Pontiac has such a rich history. Keeping up with all their different engine varieties is a great hobby. I am now 67 years old. When I was a child, my father always purchased Pontiacs with the biggest engine possible. The love of these cars goes deep inside of me. Always a Pontiac man!
Oh My Gosh! How can anyone say that the cars back then weren't better looking than todays vehicles? Just looking at this beauty gets you excited about driving. The design of this car is genius! Beautiful design and awesome horsepower. It was so exciting just to go in a showroom back then and see these cars when they were new. What an awesome time it was. Life was different and it was so much more fun and exciting!!😃
In 1971, I worked at a Pontiac dealership and rebuilt a '70 RA IV. I ordered parts from the Pontiac parts book. When I ordered the cam, they only listed cams by the lift and duration, not the specific engine. I knew the RA IV was the top, so I ordered the biggest cam they had. After completion, the Zone Rep for Pontiac came to look it over because it was a warranty repair. He tried to void the warranty on the spot, because the cam had too much lope and he thought it was an aftermarket piece. After investigation, the cam was a Pontiac piece but should have had a note "for off-road use only" as it was the cam for the RA V and was offered for racers only. The notation was missing in the book. Pontiac offered to replace the cam with the right one, but the owner declined. He was regularly beating a 4spd Hemi GTX on the street, and the Hemi had street slicks, but the RA IV pulled it through all gears. It was a fun test drive after I finished!
Torain Walker i trained at the Houston TX GM training center in 1970 and finished in late 70. Worked for that dealership for only a year and a half, the the big GM strike hit. No work at the dealership due to no parts available. Left auto repair and spent the next 20 years making plywood, lol. While there though, I also had the opportunity to rebuild a TH 400 in a 1970 Buick GSX. The shifts were too soft for the owner. I changed the springs in the clutch packs and took care of that. It launched so hard, it was the only car that truly scared me. Stomp on the gas and it would almost rip your fingers off the steering wheel!
Michael Butler this is amazing never knew the full affect of the GM strike to others outside of the plant. That had to be a fun time in ur life working there at the dealership with those muscles cars... quick question did u end up being a car guy ur self or no. Thanks for the reply
Torain Walker i still love the old muscle cars. Ive had a 65 Ply Valiant Signet i dropped a 340 in it. Quite a sleeper. Then a 70 f-150 i put a Boss 302 in. Also owned a '66 chevelle SS w/ the 396/360 hp, 4:10 a d 4sp with bench seats!. Also had a 1967 442 with a built 400 at around 475 hp. Cant do it any more, but still love the original muscle cars.
This car with a .550 lift and its 10:75 pistons, can easily run mis 12's all day long! There is another episode with two only experimental 1969 Firebirds that if I recall correctly, had the big .570 lift cams and higher than the typical 10:75 comp ratio. Here is a link, yet the other car video of this same prototype may be more in depth descriptive. ua-cam.com/video/loM9-kas0ho/v-deo.html and another one: ua-cam.com/video/Kq22E--p1Iw/v-deo.html
One of the most beautiful 69 GTO's . Just a beautiful color combo. Great stance. I had a 69 olive green conv. ram air w. 4 spd. w. a parchment color interior, and top. This color combo is far prettier. Thanx for these awesome vids.
I had a 69 Ram Air III 4 speed with Parchment interior and it was originally Teal Blue in colour. It also lopped at idle. I had to sell it hope the buyer took care of it like I did.
I like how you stated the torque as "FT/LBs", and not "pounds/ feet". I hear that on a brand X channel, and it drives me nuts. (LOL) Thanks for keeping it real. Nice job.
The scientists tell me the correct term is "lbs/ft", but I don't think the hot-rod industry was weened on "scientific terminology". Anymore than a burn-out, being called an excessive exacerbation of the isoprene. (But hey, that's just me). :)
Love your car videos, and you sure do find some unique Ponchos. Not to be a B buster tho, but you mentioned the RAIV having a forged crank. Unfortunately, not so, but Pontiac cranks are heavy duty enuff, not really needed. The cast rods would bust long B4 the crank. 'Specially in a revved up RAIV. Thanks for the video.
