Hi there, I have a standard 400 1969 Firebird. I have non functional hood scoops fitted on the hood. Can anyone tell me if there would be any engine performance benefit to getting functional hood scoops installed?

Thanks, NZBird

There's been a lot of debate here over the years. The real ram air cars, with the functioning scoops from the factory also had other engine upgrades, which is where the extra power really came from. You don't get any ram effect due to the location of the scoops which is in a low pressure area of the hood. You might see a little benefit bring in cool air to the carb instead of sucking in hot air from the engine compartment.

Thanks Bob,

Seems odd to have them there for ornamental purposes.

I might try it anyway. Probably look better.

Thanks again.

NZBird.

Have a look at this thread:

Ram air

the minimal increase you get from opening those scoops is not worth mentioning, and lots of work for nothing....but you will get rain in there if you drive in the rain...paint the "opening" flat black instead would be my suggestion

The reproduction Ram Air pieces from Warpath are VERY nice.

I been considering trying something like this to get some cool air intake

http://www.summitracing.com/parts/SPE-711/

This was a system I did a few years ago. The engine ran much quieter, especially at 40 mph and up. Just whispered. Overall it ran very well. Those are 1966-1969 Olds W-30 fabric style hoses, and I modified one of the aftermarket air boxes to accept a factory 17" black Pontiac lid.

Couple things to consider though.

The hoses will heat soak when the car sits. Not a big deal when the car is moving, as the air is constantly being drawn through the hoses. But after a sitting, and doing a hot start, the engine runs a little rough until it starts to get cool air moving through the hoses again. When the car sits, with a close Ram Air system, hot air rises, and is trapped in the housing.

Also, I tapped into the back of the housing, and ran the valve cover breather tubes into the back of the air cleaner assembly.

Let me know if you need any more info, glad to help!

A stock ram air set up looks totally awesome. And that's about it! As mentioned above and in the thread Gus created a link to, performace is pretty much zero. But did I mention how awesome it looks? LOL

Guys thanks for all the advice.

I put it on my car and it is the FIRST thing most people say about the car. "Is that functional ram air?"

Most "cool" bang for the buck so far.

You could reply "no, its disfunctional" just to see their reaction.

LOLOLOL too funny!

I'm going to try that next time. Should be good for one of those "Duh" looks.

But...but...open scoops are F'n cool!

It's especially that fake scoops are pretty ... lame! Freaking cool scoops, and just for show. An aerodynamical disaster actually; closed scoops! Optical tuning, an illusion, just for posing. That is a bit shamefull...

But they look sooooo cool.

I miss them on my 326!


Besides performance, would it do anything for cooling the engine better? A bit probably, but not in low speed / heavy traffic, when you need it most...

Actually, one thing that open scoops (without Ram Air) will do is cool down the engine when it's parked. Hot air rises, and that hot air will go out through the twin nostrils.

True Ram Air (scoops sealed to the carb) will lower the incoming air temp to the carb. Cold air is more dense than hot air, and the denser that air is, the more power you will make. With the correct jetting, you can pick up 10-30 hp, depending on the setup.

About 10-15 hp.
About 2 tenths at the track.

I have noticed a couple ram air kits on ebay here the last week. The price of them seem cheap @ $400 and change depending on ebay seller. Anyone seen them? Do they look correct? They seemed to lok right compared to the Ames kit. Joe

One small detail that makes the warpath product accurate is the alignment tab they weld on to the upper pan. I dont think any of the other aftermarkets offer that. The RA packages came in the trunk from the factory and the dealerships installed. The tab on the upper pan aligned into a hole in the hood... made for quicker installation.

The creases, bends, wrinkles etc. in the stamping of the Warpath kits are DEAD ON as per originals. You WILL NOT be sorry if you opt for the Warpath parts...

Just ordered mine a couple of days ago. I see it shipped yesterday.

yeah ,with those you will be able to drive 133 mph instead of 131 LOL