The engine is a wet sump. The car weighs over 2850lbs, the tire is a MT 31x10.5w, and the gear is a 5.43. The heads are Edelbrock medium rise, and the chassis/suspension work was done at Lucky's Race Cars. There is no stock suspension component on the car. It has front and rear Afco double adjustable coil overs, the front upper and lower control arms are custom fabbed, and it has a ladder bar rear suspension. As for the distributor only an offset housing will clear the intake. The steering setup is stock style but all tie rods and links were fabbed from moly. The center link still goes through the oil pan. The intake was fabbed by Hogans. The cage on the Wagon is rated to 8.50 and the cage in the Comet sedan in rated to 7.50 so he carries a little more weight than I do.
That was some good driving too BTW, congrats on the title.
If we can keep on driving the FE to excellence like is being done during this renaissance with cammers, high-risers, state of the art and affordable performance all coming along for an engine that was one of the first crop of OHV and OHC engines,it is just really great to see. I cut my teeth on flatties, Y-Blocks and FEs, with an occasional Rat thrown in back in the day. Nowhere near what you are doing, but its a proud thing putting something together that you know if it breaks its your own fault
8.40s are possible. I think 7.90s are too. Eddie Miller's RB/ Duster got his 7 this year during Drag Week, lots of lifter carnage during the trip though. But if an RB can do it on the track, an FE can too. Keep pushing, there will be an OHV FE in there and I wouldn't doubt that you will be behind the wheel.
for posting pics and sharing your specs on a badd-a@@ engine! I enjoy it for sure.
The sheet-metal intake and valve covers look great on a FE.....a 9000 rpm all-aluminum FE!!!! I really think the FE is the best looking Ford engine and yours is a fine example.
And in a stick car no less, nothing better! How about sharing what you use for trans and clutch? I'm guessing a Jerico and soft-loc or possibly a G-Force and Advanced Clutches deal, or??? And are you shifting it clutchless like the super stockers do???
Thanks again.... keep them coming.
68 Cougar XR7 street and strip car, 428 4-speed, 3560# of fun, new best 10.43@131.2 1.47 60 ft
Comet wagons aren't usually 4 speeds so i'd say he's running a 3 speed... which would be on the column in a car like that. If you look at the video closely you can see his arm move up towards the windshield shifting second after the wheels land.
That car is really set up well to launch like that on 10.5's with ladder bars and little front suspension travel.
Those 422 guys are tricky! My bet is that Jay isn't old enough for a driver's license but is really, really smart. I bet he can even set up a clutch (unlike me). Probably more than one disc also....
what the word on the street is its a column shift 3 speed with the overdrive!! He hits 1000 ft and pushes in the overdrive lever and away she goes. Thats how he get such a good top end charge!!!
Jay I did some guessing too, the Gonkulator is not used to cars in the 8s
October 29 2008, 8:15 PM
You might know if you follow the FE Forum at all that I have a home-grown computer program for horsepower and ET, etc.
When I first saw your wagon on YouTube I started guessing, how to get a wagon to run 8.82 (and now 8.64, congratulations).
From your text below I had guessed the 5.43 and 31" tire diam but have had to guess the rest as well, I have no idea if I'm close on the below:
2850 lb w/driver or w/o?
511cid? (I guess it could be only a 427 but what a screamer if so)
14.5 compression?
290 duration at .050" mech roller?
About .800-.820" lift?
2.25" headers about 35" pipes?
About a 3.00 1st gear 4spd?
Finally, the best such engine my computer could imagine, even after the fact, on gasoline, was, for the 511
Torq 853 at 5400
Power 914 at 7000
Or with a "454" (4.25 bore) I could get a decent match and engine computing to:
Torq 774 at 5400
Powr 957 at 7500
Is any of that close or perhaps you can't say, I know some of the build is probably close hold. Nothing at all wrong with a little proprietary stuff here & there but you can tell we'd like to read whatever detail you can share.
If it is indeed a "511" or even a "454" cid, I found that a taller rear computed faster. Then again my computer does not have much experience in the 8's so that is just a guess, but it might be something to try unless you've tried it already.
Re: Jay I did some guessing too, the Gonkulator is not used to cars in the 8s
October 30 2008, 8:21 AM
With it being an aluminum block and the fact that to make that kind of power the engine has to be spun hard I would guess that its in the 440 - 450 inch range. I wouldn't be suprised if the cam was smaller than you would think at around .750 to .780 lift either. Compression is probably in the 15 to 1 to 15.5 to 1 range. My guess on the heads is that they are a set of Edelbrock "out the back door" heads meaning they came as unmachined bare castings. Take note that they don't say "Edelbrock" on them. The back door heads won't have any name on them. IMO to get the kind of flow that is needed to make that kind of power, that would be the only way Edelbrocks would work. Some of you may agree with these assumptions, others may not, but I bet I'm close. I don't blame Jay for not letting out his secrets, it costs a lot of time and money to make that kind of power, why give it away.
Jay,
Does the wagon happen to have the engine that you guys bought from Paul Adams in it? I believe that was Paul's last Kuntz engine from the '66 Fairlane. Nice pass Sunday. Keep up the good work. I wish we could have been there. See you guys at the banquet.
