1969 Pontiac Trans-Am Ram Air IV 4-Speed Muscle Car Of The Week Video Episode
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- čas přidán 23. 07. 2024
- 1969 Pontiac Trans-Am Ram Air IV 4-Speed Muscle Car Of The Week Video Episode #106
This is the Trans-Am that started it all… the first-generation 1969 Pontiac Firebird Trans-Am, complete with it's understated styling, high-performance suspension, and the highly sought-after 345 HP Ram Air IV V8 / Muncie 4-speed driveline. It's a rare bird for sure, and we're honored to be able to share this prized Muscle Car from the Brothers Collection.
#musclecar #musclecaroftheweek
www.musclecaroftheweek.com - Auta a dopravní prostředky
One of the Best Looking Musclecars ever Built
I did love these ram air iii and ram air iv trans ams. I opted for the big brother in 1969 with an orange GTO Judge ran air iv 4 speed car. Still love them both. Long Live the Pontiac brand!!!!
My Dad had a 1969 Pontiac Firebird Trans Am Ram Air Vl 4sp....I was lucky enough to take my Driver License test in it....he had a 64 GTO, 65 GTO, 67 GTO, 69 Trans Am and a 74 SD Trans Am......Sadly it was destroyed being rolled off Asheville Mountain....I still have the window stickers for bothTAs
Damn dude, all the sweet Pontiacs lucky you
That’s awful. Do you happen to know the VIN of the 69 TA? It would be nice to have so it can be checked off the list of the 46 4spd cars. So far researching these cars about 1/2 of them survived. Feel free to message me if you prefer. Thanks
Your dad was definitely a Pontiac guy.
A friend of mine had a '69 Ram Air Firebird.......same as the one you are displaying here. I got my RoadRunner about 6 months later that same year. I was always amazed at the huge torque the 400 made.....very, very strong and it just pushed you back into the seat until it felt like you were going to end up in the rear seat. One night he got a snoot full of hooch and thought he was going to drive home. I came home with quite a few bruises and a couple loose teeth but I got the damn keys away from him and finally he "let" me drive home. Good thing I was a wrestling coach at the time and in good shape or it could have ended up a disaster. Next day he got to apologize again when I got him in a "figure 4" position and was putting the hurt on him. Talk about pig-headed!
I had a friend who had one and the thing I remember is how damn quite it was. Stock mufflers were not loud like most muscle cars. But damn it was quick just different going fast without the loud roar.
Really enjoy your presentations...thanks and keep it up.
My absolute favorite T/A would have to be the 1970 Ram Air IV in Lucerne Blue. I feel like the F-body platform finally figured itself out in 1970. That year laid the groundwork for all F-bodies to come until 2002. That was, in my opinion, the first real F-body and what's even better is that for that one year you got the real F-body style and platform with the best motor, the Ram Air IV. It's perfect. My 2nd favorite would be the 69 RAIV T/A and 3rd the 71 HO 455
Amen sir.....in my opinion the 70 T/A Ram Air IV was the ULTIMATE T/A in both performance AND style. But in my opinion the baddest engine Pontiac ever offered was the early 60s 421 Super Duty. Saw one put out 488 horsepower at 6000 rpm on a dyno, BONE STOCK!!! Sadly there was never a GTO or Firebird/Trans Am ever built with the 421SD. They all pretty much ended up in full size Catalina's in 62-63
Love all Trans am's ... feel very fortunate to own my favorite 73 SD455 4sp buccanner red Trans am Thank You Lord. My second fav is either 67 or 68 bird.
I own a 74 SD 455 T/A White with White interior. And yes Thank You Lord. I too am most fortunate
I owned one of the Ram air 3's with the turbo 400 transmission! It was mint when I got it here in Kamloops BC, and I truly didn't know what it was worth, till after I had sold it. With a young family starting out on a beginning Firefighter single income, I couldn't afford the insurance, or the premium fuel, so sadly sold it after 1 year of ownership. I understand that the fellow I sold it to, still owns it, but that he may have replaced the original motor. I really loved it, and get a rush of nostalgia, when I see one in videos or magazines.
There was one at a car show Edmonton outdoors, 3 years ago.
I love all the trans Ams years from the first one to vary last one
Like 69-78 and 93-02. Don't care for the styling of the 79-92 Trans Ams
I always loved the clean and simple trans am
One of my favorite of all times. Beautiful and performance induced. It has all the lines. Just make me Smile every time I see one. Someday! One of my Dream cars !
Ram Air IV .... The Killer!
