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Any chances a Ford Zetec FC could make a competitive car in B mod if the power plant ends up in FC cars in the next year or so? Looking for an alternative to CM FF since engine parts are getting kind of rare.

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Mark
Small Feat Racing
South Bend Region

Do NOT let the supoossed shortage of Ford Cortina GT/FF1600 parts scare you off from CM, it is highly exagerated. Engine blocks are really the only crutch right now & even they can be found. The everyday consumable parts are no problem.

CM offers something most classes do not, rules stability & cars which are competitive for multiple seasons. Come join us...we need to get our car count back-up in Cendiv.

P Calhoun
Swift DB-1

Hey, I'm always open for "class filler" status!  :)  (Damn car sluts!)

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Patrick Washburn
STU Evo
www.winghats.com

From what I gather, A Mod, B Mod and F Mod have all fallen victim to the 2-stroke snowmobile formula powered specials.

They're pretty much got the runoffs sewn up and so any formula cars that are 4 stroke haven't been able to get a look in unless there aren't 2-strokes running at that event.

A great pity. Only C Mod is actively protecting the older formula cars, I believe (I don't know too much about D or E Mods).

It's the main factor that's making me hesitate to go for a FC in the first place. An 84 Reynard, for instance, running in FF1600 trim is competitive in CM, whereas the same car running a Pinto motor with aero in BM is not.

Now the question is - FCS allows plenty of weight minimums for FC, plenty enough to get the electronics, etc. in for a Zetec (let alone the Duratecs that haven't seem to have found their way over here yet). I wonder if the added power would tip the 2-stroke balance, for autocross at least.

Or is it that there simply haven't been that many FC cars entered into BMod?

Would appreciate input from someone who's been there.

Chris

I think I get your A Mod, F Mod, 2 stroke thing, but what is running in BM that's a 2 stroke?

As far as I know (not very close to the class) FC's were the car to run.  Tommy and Stu have the Dragon working pretty well recently, but I don't know if I would say the FC's are not competitive.  We were just happy to see those Texans leave CM!

BTW, as far as I know FM has not "fallen" yet.  Isn't it still somewhat course dependent still between the Vee's and the weed-eaters?

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Patrick Washburn
STU Evo
www.winghats.com

I guess Tommy and Stuart were the ones I was thinking about.

B Mod runoff winners:
2005 Stuart Lumpkin McKinney, TX Dragon SR1-B
2004 Tommy Saunders Southlake, TX Dragon SR1
2003 Tommy Saunders Southlake, TX Dragon SR1
2002 Tom Bootz Evansville, IN Legrand MK 25
2001 Tom Bootz Evansville, IN Legrand MK 25

So we get to win when they're not around?

Also from the back of the 2006 rules book:

F Modified
2005 James Libecco Bedford, OH KBS Mk7
2004 Scott Nardin Grandville, MI Solo Vee Werks
2003 Chuck Voboril Fountain Hills, AZ Zink Z-19
2002 Chuck Voboril Fountain Hills, AZ Zink Z-19
2001 John Whitling Cincinnati, OH Red Devil F500
2000 Scott Nardin Grandville, MI Solo Vee Werks
1999 Gary Kramar Arlington, TX Red Devil
1998 John Engstrom Mt. Prospect, IL Red Devil
1997 John Engstrom Mt. Prospect, IL Red Devil
1996 Chuck Voboril Fountain Hills, AZ Zink Z-19

Which to my mind translates to a whole bunch of F500s -- and one Scott Nardin.

Think about waiting for the new F1000 rules? FC body, Suzi GSXR (or other) 1000cc motorcycle motor, sequential shift, track racing at the moment under FS, who knows what next? Check apexspeed for updates. May be a factor against the famed A Mod snowploughs?

Patrick Washburn:

We were just happy to see those Texans leave CM!

Actually I was bummed out that they left.  It would have been great if Daddio would have stayed in the class as well.  Having top drivers to run against is as fun as it gets IMO.

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Steve Elzinga
#55 CM/#84 F125

Steve:

Actually I was bummed out that they left.  It would have been great if Daddio would have stayed in the class as well.  Having top drivers to run against is as fun as it gets IMO.

This is true.  Just like that time that Washburn left CM.....  

 

 

 

 

 

Yeah, right!

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Patrick Washburn
STU Evo
www.winghats.com

I wish you would have stayed too Pat, we had a lot of good races.  I haven't been to many events in the past two years myself since my son was born.  Less free time and expendable income unfortunately.

