The "Sonoramic Commando" name was used only by Plymouth in 1960 (361 & 383)
and 1961 (383).
Dodge called theirs the "D-500 Ram Induction Engine" and was offered on the
1960 Dodge Dart (361 & 383), 1961 Dodge Dart (383), 1960 Dodge
Matador/Polara (383) and 1961 Dodge Polara (383).
DeSoto offered the 383 version on the 1960 Adventurer under the name "Power
Charge".
Chrysler offered a 413-cid version of the ram manifold in 1960 (300-F) and
19601 (300-G) but had no specific advertising name for it, The long-ram
returned for 1963 which they called "Firepower 390".
It was not listed as an Imperial option.
And the ram engine was not an option on any Canadian-built Chrysler product.
If you wanted a ram engine, you had to order an American-built car.
Bill
Vancouver, BC
----- Original Message -----
From: ChiPieAlandPaula@xxxxxxx
To: mailing-list@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Sent: Sunday, February 09, 2003 11:59 PM
Subject: IML: Cross Rams
Hello Again,
As I understood this system the Long Ram (which is the one that curves over
the cylinder banks) was designed to give optimum performance at 2800 rpm.
This worked out to the 60 80 mph range. If any of you are old enough to
remember the pre-interstate days - you will remember that the average US
road was a 2 lane. The optimum speed referred to corresponded to the average
passing speeds. The Short Ram was designed for optimum performance in the
4000 to 5000 rpm range. This manifold was specially designed for the drag
strip. Additionally, if I remember, the Short Ram had no water jackets.
Their finest hour was on the Max Wedge.
Also - both the 361 and 383 were available with the previously mentioned
Long Ram manifold. The "kicker" was the ad persons hype -- they referred
to this application as The Sonoramic Commando!!!!!!!
Allan from
Billings, Montana
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