Saw two of the original eight 69 convertible TAs that were built sitting together in the same body shop in South Minneapolis back in late 1998 where I was checking out a used Jag that they had for sale. I'd owned a 69 Firebird from 1985 to 1996 and had done some reading in that time, so I assumed these were just conversions done on regular 69s for fun and asked the guy if that was the case. The guy said they were the real thing though, and I could only take his word for it. I did not buy the Jag (thankfully).
Just seen an identical car to this on sale. The owner had the engine blueprinted and restored. He dyno'd it at 440bhp & 480 lb/ft.
Sounds about right. I saw a bone stock RAIV with a factory type tune and it made 436 horses at 6000 rpm and either 480 or 490 lb/ft of torque on an engine dyno. Pontiac claimed they only made 4 more peak horsepower than the Ram Air III...LOL yeah right. The 400 Ram Air IV is probably the baddest street engine ever built by Pontiac. The 421 Super Duty made nearly 490 horsepower at 6000 rpm but they were really meant for racing only and didnt have any street manners at all with their 12:1 compression ratio, dual 4 barrel carburetors, and radical solid lifter McKellar #10 camshaft. The SD-455 was no joke either but I think that those cars coming from the factory with radial tires had a lot to do with their high 13 second 1/4 mile times. Practically every car in America besides the Trans Am still used bias ply tires at that time and the radials made a huge difference traction wise. Put radial tires on a 70 Ram Air IV Trans Am or put bias plys on an SD-455 and I bet the RAIV beats the SD-455 in the 1/4 mile. The 1971-72 455 HO actually had some pretty impressive 1/4 mile times too for a low compression engine. Pontiac was the only manufacturer who was able to build engines that met all federal emissions standards but still managed to make really good power also. That is until catalytic converters came along in 1975 and that was all she wrote for the muscle car era
Kevin does such a great job narrating these videos.
The 69 RAIV, 4 spd, is legendary, (as you mention), but I still prefer the 70 1/2 model, (RAIV, 4 spd) which still had compression, but also better styling, and a 12 bolt. To me, it was just a better all around driver, and performer. My ultimate 69 T/A would be powered by a RAV 400, (better suited for the drags). Thanks for posting. :)
Thanks for the kind words!
The baddest small block ever to come from that era in my opinion is the Pontiac 400 Ram Air IV. Had such a nasty sounding idle
The ram air pontiac 400 was a big block my friend
There was no small or big block Pontiac v8 engines, ..the 326, 350, 400 and 455 Pontiac engines, all used the same engine block. Bore, stoke and heads is what created different HP and torque ratings.
The Pontiac 400 started off as a 287 ci engine in 1955 I believe. Then it got bored and stroked a bit every year until it reached 389ci in 59. Then in 67 they bored it out to 400ci because GM banned multiple carburetors after 1966. So it's definitely not a big block. It's always been the same block
I call it a small block because it started off at only 287 ci. What about the Pontiac 421 and 428 though? Are they considered small or big blocks? Or neither?
@@jeremythompson9895 I don't believe the earlier block castings (1955- 1963) were the same as the later blocks. GM had to allocate development budgets for 5 different divisions, so Pontiac engineers had to be smart, they didn't require different castings for every engine, just their respective crank and head castings. I believe they just made the necessary modifications to certain block castings ..like beefing up the lifter valley, main bearings. block webbing and adjusting the iron composition to increase nickel % ..to accommodate higher HP engines ..especially when they began offering the Ram Air III, Ram Air IV and 455 HO engines.
Check the carburetor again, RAIV like all poncho engines still had a QuadraJet, not a Holley. Yes, a special QJet, but still a QJet.
I know you posted this over a year ago but you are incorrect about the holleys my dad bought a new 1969 grand prix with the 428 HO it was equipped with a holley from the factory and like all HO Pontiacs it had no ac
insulman100 Just for information purposes, 😊 my brother owned a 1969 Grand Prix SJ, automatic with air conditioning and equipt with the 428 HO engine. You could order the L79 option (428 HO 390 hp) as long as you ordered the automatic. If you went for the 4Spd, a/c wasn't available. His car still had the original build sheet, and the car is still in the area.
RAIV carbs were all Q-Jets, correct #'s were 7029270 and 7029273 and bring a lot of $$ even though they are the same number carbs as the RAIII's came with.
@@RicksFormula
Correct, 1969 400 and RA III-IV birds are all quadrajets.
The 69 400 RA III, that I found is a four-speed car. and it's a Quadrajet with the number 48 cylinder heads, screw in rocker arm studs etc.
and it's basically the exact entire running gear, every single component is equal to that of the Trans Am.