I agree joe he was also wrong about the valves being bigger the 400 4 bbl the RA IIIs had the same 2.11 1.77 valves the RA IV used the same cam as the 68 RA II but the RA IVs had 1.65 rocker arms increasing lift from .470 to .520 I had a 69 GTO with the RA III engine with a close ratio 4 speed and 3.90 safety trac rear that car was scary fast I was never beaten by anything that was stock I couldn't imagine how strong a RA IV would've been I truly believe Pontiac fudged their horsepower ratings especially for the RA IV 400 there's no way a RA IV gained only 4 hp over a D port RA III
You had a 69 RAIII, 4 spd, and 3.90s? Nice. In the mid 70s, I had a WT code 400, (350 HP...48 heads), with 3.55s, and I thought it went OK. But a 744 cammed 400, W/ 3.90s? "SWEET"
Not sure if my GTO had the 744 or the 068 cam she was assembled in early 69 so probably the 744 and she did have a nice exhaust rumble at idle I don't think the milder 068 would've had that(milder compared to the 744 anyway)
I love the car, but one gripe I have is about how you quiet often give 'advertised duration' spec's on cams rather than @ 0.50" spec's which actually mean a lot more. Many cam manufacturer's design their lead up and run off ramps differently, so to make some sense of it all to the public the @0.50" spec became the industry standard with cam cards. One cam I'm using at the moment is 248@ 0.50 degrees(single grind), but advertised duration is over 320 degrees. Yeah, the 320 odd sounds more impressive, but is truly meaningless and is besides the point. That's not the spec that counts... Just a pet hate of mine, has been irritating me every time advertised spec's have been mentioned and I finally had to say something
Question: When you accellerated really hard in your video, look closely, as you pass by the camera, the car is dumping gas out of the tank filler tube. You can see the gas running out under the rear bumper. I've owned a 1969 GTO Coupe 4 speed for 32 years that does the same thing. Why do these cars do this? And is there a solution? Thanks! PS Nice car btw!!
I owned a 74 nova. the filler neck was lower than the tank. hence you could never fill the tank all the way.today they have roll over valves in them in case of roll over the gas doesnt flow out. this just might be a engineering flaw of the day where hard acceleration sloches the fuel out of the cap.
ZEZERBING I had a 69 GTO 350hp 400 automatic with 355 gears. Mine did the same thing when accelerating hard. Gas would come out of the filler tube. I fixed mine with a different gas cap that I had found at a local auto parts store. That was back in the early 80s lol. Beat a lot muscle cars with that GTO.
It does not have a forged crankshaft its cast the last time that Pontiac and the only time that Pontiac put a forged crankshaft in one of their Motors was a 421 Super Duty ! you need to do some fact-checking !!! And the ratios were 3.90 not 3.91 and 4.33 !
What A Absolutely Beautiful GTO!!! Nothing today even compares.
GTO=Goat=Greatest Of All Times.
Pontiac has such a rich history. Keeping up with all their different engine varieties is a great hobby. I am now 67 years old. When I was a child, my father always purchased Pontiacs with the biggest engine possible. The love of these cars goes deep inside of me. Always a Pontiac man!
Oh My Gosh! How can anyone say that the cars back then weren't better looking than todays vehicles? Just looking at this beauty gets you excited about driving. The design of this car is genius! Beautiful design and awesome horsepower. It was so exciting just to go in a showroom back then and see these cars when they were new. What an awesome time it was. Life was different and it was so much more fun and exciting!!😃
In 1971, I worked at a Pontiac dealership and rebuilt a '70 RA IV. I ordered parts from the Pontiac parts book. When I ordered the cam, they only listed cams by the lift and duration, not the specific engine. I knew the RA IV was the top, so I ordered the biggest cam they had. After completion, the Zone Rep for Pontiac came to look it over because it was a warranty repair. He tried to void the warranty on the spot, because the cam had too much lope and he thought it was an aftermarket piece. After investigation, the cam was a Pontiac piece but should have had a note "for off-road use only" as it was the cam for the RA V and was offered for racers only. The notation was missing in the book. Pontiac offered to replace the cam with the right one, but the owner declined. He was regularly beating a 4spd Hemi GTX on the street, and the Hemi had street slicks, but the RA IV pulled it through all gears. It was a fun test drive after I finished!