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Steve Elzinga
#55 CM/#84 F125

emotepix:

I guess Tommy and Stuart were the ones I was thinking about. B Mod runoff winners: 2005 Stuart Lumpkin McKinney, TX Dragon SR1-B 2004 Tommy Saunders Southlake, TX Dragon SR1 2003 Tommy Saunders Southlake, TX Dragon SR1 2002 Tom Bootz Evansville, IN Legrand MK 25 2001 Tom Bootz Evansville, IN Legrand MK 25 So we get to win when they're not around?  (snip)

Tommy and Stuart's Dragon is a DSR, which is powered by a 4-cylinder 4-stroke motorcycle engine with a sequential transmission.  I believe that Tom Bootz' car is similar.  A 2-stroke CSR would be legal in BM, but heavier than the DSRs.  I don't know of anybody who's running one.

Don

Vern Lyle has or had a 2 stroke sports racer with a CVT that he was running in BM.  It was for sale a few years back so he may have sold it.  It was fast and looked like it could be competitive in the class to me.  I believe it was built by Bill Gendron.

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Steve Elzinga
#55 CM/#84 F125

emotepix:

From what I gather, A Mod, B Mod and F Mod have all fallen victim to the 2-stroke snowmobile formula powered specials.

 

I don't get the "fallen victim" part. F Mod is the class for F500 so what is the problem? 

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Lee Tilton
F440 F-Mod
Delta Region

As far as I know (not very close to the class) FC's were the car to run.

FC's or FA's?  I remember the Atlantics doing well in BM but never saw many Continentals.

Jeff "Denise still wants a roof over her head" Cashmore

Been there in a FC , like going to a war with a stone knife and bear skins , while your enemies have modern weapons. As long as the SEB refuses to fix the MC and snowmobile drive train overdog problem in Bmod that is probably the only way to get a Fc competative , throw away the pinto and drop in a jap bike engine.

That is why the atlantics are dropping out of Bmod  It is a legrand DSR class and they have not proven that they will support the class long term the way the atlantic have in the past.

John  Garcia

FC in Bmod in 2001 nats , ralt from 2002 to 2007 , new bastard short wheel base atlantic in 2008

Another issue with the FC's is the transmission. Others with more experience may chime in but I think there is a problem finding good strong Solo type first gear ratios for Hewlands other than the Mk8/9's. I'm pretty sure that guys running the Mk type trans are running an integral first gear which is required strength-wise to take the standing start launches etc. I don't think that those are common or easy to get anymore. Again, just going from memory as I was looking at an FC before I bought the Legrand.

I was actually looking at an FC to sell off the Pinto and Hewland and convert to 1 liter bike power. Some FC's can be had pretty reasonably now and if you sell off the Pinto and Hewland, you can almost recoup the conversion cost to MC power if you are at all handy in minor fabrication. Back half kits exist for mid 90's VD chassis that make this conversion easy. Over the long run, you can buy a whole motor/sequential trans from a wrecked bike (with plenty of squids crashing daily and feeding the motor pipeline) for less than the cost of a rebuild on the Pinto.

Nationally, BMod seems to be dominated by the DSR's. Definitely lots of Legrands or Legrand based cars but this year was won by a OmniFab Cheetah SR1. Also a DSR but larger than the Legrand.  Here in the north east the current fast guy is in a Ralt RT5 Supervee. Good websites for info:

FC's, Atlantics, F1000's-    www.apexspeed.com

DSR's CSR's-  http://p081.ezboard.com/bdsrforum

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Joe Gonzalez
1979 Legrand DSR- B Mod
Gilbertsville, NY

I had no problem finding the right gear ratios for solo in an FC car.  Bruce dickey who has won Nats in a FF ford has the same Ld200 transmission and quite frankley there are more gear sets available for the ld 200 than the Mk . One can get the exact overall gear ratios in the Ld if one tries. Next either MK or Ld  one should block out 1st gear and use only 2 thru 5th  on 5 speed boxes so that only 2 gears need to be used . This completely eliminates the strength issue with the integral or slipper 1st gear and both boxes . The mk series box  can take MK5 gear sets and an up rated layshaft  that allows quite a bit more power through the box if one uses a rhino case and quaiffe diff.  . The primary limiter is HP not torque  and the ring and pinion starts exceeding the tooth limit at about 300 hp in the mk box and about 220 in the ld200 box , spreading loads are just about the same but the ld200 gear sets were not designed for more than about 180 hp and 165 ft pounds of torque .  The Mk 5 stuff  is the same as the guts in a  FT200 designed for the ralt/march RT4 car  varients with a larger ring and pinion have gone to 500hp . So the issue  not gear ratios. For a FF or a pinto/zetec the ld 200 box is more than adequite ,

Transmission is not a limiter in FC or FF

A national class 2 liter pinto motor can be sold for 7k

The ld200 trany is worth 6k all day long. 

 

jg