I am converting my 67 to a ram air setup and have already purchased most of the parts. What I am looking for are any pictures or a link to any pictures of exactly how and where the hood pan attaches to the hood. I cant seem to see how the pan lines up with the hood or where it should attach. My hood is more than likely a 68 repop, but it looks like all the other hoods I have seen so I dont think anything is out of place. I just am not sure where the pan should attach.
Secondly, I notice that the 67/68 ram air setups I have seen have a hose that goes from the lower pan to the breather on the valve cover on the passenger side. What exactly does this do and is this necessary (I know it is to be authentic, but I mean for performance reasons).
Excuse my ignorance in the issue and my lack of machanical knowledge, I am just curious what the purpose is of that particular hookup...
Thanks Banshee.. I guess I should have mentioned that I already have both of those and have them printed out. But I still cannot see while holding the actual parts, how the hood pan will attach to the hood. The hood pan has 5 attachment holes, and I have 5 screws for it, but they do not line up with any holes in my hood. Im guessing that my hood being a repop, just does not have them in the correct place. So photos might help me judge better where to connect the pan. That is why I was looking for some actual photos if anyone has any. Its much easier to see with actual photos than 41 year old drawings with lines going all over the place... lol.
Also, I am still curious about the breather and the tube connecting it to the valve cover. I have the breather insert for my lower pan, and the clip to hold it on, but I do not have the "pipe" that feeds into the valve cover and was wondering if that particular attachment is necessary and what its actual purpose is.
Bah, okay, upon reading the original assembly instructions a little more closely, I see that I actually have to drill the holes for the hood pan (which explains why it doesnt line up to anything). But there is also a part in there about cutting away part of the metal from the hood panel using a (non-existant) template... Has anyone installed a ram air setup before and had to do this? Can it be done without cutting away the metal from the hood?
Any pictures of assembly or disassembly would still be VERY useful.
I Have that set up on my car. There are pics on my photobucket site which there is a link to it in my signiture below. The breather pipe is available from Ames, and yes, you will want it. It is actually functional as a working breather and completes the look of the entire assembly.
Also, I did not cut any of the hood webbing away as stated in the instructions. I simply moved the under hood light over just a bit instead of cutting anything...
There are a few pics before I installed the hood insulation that might be a bit more helpful to you. There is also a video of the car idling and you can see the ram air pans there as well.
I've added a bunch of pics on my photobucket site. Just to clarify, the Camaro parts have since been removed from the Bird, ie: front and rear spoilers. Once I found out they were Camaro parts they were removed and thrown away! Same with the bullet mirrors, then I went to the Camaro square style, then the correct round mirrors. LOL
Another question.. I was prepared to buy the fitted hood pad and read that the Ram Air cars did not have a hood pad (in fact, it is printed in the Ames catalog I believe). So I ended up not buying one because of that.
However, I have a friend with a 67 that has ram air, and he has a hood pad on his (none of it is original). I actually like the way his looks with the hood pad on and the ram air setup. So I dont know if I should do it or not.. Whats your take on it? Did you put the pad or for looks or function? And does the pad help fill out some of the gaps and holes that Im sure will be there when I install the pan without it?
Im going to look at your photos now. Thanks for the reply!! And also, thanks for the info on the breather pipe! Gonna order that tomorrow!
Most people say the RamAir cars did not come w/ hood insulation. Personally, I like the look as it seems to clean things up and makes for a sharper look in my opinion. I first went with the soft/floppy hood insulation and that lasted one day. This was a POS so I ordered the moulded one and it has held up very well.
When I installed the hood pan I did not have any gaps and or holes as you mentioned. The upper hood pan seal takes care of that once installed.
Good luck and if you need any additional pics let me know, I can always take some and post them...
Below is a link to pics of my original Ram Air car.....I hope this helps you.....And no there was no insulation from the dealer on ram air cars, The dealer installed the Ram Air pans and most likely removed the hood insulation when installing them......The hood was cut at the dealer for the pans to fit proper I will try to attach a picture of the cutting as well. http://s147.photobucket.com/albums/r302/johnm1957/?action=view¤t=32ba34d2.pbr
Thank you guys for the pictures. They are going to help quite a bit. I am still undecided as to whether I want to put on a hood pad or not. I will be painting my hood pan black, but the underside of my hood is the same color of the car (Carousel Red) so the contrast with the pan might look a little off. Both of you had black on black under the hood which made the pan look like a part of the hood. If I go with the pad, that will cover most of the orange, but I will have a black hood pan with orange showing through the center hole. That might actually be an okay look instead of a large piece of black metal bolted on to an orange hood which will look like an obvious "add-on".
Anyway, I appreciate the photos and will definately be using them for reference. I am going to try installing it without cutting the hood as well. Since you were successful in doing it, Im sure it will work without any problems.
In regards to the vent tube for the breather.. I have aftermarket valve covers and the vent holes are not centered like the stock ones were. So even if I was able to find the vent tube, it would not work without changing my valve covers (which Im not against, but more $$$). I looked in my Ames catalog and do not see the vent tube listed, but might just stick with the plug in breathers I am running right now anyway to save a little money. That is always something I can change out later.
You could also use a breather/vent cap that has a nipple off the side, then use a rubber hose from that to the breather that goes inside the ram air pan on the carb. Just an idea...
I cut my hood to get the pan to sit right. I have pics here: http://john.my67.net/body2.htm You should be able to line it up using the cutouts in the pan for the hood scoop nuts.
Thanks for the picture! I am a little nervous about cutting up a hood that is already painted and think I will try to install it first without the cuts. If that doesnt work, well, then i guess I gotta do what I gotta do. I saved your picture in case I have to go to plan B.
Rich: You do not have to cut the hood if you do not want to, it will still fit. As a suggestion, I would trim the foam some around the hood brace just to keep it even. The foam cuts fairly even with just scissors. Now if you put the pad on under the upper pan, you may not even want to cut the foam. The pad will help space the upper pan lower.
Here are cleaner copies of the instructions if you want them:
The vent tube is a little more complicated if you are trying to duplicate a 67 RA Cal. car. The first RA carb tubs were stamped without the vent tube hole. Pontiac either forgot that Cal. required a closed crankcase vent system or did not think any would be sold there.
So they started stamping the hole in all the bottom pans. The 67 RA cars had a rubber plug in the hole except Cal. RA cars. They used a vent tube similar to the 68, but not identical. I have never seen it reproduced and only seen pictures of one.
In ’68, the same tube is used on basically all Pontiacs. The 68 RA tube is no different to the std. tube, but it will only work if the hole in the valve cover is in the correct place.
Again just a suggestion, being it is a ’67 and you are running aftermarket valve covers with breathers, just plug the hole.
Hey, thanks for the info, and thanks again for the Ram Air kit. The quality is GREAT!!
I went ahead and ordered a fitted hood pad, so I have decided to go that route although that is not correct. But it gives the entire setup a cleaner look in my opinion. I also picked up the 68 vent tube that Terry was selling and will be installing that. This gives me the excuse that I now "have" to buy different valve covers which I will be doing with my next paycheck. I want to try and find those ones that Bjorn bought not too long ago. But if I cant find those, then I will pick up some stock repops.
I have never liked the aftermarked Edelbrock valve covers that were in place when I got the car. But just could not justify spending the money to change them as I did not dislike them THAT much. This gives me an excuse... lol
Anyway, thanks for the great info from everyone involved in this thread. Between all the posted knowledge along with the pictures, I now have a better grasp on what I need to do, and what will be correct and incorrect.
That is what makes this website the king of all Firebird sites..
