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Original Message
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| Ford racing records.....fact....not opinion..... |
| By P - 12/28/2000 11:50:19 AM; IP 63.169.28.156 |
I originally posted this on the Network 54 "original FE Forum", and wanted to share it with you guys over here due to the recent "flap" going on about oiling, etc. etc. There are some good replys to the orig post that can be found at this address if anyone is interested.
http://network54.com/Forum/message?forumid=21142&messageid=977937271
Doing some research I stumbled across some numbers I thought everyone would find of interest. These are NASCAR endurance racing records of the 1950’s and 1960’s. It is interesting to see how the development of various engines helped get the particular manufacturer in the “W” column.
Although my database also contains the name of each driver, the location of the race, and the car driven, etc., I am only showing abbreviated information here.
Forgive me if I might seem to be "lecturing" to this group, because the "article" was prepared for a group not nearly as informed as this one!
When there are so many "emotional" arguments out there flapping around, documented facts have a way of bringing things into their proper perspective. Although this info is limited to one particular racing series, it is noted that the FE engines competed in many other series, including sucessful duty in Europe, and they even won the Miami to New York boat race in a Holman Moody prepared boat.
Starting back in 1956 provides an interesting perspective, because the FE big block series (Ford/Edsel) wouldn’t be in production for two more years. Ford won race number 3, but didn’t win again until race number 25 (Ralph Moody happened to be the driver), and finally closed the season with 13 wins. Ralph Moody, incidentally, was the partner in the famous Holman Moody racing shop of Charlotte, NC, which later prepared competition engines under contract from Ford Motor Company. After race number 25 things appeared to be picking up with wins at races number 30, 33, 35, 38, 39, 41, 42, 44, 46, 48, 50, and 51. During this time frame Ford was racing their Y-block 312 cubic inch engine. (Chevrolet won 3 races this year, and Dodge won 11.)
During the 1957 season it appeared that Ford found the magic formula winning 26 races, including; 1, 2, 3, 6, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 18, 19, 21, 22, 23, 25, 28, 29, 31, 36, 37, 44, 50, and 51; with drivers Fireball Roberts, Parnelli Jones, Ralph Moody, Marvin Panch, and Paul Goldsmith among others. (Chevrolet won 21 races this season and Dodge/Plymouth none.)
1958 was the first year of the new Ford “big block” engine known as the “FE” (Ford/Edsel series). This engine was configured in 332 and 352 cubic inch displacement, and was intended to counter the 348 cubic inch engine being offered by Chevrolet in late 1957. The 1958 season saw 16 wins for races number 4, 10, 11, 14, 17, 18, 21, 22, 23, 24, 30, 32, 37, 44, 50, 51; with a new Ford driver being added to the list by the name of Junior Johnson. (Chevrolet won 25 races this season, and Dodge/Plymouth none.)
1959 saw the further development of the 352 cubic inch FE, including a street version with solid lifters putting out 360-hp. Ten NASCAR track wins occurred at races 7, 8, 11, 12, 17, 19, 22, 29, 30, and 39. With only 10 wins this season it was apparent that Ford needed something with more power. Notable drivers were Junior Johnson, Parnelli Jones, and Net Jarrett. (Chevrolet won 16 races this season, Plymouth won 7, and Dodge won none.) This era also saw the “square” Thunderbirds with the 430 “MEL” engines (Mercury/Edsel/Lincoln); these engines offered a lot of power but were not ideally suited for the rigors of endurance racing.
1960 saw some improvement with 15 hard-earned wins mostly in the middle of the season; 2, 8, 11, 12, 13, 14, 16, 17, 20, 22, 28, 34, 38, 42, and 43. Notable drivers were Ned Jarrett, Joe Weatherly, Glen Wood and Speedy Thompson. Junior Johnson didn’t appear in the Ford stable again until 1964. Fifteen wins out of 51 was not the kind of record Ford wanted, and the 352 engine was about to see it’s first enlargement. (Chevrolet won 13 this season, and Plymouth won 8, and Dodge won one race.)
1961 saw the 352 engine enlarged to 390 cubic inches by virtue of an increase in piston diameter from 4.0” to 4.05” along with an increase in crankshaft stroke from 3.50” to 3.78”. This new configuration produced a significant engine with 401-horsepower in high performance street trim. The 3.78” crankshaft, incidentally, would see service through several evolutionary steps all the way through the development of the 406 and 427 cubic inch engines. The new engine was competitive on the drag strips, and Chevrolet admits it was responsible for their moving ahead with development of the 409. Ford only won a disappointing 7 NASCAR races this year, including race numbers: 1, 13, 19, 23, 33, 42, and 45. Fred Lorenzen was added to the Ford driving list. (Even with the new engine, Chevrolet drubbed Ford 11 times, and Plymouth won three, with Dodge winning none.)
1962 saw the development of a larger FE engine part way through the season, with the 390 being further bored out to 4.13” but retaining the 3.78” crankshaft of the 390. The new engine was 406 cubic inches in size, and produced 405 horsepower in high performance street trim. This engine also pioneered the cross-bolted “4-bolt main” design for crankshaft retaining clips, and various cylinder head and piston developments. The season used both engines and produced a disappointing 6 wins, including race numbers: 21, 23, 24, 45, 49, and 50. (Chevrolet again drubbed Ford with 14 races this season, and Plymouth won 11, with Dodge none.) It was very apparent that Ford had to do something, because the “horsepower wars” were in full swing and they were not producing the desired results.
1963 started the season again with the 406 cubic inch engine, and finished the season with the new 427. The 427 cubic inch engine was yet another larger bore edition of the FE design featuring a 4.23” bore and the famili |
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