Build Your Own Ram Jet 350

[ssn696]

I was just reading about a fellow that had built many 87-02 Vortec-based 350s. He likes the RJ350 cam , GM #14097395. Here is where that cam is used. I have collected the parts to build my own Ram Jet, and I spent under $3000. I think the top end, wire harness, and ECU are still for sale from GM. Or you can buy the whole motor in a crate from GM for about $5900. Enjoy.

 

[ssn696]

I decided to see if the fuel injection setup is still available from GM. It is. For a helluva lot more than I paid 7 years ago. 12498032 intake assy with injectors and distributor is now $1950; 12499116 harness and ECU is $800. Oh well. Still some good data in the attachments.

 

[Yav8]

Check in the marine section for a used Ram Jet 350 from a boat. That was developed by or for Mercury Marine for marine use. Or do like I did and just use the good vortec heads and add a carb and 1.6 rockers.

 

[ssn696]

14097395 was originally designed as a marine cam.

 

[Yav8]

It also the cam for the GM replacement 383 crate motor. Not the HO motor with the aluminum heads just the short block or long block replacement with the iron vortec heads.

 

[Silent viewer]

I have this exact long block that came out of one of our boats and is now in my 86 442. Both the ramjet and the marine motor are speced out identical butI have not seen many of the ram jet manifolds on boats at all, they are very rare so I wouldn’t count on finding the marine intake anywhere. Mine had a MPI intake with a throttle body on top where the carb would have been. I have bid and made offers on multiple ram jet intakes and finally just decided to go with a Holley stealth ram intake that you can get for under 400. I picked mine up new off eBay for 310 shipped, threw some speed master fuel rails on it that I picked up for 60 shipped new and I am now down to figuring out my regulator. I am running a TPI mass air flow computer and harness with a piggy back chip that changed my injector size to LT1 24# injectors that I had laying around already and it deleted out the VATS and emissions also. some people talk down on the MAF setup because of extra wiring but the way that it works makes it adapt to things like swapping intake manifolds or cams within reason without a new tune. You can easily grab a late 90s vortec 350 out of a truck and throw in a ram jet cam and some roller rockers and you have a ram jet long block. Phase 2 of this project may be swapping out the computer and harness for a LS computer and using a efi connection 24X relector wheel conversion which happens to work with the stock timing cover on a late model vortec engine block. This would give me more tuning options and you gain coil per cylinder ignition. Not to mention people will be confused trying to figure out what motor I have when there are coil packs sitting on a tradition SBC lol.