Inside A Ram Air V - Pontiac Tech

Last month, we featured Chuck Henley's spectacular '69 Ray Faro Pontiac Ram Air V GTO Judge and told the story of how he found it and researched its history for a top-notch restoration. It was a great project to report on, yet we didn't go into a large amount of detail on the engine build. Not to worry-this month we focus on the stock and aftermarket components that went into this incredible powerplant and provide an inside look at the rare pieces.

This buildup is unique in several ways, the first being cost. While the machine and assembly expenditures were no more or less than any other Pontiac V-8, the rarity of the required factory parts became an important factor, both in cost and the time needed to locate everything. How much of a factor? The bill for collecting the necessary parts in this eBay-driven market and the build itself topped $58,000. This is serious coin. "I kept telling myself that I got such a great deal on the car that I could afford to spend more on the engine," Chuck says. "At least, that's how I justified it."

Interestingly, this engine buildup represents the reuniting of several key pieces with the Judge. As mentioned, two engines were used back in the day-a '70½ 400 Ram Air V and another engine built with a Ram Air V top end on a service-replacement 400 Ram Air IV short-block. The top end used here was from that second engine.

The mission that Chuck assigned to Don Johnston of DCI Motorsports in Mogadore, Ohio, was to build an engine that was externally correct down to the last detail, yet modified internally to enhance streetability while adding horsepower. It was a tall order to be sure, but Johnston's approach did achieve all of the goals of its owner. Best of all, Chuck graciously offered to share with HPP readers the inside scoop on this historic engine buildup.

Ram Air V Background
Pontiac's Ram Air V program is, without a doubt, one of the most mysterious and legendary projects in the division's history. Operating under the infamous GM Racing Ban of 1963, much of the development work was at least officially designated as a high-performance street engine. Anyone in the know, however, realized this program was intended to get competitive hardware to well-heeled, privateer racers.

Though Pontiac fired the opening salvo of the musclecar wars with the '64 GTO, by the end of the decade, the competition had more than caught up, and Pontiacs were taking a beating at the strip from rectangle-port, big-block Chevys and 426 Hemi Mopars, among others. Pontiac engineers knew what it would take to get back on top, and they were more than willing to put those engines in the hands of racers, even if the corporate bigwigs had other ideas.

Four versions of the Ram Air V were built, all using the Tunnel-Port head design: a short-deck 303 intended for the production '69 T/A. Its introduction would have homologated the engine for SCCA Trans Am competition. Also developed were a 366 intended for use in NASCAR, a 400 for use in production GTOs and Firebirds, and a 428ci version for all-out drag racing. A variety of single and dual four-barrel induction systems were designed for more specialized use.

All versions of the Ram Air V used extreme-duty block castings with four-bolt mains and lifter-bore reinforcements, forged rods and cranks, high-speed ignition systems, and Holley four-barrel carbs. As it turned out, only the 303 and 400 were intended for production, and those two engines had the highest production run. About 25 of the 303s and 80-200 of the 400s were built. After the program was canceled, the remaining engines went into the PMD parts system as crate engines.

Here's the "standard" Ram...        read full caption Here's the "standard" Ram Air V induction system that came with the 400ci crate engines. It's a dual-plane, high-rise intake with a 780-cfm Holley four-barrel. The correct carbs are even tougher to find than the intake manifolds. One restored carb recently sold on eBay for a whopping $10,000. Also shown is an N.O.S. idle-stop solenoid with the correct mounting bracket. Since the factory Ram Air Vs had such long-duration cams, the engines didn't idle well. The idle-stop solenoid would bump up the idle speed to keep them from sputtering and dieseling.	On the passenger side of the...        read full caption On the passenger side of the same intake and carb, the correct lines and fuel distribution block are revealed.	"LIST 4486" identifies the...        read full caption "LIST 4486" identifies the carb as a correct Ram Air V unit. These were often discarded and replaced with larger Holleys for better drag-racing performance, making them rarities today. The scratched-in ID number looks suspect but is correct. Though the carb pictured here is actually for a manual-trans application, it has since been replaced with a correct unit for an automatic-equipped car.
With the carb off, the inner...        read full caption With the carb off, the inner surfaces are readily visible. The intake is a precision casting, with much smoother surfaces than your typical aftermarket intake manifold. In more than 20 years of researching, this is the first R/A-V intake the author has seen with a date code. Most Ram Air V components didn't have them. The April 8, 1970, build date indicates it was probably from the last batch of parts built before production ceased.	Once you see the huge runners,...        read full caption Once you see the huge runners, it's no surprise that mixture velocities were too slow for responsive street performance in a 400.	The Ram Air V's "Mag Pulse"...        read full caption The Ram Air V's "Mag Pulse" distributor was a breakerless unit designed for high-speed accuracy and use with either transistor or capacitor-discharge amplifiers and coils. This distributor was actually quite similar to the 421 Super-Duty units, save for the larger distributor gear, which mated to a smaller gear on the camshaft. A sleeve was used between the distributor shaft and the block.
An original transistor voltage...        read full caption An original transistor voltage regulator was also used. They are extremely rare due to their fragile nature and were easily destroyed if not carefully installed.	On this distributor, the correct...        read full caption On this distributor, the correct 1111972 part number and red cap are seen. As with most Ram Air V components, it's a rare and expensive unit to acquire.	A correct capacitor-discharge...        read full caption A correct capacitor-discharge coil is seen here with its original box. Note the Pontiac and Oldsmobile applications.