To buy or not to buy...
 

Hey guys, need some advise...
I have an opportunity to purchase a complete Ram Air IV crate motor (meaning no VIN stamped) or purchase a Ram Air IV block that is correct for the car but maybe less desirable.
My question is, for judging and resell, which way should I lean. I could get the unstamped block and it could be a selling point, or get the correct but not numbers matched block, to be with an original Ram Air IV car??

Thoughts?

No Brainer, the unstamped block would hold the value vs a incorrect vin block.

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No Brainer, the unstamped block would hold the value vs a incorrect vin block.

Sent from my moto z3 using Tapatalk

That’s what I was thinking... just a bit on the fence.

It really doesn’t matter much. You don’t have the original motor. You could put a SR block, a block from another Ra4 car or a unstamped Ra4 block which I have never seen. At the end of the day non of them are the original block to your car. If I was to buy the car I’d rather have a SR block. JMO

69 was hit and miss for a vin stamp from the factory,with no vin stamp and in correct date range,who could argue that it wasnt original,i also have a ww block with no vin as well as a ram!!! block with no vin that is in correct date range for my judge

Your car originally came with a block unstamped?
‘69 was a free spirited era!!

I've never heard of 69 blocks not being stamped with a vin number?
So does your block have the eun number stamped with the ww ?

yes it is stamped with WW but no vin and its not a sr block

Yes 68-69 blocks w/o vin did happen

ive ran across a few ra4 70 cars that there was no vin visible anywhere.

Well if anyone has a no vin WH you know who to call. ����

Better yet if you have a WH that might have my vin stamp you know who to call.

I have an SR for my car, pretty happy w that my car got a RAII short block from the previous season race car because it was balanced an blueprinted already so as a cost saving measure for the dealership it got swapped first day, O idea if it went in that other car or went on the shelf as a spare. No one is sure.
I'd also Consider putting that RAII in too since it's a cast 2506 no disputing what it is or what it was at least,
To me it's dealer is stalled since it was a dealer owned race car.

But w so much restamping in the world, especially in different makes etc at least you know a SR is an honest deal. Most people who are gonna do a restamp I'd think would go full tilt for original engine.

I know people who have done this through the years and I don't see anything wrong with it personally if you are using a engine that could have been that same stamp on that same day. Vette guys do it openly all the time. As long as it's all done the way the factory did it. It's less forged to me than putting a Chinese bumper or other Chinese part on a classic Pontiac. More original than a reproduction part that never had anything to do with Pontiac that's for sure. I realize it's a huge debate, and frowned upon but the cars I know it was done on ( correctly) I'd buy and not care.

I have guite a few WH and WW blocks that have never had a vin

I may do the 70SR IV block. Would be more correct anyways. How temperamental were the Ram Air Iv blocks anyways. Did everyone kill them??

Yep, agree. I also have a '70 WW block with no VIN ever stamped on it.

Matt you pretty much have or have had everything.

I just realized it was your brother I used to talk to back in the olden days before internet back of Hemings back of HPP ads days. Found an old phone book of mine w his name and
Number in it. He was probably one of the first people I talked to about RAIV cars that wasn't in my local area. I was pretty young then. Man that was a long long time ago.

I think most people would agree that they were driven like chevies a lot and that's not how pontiacs really worked. The rods just weren't up to the task. Had they used the SD 455 type rods which was a plan for 70 it would have been a much different story.
RAV as a production engine was even killed off basically because the supply of rods dried up when a company that made them went belly up.

Pontiac RAIV cranks were good, blocks were good, the rods were not.

Before the aftermarket kicked in for chevies, most of the old school vettes etc were getting Pontiac 389 and 421s to hot rod them. Pontiac was the king at that time.
Damn racing ban

If you were gonna buy a RAIV most likely you were either gonna street race it or track race it,

Couple this with the only available gear ratios for the RA IV of 3:90 and 4:33, they were always reving too high and did not live long.

That was probably me