Hey everyone....

I've got a 1984 Z28 with the HO 305/700R4. It's got about 75k miles on it but I'm looking into something that doesn't take 4 minutes to pass a semi on the highway, and something that is reliable, easy to start in the winter, and is streetable.

I was really thinking the RamJet since theres no need to tune (I have a Holley TBI on my other car and it's a pain) and GM put one in their '92 test bed.

I've made a list of stuff I'll need. I would like some input from other members that have made a swap like this.

- Ramjet crate motor
- Serpentine kit
- In-tank pump
- Power steering and A/C lines
- Flexplate
- Throttle, Cruise and kickdown cables
- Intake box

Is there anything I'm missing? Or will that cover it?

I did do some searching on the fourms for pevious posts but I found 2250 pages of posts containing the words "Ram Jet," so I figured I would ask.

Thanks a bunch.

 

Why not the ZZ4? $1000 less, 5 more ponies, put your L69 equipment on it, ready to roll. No extras to buy. In fact, you'll have a distributor to sell.

 

I have one in my '56. It require 92 and gas prices the way they are I want something with a little better economy and drivability. Easy starts, quick throttle response and no tuning really make this engine something I want to use. I had considered the ZZ4 and finding the parts from the kit GM offered years ago, but this seem much better in the long haul. I do plan on keeping this car for a while.

 

The reason for the premium with the kit was the PROM tuning. Your L69 chip probably isn't as aggressive (although I can't say I'm conversant about the specifics of the respective timing curves). The effective CR's are essentially the same between the two engines (ZZ4 with aluminum heads, Ram Jet with iron), I don't see any advantage to the Ram Jet with regard to octane requirements (no knock sensor with the Ram Jet). I'm running my ZZ4 clone with 64cc iron heads, 9.7:1 CR, on mid-grade. If I dropped the timing back a little (10 degrees base), I could probably feed it regular. I drive it year round, no problems starting on 10 degree mornings.

You spoke of no need to tune the Ram Jet system. Another way to put that is "can't tune" - you want to change something, like cam, and you're in for an expensive custom tune by someone like Arizona Speed & Marine (only ones I've heard of that touch them). It's an open loop system, so don't expect as good as economy as factory systems produce.

You can buy 450 gallons of gas at today's prices for the difference in cost between the two engines. How long would 30 extra tankfuls last you?

Practically speaking, it make more sense to put headers on your L69, port the heads and have 1.94" intake valves installed with new springs, and get a better cam like a Comp XE268 to bring the passing time down. Better gas mileage than either the ZZ4 or Ram Jet, another 1000 or so gallons of unspent fuel money available. Don't forget, that "whopping" 190 HP of your L69 is "net" flywheel horsepower, while the Ram Jet is dyno-optimized "gross" flywheel HP - drop that 350 figure down to at least 300 as installed, even less if you don't have headers.

 

You have some good points there. This is why I want to get rid of my L69. At idle, the oil pressure is hovering right above the red and on the highway it's just over 20. It's something I'm not very comfortable with and want to replace it. As far as tuning, I don't see myself really messing around with cam changes, rocker arms, ect.., I do see myself getting in the car everyday and driving it. So being able to tune something is not a big factor to me.

I love fuel injection just due to the fact theres no pumping when you want to start it, perfect mixture, and you can tie in a remote start to it. Plus a CC Q-jet is not my type. I mean, computer controlled carb? What was GM thinking.

One thing I did think about was getting a 350 long-block, putting a transplant TPI system on. But then you have to get into chips and wiring harnesses and more than I want to go searching around for. It's just being nickeled and dimed I don't like about that setup.

As far as the mileage, that 30 extra tanks would last me about 9000 miles or about 10 months of regular driving.

Don't get me wrong, I just like the fact of stuff being fuel injected and having less to worry about.

 

And I can appreciate that.

Not that the Ram Jet wouldn't work, just need to understand what you're after. I can't say I've heard of anyone who used one for a year-round daily driver.

Have you considered an LS1? More power, better mileage than the Ram Jet. But, probably more to get installed, too.