Michael Butler that’s one awesome story!!!! How long u worked at the Pontiac Dealer for?
Torain Walker i trained at the Houston TX GM training center in 1970 and finished in late 70. Worked for that dealership for only a year and a half, the the big GM strike hit. No work at the dealership due to no parts available. Left auto repair and spent the next 20 years making plywood, lol. While there though, I also had the opportunity to rebuild a TH 400 in a 1970 Buick GSX. The shifts were too soft for the owner. I changed the springs in the clutch packs and took care of that. It launched so hard, it was the only car that truly scared me. Stomp on the gas and it would almost rip your fingers off the steering wheel!
Michael Butler this is amazing never knew the full affect of the GM strike to others outside of the plant. That had to be a fun time in ur life working there at the dealership with those muscles cars... quick question did u end up being a car guy ur self or no. Thanks for the reply
Torain Walker i still love the old muscle cars. Ive had a 65 Ply Valiant Signet i dropped a 340 in it. Quite a sleeper. Then a 70 f-150 i put a Boss 302 in. Also owned a '66 chevelle SS w/ the 396/360 hp, 4:10 a d 4sp with bench seats!. Also had a 1967 442 with a built 400 at around 475 hp. Cant do it any more, but still love the original muscle cars.
This car with a .550 lift and its 10:75 pistons, can easily run mis 12's all day long!
There is another episode with two only experimental 1969 Firebirds that if I recall correctly, had the big .570 lift cams and higher than the typical 10:75 comp ratio.
Here is a link, yet the other car video of this same prototype may be more in depth descriptive.
ua-cam.com/video/loM9-kas0ho/v-deo.html
and another one:
ua-cam.com/video/Kq22E--p1Iw/v-deo.html
@ 6:40; "Only $4.600 Bucks"
My 400HO 1968 FireBird Convertible, was loaded to the tilt!
$5,278...
I love GTO!!!!
Go man GO!!
That was in 1969 dollars. Once you started approaching 4000 grand, that was today's 20k value.
I had a Champagne/black vinyl top RA III, Judge brand new in 1969!
My favorite car I ever owned! I’m still sick I sold it!
Sweet ride..love the GTO's
One of the most beautiful 69 GTO's . Just a beautiful color combo. Great stance. I had a 69 olive green conv. ram air w. 4 spd. w. a parchment color interior, and top. This color combo is far prettier. Thanx for these awesome vids.
Mine got me in a lot of trouble :) A lot of car for a 16 yr old back in 76.
Beautiful!!!
My '68 Le Mans is Champagne color. Has it's tan looks in the sunlight but appears slightly green in the dark. 14x6 original Rally IIs
I had a 69 Ram Air III 4 speed with Parchment interior and it was originally Teal Blue in colour. It also lopped at idle. I had to sell it hope the buyer took care of it like I did.
That motor has better vacuum,than one that wastes it on hideaways.
I like how you stated the torque as "FT/LBs", and not "pounds/ feet". I hear that on a brand X channel, and it drives me nuts. (LOL) Thanks for keeping it real. Nice job.
We still slip on that one occasionally, but try to keep it correct! Thanks!
The scientists tell me the correct term is "lbs/ft", but I don't think the hot-rod industry was weened on "scientific terminology". Anymore than a burn-out, being called an excessive exacerbation of the isoprene. (But hey, that's just me). :)
5:47 gas tank is a little full lol
DAMN, that must have been expensive to order in 1959.
