Badass ford

[Blown 472]

http://www.scta-bni.org/news/flatfire.mpg

[LakesOnly]

Wow, 300MPH flathead Ford.
Billy's Land Speed car broke the 200 MPH mark a few weekends ago. (Billy is the machinist for High Flow Dynamics.) I think top speed is 205 + change.
This is with an unblown motor. Car was run at El Mirage Dry Lakebed.
Engine power is so great that 1000 pounds have been added to the chassis so as to help the skinny tires hook up with the clay.
The 205+ mph speed beats his last best of 198 mph.
Paul

[Norseman]

Pretty cool for an engine they haven't built since 1953!!! :cool:

[Oldsquirt]

For some reason I can't get that file to play, but from the name, I know what it's about......Flatfire. Probably 6-7 years ago now, one of the car mags did a feature on the engine built for this car. There was a pretty well known engine builder/racer involved. Betcha Blown can recognize him in the pic below. :)
I happened to take a little road trip out to the Salt Flats in August of 2001, where I got a chance to see Flatfire up close. Absolutely beautiful piece of machinery. Swore I had a bunch of pics, but this is all I could turn up. You can tell by the fingers in ears, and the gloved hand in the cockpit, that this is the start of a run. Cool thing about B-ville is being able to stand right there at the starting line. Amazing sights and sounds. Anyone who calls himself a "gearhead" owes himself at least one trip to the ultimate mecca of speed.
http://www.hotboatpics.com/pics/data/500/3633BVille01b.jpg http://www.hotboatpics.com/pics/data/500/3633BVille01.jpg

[Blown 472]

I am planning a trip out there, working on getting sponsorship for my buddies car, wants to run a streamliner with a snowmoblie engine well three of them, gas, alky, and nitro. I am noodling a turbo on my lincoln and taking a shot at it myself.

[steelcomp]

Bonneville's definately a must-do for the hardcore gearhead. It's really not much of a spectator sport, but you can get up-close and personal with the hardware. It's also very unique in that during speed week, anything that has a top speed, is there for a record. It's pretty crazy seeing what some peeps will do!! :D

[GofastRacer]

Pretty cool for an engine they haven't built since 1953!!! :cool:
Yeah but the R&D never stopped, be surprised what they're doing with those these days!..

[Oldsquirt]

Here's a pretty good article from the http://www.flatfire.com website about the engine. For some reason I think there had been talk of not allowing it to run in a "flathead" category due to the radical reworking.....
Flatfire Engine (http://www.flatfire.com/flatfire2.htm)

[Norseman]

Here's a pretty good article from the http://www.flatfire.com website about the engine. For some reason I think there had been talk of not allowing it to run in a "flathead" category due to the radical reworking.....
Flatfire Engine (http://www.flatfire.com/flatfire2.htm)
This isn't the first flathead that they have flipped intake and exhaust ports on. I remeber reading some stuff on other record attemps that have done the same thing!!
But I'd bet that the machine work was the most extensive. I'm surprised they didn't start with one of the "NEW" frenchbuilt blocks. They are supposed to have a thicker casting and more strength. It looks like it would have been easier to make a new Billet Flathead block than do everything they did on this one.....

[wsuwrhr]

It looks like it would have been easier to make a new Billet Flathead block than do everything they did on this one.....
I was reading the article and thinking the same thing, especially Dick Landy Industries, CA MON, they started the aftermarket block revolution.
Maybe there is something in the rules saying the block must be stock?
Good read though,
Brian

[Oldsquirt]

Maybe there is something in the rules saying the block must be stock?
They were running in the XF/BFS class. The BFS indicates Blown Fuel Streamliner. The XF indicates the engine, which in this case is Production V-8 flathead Ford/Mercury 1932-1953. Had they not been running a production flathead block, they would have been a D/BFS, with the "D" indicating a 261-305 cu. in. engine of any configuration. Record in that class is 358mph, 56 mph faster than the XF/BFS record that was set by Flatfire.
Turns out "Flatfire" is no more. It has been renamed ECOFire after changing the engine out for a modified GM ECOTech 4-cylinder.

[Norseman]

They were running in the XF/BFS class. The BFS indicates Blown Fuel Streamliner. The XF indicates the engine, which in this case is Production V-8 flathead Ford/Mercury 1932-1953. Had they not been running a production flathead block, they would have been a D/BFS, with the "D" indicating a 261-305 cu. in. engine of any configuration. Record in that class is 358mph, 56 mph faster than the XF/BFS record that was set by Flatfire.
Turns out "Flatfire" is no more. It has been renamed ECOFire after changing the engine out for a modified GM ECOTech 4-cylinder.
That also explains why they didn't use one of the new frnch blocks!
Shame they changed the motor out, it would have been nice to see a flathead set a couple of more records!!

[Oldsquirt]

That also explains why they didn't use one of the new frnch blocks!
Shame they changed the motor out, it would have been nice to see a flathead set a couple of more records!!
Weren't those french blocks actually kind of old but just "newly found"? I recall reading about them some years back.
As far as the engine change....I think they accomplished what they set out to do. They have the record for the fastest flathead powered vehicle and they cracked the 300mph barrier. Like so many land speed racers, it was time to tackle another challenge, I guess. The worst part to me is that the f****d up the beautiful paint job in covering the "Flat" in Flatfire with a big ugly "ECO" label.
http://www.scta-bni.org/Bonneville/Speedweek%2005/photos_13_3/IM009532.JPG