1969 Pontiac Ram Air V Judge - Jackpot Judge

Eddie had ordered the Judge; he knew what it would take to make a competitive race car. It was built with a Ram Air IV, a Turbo 400 automatic, 4.33 gears, and was originally white with a black interior. The details of the special memo are a bit unclear, but it appears that it outlined a "delete package," meaning the Judge was built without a radio, sound deadener, or seam sealer, which was allowable under the GM ban on racing that went into effect in January 1963. Cars ordered for fleet use sometimes had similar deletions to save money. In this case, though, it was done for weight savings.

From there, the Judge was shipped to Leader Automotive, which was owned by George DeLorean, brother of the legendary John DeLorean. Leader Automotive was formed when Royal Pontiac decided to get out of the racing business. George bought the racing operation from Ace Wilson and continued on from there, moving it to nearby Troy, Michigan.

Once delivered to Leader, the Judge's engine, transmission, and rearend were removed, balanced, and blueprinted. The car was put back together, and slicks were installed. The Judge was picked up on a racing trailer and sent back to the Faro dealership. Reportedly, this was the first car completed by Leader Automotive. The total bill was more than $9,000-a huge sum in those days, but it proved to be money well spent.

With Eddie behind the wheel, the Ray Faro Pontiac GTO Judge proved to be a winner. During the '69 and '70 seasons, they racked up class wins at Norwalk Raceway Park, Thompson Raceway Park, and Dragway 42, as well as an AHRA National record for F/Automatic in Formula 2 Stock with an 11.97 e.t.

Sometime during the '70 season, the original Ram Air IV engine blew up. Undaunted, the team took this as an opportunity to get onboard with Pontiac's new Ram Air V program. Eddie was invited by Pontiac Engineering to attend a seminar on the new tunnel-port Pontiac V-8; he was duly impressed, purchasing a 400 crate motor for $900 and bringing it home with him. The dealer service department installed the engine with a set of JR headers to complete the swap.

Dealership owner Ray Faro was impressed with the Ram Air V's 11-second performance, so much so that he attempted to purchase another one. Unfortunately, no more were available by then. He went to a neighboring dealership, Jack Shaw Pontiac, and pieced together a 400 Ram Air V using a tunnel-port top end on a Ram Air IV Service Replacement short-block. They alternated the engines on a race-by-race basis-one was in the car, while the other was freshened up. The next race, they would switch. This continued for the duration of its race career.

Ray Faro Pontiac finally sold the then-5-year-old Judge in 1974, and the car faded into obscurity. The dealership was also sold. It doesn't appear the Judge was ever pressed into service, and the car moved from new owner to new owner, from storage area to storage area. According to Chuck, the previous owner nearly lost the car once before but somehow came up with the money to hang onto it. Eventually though, the bank took it from him.

Restoration Time
The restoration of the Judge had a few different directions available. First, it could be returned to stock, complete with a Ram Air IV engine. Secondly, it could be returned to its original configuration, complete with its original, as-raced paint scheme and a Ram Air IV. Lastly, it could be brought back to its Ram Air V race configuration. It's this version that Chuck decided on, for two specific reasons.