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One free scan finds every outdated or missing driver and matches the right update for your exact hardware.Free scan · exact hardware matchThe Ram Rod 350 was special because Oldsmobile built a coordinated high-rpm performance package around its 350-cubic-inch V-8—not simply a standard engine with a scoop. For 1968, the W-31 combined a long-duration, high-lift cam, large valves, high compression, a Rochester four-barrel carburetor and Force-Air induction. Oldsmobile’s period specification sheet rated it at 325 bhp at 5,600 rpm and 360 lb-ft at 3,600 rpm.
What did “Ram Rod 350” mean?
“Ram Rod 350” was Oldsmobile’s 1968 marketing name for the W-31 performance 350. W-31 continued as an option designation in 1969 and 1970, but the Ram Rod label should not be applied to every W-31 model year. A later Oldsmobile brochure, for example, identifies a 325-hp Force-Air Rocket 350 under W-31, illustrating how the option name outlasted the 1968 marketing name (Oldsmobile brochure and fact-sheet material).
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Rebuilt OE connecting Rod compatible with Olds Oldsmobile 350 (Stock Replacement) | $62.37 | Buy on Amazon |
The engine belonged in the F-85 and Cutlass performance range, not the 4-4-2. That distinction matters: the W-31 was a separate small-block performance offering, not another name for the better-known 4-4-2 W-30 (RPO Archive; Hot Rod).
Why the combination made it different
The W-31’s character came from parts working together. Its cam and valve train were intended to support breathing at higher engine speeds; compression and four-barrel carburetion supported the charge; and Force-Air induction supplied the factory air-induction element. Treating the scoop as the whole story misses the engine’s defining feature: a complete performance combination.
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Camshaft and valve train
Oldsmobile’s historical W-31 fact sheet lists 308 degrees of intake and exhaust duration and 0.474-inch valve lift. It also specifies stronger valve springs and intake valves around 2.00 inches, with exhaust valves around 1.62 inches. Those are unusually aggressive specifications for a street-oriented 350 of the period and help explain why the package is associated with high-rpm operation (Oldsmobile engine fact sheet).
Compression, carburetion and air
The period specification sheet dated December 1, 1967, gives approximately 10.44:1 nominal compression, noting that the maximum depended on chamber condition, and lists a Rochester four-barrel carburetor. Oldsmobile’s fact sheet rounds the W-31 compression figure to 10.50:1. The two figures describe the same high-compression intent but come from different documents and should not be treated as perfectly identical measurements. Force-Air induction was another part of the factory package, rather than a substitute for the cam, valves or carburetion (1968 Oldsmobile specification sheet and fact sheet).
How its specifications compare with a standard 1968 Oldsmobile 350
Oldsmobile’s 2024 fact-sheet page gives a side-by-side historical specification comparison for the standard 350 and W-31. The launch-era press sheet is the better source for the originally published W-31 output rating; it reports a different rated horsepower speed from the later fact sheet.
| Specification | Standard 1968 350 | 1968 W-31 |
|---|---|---|
| Camshaft | Fact sheet does not list the standard cam duration or lift. | 308-degree intake/exhaust duration; 0.474-inch lift. |
| Valves and springs | Fact sheet does not list standard valve dimensions or spring details. | About 2.00-inch intake and 1.62-inch exhaust valves; stronger valve springs. |
| Compression | Fact sheet lists a lower compression specification than the W-31. | 10.50:1 in the fact sheet; the period sheet gives approximately 10.44:1 nominal, with a maximum dependent on chamber condition. |
| Carburetor and induction | Not stated in the cited fact-sheet comparison. | Rochester four-barrel and Force-Air induction. |
| Factory output rating | Not stated in the cited fact-sheet comparison. | 325 bhp at 5,600 rpm and 360 lb-ft at 3,600 rpm on the December 1, 1967 period specification sheet. The later fact sheet lists 325 hp at 5,400 rpm and the same torque rating. |
| Application and identity | Standard 350 offered in the Oldsmobile line. | W-31 performance option for the F-85/Cutlass range; marketed as Ram Rod 350 in 1968. |
The output figures are factory-published ratings, not modern independent dyno results. The period sheet’s 5,600-rpm horsepower figure is the appropriate number to use for the launch-era rating; the later fact sheet’s 5,400-rpm figure is a separate published specification, not a reason to silently combine the two.
What the factory horsepower rating says—and does not say
The period Oldsmobile sheet assigns the W-31 325 bhp at 5,600 rpm and 360 lb-ft at 3,600 rpm. Those ratings underline the engine’s high-rpm emphasis: peak horsepower was published at a higher speed than peak torque. They describe how Oldsmobile rated the engine, not a guarantee of a particular car’s acceleration or a result from a modern test.
Where the W-31 fit in performance history
Historical accounts connect the W-31 package with NHRA and AHRA Stock-class competition. One account reports that Chesrown Olds’ Ron Garey won NHRA Stock Eliminator in 1968 (Hot Rod). That result is useful context for the engine’s competition-minded engineering, but it does not establish that every W-31 was faster than every rival in every condition.
How many 1968 Ram Rod 350s were built?
The frequently repeated production totals are not settled by the sources cited here. RPO Archive gives approximately 501 units, while a Maximum Muscle excerpt reports 732 sales. Neither is identified as the original factory production ledger, so neither figure should be presented as a definitive Oldsmobile count (RPO Archive; Maximum Muscle excerpt).
What to know when restoring or identifying one
The camshaft is central to the W-31’s distinctive specification. A specialist parts supplier lists a W-31 replacement camshaft and lifter set described as a factory-profile replacement (Oldsmobile parts supplier). Treat that listing as a parts lead, not an endorsement or confirmation of fitment: verify the exact engine family, block bank angle, compatibility and intended specifications before ordering.
For identification or restoration work, compare documented engine and vehicle information with the actual components. A Force-Air setup or an engine described as a Ram Rod does not, on its own, establish that a car retains its original W-31 configuration.
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