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.November
05, 2003
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This Week:
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Ford Racing's New 5.0-Liter "Cammer" V-8 Crate Engine Offers High Horsepower And Easy Installation
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Nissan Displays An Array of Performance Vehicles at 2003 SEMA Show
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Ford Racing's New 5.0-Liter "Cammer" V-8 Crate Engine Offers
High Horsepower And Easy Installation
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Focus RS8
LAS VEGAS - At today's Specialty Equipment Market Association (SEMA) show, Ford Racing Performance Parts (FRPP) took the wraps off three in-house hot rod projects powered the company's all-new 5.0-liter "Cammer" V-8 crate engine - which will be available from a FRPP dealer or warehouse distributor beginning by year's end.
Ford's "Cammer" cars displayed at SEMA - the 420 horsepower rear-wheel drive Focus RS8, a 420 horsepower carbureted 1965 Mustang Fastback, and the 600 horsepower supercharged FR100 Panel Truck - are the ultimate expressions of true hot rodding: big engines in fantastic-looking packages. They use Ford factory performance technology melded with the ingenuity of hot rod thinking to deliver world-class power in thoroughly modern packages.
Focus RS8
Ford Racing Performance Parts (FRPP) used a sport-compact car to display the company's latest addition to an already powerful crate engine line-up - a modified Focus RS converted to rear-wheel drive and V-8 power - with the introduction of the Focus RS8 at this year's Specialty Equipment Market Association (SEMA) show.
Using the European Focus RS as a starting point, FRPP worked its engineering magic to mate its new, all-alloy, 5.0-liter 4-valve "Cammer" crate engine - cranking out a pavement-pounding 420 naturally aspirated horsepower - into the engine bay of the Focus. Although a handful of aftermarket firms have successfully mated Ford V-8 power with a Focus, the RS8 was built to show the versatility of a "Cammer" crate engine and "plug-and-play" engine electronics installation in a pure stock-looking Ford Focus.
The foundation of FRPP's hot new 5.0-liter "Cammer" crate engine is rooted in the Ford SVT Mustang Cobra 4.6-liter four-valve engine family. However, the crate motor's flanged cylinder liners help provide 94mm (instead of 90.2mm) cylinder bores, creating a full 5.0-liters of piston displacement. And while the motor employs the 2003-04 SVT Mustang Cobra "Terminator" forged crankshaft with six-bolt mains and Manley "H-Beam" connecting rods for superior strength, the block itself is specially reinforced in the crankcase web areas for high torque loads.
Other key differences include forged pistons, an 11.0:1 compression ratio, ported heads, higher-lift cams and beehive-shaped valve springs. The crate engine also features higher-flow fuel injectors and a magnesium variable-geometry intake manifold, similar to the FR500 intake manifold currently offered in the 2004 FRPP catalog.
Ford Racing's new 5.0-liter "Cammer" crate engine comes with a stock SVT Mustang Cobra oil pan and exhaust manifolds, so an exhaust system - employing Ford Racing prototype metal-substrate catalysts and a set of Ford Racing dual-mode mufflers - was custom-fabricated to put the engine heat to the street.
One of the best parts about a Ford Racing 5.0-liter "Cammer" crate engine installation is that FRPP takes a lot of the guesswork out of the project by offering a choice of several length 5.0-liter 4-valve modular wiring harness kits that are created specifically to cover the most popular engine swap configurations. What's more, harness kits - which include the powertrain control module (PCM) - provide all of the necessary electrical connectors, including end terminals, a fuse box, a power distribution box, as well as switch connectors and fuel pump relays. The 5.0L EFI "Cammer" crate engine, including the wiring harness kit, will sell for a MSRP of $14,995 and will be available from the 2004 Ford Racing Performance Parts catalog.
Completing the RS8's powertrain is a Tremec five-speed HD transmission with a Ford Racing clutch kit and Ford Racing prototype shifter.
1965 Mustang Fastback
Swapping a high horsepower V-8 engine into a classic 1965 Mustang Fastback is a fairly common occurrence - unless, of course, you're talking about a modern Ford Racing Performance Parts (FRPP) 5.0-liter "Cammer" crate engine.
So that's precisely what FRPP engineered to wow show goers at this year's Specialty Equipment Market Association (SEMA) show: a fully restored 1965 Mustang 2+2 powered by a special version of FRPP's hot new 5.0-liter, four-valve "Cammer" crate engine producing 420 horsepower. It's the perfect marriage of Ford's Mustang performance heritage and the very latest in advanced modular V-8 engine technology.
