Can somebody please tell me why there are no pro stock ford trucks? When the class came out a couple years ago there were a couple but now there are none. Surely it can't be lack of horsepower. the ranger is comparable in size to the do*** & th ch*** trucks. they are now running mid 7's. why no fords? I'd bet anything Billy Glidden could make one run.

 

>Can somebody please tell me why
>there are no pro stock
>ford trucks?

Lack of HP and factory support from Ford.


When the class
>came out a couple years
>ago there were a couple
>but now there are none.

When NHRA first brought out the new class the rules stated that
every major MFG. was to be represented at each races regardless if they could qualify or not. Therefore Fords were represented at first... now they are not able to qualify = they are no longer present.


>Surely it can't be lack
>of horsepower. the ranger is
>comparable in size to the
>do*** & th ch*** trucks.
>they are now running mid
>7's. why no fords?

It IS due to the fact that that no one has been able to make comparitive HP with the small block ford. You have to remember that in Pro Stock the whole field can be running with in hundreths or even thousandeths of a second of each other. If the C*** is making 750 HP and the Ford is making only 735 HP...the C*** is going to win. Also look at the speed parts out there, for every Ford race part there are at least ten C*** race parts. Also look what Ford has done to the small block since its inception, they have changed it so many times (260-351W,351C,351-400M, 4.6 "Modular"), come up with different versions/familys, that the aftermarket has never been able to refine all the speed equipment because the engines keep changing. C*** on the other hand has had the same basic engine design (265-350 ci.)since 1955-56, so now the aftermarket has had almost 50 years to wring maximum HP out of it.


I'd
>bet anything Billy Glidden could
>make one run.

Billy IS currently "King" in the type of drag racing he does, but from what I've read it's due to a healthy dose of nitrous...something not allowed in Pro Stock racing. Also Billy did try running Pro Stock but he was never succesful as his Dad and Ford did pull its support from the Glidden family...seems Fords main focus now days is the circle track.
I myself would like to see Ford in the winners circle again but it takes MEGA BUCKS to field one of those cars and I don't see many millionaires or Ford itself "stepping up to the plate".

Deen Hylton
Ford F250 460 C-6, K&N, Headers, Dual Exh.,Comp. Cams,Shift Kit
Pioneer CD w/Bose Speakers.
Other Passion: Blown 77 Corvette (Sorry Guys/Gals)
How I can afford to Drive the above: 93 GEO Metro

 

That response is only half correct IMHO. Ford would have no prob competing in that class if the SUPPORT$$$$ were there. NASCAR Fords have no problem making the most horsepower, IHRA pro stock usually has a Ford mountain motor with the best times and speeds. Most of the "street" EFI drag classes are Ford owned. The aftermarket is just as plenty for Ford as Chevy. Check out any Jeggs or Summit catalog. TFS, Brodix, AFR etc have heads, intakes and all the stuff for both chev and Ford at about the same price. Pro stock truck owners aren't going to run a brand because it's "cheaper" to build. They are going to run whoever pays the most.

Ford just has their head up their **** supporting a loud mouth in Top Fuel that uses a motor that has CHRYSLER roots. That to me is more embarrassing then having no support at all.

 

The "loud mouth" your refering to has the largest fan support base and the winningest record of anyone in Drag Racing no matter what sanctioning body your talking about. I agree he should have a Ford engine between the frame rails but a Ford or C*** for that matter will not make the power to put him in the winners circle. Ford is sponsoring him because he is a continual WINNER.
I guess I do not understand what you mean by "support"...people are going to run what wins. I ran a 500+ ci. Ford engine when I was driving a drag car but that was because I wanted to race something different rather than have what I call a "belly button" engine...ya know a "belly button"...everyone has one...YAWN it's another C***.
I have to admit I'm not totally up on the NASCA scene...but I do not think maximum HP and maximum exceleration is important to NASCAR as it is to drag racing. NASCAR also incorporates an element of engine longevity (able to survive 500 miles and a couple of hours compared to 7 seconds for drag racing), aerodynamics, and probably most important is driver ability.

Again I'd say there is NO comparison between NHRA Pro Stock and IHRA's version of allowing any size engine(800+ ci,) and the "bandaid" of nitrous to make up HP for what you can't produce with just two carburators and a limit of 500 cubic inches. Don't get me wrong, both forms of racing are exciting and I'd love to see more IHRA in the Pacific NW. Anyway just like you...this is just my "IMHO".

