[70ra455]

Hi guys:

What would be the value of a mint restored '70 RA3 (non-Judge) Convertible with automatic, air condition, and a host of other options? Take into consideration today's almost depressed market. Thanks for your help.

[tp's lemans sport]

There is a 70 GTO convertible for sale in the Palm Beach Post. Its a 455 automatic. It says it just came off a three year restoration $155,000. So Iwould think its like new.

[69taconv]

455 =MO MONEY!!! Either 263 or 268 produced that year per P.H.S.

[tp's lemans sport]

Where 455 ram air that year?

[70ram4]

Phil Volo auto has the white one for 59K

[70ra455]

That's the one I was looking at. At their original 89K it was a "no go" but at 59K it's beginning to look enticing.

What do you guys think concerning value.

BTW if there's an auto 455 Convertible for $155,000 in Cali it's going to sit for a long time.

[tp's lemans sport]

1970 Pontiac GTO
PONTIAC GTO '70 455 Conv ertible, Air, Auto, 3 Year Restoration. $155,000 954-235-5218 Mobile & Web ID 8856984

• Published in The Palm Beach Post on August 17, 2007

[pggto]

70ra455, if your buying from Volo make sure you check it out, I have seen some real POS come from there.

[70ra455]

I would definitely check it out before buying ... and check it out real hard. BUT ... what I'm asking is what do you guys think a car like that is worth (assuming it's real?)

Thanks again.

[GTOnly70]

In today's market, $50-60k. This is assuming #'s match. 25-33% deduct if not.

Just checked out the Volo car. Looks nice and original sheet metal is a big plus. Seems reasonably priced.

[mmarx]

Originally Posted by GTOnly70

In today's market, $50-60k. This is assuming #'s match. 25-33% deduct if not.

Just checked out the Volo car. Looks nice and original sheet metal is a big plus. Seems reasonably priced.

Sounds about right, maybe a little more after a closer inspection...To bad it isn't a 4sp.
Volo's had this car for sometime, wasn't it offered at over $100k at one time?

If it's as advertised, I would say it's a good buy at this price. FWIW, shouldn't the top be white?

Mike

[69taconv]

Originally Posted by tp's lemans sport

Where 455 ram air that year?

Ram Air was an option that year,in the 455 it didnt mean round exh port heads til
1971.All 70 GTO's w/455 eng option had D port (exhaust)#64 heads.455 in 70
GTO's were called 455HO and were 370 hp stock.

[70ra455]

Yes Ram Air induction was optional on the 455. Code 601 (or was it 611?) I'm not with my sheets at this time. I wasn't aware it was an option when it was offered to me but I realized it was I jumped on my car and committed to buying it.

[tp's lemans sport]

so you could get it either way from the factory. Never saw one factory or aftermarket.

[70ra455]

I've seen in the past 5 years about a handful of 455 hardtops with the Ram Air option for sale. One or 2 four speeds (all 455 4spds had M-21 close ratio) and a couple or three automatics.

I've seen or heard of 4 convertibles with the option. 3 auto cars (Burgandy, Burgandy, White) and my 4spd car (Atoll Blue.) I've heard of a triple black 4spd car that sold at auction some 5 years ago but have never been able to confirm.

For Convertibles we know there were 158 4spds and 241 automatics made with 455 engines. How many came with the Ram Air induction? Who knows. My educated guess is to say maybe 10% since it was not commonly ordered so I believe that is a conservative number.

To see the pic is really no big deal. It's just a Pontiac motor with the complete Ram Air induction setup. There has been a slight differing of opinions on whether the cars came with Ram Air Carburators (mine has it) and Ram Air manifolds (mine has that too.) I seem to think, based on all the responses here, that the answer for the carbs may be "Yes" and that the answer for the manifolds may be "No."

Hope that helped.

[north]

Originally Posted by 69taconv

Ram Air was an option that year,in the 455 it didnt mean round exh port heads til
1971.All 70 GTO's w/455 eng option had D port (exhaust)#64 heads.455 in 70
GTO's were called 455HO and were 370 hp stock.

In the GTO 455 was rated 360, same setup in the GP was 370.

[north]

I had a similar car many years ago. Bought it from the original owner; RA3, auto 3.55 Safe t track, RII, formula wheel and rear wing etc all on buildsheet. burgundy with black top and interior. Must of been a beaut when new but a real POS by the time I got it, 350, tree growing through the floor, hit hard and left to rust in a field. Sadly parted it out.

Interesting story from the first owner, he wanted a Judge but hated the stripes. Dealer told him it was impossible to order it that way so he ordered all the Judge goodies on a GTO.
He barfed the original engine in the mid 70's and replaced it with 350 2bbl and soon after got t-boned hard. Could not bare to scrap it so he parked it at his fathers farm and watched it rust for 15 years.

[70ra455]

I don't think the rear wing was optional in 1970-72 (or even '69 for that matter.) It was only available on the Judges as far as I know.

Is that wrong? What would be the code for the Wing special order?

[north]

I always thought that as well. But there it was on the shipping document. I know it was available on later year GTO's so maybe by May 70 it had become an RPO.

I will dig up the documents and post the RPO.

[69taconv]

My bad memory dont serve me well @ times ,but this would kinda be like the same Ram
Air III being in 69 Firebird that was rated 345hp ,whereas the same Ram Air III in GTO was 360hp.But this I remembered as being related to a throttle stop screw.Was it the same situation in '70 in GP/GTO usage/370hp/360hp ???
Or was that related to the long branch manifold option in 1969 GP's w/428 w/10 hp diff ,but in 1969 428 wasnt offered in both in GTO's & GP's,where the 70 455 was offered in both chassis's??Did PMD forget no long branch manifold option
in 1970 w/455??Too many cars,options,too little time!