Quote:
Originally Posted by gearguy
The much maligned Scream Ford Focus was a great midget motor that put out a very reliable 185 hp. Check the advertisements from back in the day; that is more than a good 100 inch Offy put out. V8 60s were only used in passenger cars for a few years in the USA and I think most ended up in midgets or power race boats. Midgets might have died in the 1960s if other little motors hadn't come out because V8 60s were awfully thin on the ground by then Ask the vintage guys about prices on them today. Jack Fox's 1976 Mighty Midgets book claims a STOCK Chevy II was more powerful than all but the best V8 60s.
Yes, the Fontana, Eslinger, and Gaerte were developed by private companies but that development was on the back of work done by garage mechanics on Chevy IIs, Pintos, and V8 headed Chevy IIs AFTER stock parts got scarce.. Give the guys a few years and these 2.4 liter stock blocks will do just fine in midgets. A 2 liter Focus gives up too many inches to a 2.4 to be competitive. The same percentage difference as running a 360 sprint car against a 432 inch motor.
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And why did those parts become scarce? It was because of the failure rate of the stock parts. So in turn....people had to develop "aftermarket" parts that could survive as the level of competition rose. That said.....today's manufacturing does benefit from better processes and controls. However....as the competition level rises....so will the need for better parts and a rise in cost will follow.