[72TAMAN]

Originally Posted by transam1972

..forget the Formula hood and a shaker.(CHiPs) anyone?!).but when you look at that T/A and forget about the shaker & tach...if the TRANS AM had only come with the fiberglass Ram Air twin scoop hood and the stripes on top of the scoops to match the roof & deck lid like originally planned a shakerless T/A looks pretty darn cool..imagine if it had been the other way round (like the S.D. 455 FORMULA)..I think the TRANS AM would have looked sleeker and way cool (plus I would have that dual scooped hood!!)

Something like this one. Was looking at Pontiac books on amazon and found this gem

[transam1972]

nice,..but we still need to lose the blower..so I was checking the web and I do not know how to link...[url]www.musclecarfilms.com...or google PONTIACS RAM AIR RARITIES... that the term RAM AIR IV was regarding a design that air entered the engine 4 ways..it was abandoned but the name stuck...also they show an interesting set up were the hood gets a tach. and on the passenger side an exact looking tach. that is actually a hood scoop...so it looks as though there are 2 tachs...anyone ever see this?

[Alvin]

Originally Posted by transam1972

nice,..but we still need to lose the blower..so I was checking the web and I do not know how to link...[url]www.musclecarfilms.com...or google PONTIACS RAM AIR RARITIES... that the term RAM AIR IV was regarding a design that air entered the engine 4 ways..it was abandoned but the name stuck...also they show an interesting set up were the hood gets a tach. and on the passenger side an exact looking tach. that is actually a hood scoop...so it looks as though there are 2 tachs...anyone ever see this?

Yes @ Mike Noun's website link HERE

[Alvin]

And here's the image with the duals using the now infamous hood tach design

[Alvin]

And the discussion of the Ram Air name confusion

[thebuick]

and I have one of those hood tachs with the design lines on it and im willing to part with it. pictures by email only

[unruhjonny]

As I have understood it, as a factory option the hood tach was only available to the 1970 & 1971 Formulas - and even then if I recall correctly it was shipped with the car to be installed at the dealer...

And it was a very rare option at that.

I am guessing that it was offered so that a racer could order a '70 Formula as cheap as they wanted - and still have a tach (eg: not required to order rally gauges in order to get the tach).

[Norwood]

Could you produce a RPO for this please. No RPO NO such option, simple as that.

[padgett]

Hood tach was also available on Grand Prixs, I have seen the template for cutting the hood.

Part of the issue was that the hood tach was built only with the passive circuit and not suited to modern ignitions. I used to replace the cap in Vega transistor circuits and put in hood tachs, Now they are available on the web.

'nother issue was they were not very accurate. Trim was via plated on resistors and calibration was done with a wave generator, O'scope, awl (to increase resistance), and pencil (decrease resistance).

Transistor circuit board.

[unruhjonny]

How's this(?);
Code #721/UB5

A pre-production yellow 1970 Formula that was doing rounds had it;
It may not have been a common item, but was an intended option - that was more or less made irrelevant from the proper gauge options.
It was a cover car for the February 1970 issue of Hot Rod magazine.

[Norwood]

Ok UB5 is a hood tach and a pre production car had one. Do you have the build sheet for said car that shows this code? I’m guessing not. Can anyone produce a 1970 Firebird order form that includes that code as being available? I’m more than willing to accept it if proper evidence is produced. Not “I heard” evidence.

[comanchefirebird]

Attached a couple pics of a hood tach on a 70 Formula I have. The hood tach appears to have been very nicely installed and has been there for a long time. I expect it was a "Day 1" installation by dealer.
Attached the PHS which shows that the hood tach is not listed which supports that it was not a factory installed option.
Steve

[unruhjonny]

This is a matter that has always been a bit unclear for even me.
The option was there, but I cannot recall where I read that it was "installed by dealer";
I do not have all 1970 Firebird dealer/options literature, but from what I have, it shows up first in the 1971 Pure Pontiac Accessorizer - that's where I got the UPC and code from.

I am sure I had read somewhere it was a factory option - but never factory installed.

This is an interesting conversation - especially for a six and a half year old"dead" thread!

[unruhjonny]

Originally Posted by comanchefirebird

Attached a couple pics of a hood tach on a 70 Formula I have. The hood tach appears to have been very nicely installed and has been there for a long time. I expect it was a "Day 1" installation by dealer.
Attached the PHS which shows that the hood tach is not listed which supports that it was not a factory installed option.
Steve

that's a neat car - thanks for sharing the pictures!!

