Here is the engine bay as the GTO was received. Note the bronze paint in the fender in the lower left corner. The original owner had the GTO repainted Cadillac Bronze, and it remained that color until this resto. | 
Quarter skin and wheelhouse surgery shown. | 
As you can see, the GTO was torn down all the way for this resto. |
The sheen of the powdercoating on the frame matches that of the factory paint--but the powdercoating will last a lot longer. | 
Here, the jambs are getting color. | 
The body has been painted in single-stage paint to better replicate what came from the factory. Most restos nowadays, even concours quality, use a basecoat/clearcoat paint system. |
The Ram Air 400 Package
The L67 400 Ram Air engine could be found under "Special Order Engine Options" on the "Special Equipment" page of the '67 Tempest-GTO order form. This powerplant was rated at 360 hp just like the H.O. engine, but the rating was at a higher 5,400 rpm. The package retained the carb, distributor, intake, exhaust manifolds, and compression ratio of the H.O. package, and even its No. 670 heads on earlier engines.
Where it differed from the H.O. was in cam timing and valvesprings, the addition of the Ram Air system, and on later engines, cylinder-head upgrades.
Ram Air engines received a hotter 301/313-degrees advertised duration "744" cam in place of the H.O.'s 288/302-degree "068" cam. Overlap was 63 degrees for the 068 and 76 degrees for the 744. Lift was the same for both at 0.413/0.413. The Ram Air system was shipped in the trunk for dealer installation of the pan, seal, black-topped air cleaner, and open hood ornament. Early in the season, the 670 heads were retained. Beginning in May 1967 after engine No. 646616, they became "97" heads. According to historian Pete McCarthy, this was done by replacing the "6" of 670 with a stamped "9", retaining the "7" of the 670, and grinding flat the "0" of the 670.
This head received valvespring-seat mods to accept taller dual valvesprings, and polished valves were employed. Finally, late in the production year, the No. 997 (casting number placed just under the No. 4 and No. 5 sparkplugs) heads were introduced featuring all the upgrades of the No. 97 head.
The price for the Ram Air engine option was $203.30, according to a Pontiac Car and Equipment Price Schedule issued 9/29/66. The Ram Air package was available only with the close-ratio M21 four-speed ($142.31) or Turbo Hydramatic transmission ($174.84). A 4.33 Safe-T-Track rear ($48.79) was mandatory.
According to the 1967 GTO Assembly Manual, steering columns for the H.O. and Ram Air GTOs were coded differently than the standard GTO. The H.O.s and Ram Airs had code RA (PN 7802525) for column-shift auto trans, KR (PN 7802713 for floor shift, and RB (PN 7802849) for tilt floor shift. They required PN 569917 flange and 5686553 bolts. The design of the exhaust manifolds forced revised positive battery cable and wire routing to the starter. Though Ram Air GTOs were not available with air conditioning, they still employed the A/C radiator and support for improved cooling.
On the dragstrip, the Ram Air GTO was no slouch. Road testers at Car Life magazine loaded up one equipped with an automatic trans and A.I.R., with about 400 pounds of driver, passenger, and testing equipment, and ran 14.5s at 101-103 mph. With just the driver, 13.90 at 102.8 mph was achieved. The magazine declared it "King of the Supercars!" in its October '67 issue for its power, styling, braking, and price. The magazine did, however, lament the Ram Air GTO's jarring ride, temperamental engine manners under 3,000 rpm, valve float at 5,400 rpm, and 3,500-rpm engine speed at 70 mph thanks to the 4.33 gears.
Joe would like to thank "Pro 1 Restoration and Ed Walter of Performance Years for their professionalism and for making this hobby fun, my wife, Maria, for her constant support and love as I pursue a hobby that lets me remain a kid, and warm regards to the people of Staten Island for keeping the hobby alive with many cruise nights and organized shows."
The 1967 Ram Air GTO Registry has been able to verify the existence of 12 of these cars. Contact Ken Colacino at kcal69@hotmail.com for further information on the registry.