1970 Pontiac Judge Ram Air IV - A Lasting Impression

As the saying goes, you never get a second chance to make a first impression. Pontiac knew that as well as any automaker in the waning days of the turbulent '60s. When body treatments went psychedelic, Pontiac joined the fray with the Judge in 1969.

None of this was lost on then 15-year-old Ray DeCrescenzo. His early Pontiac memories come from a Carousel Red '69 Judge that used to hold court at the local snack bar near his home in Clifton Park, New York. With the Pontiac's impression etched into his psyche, a newspaper route provided seed money to purchase his first car as he reached driving age. It was a '62 Grand Prix fitted with a 389 Tri-Power and a four-speed that Ray bought with his older brother who had just returned home from Vietnam. However, the cherished memories that were expected to follow were halted suddenly by an unfortunate accident. As Ray tells it, "My brother put it on the road but totaled it before I ever got to drive it! I still have the original Tri-Power from that GP under my workbench. I just may get another one yet."

Despite an early misstep with the GP, Pontiac loyalty was reinforced once again when Ray fell for a '70 1/2 Trans Am that was perched at the corner store each morning where he waited for the school bus. Therefore, at 17, a '65 GTO became primary transportation for the young DeCrescenzo, who cared for that Pontiac for a few years before bowing to the gas crisis of late 1973 and the responsibilities of marriage. In the 10 years that followed, Ray concentrated on family and building his painting contracting business. While his Pontiac passion was somewhat put on hold, he did tinker with a '64 GTO he had scored for just $125. Then the floodgates opened. Ray recalled, "Once things became more stable, I completed the '64 and purchased a '65 GTO convertible. Next came a '70 1/2 Trans Am with a R/A-IV and a four-speed, followed by a Carousel Red '69 R/A-IV Judge and then a '70 Granada Gold R/A-IV Judge." DeCrescenzo was amassing quite a collection at this point, but he wasn't done yet.

Using eBay to locate many parts for these projects, he decided it would be a fortuitous place to seek out yet another favorite Pontiac, an Orbit Orange '70 Judge with a Ram Air IV engine. Do you see a pattern developing here? Sure enough, he found one back in January 2002 in Colorado, needing a restoration.

Enter Rammy Kimberly of Kimberly Restorations in Bridport, Vermont. Rammy had performed all of Ray's past restos, which, according to DeCrescenzo, were flawless. They had also become friends over the years, so it was a natural to have Rammy embark on yet another journey through a R/A-IV Judge in need of resuscitation.

Work began in January of 2002 and the Judge was ready for the GTOAA Nats by July of 2003. In that time, the Goat was completely disassembled by Rammy and Ray, parts were categorized, and decisions were made as to what could be restored and what had to be replaced. Many new parts were purchased from Ames Performance Engineering because, "I had used Ames in the past and always had good service, and owner Steve Ames had always been very helpful with questions," Ray explained. All serviceable parts were restored by Rammy, and Ray got his hands dirty too.

The body was removed from the frame (and mounted on a rotisserie), and both were stripped to bare metal. "Patches were required on the bottom of the front fenders and lower quarters, but the rest of body wasn't too bad," according to Rammy. In fact, no body panels had to be replaced. Once the body was smooth, PPG K93 primer was applied, and the shell and other body parts were block-sanded. Then came three coats of DBU basecoat in Orbit Orange followed by three coats of clear. The body shell was painted with the doors and trunk lid installed; the fenders, hood, and front bumper were painted separately. Once the body was on the frame and assembled, the clear was wet-sanded with 1,000-, 1,500-, and 2,000-grit paper before being buffed and polished to a mirror shine. Reproduction Judge decals were applied as was refurbished body trim and an N.O.S. rear bumper.