Only thing I'm uncertain about on this particular a car in the video here is the grill centerpiece are black out.
Literature that I have red is Factory they were silver so this may have been an after the fact addition with a can of paint.
The black centers in the grills were a Trans Am only feature in '69. All others had the silver grills. Also notice that the Trans Ams blacked out grills omitted the chrome trim in the edge of the blacked out area as well. Here's a good link with pics: www.musclecarfilms.com/1969_Firebird_400_identification.html
Best looking pontiac/camaro body of all, never noticed no bumper at the front til it was mentioned (2019))
One of the nicest cars ever made
After seeing all the models... I would like a 1972 Trans Am, H.O. 4-speed, Cameo white, standard blue/black stripes, and tan interior/seats special ordered. Honeycomb alum. wheels. All high-performance motor up-grade parts, and stainless exhaust tailpipes, and make that shaker hood scoop functional. Can you imagine that car?
Have never met anyone who likes the 69 the best. And really, the LS 4th Gen WS6 was the best (and a lot of design cue callbacks to the 69), in a technical sense.
But they are all magic. Maybe except for the 74-75 with the Vega style front end. And the last 3rd Gen (cats eye as I've always heard them called) were never great to me, but have really grown on me, at lot.
So yes, to answer the which one question, all of them. I need a garage like Jay Leno because to mne, they are damn Pokemon, I gotta have 'em all.
69 Trans Am clocked at 140 mph between Colorado Springs and Pueblo in 1969... still there to confirm?
Okay, now I agree with you. The 69 trans am was the best-looking firebird ever! Not the 72.
I like that model right there👍🏻
No government emissions. Pure high performance. Pure american muscle.
Great looking car
I wanted to get this car but ended up with the 69 GTO instead for my first new car. . Wish I would have and still had it! Awesome car! My dad sold Buick and Pontiac cars for many years.
A fantastic car in 69 and 70 with the optional disc brakes and four speed and ram air 4 engine....
I wonder how many times I have watched this video.
Apparently and understandably, many people do not know what constitutes a big block from a small block. Just because an engine has a large displacemtn doesnt meant it is a big block. Chevy had a 400 small block and a 400 big block. Ford had a 351 small block and a 352 big block Chrysler had a 360 small block and a 361 big block. The term is actually used to distinguish between 2 different size engine blocks. Pontiac used 1 size block but drilled it with different bores and strokes to get displacements from 326 to 455. A compact block can only be bored out so far before there are heating and strength issues, such as those seen in the Chevy. Chevy small blocks ranged from 265 to 350 until they oversized it to a 400. That motor produced a lot of heat within the cylinder heads and had to have "steam reliefs built into the head itself. The walls were so over-bored that they were weak. They went to the big block 400 for large cars like the Caprice. That engine was actually a 396 that was bored .030 oversize to produce 402 cubes. The reliability and issues of the 400 small block is why people today take the 350 (plus an overbore) and use the 400 crank to get the 383 small block Chevy. Dont forget that Crysler had a 383 big block, so cubic inches dont mean it's a big block. Dont forget that the Pontiac 303 race motor was built on the same block as the 326-455 block, with modifications of course. It is possible to take an unbored Chevy (for example) 454 big block and bore it with tiny bores and short stroke to get the little 283 displacement and say you have a 283 big block, and you would be correct. The thing is that with a bigger block you can build in larger bores, longer strokes and a lot more strength to hold it all together. More iron (or aluminum) and 4 or 6 bolt mains become possible with a larger block. Weight can become an issue too. The 426 hemi was designed with the big block and hemi heads but became special when trying to hold it all together. That hemi big block weighs 850 pounds in street trim. Today you can get those cubes in stroker small blocks. Oh, that Ford 351 is not really a small block. The Ford small block started as a 221 and grew to 260, 289, and 302. A half inch extra of deck height for a 4 inch stroke now made it a larger block. Ford already had a small and big block and this one is now a "mid-block" sinch this one falls in the middle. When you run out of room for bores or reliability you use a bigger block for bogger parts. Hence, a small block and a big block, regardless of cubic inches.
Every Ram air 4 car I've seen has had a 4 speed standard tramsmission, which made sense. With the larger cylinder head ports and longer duration cam these motors had, I wonder how well they worked with an automatic transmission. It seems like somethimg that wouldn't work well. Especially.in a car of that weight, unless the gearing was deep and the torque converter had more stall than a stock one. Did Pontiac equip the automatics with deeper gears and looser torque converters to work with that engine? I'm just curious. I may look it up.
