Don Terrill’s Speed-Talk

Did this engine ever get put in a street car and if it did what car had it.looks like some of it was copied from a ford 427 tunnel port engine parts of the head and intake for sure.And from the article the thing over 500 hp in factory trim anyone know how much it made all raced up.

It's states that it was never put in a factory car, but I'm sure the GTO and trans am would of got it.

There are a few companies that are producing modern verses of the RAV head.

Stan

The 400 CID motors where never installed in a production car Stan, but the 366 CID version did make it into a few races in the Trams am series back then until the rules changed and the CID limit of 303 , and then those big tunnel port heads where too big for the low deck 303 motors to make power ( sounds like a Ford motor I know of) and Pontiac had to go back to the RA4 production heads with port work.

Here's a new version of the RA5 heads going on a 540 cid motor, it should make a easy 700 hp in its owners 69 GTO judge.

This quote cracks me up, "....the slow speed of the intake charge tends to moderate some of the camshaft duration, and the engine manages to have more torque than one might expect."

Cool engine, cool article. Thanks for sharing.

JMO,

paulie

Yes, the good Dr Philp Bauman needs to stick with what he knows about Blood pressure , not air flow velocity vs Cam duration!

plovett wrote: ↑Thu Jul 19, 2018 7:15 am This quote cracks me up, "....the slow speed of the intake charge tends to moderate some of the camshaft duration, and the engine manages to have more torque than one might expect."

Cool engine, cool article. Thanks for sharing.

JMO,

paulie

He pretty much has it bass ackwards.

I believe Royal Pontiac drag tested one in a 1969 Firebird and after a few runs they spun some rod bearings. I have that magazine in my collection.

This was still in the days of bigger has to be better as in huge round ports! Think those heads would have worked better on the 428/455.
The RA V was an over the counter item mostly in parts I believe and in very limited quantity.

I have a few pics of them on "the Farmers" funny car.

I have been building RAV engines for about the last 15 or so years.The factory built 25 complete 303 SCCA short deck V engines but we're not enough to be allowed to run.The did build a few 366 NASCAR engines for the 71-72 season in firebirds,Buck Baker drove one.They built about 100 400 engines that were sold over the counter.They also had some engineering alu blocks,I have owned 2 of them along with 2 of the short deck SCCA engines.My current engine is a complete running 366 NASCAR engine for my 69 firebird.Engineering also built some 4 in stroke and some 4.21 stroke cranks to build a 428 or 455 V engine.And yes the heads were copied from the Ford TP engines.In fact a V intake can be fabed from. Ford TP intake of which I have 2 of them at this time.My 366 engine was just put on my run stand today as it was pulled from the bird to run a 455 for a track car.The V engine was too valuable to take a chance on the race track.Tom

Has anyone ever dynoed one of the engine per the article spec with the .530 lift cam and 400 cid.

Lynn & Stacy McCarty build the new RAV Heads.
https://www.hotrod.com/articles/hppp-12 ... r-v-heads/

mag2555 wrote: ↑Thu Jul 19, 2018 7:48 am Yes, the good Dr Philp Bauman needs to stick with what he knows about Blood pressure , not air flow velocity vs Cam duration!

Why would a medical doctor be writing about cars? You sure it wasn't a PhD? There's quite a difference.

I know, but if he does or did have a phd he needs to go back to class and review some things!

It was said that back then the 400 cid V motor was making 375 hp as installed in the 69 test car from 1/4 mile times and it sounds about right for those slow flowing heads and the small .530" lift they had with that Cam!

Jeff Lee wrote: ↑Fri Jul 20, 2018 2:34 am Lynn & Stacy McCarty build the new RAV Heads.
https://www.hotrod.com/articles/hppp-12 ... r-v-heads/

Just read the article. That's an awesome engine. No telling what the Pontiac engineers could have done back then if they hadn't killed the program. Those heads were just waiting for the 455. It would have stepped up the ante for everyone.