[Kenth]

Some Pontiac info on the RAII engine:

[OG68]

I have a pair of 234s dated D10 and D11. A 140 dated C6
The D10 was the original manifold on my WT block.

[Mcronk]

Originally Posted by Kenth

Some Pontiac info on the RAII engine:

Thanks for sharing! Here is a article from CARS magazine on a RA II they tested and modified. One of the few magazine articles published about RA II cars. You may have to save image to your computer then zoom in to read the text. There are 6 images so I will have to add the last image in another post.

[Mcronk]

Here is the last image of the CARS magazine article on a RAII test.

[OCMDGTO]

Really cool old articles and I'm surprised they ran it to 6k rpms

[carcrazy]

Originally Posted by Kenth

Never knew that 1969 Tempest 350 H.O. also used the 744 camshaft?

From 1969 Tempest AMA specs:

Can't imagine that. It was about as much as I'd want in a 400!

[Mcronk]

Originally Posted by OCMDGTO

Really cool old articles and I'm surprised they ran it to 6k rpms

Maybe because I did not know any better I had a 69 GTO that I would spin to 5,800 to 6,000 all the time. It was rebuilt before I got it and I rebuilt it once in the 10 years I owned it. Nothing fancy just good parts and proper build. I bought the car in 1979. Street raced it, drag raced it, and would drive across state to see my girlfriend in college. It was a WT 4 speed car, 48 heads, with 3.23 gear posi. It had a hood tach and I installed a Sun tach later. If the tachs were accurate it saw that rpm often.

[HO Kenny]

It is often stated that the ram air D port heads flow the same as other D port heads. I have yet to see any 68 #31 ram air head flow numbers that prove that.
If someone has them I’d be interested in seeing it.

The 31 heads had different, taller, valves and different valve springs than other D ports. I suspect these were used to help control the 744 cam wide profile that was used on stick cars. I also suspect it allowed racers to use a bigger cam without changing springs.

I’ve spoken another 68 ram air 1 4 speed owner. He agreed with me that they went way better than any D port Pontiac they have owned or driven. It was hard to keep the tires from spinning in the first 3 gears. I took an owner of a L79 375 hp 396 camaro for a rip in my 68 ram air car. His first words getting out of the car were “how much do you want. It will beat my camaro no problem.”

I’ve driven many Pontiacs. None could touch that Firebird unless it was very well built.

So, in my opinion as much as I’d like a 400 HO car, the ram air 1 4 speed would have no problem beating it.

If you want to beat everything else get a ram air 11 Firebird. Look up Jim Mino. He left a lot of Hemi’s, boss 429’s, L88’s, LS6’s and pretty much everything else behind him in pure stocks.

[north]

This is a great thread! So much info to digest. All documentation, especially factory has to be taken with a grain of salt. Some 69 examples of errors:
1...much of the early factory documentation states that the 400 RA (ram air 3) was rated at 360 horse and the RA IV was 366.
2...all early brochures and powertrain charts etc in sales manuals and MPC's list base engine GTO's with auto trans and no AC as having 3.36 but I've never seen anything but 3.55 gears in almost 50 years of owning and parting 69 goats
3...early power train charts and brochures show 4 speed manuals as an option on fullsized cars (in fact only TH400 and 3 speed manuals were offered in 69 big cars and only column shift)
4...Product information documents, press releases and brochures all show dual exhaust as standard on Bonnevilles, this did not happen, it was an option as in previous years unless you ordered a 428 HO which came standard with duals.
5...late (from early May) production 4bbl cars (all models except RA IV)) were built with the "1970" intake manifolds (they had closed in spaces between ports, unlike earlier ones).
6...very late production (june plus) engines equipped with power steering often have the formed 1970 alternator bracket instead of the two small straps of earlier 69 cars.

[mrcarb]

Originally Posted by unruhjonny

Kenth about this part of this post:



I had previously understood that the 270/273 were introduced with the RAII, then carried forward into early production of the 1969 RAIII/RAIV;
If I have a correct understanding then no 1968 RAI should have ever been assembled with either a 270 or 273 application quadrajet.

Thanks for the information and your contribution. So helpful and refreshing. I have listed for sale a NOS Survivor 7028270 XG on this forum. Dated 1718 on the base.
Is this actually considered early production for Ram Air II cars? Hard to answer questions even for people here in Phoenix. I have been referring people to your postings.

[unruhjonny]

1718 would be Wednesday June 19 (1968);
odds are that was a RAII carb, but it could have been used on an early 69-RAIII.

If I recall some of what I’ve read, this date is around the time where parts for the forthcoming model year were being produced.
Typically the model year was done by, or in early July, with shutdown for maintenance/updates over August, then the next model year started up in September.