Where are these guys?
 

Dinosaurfan,RapidRuss,BB??? I use to really enjoy reading what these guys wrote. There are others like redmanbob,rusty-70f100, and more that are very knowledgable,but I have not seen anything from these guys for a few years.....???????

A few of them have moved over to the "other" FE board...

332-428 Ford FE Engine Forum

Had to redo my password but see I am still good there. :)


John :-X06

There are many reasons the "Guru's" have left this site. Not my wish to bash this site or its moderator, so just hope that sometime they will come back and enlighten us with their wisdom. You can't show disrespect to the guru's and expect them to hang around here.

You referring to Barry Rabotnick?

GOOD QUESTION!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! :)

Was there some sort of falling out? If so I'm sad to hear that we lost some valuable information (and probably some friends) because of who knows what....


But THANK YOU to every one who has responded/read my threads/questions. Everyone has been extremely helpful.

I don't think thanks gets said enough. I really mean it, thanks guys! :-X25

There's not much to bash on this subject. So, please, feel free to speak openly, you won't hurt MY feelings }>

The one thing about FTE is that we try to greet newbies with open arms. Some "gurus" (not necessarily the ones listed above) didn't feel it necessary to be nice, or didn't want to play by the rules when it came to pushing their own business.

Others got bored. Or their lives became more difficult and they couldn't find the time to visit much anymore.

Some are still lurking, but because most of the questions get answered in a reasonable amount of time, and because, well, most issues don't need a PhD to answer, they don't feel the need to post.

This very thread might bring some of them out of the woodwork :-X22

I have exchanged emails or PMs with a few folks who lurk, and who were the "good guys" over the years, there's no hard feelings there.

But those who left in a huff weren't really adding any value to the site. Or if they were, it was a push-pull situation where it all evened out in the end anyway.

Dinosaurfan,RapidRuss,redmanbob, Glenn, and more are very knowledgeable about general FE and Ford trucks. They can and have gave many valuable bits of information to many of us.
Barry and Maxtor are different in that they are mostly into ultra high performance FE engines of which most of us can not afford, but we still can learn how to improve our FE output. I don't know about Maxtor, but Barry "who is the ultimate FE guru" probably felt disrespected.
If I was in charge of any FE website, I would give him special privileges do to the mountains of information that we all can learn from him, because most of us that know, agree that he knows more about Fe power than anyone on this planet. One good thing is that he has a phone number, and is willing to help inform FE owners on what he knows.

I am just trying to answer the op's question, and could be 100% wrong. :D

There is a lot in what Art posted. AFAIK there was only one, maybe two that was shone the door. A couple of those names have posted recently in the Slick & Bump forum. Others I bet, will find the door still wide open just like I did when I went to the "other FE site" There was a was a password renewal for all by a certain date, I plugged in a new password and was in. There are several forums jut like that one, that I just don't stop in, no reason just don't.

I would like to suggest that several of those members are doing likewise. :)


John :-X06

Barry wouldn't follow the rules. There are paying sponsors on here, that do not take kindly to others with "special privileges" who do not pay for them.

Ken Payne, back in the day (read: many years ago), allowed Barry to, on a LIMITED-TIME TRIAL BASIS, post somewhat freely about his business. I believe Ken thought that once Barry got the idea that FTE would bring him more business, that he'd willingly pony up and pay to be a sponsor. It didn't happen. Not sure how it all wound down, but in the end, Barry wasn't a sponsor, and he wasn't supposed to act like one neither.

I have no ill will towards Barry. None. He's allowed to come here and post all he wants, as long as he follows the rules that Ken originally setup and that have served FTE well for, what, 14 years now? Yes, FTE has been around since 1999, and even further back as a mailing list.

My particular last straw was when Barry posted up a bunch of information about his latest FE creation, all the while knowing that everyone here would immediately KNOW it was his business doing it. Even sponsors who pay for the privilege are not allowed to start threads about new products. Double whammy.

Problem is, some good people left with him. Be that as it may. Again, no ill will towards anyone.

Exactly. Things change. Go to a bar for 10 years in a row, some of the old timers move on after a few years, some new ones move in. One grizzly gets drunk and starts picking on the newbies. And gets ejected. Permanently. Another stands next to the bar yelling about how great the beer is that he makes at home. Some friends of his leave with him when he's told to be quiet. Another bunch sitting in the corner get tired of the commotion and go home to sit alone or with a friend or two in their own backyards with a cooler full of beer. Another group of people, tired of all the flashing neon signs on the walls for all the various brands of cheap beer, go find another bar where the clientele is trashier and move abusive, but there aren't any neon signs flashing in their face every time they visit. And in turn, they are allowed to abuse the rest of the patrons. Especially the newbies.

Hmm... that's a pretty good analogy right there :-X03

I'm not sure what the rub was, Barry posted some dyno graphs from his 445 stroker build, he wasn't "advertising" his 445 kit, just posting comparison data, the mods got their panties in a bunch over this and so he's gone.

That guy's forgotten more about FE's than most of us will ever know.....there's a vacuum when his FE wisdom isn't present.

I fail to understand how that's not advertising ;)

What you don't know is what went on before that incident.

Which is why, for the most part, we try not to discuss moderating in public forum.

Suffice it to say, neither you, nor anyone else knows the entire story. And from what I can tell, the "injured party" isn't telling the complete truth.

The injured party is us....Do you really think Barry needs us more than we need him? :-X15

Yeah I can see how posting dyno sheets for 390's and 445's with different camshafts could be construed as advertising (sarcasm). Clearly a one sided thing that was.

Truer words were never spoken. Realistically BarryR most likely builds 50 high end Fe's a month.... Even if he spammed this place everyday, I doubt he'd get more than 5 budget builds off this forum in a year. Most anyone that would give Barry any business have read his book, and know him from other forums, they hire him because he is one of the best.

All that aside, the reality of the situation is this forum is a forum that addresses questions like "I don't know how to change out an ignition switch" "I'm too poor to do this properly, tell me how to fix this for free" and "How do I make my clapped out worn down 390 a super stock motor"

Not that this is a bad thing, it is what is needed for many people. If you have basic knowledge of how an engine works and are interested in pushing the edge, or are more specific about your questions, this place quickly becomes boring.

The people that are mentioned as "moving on because they got bored" I see them posting daily in other places.

dp