DomSmith
SILVER Star
Ram Jet 350 (and Serp Kit) to H55 Install-73 FJ40
Well, I figured I should start this thread up or else I'll never do it. Some of you may have seen my recent H55 swap thread and this came right on it's heels. I know, I should have done it all at once, but the idea of spending that much money in one pop was a bit frightening, besides, I figured I'd use the good motor I had in it for a year or two before considering another big project. Wrong. After a few months with the 5 speed I wanted a bit more drivability than my older Pro-Jection FI SBC was providing. (Yeah, that's the excuse).
Anyway, my rig is a 73 FJ40 that I've had for 13 years and after driving it for a LONG time with a 3 speed and a 350 I decided on some upgrades. So the H55 and now this Ram Jet 350...
I had spoken with Jim (centerlineseal) a few times and he was planning on a Ram Jet install on his 40 which got me thinking I needed a newer more reliable fuel injection than the simple Pro-Jection 2D that was acting up a bit. So after chatting with him, a few local cruiser tech gurus and getting a motor at dealer cost (not much less than the online clearinghouses) through a buddy at Toyota I took the plunge....
I ordered the Ram Jet 350 (GM PART# 12499120) and Serpentine Kit without air (GM PART#12497697)
ADDED: Here is a link to a page with some good Ramjet 350 info from Gilbert Chevrolet. There are 2 pages:
Gilbert Chevrolet Main Ramjet Page
Gilbert Chevrolet Second Page
I had a few small reservations when deciding on this motor. First, I didn't like the limited tunability of the Pro-Jection, and after talking with some Engine Gurus that's one knock on the Ram Jet. The stock ECM is password protected and is not tunable, you get a set tune and that's it. If you want to make adjustments you have to erase what you have and start from scratch. There are a few options out there (MEFIburn and some others) but nothing seemed that great and with my VERY limited knowledge on the subject I figured I'd just suck it up and stick with the stock settings. From speaking to a few people with Ram Jets in cruisers there didn't seem to be too many complaints. Now MSD has a kit w/ ECM, software, etc that lets you take back the tunability of the Ram Jet but those are a bit pricey to add on after already spending considerable $$$.
So for now it's the stock 350HP Ram Jet 350...
Well, I figured I should start this thread up or else I'll never do it. Some of you may have seen my recent H55 swap thread and this came right on it's heels. I know, I should have done it all at once, but the idea of spending that much money in one pop was a bit frightening, besides, I figured I'd use the good motor I had in it for a year or two before considering another big project. Wrong. After a few months with the 5 speed I wanted a bit more drivability than my older Pro-Jection FI SBC was providing. (Yeah, that's the excuse).
Anyway, my rig is a 73 FJ40 that I've had for 13 years and after driving it for a LONG time with a 3 speed and a 350 I decided on some upgrades. So the H55 and now this Ram Jet 350...
I had spoken with Jim (centerlineseal) a few times and he was planning on a Ram Jet install on his 40 which got me thinking I needed a newer more reliable fuel injection than the simple Pro-Jection 2D that was acting up a bit. So after chatting with him, a few local cruiser tech gurus and getting a motor at dealer cost (not much less than the online clearinghouses) through a buddy at Toyota I took the plunge....
I ordered the Ram Jet 350 (GM PART# 12499120) and Serpentine Kit without air (GM PART#12497697)
ADDED: Here is a link to a page with some good Ramjet 350 info from Gilbert Chevrolet. There are 2 pages:
Gilbert Chevrolet Main Ramjet Page
Gilbert Chevrolet Second Page
I had a few small reservations when deciding on this motor. First, I didn't like the limited tunability of the Pro-Jection, and after talking with some Engine Gurus that's one knock on the Ram Jet. The stock ECM is password protected and is not tunable, you get a set tune and that's it. If you want to make adjustments you have to erase what you have and start from scratch. There are a few options out there (MEFIburn and some others) but nothing seemed that great and with my VERY limited knowledge on the subject I figured I'd just suck it up and stick with the stock settings. From speaking to a few people with Ram Jets in cruisers there didn't seem to be too many complaints. Now MSD has a kit w/ ECM, software, etc that lets you take back the tunability of the Ram Jet but those are a bit pricey to add on after already spending considerable $$$.
So for now it's the stock 350HP Ram Jet 350...
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