The idea behind the project was to show that an all-new version of Ford's 5.0-liter V-8 can find itself right at home in the engine bay of America's original pony car. It also demonstrates that even something as central to the Ford enthusiast community as the first-generation Mustang can enjoy the performance potential engineered into the long-awaited "Cammer" crate engine offering. A vintage 'Stang was chosen because it is a car that any automotive hobbyist can relate to - and one that many FRPP customers already own, modify and enjoy.
After the introduction of the 5.0L "Cammer" at last year's SEMA show in the FR100 pickup truck, many hot rod enthusiasts were not looking forward to dealing with the modern-day electronic fuel injection system, so Ford Racing engineers took note, and this year's Mustang "Cammer" crate engine features a classic downdraft carburetor setup, with four, two-barrel Webers sitting atop a custom Ford Racing intake. Using the carburetors also necessitated a switch from a fully electronic to an MSD distributor ignition system.
While much of the project's appeal rides in the fact it's all cloaked in classic Mustang sheet metal, Ford Racing custom-crafted a prototype cold-air induction hood to help funnel fresh air to the Webers, as well as to signal that there's some seriously modern technology lurking underneath. The masterfully massaged bodywork is finished in PPG Gloss Black and buffed to a mirror finish. Special "5.0-liter Cammer" badges complete the look.
Inside, all the stock trim was replaced with a complete National Parts Depot Reproduction 1965 Mustang interior. Naturally, no Mustang restoration upgrade would be complete without a set of Rally Pack gauges, as well as a thoroughly modern A/C system supplied by Vintage Air.
Like all Ford Racing project vehicles before it, the FRPP '65 Mustang fastback not only serves to illustrate that the ability to blend state-of-the-art powertrain technology into classic Ford sheet metal is realistically within the reach of today's Ford Racing Performance Parts customer, but also that the new "5.0 Cammer" crate engine is the perfect choice no matter what the application.
FR100 Panel Truck
Photos: Ford
The FRPP team wanted to show just how powerful a new "Cammer" crate engine can be with its 1953 Ford F-100 Panel Truck project, unveiled at this year's Specialty Equipment Market Association (SEMA) show. A logical successor to last year's spectacular FR100 pickups, which were based on a pair of vintage 1953 F-Series trucks, the hot-rodded '53 Panel Truck being showcased this time around carries a mission similar to the custom FR100s before it.
This time around, Ford Racing's engineering staff had the game-plan experience of building the FR100 show trucks, so many of those lessons learned could be applied to help transform the Panel truck into a fully streetable, high-performance custom. Because the F-100s front frame rail spacing was similar to the current Mustang, the independent, unequal-length-control-arm front suspension system from the FR500 Mustang project was grafted in after McLaren fabricated a new tube chassis. Then, a modified SVT Cobra Independent Rear Suspension (IRS) replaced the original F-100 solid rear axle.
To demonstrate the versatility of the new 5.0 "Cammer", this crate engine's naturally aspirated intake system was replaced with a prototype supercharger setup, complete with SVT's Eaton Gen IV Roots-type blower and a top-mounted intercooler. While the project team had not been able to dyno-test this breathed-upon "Cammer" before its SEMA debut, power output is expected to reach 600 horsepower and 500 ft.-lbs. of torque. FRPP is planning to offer a Supercharged version of the 5.0-liter "Cammer" crate engine sometime in 2005.
Outside, extensive bodywork was undertaken fitting of a show vehicle, and the well-finessed sheet metal was eventually sprayed with PPG-supplied "UPS Brown" Tinted Clearcoat. Dennis Carpenter of Ford Reproductions supplied the running boards, door handles and hinges, window mechanicals, parking lamps, taillamps, and all the bright trim and bezels. UPS provided authentic decals, just as you would find on their delivery trucks, to help complete the look. In fact, the Ford Racing FR100 Panel Truck has been officially certified as part of the UPS fleet, with vehicle number 019530.
Special touches were incorporated inside the truck as well, including a brand-new prototype dash panel with retro-style Ford Racing Masterpiece gauges, Ford Racing tach driver, a Mustang tilt column, Kugel Komponents' 90° Swing Pedal Brake Assembly, and an F-100 Gen II SureFit air-conditioning system from Vintage Air.
Completing the special "Cammer" crate engine powertrain are custom headers and a true dual-exhaust system, a Tremec T56 6-speed manual transmission with a prototype Ford Racing shifter, Centerforce clutch and a custom driveshaft. A Brembo Cobra disc brake package was fitted at each corner to stop the 18-inch BBS wheels and Goodyear Eagle F1 Supercar tires.
((Nov. 4, 2003))
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