Gramma's Car: the new project!

[VintageMusclecar]

200R4 automatic would be a relatively easy swap.

[njsteve]

Just got a set of the new Max Performance ram air manifolds and a Pypes 2-1/2 inch crossflow system installed on the car. HOLY @#% what a difference. [img]<<GRAEMLIN_URL>>/eek.gif[/img] No traction whatsoever now when you hit the gas off-idle.

I'll get some photos of the system tomorrow. I just got back from the shop a few minutes ago. Of course I had a fun trip with my truck and trailer. Four miles from the shop I felt a jolt in the front brakes and the pedal felt weird. I pulled over but couldn't see any leaks or anything noticeable. I thought that maybe the ABS was acting up? I limped the remaining four miles to the shop and then crawled underneath the truck. It turns out that the left front disc brake dust shield broke loose and instead of falling to the ground, it rotated around and rolled itself up like a windowshade, in between the inside brake pad and the rotor. Oy!

I was able to unbolt the caliper and using a pair of pliers, cutters, a hammer, and a big screw driver, pulled the shrapnel out. Luckily I had an extra set of pads in my tool box as the inner pad was all chewed up. As frightening as the metal penetration was, all stuck in there, all I heard was a barely noticeable scraping sound, no-where near as loud as even a wear indicator. Got it fixed and back on its wheel in record time - 30 minutes. So it pays to carry a lot of old parts when you drive an old truck. [img]<<GRAEMLIN_URL>>/biggthumpup.gif[/img]

[njsteve]

Here's the new manifolds just after the box was opened. Just in time for an early X-mas gift!

They come with a heat-coated finish already so you don't have to send them out get Jet-Hot coated and wait for the return trip.

[olredalert]

----I take it you like these ram-air manifolds as much as I do. When restoring my 69 GP/SJ 428/370 I couldn't bring myself to schlep the log manifolds back on the car. Those have to be the most restrictive exhaust manifolds known to man!!! Along with some other judicious modifications that no one will ever see, I thing I am well beyond the 390 rated 428/HO Grand Prix top engine option......Bill S

[njsteve]

I went the ramair manifold route because no tubular steel headers ever seal properly on a Pontiac...and they fry starters...and boil the oil filters...and drag on the ground...and are impossible to install, etc,.

These manifolds flow nearly as well as a good set of tube headers but do it very quietly with no ground clearance issues.

[VintageMusclecar]

Amazing what happens when an engine can exhale, ain't it? [img]<<GRAEMLIN_URL>>/wink.gif[/img]

[StealthBird]

Very cool Steve! I have a set of Ram Air Restorations manifolds for my 1969 Firebird, RAIV ports, with a 3&quot; outlet. Beautiful pieces! Unfortunately, I have aluminum heads (doctored to appear stock) and a pretty healthy cam, and I noticed a big dropoff at around 4500 rpm with the manifolds. I removed them after only running them for a few weeks.

But on a stock or near stock car, these enlarged passage manifolds are awesome. [img]<<GRAEMLIN_URL>>/smile.gif[/img]

Mike

[njsteve]

I brought Gramma's car to my buddy Al's garage this morning. Did some exhaust clamp tightening after a heat cycle. Took it out for a spin to show Al how it runs. If you stomp on it off idle, it just sits there and spins, shifts into second still spinning and then slowly inches forward and eventually gets into third while still spinning. I REALLY need to get taller tires now. These 25&quot; tall BFGs in the back need to go. I am looking at a 27&quot; tall Nitto 255/50x17 which would match the stock tire height and both fill the wheelwell and make the rear gear a little easier to live with.

This photo is actually someone else's 74 Formula (that looks like the twin to Gramma's car). He has the Nitto 255/50x17s mounted on the Year One 17&quot; Honeycombs. They fill the wheelwells a lot better than the 275/40x17s I have on there now. No one seems to make a 60 series 17&quot; tire other than truck tread tires like a Long Trail T/A.



Compared to my car:

[njsteve]

Oh, and I forgot to mention that the car also now runs about 15 degrees cooler on the temp gauge. Before it was consistently running at 195 to 200 degrees. Now it's operating in the 180 range.


...gas mileage has <span style="text-decoration: underline">not</span> improved. I think it's around 5 mpg now. [img]<<GRAEMLIN_URL>>/naughty.gif[/img]

[njsteve]

Here's some detail shots of the manifold install. These are the larger, 2-1/2&quot; outlet manifolds and they clear everything nicely and mate up to the 2-1/2&quot; Pypes exhaust system very cleanly with no leaks.