You sure about that "low 13's" you quoted? Low 14's maybe but 13's sound a little hot for a factory RA-4.
exhaust tips upside down
Love your car videos, and you sure do find some unique Ponchos. Not to be a B buster tho, but you mentioned the RAIV having a forged crank. Unfortunately, not so, but Pontiac cranks are heavy duty enuff, not really needed. The cast rods would bust long B4 the crank. 'Specially in a revved up RAIV. Thanks for the video.
I agree joe he was also wrong about the valves being bigger the 400 4 bbl the RA IIIs had the same 2.11 1.77 valves the RA IV used the same cam as the 68 RA II but the RA IVs had 1.65 rocker arms increasing lift from .470 to .520
I had a 69 GTO with the RA III engine with a close ratio 4 speed and 3.90 safety trac rear that car was scary fast I was never beaten by anything that was stock I couldn't imagine how strong a RA IV would've been I truly believe Pontiac fudged their horsepower ratings especially for the RA IV 400 there's no way a RA IV gained only 4 hp over a D port RA III
You had a 69 RAIII, 4 spd, and 3.90s? Nice. In the mid 70s, I had a WT code 400, (350 HP...48 heads), with 3.55s, and I thought it went OK. But a 744 cammed 400, W/ 3.90s? "SWEET"
Not sure if my GTO had the 744 or the 068 cam she was assembled in early 69 so probably the 744 and she did have a nice exhaust rumble at idle I don't think the milder 068 would've had that(milder compared to the 744 anyway)
I had the 068 cam in a 350 with 389 heads, and tri power, and it idled like a baby, Course I was running full vacuum advance too.
HOLY SHIT!!!
Damn they only made 45 of those cars Fuck I want one lol
mine had bumper notches for exhaust
should do a video of a pontiac GT-37
I let a rare gto get away as a kid had a 68 white,black top black inter. Conv.400 2bbl. His hers Hurst auto power top,power windows
Sweet goat
The rear sway bar is not correct for the 1969 GTO. It didn't become available as a GTO option until the 1970 model year.
There only car I desire
I love the car, but one gripe I have is about how you quiet often give 'advertised duration' spec's on cams rather than @ 0.50" spec's which actually mean a lot more. Many cam manufacturer's design their lead up and run off ramps differently, so to make some sense of it all to the public the @0.50" spec became the industry standard with cam cards. One cam I'm using at the moment is 248@ 0.50 degrees(single grind), but advertised duration is over 320 degrees. Yeah, the 320 odd sounds more impressive, but is truly meaningless and is besides the point. That's not the spec that counts... Just a pet hate of mine, has been irritating me every time advertised spec's have been mentioned and I finally had to say something
ticks all the boxes,imo,apart from the color!sorry,but i looks a tad bland.
Question: When you accellerated really hard in your video, look closely, as you pass by the camera, the car is dumping gas out of the tank filler tube. You can see the gas running out under the rear bumper. I've owned a 1969 GTO Coupe 4 speed for 32 years that does the same thing. Why do these cars do this? And is there a solution? Thanks! PS Nice car btw!!
I owned a 74 nova. the filler neck was lower than the tank. hence you could never fill the tank all the way.today they have roll over valves in them in case of roll over the gas doesnt flow out. this just might be a engineering flaw of the day where hard acceleration sloches the fuel out of the cap.
+Andy Hughes I had one years ago but never noticed it.
Yep, this was common when racing the old iron. Back then, no one cared about some spilled gas. Haz Mat did not exist.
ZEZERBING I had a 69 GTO 350hp 400 automatic with 355 gears. Mine did the same thing when accelerating hard. Gas would come out of the filler tube. I fixed mine with a different gas cap that I had found at a local auto parts store. That was back in the early 80s lol. Beat a lot muscle cars with that GTO.
It does not have a forged crankshaft its cast the last time that Pontiac and the only time that Pontiac put a forged crankshaft in one of their Motors was a 421 Super Duty ! you need to do some fact-checking !!! And the ratios were 3.90 not 3.91 and 4.33 !
bad car