Re: Deb's/Ralph Ridgeway '55 Chev C/MP car.....
 

WJ,
This is the blue / white configuration. Notice the rear wheel openings are moved up.

Re: Deb's/Ralph Ridgeway '55 Chev C/MP car.....
 

Not 100% certain, but I have always heard that Ralph Ridgeway's car had the first "working" tunnel ram intake. I remember that his '55 won a lot, back then. That intake manifold could be part of the reason...

Re: Deb's/Ralph Ridgeway '55 Chev C/MP car.....
 

WJ I am not sure but there are not that Ridgeway .Our family came from Ireland if someone has Ralphs contact info I would appreciate it

Re: Deb's/Ralph Ridgeway '55 Chev C/MP car.....
 

Look close at those photo's. Are those headers hooked up to exhaust with full tailpipe's to back bumper? Doug

Re: Deb's/Ralph Ridgeway '55 Chev C/MP car.....
 

Ralph Ridgway did run the first Tunnel Ram type manifold. It was a Plenum and base from an early Fuel Injection. Way ahead of it,s time for that period. Any time we saw the Deb,s car it was fast. That,s all I remember. Thanks Joe Fasano.

Re: Deb's/Ralph Ridgeway '55 Chev C/MP car.....
 

Bill possibly the first working small block tunnel ram.
I would say this was the first successful one though:

http://www.hotrod.com/featuredvehicl.../photo_02.html

Also the Pontiac SD 421/405 used a form of common plenum manifold.

http://media.photobucket.com/image/S...tachment-2.jpg

Ridgeway's car was about the only C/MP at Indy in the mid 60's that wasn't using a crossram at that time, and he was always the fastest, using inline carbs.
Notice how the SS/AH cars are getting more and more that way . LOL

Re: Deb's/Ralph Ridgeway '55 Chev C/MP car.....
 

After the win @ '65 Indy Nats, Ralph marketed a high-rise box-like intake called "The Ridgerunner Ram" w/ two inline 660 cfm Holleys. Many of the Modified Production smallblock competitors switched from the crossram to the "ridgerunner". Ralph also ran a "Vertex" magneto, CJ Batten heads, and General Kinetic cam, which was considered "state of the art", back then.

Re: Deb's/Ralph Ridgeway '55 Chev C/MP car.....
 

Yes, that jolted my brain enough to make the memory come back....That "Ridgerunner Ram" fabricated intake is the one I got a glimpse of (in earlier post) at Lebanon Valley about 43 yrs ago, ha. :eek: EVERYONE there was trying to get a look at it that day...Thanks Roger. WJ

Re: Deb's/Ralph Ridgeway '55 Chev C/MP car.....
 

Most of the blame for my 50-some year addiction to drag racing lies with Deb's & Carroll Caudle's MP '55 shoeboxes....thanks for the memories...I think

Re: Deb's/Ralph Ridgeway '55 Chev C/MP car.....
 

Mark,


I thought about that "High and Mighty" intake before I posted that, but it's almost stretching the concept, with those round, super-tall runners...

I'd say the Ramchargers were pretty successful with that manifold, though; I think they won their class at the Detroit Nat'ls with that car, AND set the C/A national record with it.

How much "success" do we need??? :)

Still, Ralph Ridgeway's efforts had immense ramifications (no pun intended) throughout Modified Eliminator, a revolutionary design protocol that still has ongoing influence, today... many years later.