Lets not forget the 455 superduty....or the Judge....
I have always loved this car and would take one in a second! But, the HP numbers quoted herein, don't seem correct to me. I had a 1969 GTO Judge Ram Air III and it made 366 hp. The Ram Air IV engines were all blue printed and made 375 hp.. from my information. Thanks for the review, you Rock...
Benevolent Protector hey may I ask you something what’s faster a 1969 gto or a 1969 Oldsmobile hurst or a 1970 Shelby gt500 or a 1971 boss 351 which is better
The 1969 Pontiac Trans Am Ram Air IV had to be the Pinnacle of first generation GM Pony Cars.. A driver's car. Maybe not as fast as a '69 Copo Camaro in a straight line, but it would out handle a Copo/ Yenko any day of the week. The Ram Air IV was also available in the 1970 T/A.
I like them all...
My Dream Car......but so unaffordable for me damn!!!
My all time favorite car.
I love this car
Back in the 70s round 1977 in Michigan, Telegraph Road Friday and Saturday nights around the Redford area to Taylor it was cruising nights. I recall at McDonald's parking lot, being full of all these heavy hitter cars even some on trailers
That had just come from Detroit Dragway.
Hemi cudas 440 six packs GTO judges Cobra Jet Mustangs big block Fairlanes big block Corvettes and Camaros ect. But I remember seeing one car that caught my eye it was either a 69 or a 70 white with blue stripes Trans Am with the ram air 4. Myself had a Cobra Jet Mustang at the time that was pretty quick car, I remember asking around about that Trans Am and everybody said "oh you don't want to mess with that bad boy".
I remember seeing guys back their cars off the trailers they raced for big money I'm talking wheels off the ground racing from traffic lights. Some of the most favorite times in my life. 🇺🇸💪👍
I cruised Telegraph in 75 too. I had a 70 429 SCJ Torino. 3.90 rear with a C-6. I miss the Red Light National days.
@@brucebryan4081 myself owned a 70 351 Cobra Jet Torino and a 72 351 Cobra Jet Gran Torino. I love that body style. Luxury and speed you can have the best of both worlds.
@@brucebryan4081 I love the 70 Torino. Was your car Black by any chance?
@@iggyfritz7150 A medium green. Black hood.
@@iggyfritz7150 II had a family friend who worked at Ford as advance engine engineer. He go me a replacement 780 holley from Holley, He and his buddy's tweaked it for me. What a difference that made. Cost me a 12 pack.
The '69 T/A is my favorite car of all cars ever made. You can keep your screamin' chicken.. I've owned three of 'em. All T/As are fun to drive.
Which do I like? I love em all.
RAIII were rated at 366hp, RAIV were under rated at 370 hp.....(more like 425)
***** There was a metal "stop" that prevented full throttle on the F-bodies. The knowledgeable buyer easily removed it. I understand the reason for the different ratings, but they are the same engine gto or bird.
I saw a RA4 that was supposedly bone stock and in factory tune on an engine dyno and it made 436 horsepower at 6000rpm. Not sure if it was really fully stock or not but I know for damn sure they made alot more than 370 horsepower. I'm a Ford guy but always loved Pontiac's
Right pontiac wanted the judge to be top dog.They had the same engine.
Actually stacked gauges were not Transam only. In fact more were installed in other models with the Trans am being a minority.
Ram Air IV is the straw that stirred the drink on this car.
These are infinitely more beautiful than the "smokey" t.a.'s with the phoenix
All gen's have alluring qualities
I had a 69 green with a h.o. 350 turbo 400 transmission, 3.88 limited slip differential. Loads of options. It would do 35mph without putting you foot on the excelsior.
Beautiful ride! Would love to drive for about an hour (with full tank of gas, of course!)
The Ram Air lV had a Quadrajet carburetor, not a Holley. The power steering cooler came on every Firebird 400 factory equipped with a 3.90 or 4.11 rear axle ratio, not just the Trans Am.
Talked to a guy driving a 69 TA convertible in Edmonton Alberta in about 1975. It was his daily driver. Always wondered what happened to it.
Have you done an episode on the 1969 convertibles ? How many of the 8 were manual shifters ?
I'm first time viewer and subscriber.
I love the 1972 SD TRANS AM
They only made the 455SD trans am in 73-74
Which one do I like? Well shoot I love these cars from 68 - 00. Trans am
Super rare.
That rust on the deck lid made my eyes pop out of my head
I had a 69 Triple green bird that someone put a 400cid Catalina Engine in her, fast as heck, sold her to my brother for college. I Miss her.
