Mino 11.87@118.7

The RAII was also a very late year addition (May 1968) to the Pontiac lineup, and they were only out for a couple months before the 1969 models appeared. Only one magazine ad for the RAII (1968 Firebird 400), and there were only a handful of articles with info about the RAII package.

These were also the last of the Pontiac Ram Air cars to be delivered with closed scoops, and the Ram Air components (pans, open scoops, etc) were in the trunk. The dealer would install the setup, and paint the Ram Air scoops to match. The customer would then end up with an extra set of closed scoops for foul weather conditions.

One of the best bang-for-the-buck options available back then, with an MSRP of only $473.94, you got the Ram Air setup, round port heads, round port exhaust manifolds, RAII cam, and the joy of seeing a lot of surprised faces at stoplights. There was nothing on the outside of the car to identify it as a RAII.

 

Thats a heck of a pick up..


12.32 @ 117.07 in perfect Va Oct '09 air at sea level
11.87 @ 118.7 in crappy Norwalk 3000' air Aug '10

Jim you must tell us your secret.

 

I think he would say RAII @ 3478lbs..!!!!!:grin:

Jim

 

That's cool info- didn't know it was dealer installed. was it all dealers or just a few?

 

Like the famed Z28's delivered with headers in the trunk, does that mean these 'birds should only run with the R/A pans installed in the trunk? o No: p :grin:

 

Now THAT was funny! :3gears:

Pontiac shipped their Firebird Ram Air cars with the pans in the trunk, supposedly to prevent theft, but officially, it was to prevent rain from getting in through the scoops during delivery. The cars were shipped with closed scoops, and there was a two-sided instruction sheet telling the dealer how to install the pans. In 1969, Ram Air cars were shipped with the Ram Air pans in place, as the 1969's had the pull-knob in the interior to close off the scoops in bad weather.

Not sure if this will show up, but here's an original sheet:

 

Jay,
No secret really, just better driving technique for a good launch. 117 MPH shows enough power to go under 12 seconds but was wasted in wheelspin. The 12.32 had a .26 slower 60' (2.11) and was .35 slower at the 330' mark than the 11.87 run.
Jim

 

Jim, I remember reading your name in magazines quite a few years ago! Awesome job you've done with those Firebirds!! :TU: