NASCAR has approved new engine cylinder heads for Fords for the 2004 season, giving the car builder its first major motor adjustment in a decade. The technology has changed over the years, and now it’s more like they’re letting Ford catch up in certain areas where they were restricted,” said Ford team owner Len Wood. The change should increase Ford’s horsepower potential significantly.( Greensville News )(11-7-2003) UPDATE: Many Ford engine builders are walking around the North Carolina Motor Speedway garage with smiles on their faces. The remarkable attitude at the end of the long hard fought season is thanks to seven words spoken by NASCAR Winston Cup director John Darby “The Ford cylinder head has been approved.” It’s been a long time since Ford was granted a new cylinder head, with the last approval for a new piece coming in 1992. Since then a lot has happened under the hood in the sport, including the GM camp getting the SB2 cylinder several years ago and Dodge designing the purpose built P7 for their Winston Cup program in 2000. The Dodge and Chevrolet engine cylinder heads have shared a common critical dimension in port height with the Ford engine giving up ground in this area since the introduction of the SB2. This lack of port height real estate limits power development and has made life tough for Ford engine builders as they coaxed an incremental horsepower or two from an 11 year old piece.(see full story at the Ford Racing site) AND NASCAR has OKed a new cylinder head with a raised intake port that Ford has been requesting for four years. And Chevy teams weren’t really complaining that much. According to sources, NASCAR rejected a manifold that Ford had wanted paired with the cylinder heads, but Roush insisted that no such manifold had been requested.( Winston Salem Journal )(11-8-2003)