[Formulabruce]

Firebird sales code for a 1st gen Firebird hood tach was #704 .
721 is probably a Tempest body code also used in the late 60's.
" Intended" is just marketing throwing things at the car to see how its accepted.
There were 3 tachs at least the factory used in the 60's. OHC, base v-8 , and RA .
" IF" a factory option was to have been made, they would have to make at LEAST 3 different tachs with various red lines for different engines. Limit it to a formula only? Still have 2 tachs for that.
While gimmicks are cool, cost was prohibitive.
I can tell you customers bought a std v8 OTC TACH, installed on hood, then in less than 5 years were back for warranty that the tach never had.
Pontiac "intended " to put hideaway headlights on '70 Birds,( circa development in '68) similar to the 68 GP. COST got in the way.
While we can wonder and guess about past intentions, let's not let that Change History.

[Formulabruce]

Originally Posted by MikeNoun

I have the 1970 order forms, 1970 price sheets, and 1970 Pocket Facts.

Hood tach was not available on the 1970 Firebirds, or the 1969 Trans Am's.

Do we need ANY more info than this?
Could be there is a market for a retro built Firebird called " Good Intentions".

[bird72]

On a Leon Russell Facebook group, once every few weeks, someone posts a pic of Waylon Jennings, Glen Campbell, and Leon Russell. It actually is on the net when you search Leon images. And it is mislabeled. It is a guy that kinda looks like a young Leon. The threads are popcorn time funny when someone posts the pic, thinking everyone will go "Wow!". Sorry for obscure, it is a music version of a TA hood tach thread here.

[unruhjonny]

Incase this helps;

Master parts catalogue (Nov 1974 printing);
Group 9, Illustration #1;
Part #3: Group 9.750
Group 9.750 #5657097

Listed for two applications:
- 1970-71/ALL 8 CYL - PAINT TO MATCH - HOOD MOUNTED
- 1973-74/ALL - PAINT TO MATCH - HOOD MOUNTED

We all know this was an accessory item, so that's not up for debate, but what is being debated is weather or not this was ever an original vehicle invoiced item.

It's absence from the options order sheet (something I didn't notice before today) has me looking at this in a new light;
I wonder if the purchaser specified this when ordering the car, if the kit was ordered by the dealer for the car, or if it was shipped with the car - which would require it to have been on the original proper (PHS) invoice.

Since the number of listings mentioned in Bruce's post (#35) as two probable listings for 1970/71, as well as three in the 1960's, in light of only one listing, it seems worth noting the following:

1 6469689 - 1969/ALL 6 CYL - PAINT TO MATCH
1 6469694 - 1969/ALL 8 CYL - PAINT TO MATCH

It does look like the hood tach for the OHC six was changed in 1968, as there are two listed, the first one matched the 1967 part number and notes "REDLINE 6500 RPM", while the second one notes "REDLINE 5500 RPM".

Question:
When these cars were new, were some of the options done like what GM has been doing for some time now(?);
I have observed that some options which could be ordered with the car, were shipped with the car, but not installed;
Items such as 'all weather floor mats' or 'bright pedal trim' come to mind - This was the way the options came with cars like my Cobalt (they were shipped with the car, and the owner either paid to have the dealer install it or they did it themselves).

[padgett]

Yes, from 1967 through 1969 there had to be two hood tachs, one for the OHC-6 (230 cid 6500, 250 cid 5500). I *think* these used a .047 ufd cap. The V8 (5200 redline) used a .033ufd. Something is niggling at me that the RA II hood tach used a 6 cyl face with 5500 redline.

[Formulabruce]

ALL factory options had a Price. Not a part book, or dealer accy price, a "price" assembled, which takes into account Labor.
When Delorean asked what something costs, he meant "ON THE CAR" Production costs. This is why they have sales codes attached to
RPO Codes.
Keep in mind also that a RPO, IS an Extra cost Regular Production >>> Option.
You do Not see a sales code for a 3 on the tree in a 1970 Bird because it is NOT an option, its Standard.
Thousands of dealer kit hood tachs were produced by Delco.
Obviously easier to install on a Glass hood.
These tachs hardly ever worked right for more than 1 year under normal use and this is why, ( Warranty costs ) Pontiac did NOT even toss them in the trunk.
By 1970 there was already a lot of tach warranty claims. At my dealership, there was a pile when I first got there, in the parts room, all tagged. Pontiac didnt even want them
back, and in like 1979 I finally took about 30 of them home. Sales were constantly trying to get us to put them on brand new cars.. The Flat answer was a Firm, NO.
These tachs were, and still are, a huge ( post production) Gimic as their quality is nothing special.