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So NHRA in banning the Ford from racing in all the classes it's banned in, was to save me from making parts ? So then I would go buy someone elses parts & run a Chevy or Chrysler, OK this makes real sense ? It wasn't the Chevy & Chrysler guys that told NHRA that if they didn't ban the Ford they would boycott their races. Now it all makes perfect sense. I can't run a motor made in 1958 in nostalgia fuel racing. I went to Bakersfield for the march meet & watched first round of TF, 9 cars came to the line for the 16 car field. It was OK that my Ford car was sitting home in the trailer, as I felt that I had been saved from spending money & making parts.
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Of all the things they may have considered when making the rules, I'm sure that keeping you from making your own parts wasn't one of them. Whats to stop you from developing Chevy or Chrysler parts that are better than whats currently available? I'm sure their line of thinking came from the experience they had over the years when guys showed up with stuff that was homebuilt, custom, or one off trick (some of these things were brilliant, some not so much) stuff. Some of these guys spent their life savings while others spent beer money. Some showed promise while others showed how well the safety safari did their job, cleaning up oil. That's not saying your stuff wouldn't be top notch, but they won't know until you make a few dozen runs with only the same or less problems than the common combinations that they KNOW have high quality parts in them. Couple that with the fact that there's tons of info and help available for running fuel in the current combinations, and they just might be saving you from yourself. And then there's the opposite problem, what if your stuff turns out to be head and shoulders above the rest? Then they have to police the class to maintain parity (reference PSB, pro mod, and TAD) and that opens up a whole new can of worms. Unfortunately, it's not the 60's any more and if you want to play in the big leagues you've got to play by their rules.
Something to remember is that the racers themselves gravitated to these common combinations for a variety of reasons, not necessarily because the were the best engine out there. Ease of maintenance, new and used parts availability (and interchangeability) aftermarket support, availability of good used cores and parts all factored into it. I really do respect the fact that you like something different than the norm, and I think there's plenty of room to play in the slower classes and have a great time doing it. If you really want to put your Ford to the test, there's always Land Speed Racing. Radical, different, and unique engine combination are the norm over there and you'll be welcomed with open arms.
