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Car Owner Q & A
Steve Williams is a venerable Ford engine builder with
experience in circle track and drag boat powerplants.
We took some time to ask him about his experiences this
season at Altamont, plans for the future, and engine
building theory.
What are the advantages and disadvantages of running
a Ford in an all Chevy field?
One of the greatest advantages of running a Ford is
the fact that you have a broader availablity of potential
sponsors. There just are not many Fords running smaller
circle tracks. Ford focused advertisers need Ford race
cars to advertise on. Another advantage is that I believe
there is more potential to make power. The variation
in small-block Ford deck heights yields a larger pool
of parts to interchange. As far as disadvantages go,
local circle track parts distributors are not stocked
with many of the parts needed to maintain a Ford power
plant.
What is it like for Nick being the youngest driver
in the field?
I am very pleased with the respect that Nick is getting
on the track from his fellow drivers and teams. At sixteen
this is his first season in a full size circle track
car. He's a very astute driver. To date we have only
been racing with our practice motor. Too much power
too soon is not good for the learning curve. Many of
his fellow drivers have paid him respect for the way
he handles both himself and the car, on and off the
track.
Where did you acquire your engine building skills?
I acquired my skills over years of experimentation.
At times I have built motors just for the sake of trying
out a combination. It has really just always been a
hobby of mine. For many years I built and raced drag
jet boats.
How long does a race engine last?
This is our first season so we'll find out soon. We
were not anticipating using the bottom end of our practice
motor all season but this long rod motor is performing
better than I expected. For our next race I'll be swapping
the uncoated main bearings for coated bearings and changing
the World heads for Canfield heads. Once we make this
swap, we'll be running the same compression as the rest
of the eight truck field. This motor should last 12-20
races with the only major service being bearing changes.
Why did you choose to build a 351W using longer 351M/400
rods?
As you increase the rod length to stroke ratio you increase
the dwell time at both ends of the stroke, this translates
to more natural torque over a longer range of rpm. Power
and torque can be enhanced with valve event timing and
cam profile. We chose this combo because the truck is
heavy (3100 lbs) and we have limited air flow (500cfm
2bbl). From my experience with drag jet-boat engines
with high rod length to stroke ratio (rod length/stroke
length) they developed tremendous amounts of torque
that extended to higher rpm's than same volume engines
with lower (rod length/stroke length) ratios. Long rods
also help heavy street cars get off the line faster,
without sacrificing top end speed. For all applications
this combo would allow you to run taller gears and run
less rpm making for less frictional heat and part stress,
thus better engine longevity.
What's your best tip for a guy building up a 351W
for street performance?
Well this is a tough question that isn't easily answered
with one hot tip. This depends on your goals. Are you
going to be running a heavy car or a light car? Are
you intersted in handling performance or do you just
want to be quick off the line? My best piece of advice
is that you have a goal in mind before you start buying
parts and making modifications, so that you can match
your components to your application. I can't even count
how many guys have come to me complaining that their
motor is not making the horsepower they expected. The
culprit is always component and application mismatch.
What is your best finish?
In the eight car field we have finished fifth twice.
What this means is that with more experience, and using
our race motor, we expect to be more competitive. This
year I was mostly concerned about getting Nick comfortable
with the car. It was a big step up for him.
What does it cost to build a truck and get into this
class?
A lot of the cost comes down to what you know and who
you know. If you started from scratch this truck would
cost about $20,000 or more to build. Some guys are putting
$20,000 into the motor alone. If you pay someone to
build the truck you can expect to pay $40,000. Of course
a large part of the cost comes in the form of operation
costs rather than construction costs.
Future plans for Nick and racing?
Nick is planning on going to college and majoring in
Mechanical Engineering. His first choice is UNC Charlotte.
If necessary, we'll make the move to North Carolina
so we can continue to race while he's in school. The
logical progression after this will be a touring division,
and if we get the opportunity then we'll move on to
the Craftsman Truck Series.
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