Thought I'd try to make a reference for everyone. All of this information has
been confirmed by:
Sandy Shamlian
– Quicksilver
John Church
– Team Owner, JDC Motorsports
Steve Thomson
– Owner/Driver #80 Zetec
Myself
First some history.
Why did the pro series choose to make a change from the Pinto engine to the Zetec?
In order to remain competitive, pro teams
(and top National drivers) were spending up to $14000 per engine prepped by top engine builders. To maintain competitiveness
throughout the season, leading teams would have engines rebuilt after 800-1000 miles (national guys would go 1300-1500 miles)
at a cost of $4000, and required a spare engine. Budgets were adversely affected. Lastly, engine builders
found it very difficult to deal with frustrations raised by owners claiming inequities from one engine to the next.
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Why the Zetec engine?
The Zetec engine's common bolt pattern with
the Pinto's made it convenient for the series to fit the motor into existing chassis without fabricating a new bellhousing.
Furthermore, testing showed the Zetec could go as long as 5000 miles without major attention or drop in performance.
Time and experience has since demonstrated engines go much further than that.
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What about equality between Zetec engines?
The current spec Zetec is inherently
equal from one engine to the next. Sandy Shamlian at Quicksilver has says he can take a crate Zetec engine, install the
dry sump and intake and it makes within 2 hp of any engine he's built. An engine sent back after more than a season
was dynoed to be stronger than it was when it was built! The 200+ potential horsepower engine is throttled to about
165 hp due to restricted airflow through the intake and exhaust. These factors make the Zetec a very reliable and maintenance
free package.
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Isn't the Zetec out of production? What about availability?
While its true the Zetec is headed out of
production, availability should not be a problem. Research shows the ratio of Zetecs to Pintos built is on the order
of 1000's to one, despite the fact the Pinto has been around for 3 decades. According
to Sandy, all parts are available including short blocks from Ford dealers. Ford Racing and other sources have
over 400 complete engines available.
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What about cost?
Per Sandy, initial costs to convert
an existing Pinto car to Zetec power are around $15500, give or take $500, which includes everything from the engine
cover to the ECU. To go full pro spec, more will have to be spent on the pro nose, wheels and shocks. To recover some
costs, owners can sell off their Pinto components, leaving them with a typical net investment of around $6-8000, a difference
that can pay for itself after the first 1600 miles (two Pinto rebuilds). Current
used Pro Spec Zetec cars range in price and features from $30 to $38K, the typical going rate for a well-prepped late Pinto
FC.
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That's great, but if the Zetec is allowed in FC, to whom will I be able to sell
my Pinto?
Some cars are easier to convert than others. 1998
and later Van Diemen FC/FF chassis (the dominant chassis in FC and Cooper Series) lend themselves to conversion due to their
open engine bay. 1997 and earlier chassis have frame tubes which interfere with the Zetec's intake system. Owners of
these cars (and others) may choose to stay with the Pinto engine. Sports 2000 , SVRA and other vintage cars use
the Pinto engine in its current form, another source of buyers for top National quality motors.
Any car that has a Pinto (or Kent powered
Formula Ford) can be converted to the Zetec, although some chassis lend themselves to this conversion better than others.
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What about gears? I hear the Zetecs are
hard on drivetrains.
True, for 2004 pro teams adopted a wide gear
update to address some gear failures attributed to the higher engine torque and increase shock loading from the heavier wheels
and tires.
However, in a restricted form, there should
be no more wear and tear on the drivetrain than current FC cars experience. Even
unrestricted, in the first year of the Zetec JDC Motorsports broke only one gear.
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Fine. What are Zetec proponents proposing?
In its current configuration, the SCCA has
classified the Pro Spec Zetec in Formula Atlantic, which means it runs at an overwhelming disadvantage against a true FA.
The proposal says the Zetec spec engine
and supporting systems, as developed and used by teams in the pro series, can be detuned with a restrictor and ECU mapping
to perform like the Pinto engine with little effort and cost. The Zetec
will absolutely have a performance disadvantage, managed by either ballast and/or ECU mapping and restrictor size to
ensure Pinto superiority for an agreed upon period of time. This is in no
way an attempt to replace the Pinto engine, but to supplement it with the intention of increasing class participation even
slightly. Currently, discussions are taking place to determine rules and policing. Sandy at Quicksilver is highly confident
he can make the Pinto and Zetec equivalent with little effort.
A West coast series, now called the Pacific
2000 series, has arguably shown the feasibility of equating the two different engines.
In that series, restricted pro-spec Zetec cars are invited to compete with FC cars.
After several performance adjustments, participants feel that series has achieved an acceptable level of equivalency,
may be with the Zetec at a slight disadvantage. Bobby Oergel, Cooper and Pacific
2000 series championship winning team owner, has said that if cost were not an issue, he would have built a Pinto car for
this past season’s championship run because of its performance advantage.
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Wait a minute. Give me a reason why
the club should care about what the pro series does. Just because they decided
to switch engines, there’s no reason we as a majority need to cater to the few Zetec owners.
In the past, as pro teams replaced their
cars with new equipment, club owners could buy used pro level equipment at a discount.
This naturally raised the quality of competition in the club ranks. Moreover,
as the pro series toured the country, club drivers could enter pro races and test their skills against the latest up and coming
drivers. This crossover tended to keep both series healthy.
True, it was the pro series that made the
decision to change engines. However, it is in the best interest of both club
and pro owners to try to recreate this relationship. Allowing Zetecs to run in
FC would likely increase participation in FC, increase crossover and through equivalency allow fair competition with the existing
package.
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What is the difference between a 2004 spec Cooper Series car and a current Formula
Continental?
The major differences are the engine and
supporting systems (intake, exhaust, ECU and associated harnesses), engine cover, shocks wings and 8 and 10-inch wheels with
spec tires. Pro series cars are required to run a 13:36 ring and pinion and spec ratios.
Cars should have an alternator.
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