Ram Air Manifolds Hardware
 

I'm installing a set of reproduction Ram Air cast exhaust headers on my 1977 Trans Am. I got the appropriate reproduction hardware from Inline Tube, but I'm not terribly happy with these bolts. Some are fine, but many don't engage much thread at all. The bolts are just too short. I wouldn't mind in cast iron heads, but these are going in aluminum heads. Most of the threaded holes can accommodate 3/4" of thread engagement, except for the two outer holes on each head which are limited to 1/2". But some of the bolts barely stick out past the headers by 1/4". I'm almost guaranteed to destroy the threads when I try to tighten those. Since there's only 4/5 bolts per manifold, it feels like I should be getting a lot more holding strength from each bolt than 1/4" of thread engagement in aluminum provides.

Are there studs available that could work for this? Then I could grab all the threads in every hole and not worry about stripping them. But since there's 3 significantly different bolt lengths involved, I'm not sure what kind of kit would be adequate.

Measure the ideal bolt lengths for each location and go shopping. If you can’t find the exact length bolt you need for some then buy longer ones and cut them down, carefully chamfering and deburring the cut ends.

Forget about using studs.

Your issue is not uncommon, i had to go through exactly what I described when putting a new set of RARE 1967 GTO manifolds on one of my cars. The hardware they sent was poorly chosen.

You’re most likely to find bolts in half-inch increments at most hardware outlets, even finding them in quarter inch increments isn’t quite right for some that are needed.

Cut them to the proper length to get as much thread engagement as possible without bottoming the bolts. Keep in mind the end bolts intersect the head bolt holes.

ah, that would explain why they're shallower than the others

Fastenal has Grade 8s in all lengths.

Pretty indicting that they cannot get bolts right...

I think the issue is that the different Ram Air manifold castings all have varying heights for the bolt holes. And considering the dearth of quality castings from RARE and Max Performance this last year, the crappy Chinese castings that remain are significantly worse in that regard. I bet if I were using OEM castings, the bolts would all be fine. These bolts are supposed to be factory reproductions, and there's no way the factory used 5+ different lengths of bolts for one pair of headers. 3 different lengths is already more than I would expect for most exhaust manifolds.

Gore I used a set of bolts from Ames on mine with no issues. RARE oversized D ports and aluminum E heads. I think there were 3 different lengths

Yeah I can't get the RARE manifolds anymore. I've been on the waiting list for over a year now, and I was one of the first added to the waiting list after the last batch. I had to settle for the cheap Chinese manifolds, which is likely a large part of my issue. I don't think the Ames bolts would be any different than the ones from Inline Tube

Not surprised to read this. I had an order placed with them for over a year and a half, and was constantly told that my manifolds were in the next batch and would ship by the end of the month, for month after month. They never materialized, so I had to cancel the order. Frustrating.

Yep, that's pretty much how it's been going non-stop. My order is still "pending" after over a year, but I bought cheap Chinese castings anyways and took a grinder to them to get them looking somewhat reasonable. I'm getting the impression that Paul is winding down his business. Lots of products disappearing from the web site forever. But I wish he'd stop claiming the headers are "just around the corner". At this point, it's more insulting than anything else.

I also have the Ram Air IV manifolds and the bolts that I purchased for the application seemed either too long or too short, no matter how I shuffled them. I bought the manifolds used, so origin unknown. I did not install them.

This is what drove me absolutely nuts. It's crazy making to be told that time after time and have it never be true.

I was wondering the same thing. He moved out here about a year ago or more, into a building that I happen to drive by daily. He never did put any kind of business sign out front and his truck was only there hit and miss. Now there seems to be a different name on the building that I don't recall seeing before and I haven't seen his truck there in quite a long time, but there has been a couple different cars parked out front. :noidea:

I've found recently that the bolt kits that some of these suppliers sell are not correct. I had to get a set the other day for RA D-port manifolds and they all came in the same length :rolleyes:

Apparently they aren't aware of the differences. Better off going to the hardware store and piece meal it. That's what I ended up doing. Had a nice selection of black phosphate bolts that looked the part.

Scratch the sign comment. Still no sign on the building when I drove by yesterday.

I ended up using studs. It worked remarkably well. I was able to find the perfect lengths of studs to replace each bolt, with the exception of the lone short bolt. That one required 2 washers to make it work:

https://i.ibb.co/cN1Hhhf/20230203-143432.jpg
https://i.ibb.co/S5W8NcP/20230203-144411-HDR.jpg

It was surprisingly not too expensive. I already had the appropriate 3/8-20 nuts and 3/8" washers on hand, so it was just getting 9 individual studs (2x 3.5", 6x 2.75", 1x 2.160"). If I could find a 2" stud instead of that 2.160", that would've been perfect, but the longer one works fine with the extra washer.

On the engine stand the studs work great.

Getting the manifolds off and on with the engine in the car is a whole ‘nother thing.

The studs come right out, they're all broached for an allen key and I used anti-seize on all of them.

So I just read thru all this and there just seems to be a lot of speculation. So I googled ‘contact Ram Air Restorations Arizona’ and got a phone number. So I called it. Paul answered. We spoke for about 20 minutes. I told him I was watching his web site, waiting for the 64-67 o/s d-port manifolds. He explained that during Covid, the foundry he had been dealing with for years dropped him. Then he found a foundry in the panhandle of Texas and had everything set up. And the head engineer overseeing his manifolds died. Now he has found a third place. At this time he has 300 left bank manifolds and is waiting on the right bank castings. He has also received shipments of other castings that he is currently batch machining on his Mazak machine centers. I am an optimist so I choose to believe he has had some supplier issues. I see it every day at my employer. So I put my order in. Castings are tentatively due mid-April. Fingers crossed.