Radar love
9 dislikes. Lol. 9 people must of bought a boat anchor dodge that year
favorite car.had it ass a sst race car..
That is the best trans am made.
The Radiator overflow hose is kinked. Also the master cylinder for the brakes looks like the same one that was on the Corvette.
This car scratches that itch, even for a hardcore Mopar guy. Very special F-body...
13 second car. nice..
My all-time favorite is a 1970 to 73
It would be nice to see somebody actually drive this car on CZcams....
czcams.com/video/vIeU5McsRwc/video.html 12.3 et
6:23 sticks out look a sore thumb on an otherwise perfect car, but if I was the owner of this beauty im sure i could live with it :)
i had a Ram Air 5 well i bought one and was hood winked..lol🤣
The extra 500 bucks for the ram air 4 engine upgrade is worth 100k on top nowadays. Good investment huh? Fun fact...the 69 trans am Pontiac could race in the series it was named after.that year at least.
Only 8 TA convertibles we’re made. 4 standard shift and 4 automatic
Bird on the hood 4 Me!
Car is too sexy. A different stile spoiler, all black, drop a turbo or a supercharger (if thats even possible), staggeted wheels. Then go out for weekend track days to hear that baby whine! Thats my american dream, I can probably die happy after experiencing that.
why is the a/c line looped on top of the radiator? cooling?
+ZEZERBING That is a power steering cooler line.
No that power steering line's to cold the power steering fluid. this car had no AC options.
Didn't the original TA Ram Air IV have the Ram Air decal on the side of each hood scope..??
I know where there is one just like this in very nice un restored condition.
Perfect Car: except for a/c
Interesting facts: A total of 8 T/A convertibles were made in 69, 4 automatic and 4 stick. There is one in a garage in N. Idaho that needs total restoration, but it is in great shapes and everything is there. I wish I had enough money to get it!
JC Image Inc Have you seen it in person? You might like this video: czcams.com/video/dLEhgtEaTAc/video.html
MuscleCarOfTheWeek I have, it's an amazing car. Amazing because it's all original and is sitting in a shop with stuff stacked on it to disguise it from prying eyes. The owner is a very successful reclusive dude who knows what the car is and what it's worth. He personally told me he'd see it crushed before it was sold. This was about 15-20 years ago and I suspect that when he dies the car will be sold.
All stripes anyday
I got wood !
Perfect but I want air conditioning what to do. I also want cragars and Michelin if I can get them in that size.
there will only ever be one T/A body,and this is it.forget later variant's with the 'screaming chicken' hood sticker,the stripped up original IS the best.
TheFokker03 is camaro but Pontiac
Yep the 69 is The Car!
Doesn't the body style of this Firebird closely resemble the 69 Camaro other than a few tweaks like the wing tips and front facia? It looks almost identical to the Camaro.
That's probably the nicest ta although the 455 SDs are good too..I had a 1974 ta with a 400/ 4 barrel and a four-speed not the fastest but a very nice well made, car & I miss it..
christopher Lucy hey what’s faster a 1969 Oldsmobile hurst or a 1969 gto judge or a 1970 Shelby gt500 or a 1971 boss 351
1970
trying to build one for my self but cant find the dimensions for the stripes the dimensions what I was told are to wide and I don't really want to purchase a stincel kit that is also wrong from what I have been told. I have everything for my car ram air 3 motor 4 speed building it on you tube as well so check it out.
How do you get one today?
I think the all-new '70 T/A had a clean and cohesive body style and paint too. Chicken on the hood era, not so much. Same with Z/28's, gradually went down hill after the gorgeous '70 1/2 model. Less power plus more unattractive bling through the 70's. Pretty much goes for the entire US car fleet in that decade.
How much did it sell for?
I didn't like it after 73 & really couldn't stand the whole bandit thing & the chicken stuff..
i agree. that movie was intended to entertain the lowest common denominator and the later firebirds were a favorite among puerto-ricans
Friend del had one in Whitehouse Ohio
Now were talking
He made a mistake the Ram Air IV never came with a Holley all Quadrajets
Del title said 1969 1970 trans am
Just like to own one,But it has to be a pre-78 car. I don't care much for the one's after 78 unless it was given free
Elizabeth Cherry That pretty much sums up my opinion on Firebirds!!
No bird please 👌
have you heard of a 69 ram air 5 ? or is it BS?
. They should of gave it 430 hp
The bird TAs have a beak, and they’re weak. Nothing but a weak beak🤣🤣🤡