Reply to "Turkey shoot."

I don't think that you can run the ZF with dependability like that shown in these videos with much more than the stock displacement.

The ZF run in the Ford GT40 is not significantly different than in the Pantera.

The Ford teams found it was sufficient for the 289 but was incapable of handling the 427.

Stroked 5.7's are in the torque production categories of that 427 engine, if not more.

Explain to me how the ZF can be beefed up now when it couldn't be then?

The way power is being applied in this video in particular in the 5,500 to 6,500 rpm range, coming out of every turn would be hitting it with a hammer on every acceleration.



I'm not saying poppycock, I'm saying show me?



A healthy updated C almost with every published dyno shows 495 to 500 ft-lbs at 5,000 rpms.

I think that is enough torque to run the car this way and when matched to the 550 hp at 6,500 rpm explains the ease of acceleration.

A race quality block is a smart thing to do if you want to reduce the rebuilds but it isn't necessary for a part time track car.



The difference in tensile strength between a nodular iron crankshaft and a forged steel one, 95,000 vs 100,000 psi, is not the reason to use one in a race engine.

It is to reduce the amount of bearing embedment in the main journals and as a result reduces the amount of times the crank needs to be recut BUT it increases the amount of harmonic vibration transmitted into the block bulkheads.

Anyway you look at it though, this is just an academic discussion.



The greatest cause of wear and tear on the engine is going to be in the valve train and that is going to happen in the 7,000 to 8,500 rpm operating ranges.

There the life of the engine is measured in running minutes like you would do with an aircraft engine.

I think also for a road race Cleveland, 6,500 is around where that engine starts to develop detrimental harmonics that are difficult to eliminate?

The heavy Boss balancer is aimed at that rpm. The 4v balance up to about 6,000rpm.



It was in the hands of the Bonzi Ford race teams that were GIVEN these engines and parts for FREE under the term of "experimental" by Ford, the production block would EVENTUALLY crack through one of the main bulkheads and up into one of the cylinders.

How high was the compression ratio in them also? Running on pure race gas, it wasn't 10:1?



When I was looking for an "Australian block", many of the ones I saw (about 6) were cracked through one of the thrust points in the bores.

The thicker bulkheads didn't work on those blocks? I think the issue is the harmonics were never looked at as the problem? A nodular iron crank absorbs more of those harmonics then the steel crank does making it easier on the block.



Anyway, that is just a great running Pantera with a really good driver and maybe the way he closes on the other cars is because he is a more experienced driver and the other cars, irregardless of how impressive their appearances may be (935 Porsches, etc) are too amateurish drivers just out for a weekend thrill?

I like the Lamboghini's out there but how race car worthy is a Countach and a Miura?


I do agree that the Pantera runs so well that it makes it suspicious that anyone could get a 357 to run so well...while it was running...it was a DNF wasn't it?