The design of the Super Ram is performance genius, but a mechanical nightmare. When installing the unit, you cannot re-torque the bolts joining the runners to the manifold without first loosening the bolts joining the runners to the plenum. If you do, the plenum/runner surfaces are fixed in place almost perpendicular to the runner/manifold surfaces and this results in pinching the bottom of the runner/manifold gasket much more than the top. Not only does this not help, it makes the likelihood of a leak along the top go up! To make this work.... Install the runner/manifold gaskets and bolts and torque to spec. Let that stand 24 hours to allow the gasket to compress. Heat the areas with a heat gun if you can, let it cool and then re-torque. Then and only then, install the runner plenum gaskets and bolts and torque. You can re-torque these any time in the future if needed, but don't touch the runner/manifold bolts again unless you first loosen the runner/plenum bolts. There have been several posts complaining about vacuum leaks, and I'm sure this is why. I've spent the last 22 years as an Engineer and I'm now working on a re-design that includes the outer portions of the plenum in the runner casting with all gasketed surfaces in parallel planes. The only way to allow the much necessary re-torque of paper gaskets without stressing the design is to move everything in the same direction. Lets see if Accel will go along with this. I call it the "Superior Ram" design. Thoughts?

 

great idea. i was wondering when someone was going to redesign the superram. performance-wise it is genius. then try installing the damn thing. that's half of what makes everybody want to scrap it and go to a miniram. don't forget to have the runner to plenum bolt holes properly aligned and is there anything that can be done to make it easier to get to the damn bolts underneath the plenum? also those threads love to strip out, and the plenum lid (on mine anyway) wasn't even flat! qc at accel needs to improve because even if you design it great, if it's not well made then it still sucks. also, take about a quarter inch or so off the back of the plenum near the wiper motor so the damn thing fits, please. why john didn't do that in the first place i dunno. good luck on that project, i hope you are sucessful dealing with them.

 

There is something you can do to make the installation easier. We drilled the threads out of the inner four holes in the plenum and tapped them in the runners and put the bolts in form the inside. The other bolts out around the outside edge aren't bad to get at once you cut down an allen wrench for the job. Make sure that if you do this you use Loc tight on those four bolts and torque them down good. I used blue loc tight torqued them and let them set a few hours, pulled them and did it again. This resulted in a good solid fit with no chance of a vacuum leak at the threads. You can also assemble the runners to the plenum loose, drill the part of the bolts you put in from the inside that sticks out the bottom of the plenum and use a "safety wire" to prevent them from coming out and being eaten by your motor. I've never had a bolt with blue loc tight come out before, but this is a definite "better safe than sorry" situation. This made the install so much easier. Use an allen cap bolt for clearance between the head of the bolt and the raised channel inside the plenum, and look up the best drill and tap combo for the threads to get good thread engagement. They do sell taps that come with the correct drill bit to give the best thread depth. Not a job for close enough is close enough. Usually is a numbered drill bit. Too large and they'll strip easy, too small and the threads will gall. Leave the runners loose and set the assembly in place, install and torque the runner/manifold bolts twice! Then tighten the runner plenum bolts. Doing this took the job from mission impossible to not that bad.