I Heard of a Pontiac engine that has the original aluminum manifold on it. He said it has the carb and exhaust manifolds too. Should be SD or RA eng. How much are these pontiac engines worth as core engines if all the goodies are attatched and no damage is done inside? I'll be looking at it and getting numbers off it in a few days.
I think if it has an aluminum intake it should be a RA IV version? o No: The heads are mostly the giveaway as to what it is- Round Port vs. D-Port. Can't remember exactly what was used on the Ponchos . . . maybe someone else can chime in. Not real familiar on prices either. My buddy has a '68 GTO with 428 small chamber heads on it- maybe he'd know . . . It'd be real cool if it was a RA V, or one of the 303 cu. in. versions! <---- Those are priceless!
H.O. 455's and Ram Air IV's had the aluminum intake.The S.D. 455 intake was cast iron. Don't remember on the Ram Air II. The Pontiac round port heads were the Ram Air II and IV, HO 455 and SD 455. Easy to spot even with manifolds or headers installed, the exhaust ports are are all separated on round port engines. D ports have the center ports siamesed.
Heads on a RAIV will have either 614 or 722 numbers on them depending on the year. Also, the block casting numbers on the back of the block will have been ground off and a new one will be stamped on. Hard to believe but that's the way they did it at the factory. Aluminum intakes are two piece with the heat crossover underneath being cast iron. `68 RAII and `71 & `72 H.O. intake is the same way but I don't know the head numbers off hand. It's unlikey that it's a RAV but in that case all the intake and exhaust ports are evenly spaced, unlike all the others that have the two center exhaust ports close together. And the RAV intake is one-piece. You can hang a RAV intake gasket on a standard size door knob.........I've done it :grin: A rare 'It's your lucky day' story': A friend of mine has a RAV in his `69 Judge and it has the stock RAV exhaust manifolds on it, not headers. One day at the track he developed a miss, a dead cylinder. He had snapped the head completely off one of the exhaust valves and it hit the piston one time and went right out the exhaust. There was only one little nick in the top of that piston and no other marks on the cylinder or combustion chamber :shock:
I believe the RA III which came in the ajority of Trans Ams in 1970 came with the aluminum intake but not the cast iron crossover. Still worth money either way. Sorry I cannot give you a solid idea of the value. With RA IV being worth a lot more. Super rare engine and more HP. RA V was Pontiacs Trans Am priject with aprivate builder. Stopped before getting into production and the builder for years was selling these engines off. RAV heads were tunnel port heads designed no doubt after the Ford tunnel posrt design because the intakes can be made to work with a set of plates and some machining. I know about these because I installed one of these engines for a neighbor that was a paraplegic. Vic was a well known midwestern Pontiac collector with several cars. The RAV engine went into a 71 HO GTO triple black witha predator carb and a Kenne Bell worked TH400. Special hedders were built locally and all I can say is this was the fastest street car I had ever dirven. A little low on touque at the bottom but get it going and that car flew. I have since ridden in a twin turbo Z06 that is faster but at the time I was very impressed. That car was sold to out of state collector. Vic also commissioned a 70 Gran Prix convertable using a donor Cutlass I sold him and the car was in several mags and was also triple black. Every part from the olds worked as if the factory had done it. They should have .
My Pontiac guru (and I mean guru) friend says the 68 ram air 2 used a cast iron intake, they didnt go to the alluminum till 69. He says he actaully has 1- 68 ram air 2 head, its a weird early production and just has a R on the left side and A on the right.
Ken, Pretty sure you are correct on the RA II being an iron intake. The three's were the first Aluminum ones. Well since the SD stuff of the early 60's anyway. Worked for the company tha made them. (Winters, Canton, Ohio)
My friend paid $10,000 to get back his no. matching Ram Air IV. $3500 for proper Q jet and $500 for matching dist. http://inventory.bestofshowautomotive.com/allcars.asp?make=Pontiac&year=1970&model=&price=&page=1
Yes, I was mistaken about the RAII intake, it is iron, but I've never seen a RAIII with an aluminum intake. They used the same iron intake as the standard 400. Only the RAIV had the aluminum intake from the factory.
Correct on the RAII and RAIII being iron. Both are just the same old intake as on any 4bbl Pontiac of those years. The RAIV did have an aluminum intake, but so did the '71 and '72 455 HO. It was painted on the HO though so not as obvious. As for the value of the motor in the original post, it'll vary greatly on what it actually is and how complete & correct it is. ANY round port motor is worth a few bucks. 'Course it could be an old 326 with an Edelbrock P4B...uzzled:
Ok, on the iron on the RAIII's. Wasn't sure, but I didn't think the two's had them. I am sure you're right about the 4's and the 455 HO's. I could never understand why they didn't use that intake on the SD motors in 73 & 74. Something to do with emissions I supose.
1968 RAII - steel 1969-1970 Ram Air (a.k.a. RAIII) - steel 1969-1970 RAIV - aluminum, bare 1969-1970 RAV - aluminum, bare 1971-1972 455 H.O. - aluminum, painted 1973-1974 SD-455 - steel :TU:
