Rare Firebird

[JoeC]

Mike - interesting post
Does anyone have info on the Trans AM prototype with a 303 cuin engine? I remember reading an article in a 1969 magazine about a test ride in the car but never heard anything more about it.

[StealthBird]

The 1969 303 Firebird was a bit of a myth. Like the 400 based RAV cars, the RAV 303 Firebird was never released to the public, but several 303's were sold back door to SCCA racers. Those that thoight they were getting a Pontiac version of the Chevy or Ford 302 were sadly mistaken.

Old Cars Price Guide still lists the 303 engine as an option on the 69 Firebird, which is totally inaccurate. I believe that's why there's always been a myth of sorts about the RAV 303 Firebird. Old Cars Price Guide is, unfortunately, somewhat of a bible for collectors and insurance companies because it's produced monthly, but there are several errors within its pages. Just until recently, they listed a 421 as a rare option on the 65 GTO.

There was a very short, one-page test conducted of a 69 Trans Am 303. The car was a complete dog, barely managing 16 second 1/4 mile times, and having to resort to an "estimated top speed" calculation, perhaps because they didn't want the road testers to actually run the car at a race track. Pontiac allowed this car to be road tested in order to generate some interest in their soon-to-be-killed 303 tunnel port campaign. They were hoping that this was a Pontiac alternative to the popular 302 based Z/28 and Mustangs, but the RAV heads didn't belong on a 303, and the overall package was an embarrassment. For racing purposes, the RAV heads were replaced with RAIV heads to make the 303 competitive.

There are a couple original photos of a RAV 303 installed in a 69 Firebird, and those can be seen in the excellent book "Firebird! America's Premier Ponycar". With the giant Ram Air baseplate covering most of the engine, the RAV appears like a RAIV at first glance. Without popping the hood, you can tell a RAV 303 from a RAIV 400. Simply drive one. The one that scares you is the RAIV.

[copo9566aa]

Cool story
The silver T/A 400

[copo9566aa]

And the 303 T/A

[StealthBird]

That's a great photo of the 303 RAV in the 69 Firebird. Notice the use of an air pump, and also note how the RAV used two long heat riser tubes, one off each exhaust manifold, attached to a factory RAIV baseplate.

The factory 69/70 RAIV cars (both GTO and Firebird) used a long heat riser tube on the driver's side, while the passenger side used the short elbow that attached to the heat crossover on the RAIV two-piece intake manifold. The RAV intake manifold was cast as a one piece, and was designed to run a Holley carb.

Sidenote: The entire 1969 Firebird Ram Air setup, whether RAIII or RAIV, was a complex series of parts that were used for the 1969 Firebird only. The 1968 and 1970 setups were completely different. There were two different baseplates used on the 1969 Ram Air Firebirds, one for the RAIII, the other for the RAIV (or RAV in this case). The RAIII baseplate, which is what most people are used to seeing, looks the RAIV baseplate but with the passenger side "ear" cut off. The reason for this was that the RAIII was available with a/c, the RAIV was not, so the RAIII baseplate had the clearance for the a/c unit.