Mystery SBC tunnel ram from the 60s? Who made this

Saw this rare tunnel ram on ebay for sbc. Tried to make pics but they are too small. Here's the link:

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/NOST...226334471QQcmdZViewItem?hash=item250226334471

I've been around this stuff many years, but have never seen one like this. Ugly, but who made it? Was it any good? This is a true Mystery

 

It's a ridgerunner ram and is the first tunnelram. I was told they didn't work as good as the newer style t-rams on street cars. The plenum is too big for small cubic inch motors and work work better on a bigger cube small block or so I was told..

 

that linkage is pretty rad looking

 

As PAgas said,made by Ralph Ridgeway in Conn. I had one earlier than that made out of63 vette fuelie manifold!

 

man that is ugly i love it

 

I wonder what kinda mounting flange is under the carb adapters?
What carbs the maker orig. machined it for?

Nice simple pattern making, too.

Frank

 

that thing is 2 feet tall.........good lord its so ugly its cool.

 

I think that this Pontiac tunnel ram is the first, but not the first aftermarket one.

These were made for the 1963 410 HP 421 Super Duty engines, during the days of the super-stock wars.

 

I think the RPM range on that Tunnel ram has got to start at 6000 RPM. That thing is huge!! I'm markin that to see the final total.

 

Fascinating looking manifold, would look great on an early 60s looking hiboy running without a hood.
I can understand why they didn't,but it would have been helpful to the potential buyer for the seller(s) to have taken it apart enough to include photos of the inside and show what the runners look like, because if the runner shape mimics the shape of the outside plenum walls it might be pretty easy with flat plate to extend the runner length and raise the floor of the plenum to reduce it's volume using TIG or epoxy, to not only make it streetable, but actually help mid range torque.
If the plenum could mount carburetors without the adaptor(s), they probably were WCFBs or "D" series AFBs from the looks of it.

 

I never have seen either of these intake's. Both are keeper's.

 

Correct
Ralph Ridgeway, was his name we ran one on a small block for years!

 

I had one of these on a 67 Camaro I had back in 1970. Bought the set up from a friend fo mine who had it on his 57Chevy race car.They were set up for Holley carbs. Worked good from 6000 to 1000 rpm! Not a great performer on the street, but sure looked good.
Ralph Ridgeway developed it for his 55 Chevy,The RidgeRunner. Good looking car.

 

Ridgeway also made the first SBC stud girdle IIRC

 

Ridge Runner Ram close up:

 

Here's a few shots of the 1963 421 SD factory Pontiac 'bathtub' tunnel ram (this one's a rare repop) for those who are interested:

 

Ridgeways also had a single four barrel top available too. That really made the box look big.
Smokey

 

OR just make your own.

Back in '70 a tech inspector at Alton Dragway commented that it looked like a concrete block.

 

that thing would be great for cars running a constant 5000 rpm.. kinda wild looking with how tall that puppy is

 

BBC Ridge Runner Tunnel Ram F/S - THE H.A.M.B. just thought i'd add this to the thread. Ralph Ridgeway also made them for big block chevy's which are more rare than the sbc's.

 

More early tunnel ram facts I just found out!

I was at TET in '68, missed all this!

 

From what I have seen here on the HAMB , looks like Mr.Duntov designed the first one with his 57' Fuel Injection on the 283 H.P. 283 engine

Made up his own fuel system instead of a carb to be side mounted for under the hood stuff

DND