Deen Hylton
Ford F250 460 C-6, K&N, Headers, Dual Exh.,Comp. Cams,Shift Kit
Pioneer CD w/Bose Speakers.
Other Passion: Blown 77 Corvette (Sorry Guys/Gals)
How I can afford to Drive the above: 93 GEO Metro

 

"IMHO" is why we're here!!!! My only point is that it takes incredible amounts of $$$ to run a pro stock program. I know we are in agreement on that. Those motors are basically solid chunks of raw material when they are machined. The prostock teams will bore their own lifter bores, machine the cranks from billet, cut their own manifolds. At this point it's not a Chevy v Ford thing, it's who pays the most support. Lingenfelter is in GM's pocket bigtime. Like Roush is in Ford's. I would like to think if Roush asked for a prostock team, ford would oblige. The Gliddens.....I don't know the whole story. I know Bob ruled prostock for years and Ford pulled the plug. Is it coincidense(sp?) that he stopped winning a few years AFTER the factory support was gone?????

The John Force thing has me bummed only because it shows me what Ford really thinks of the intelligence level of the people they're trying to reach. I honestly think with the budget that's alloted for top fuel, Ford could "resurrect" their Shotgun hemi or even start with a clean sheet.

The only thing we've disagreed on is the potential and cost of the Ford v Chevy motors. I don't believe that to be the case anymore with the aftermarket supporting both brands nearly equally in product and price.

 

Pro stock engines require lots of horsepower and the ford 358 cid is one of the best. the 358 used in nascar can certainly be lightened enough to make a competetive drag race engine. it is making about 800 hp. As I sure you guys know the Gliddens ruled pro stock with a similar engine before nhra went to the current 500 cid limit. and Billy is ruling although with nitrous with a similar engine today. but there was an article in one of the mags about a year ago that said billy was making 900+ hp with NO nitrous. i think we can win. someone just needs to step up with the money. (unfortunately I cant. I just wish I was born rich instead of so darned good looking)

 

A part of the problem has to do with "numbers" if you have say 40 race teams that are constantly coming up with new ideas/inovations race after race, year after year and on the other hand have two or three race teams running Fords...the Fords are going to fall behind the rest of the pack. You know the old saying "two heads are better than one". Again look at the numbers or "odds" of winning any one Pro Stock race. If you have 13 Chevy/Pontiacs, 2 Dodges, and 1 Ford in competition...what's the odds of the Ford being a continual winner? For a number of years Glidden was making more HP than the rest of the pack and nobody could catch him, in those days he was as much as one or two tenths of a second quicker. Now days the whole qualifying field can be with in a few hundreths of a second. Also we are seeing teams that are buying "store bought" Pro Stock engines that are competitive...trouble is nobody is selling COMPETITIVE Ford power plants!
I agree with you that Ford needs to get back to "grass roots" or the "little guy". To get Ford back on top they need to spend a tremendous amount of money and get a LOT more Fords back onto the track and they need factory backed R$D on Pro Stock style power plants. Even their SVO performance parts is lacking...the last few times I have tried to make purchaces out of their current catologe the part is either discontinued (headers)or out of stock for 6 months (C-6 low gear set), or just not available (MAF conversion for 460).


Deen Hylton
Ford F250 460 C-6, K&N, Headers, Dual Exh.,Comp. Cams,Shift Kit
Pioneer CD w/Bose Speakers.
Other Passion: Blown 77 Corvette (Sorry Guys/Gals)
How I can afford to Drive the above: 93 GEO Metro

 

Deen, your last post "IMHO" I agree with.
It was this comment that you made that I didn't agree with:

"It IS due to the fact that that no one has been able to make comparitive HP with the small block ford. You have to remember that in Pro Stock the whole field can be running with in hundreths or even thousandeths of a second of each other. If the C*** is making 750 HP and the Ford is making only 735 HP...the C*** is going to win. Also look at the speed parts out there, for every Ford race part there are at least ten C*** race parts. Also look what Ford has done to the small block since its inception, they have changed it so many times (260-351W,351C,351-400M, 4.6 "Modular"), come up with different versions/familys, that the aftermarket has never been able to refine all the speed equipment because the engines keep changing. C*** on the other hand has had the same basic engine design (265-350 ci.)since 1955-56, so now the aftermarket has had almost 50 years to wring maximum HP out of it."


I've seen and read where Ford is now turning their attention to the ricer market. We may be doomed!!!

 

 

Let me start by saying it takes 800,000 to put a team together with a truck it takes another 450,000 to run the season. There only about 2 or 3 guys who build there own motors the rest must get a deal with a engine builder. Now thw engine builder gives them 2 motors for around $120,000. They can't tear them down they can only run vavles and a few other things so this limits what a team can do and how far they can go to improve. Most of these engine builders build Chevy's. So it hard for other teams (Fords) to get into the show. It takes alot of time and effort to get a 358ci motor or less to produce around 1400 horsepower.Engine builders don't want to mess with Fords because they all are different. Now that we know Chevy has won the truck battle, lets talk about pro stock cars and wheres ford at in that they can't qualify there neither,and to all the people that think force runs a ford you are mistaken. Like someone said the blocks are all made the heades are all made and not by Chevy or Ford by machinest and engine builders.