Pontiac Firebird Formula hood, RAIV?

71-LS6 · #1 11-28-2005, 07:34 AM

Last week I bought a little "fixerupper" house in Oklahoma. While estimating how much junk needed to be hauled out of the garage, I stumbled (literally) across a small cache of Pontiac parts. One of the items was a factory Firebird "Formula" hood, that much I know. The hood has all the provisions for a cold air induction system, complete with openings on the underside of the hood that would match the foam carb-to-hood gaskets on older Firebirds. I'm not a Pontiac expert, but I'm wondering if this was some type of RAM AIR III or IV piece. The ducting from the carb, and out to the 2 "intakes" at the very end of the hood, is all there (moulded into the hood), along with screens that are built into the openings. Where the two scoops terminate at the front of the hood they are moulded shut, but directly underneath the fake scoop openings, are real openings. When the hood is installed, these openings would be facing down, and would be ahead of the radiator, which would allow for cold air induction. Does anybody know what I found?

GTO_DON · #2 11-28-2005, 10:04 AM

What you found is a 70-75 formula hood. they all were moulded that way. the true ram air hood had the front scoops machined out and the they slid little screens up thru those slots you see on the underside. If none of the ribs in the back are not boke then you can get anywhere from 100.00-350.00 for it. BTW They never put RAM IV'S in the formula so at best it would be a ram air III.

71-LS6 · #3 11-28-2005, 05:23 PM

Thanks for expanding my knowledge of Pontiacs. That's a pretty cool design, if I were a 2nd generation Firebird guy, I would opt for that system over the shaker set-up for sure.

GTO_DON · #4 11-28-2005, 06:25 PM

Your right I think its a much better looking hood!

**TimG** · #5 11-29-2005, 03:26 AM

Remember the show CHIPS, one of the officers had a Firebird with a Formula hood and a shaker hood from a TA also built in.

71-LS6 · #6 11-29-2005, 06:45 AM

How funny, 25 years ago while working in Houston, I had a buddy who did that to his Trans Am. Until just now, when I read your post, I had always just assumed that he had bad taste. Now I know that he was simply imitating bad taste.

**njsteve** · #7 11-29-2005, 06:47 PM

[ QUOTE ]

Remember the show CHIPS, one of the officers had a Firebird with a Formula hood and a shaker hood from a TA also built in.

[/ QUOTE ]

If I recall correctly, that same black CHiPs TAformula showed up later as the bad guys car in "Corvette Summer" with Mark Hamil, ex of Star Wars.