Though it was very important to Ray to restore the outside to concours correct, resulting in 486 points out of 500 in judging at the '03 GTOAA Nats, inside the engine there were a few key upgrades. Here's why: Despite the fact that DeCrescenzo is into vintage Pontiacs, he has also kept up with the late-model Mustangs and Firebirds, and the new GTO. Since he plans to actually drive this Judge on the street and the strip, he didn't want to take any chances on his Ram Air IV ride being embarrassed by a late-model machine. He already has a tire disadvantage on the street, which requires starting from a roll to avoid toasting the repop Goodyears, so inside the engine he leveled the playing field.

Starting at the bottom, the factory Ram Air IV four-bolt main Code WW block was machined and bored .040 over to 4.160. A 3.00-inch main stroker 4.250 cast crank from Butler Performance Group was employed to produce 462 ci. Eagle 6.800 forged steel rods swing off the new crank and Ross pistons dressed in Total Seal rings toil in the cylinders. The combo of big cubes and small chambers in the R/A-IV heads results in a too-high-for-pump-gas 11.5:1 compression ratio, which necessities a mix of high-octane race fuel and pump gas in the tank. The rare and valuable 614 heads were treated to a gasket match, mild porting, valve job, and fresh 2.11/1.77 stainless steel one-piece valves from Ferrea, held in place by Comp Cams valvetrain components. Directing this concerto of retina-detaching torque is a Comp Cams hydraulic roller that provides 236/242 degrees duration at .050 and .572/.594 lift in conjunction with BPG 1.65:1 roller rockers.

The correct PN 7040267 Q-jet carb, which was sent to Jet Performance to be recalibrated to the new engine combo, sits atop the factory PN 9799084 aluminum intake manifold. Ignition is provided by the correct PN 1112012 Delco points distributor, a stock coil, date-coded repro wires, and AC R44 plugs.

When the exhaust valves open, spent combustion remains are ushered to the atmosphere via Ram Air Restoration Enterprises 2 1/2-inch outlet Ram Air manifolds, 2 1/2-inch dual pipes, and Dynomax Super Turbo mufflers.

With engine functions under control, Ray and Rammy moved to the driveline to add upgrades where necessary. A Centerforce clutch was installed and the original Code DL M21 close-ratio four-speed was rebuilt. The driveshaft was sent out for refurbishing and the 3.90-geared HD four-pinion Safe-T-Track rear (Code XK) was gone through as well.

Originally a disc/drum Judge, the braking system was renewed to stock specs, as was the entire suspension system. Even the original 14x6 Rally II wheels (Code JL) have been restored and reinstalled, now shod with Firestone Wide Oval G70-14 reproduction rubber.

As you can see from the "before" photos, the interior was completely trashed when Ray bought the Judge. Lots of effort and reproduction parts were employed to bring the Code 255 saddle interior to show quality. Just Dashes restored the dash pad, OPG provided the Comfort Weave seat upholstery, and Ames contributed the headliner, carpet, door panels, and other small items.

Aside from the obvious engine and drivetrain options, this Judge also had another special feature: Power Flow Ventilation, Code 588. This interesting option placed small fans in the air ducts that were operated by a dash-mounted switch to provide forced air ventilation on command--very cool, literally, and quite rare. Ray shared that John Sawruk and Jim Wangers recalled seeing this option fitted to only one other Judge.

The results of Ray and Rammy's endeavor have been a concours gold at the GTOAA Nats and the HPP Editor's Choice trophy at the same event, as well as being chosen as a feature Judge for the HPP '04 calendar. On the performance front, the engine and drivetrain upgrades have produced 12.60 e.t.'s at 111 mph at Lebanon Valley Dragway on M&H 28x9.5 slicks and with 6,500-rpm shift points.

It would seem that this Judge has it all: a rare and desirable drivetrain combination, a meticulous concours gold restoration, and very respectable e.t.'s given the fact that it appears completely stock.

Just think, it's all because of a Carousel Red '69 Judge that used to hang out at the local snack bar. Ray says, "I had fuel for the soul, way back." I guess first impressions are important.

Special Thanks: Ray would like to thank his wife Kathy and his two daughters for putting up with his hobby and Rammy for all of his fine work and friendship.

ABOUT THE RESTORATION Here are a few photos to illustrate what went into this concours gold restoration.