V8 (except for Cadillac, which was allowed to keep making its own engines, which it still does).  Both Buick and Chevy had a V6.  Chevys never came with the Buick V6, in fact the Chevy V6 was restricted to Chevys.  That was the 90 degree six.  The 60 degree six was built in FWD and RWD configurations and used by all the divisions at one time or another.  Any one will tell you that those big old V8s, especially the Buick, were indestructible and very smooth.  But they cost a lot more to make and were a lot heavier, so they got the heave-ho when the cars started getting smaller.