I'm just curious was there any blown nitro boss 429 dragsters . from everything I gatherd it was all NASCAR ...pics please
Sorry no pics here, but there was an article maybe 20 yrs ago in one of the magazines about a dragster with a Boss 9. Can't remember if blown alky or low percentages of nitro. Maybe someone on here has a copy of the article. It was pretty damn fast.
Connie Kallitta ran a Boss powered funny car. I would think somebody had to put one in fueler...but you raise a very good question....
I have some experance with the 385 Ford on blown fuel in my AA/FA. I only made a few test runs with boss heads, most of my stuff was with the Trick Flow heads. I just finished a new Top Fuel front engine dragster with a 500 inch 385 Ford. I will not be able to race it in competion as NHRA has baned the Ford from nostalga TF. I will run blown fuel with it as well as blown alky and injected nitro, but only as match racing. Van
Kalitta ran a Boss in top fuel after the s.o.h.c. It wasn't competative and it wasn't campained very long. With more development it might have worked out. It was for sale at Bowling Green [minus the motor] in the swap meet about 8 yrs. ago. Garlits looked at it and passed.
Mickey Thompson ran a Boss in one (or both??) of his Mustangs around 69 or 70... A quick Google image search shows a Boss motor in the 69 monochoque funny
Mickey built a Boss for the titanium chassis Pinto I believe. He experimented with what he called the "thermocharger", compressed air bottle. It made 2800hp according to the article in Hot Rod. I think it was outlawed before he got to run it.
It's a very long story but the NHRA made the big Ford Illegal in around 2002 for the big show stuff. NHRA started writing nostalgia rules 4 years ago as they wanted to groom the NTF for the big show retires. They then made the Late Hemi legal as before it wasn't, so now the retires could run the big show hand me down motor parts. They were very worried that the big Fords that they baned from the big show might show up, so banned they were. The FAKE Ford in Forces FC is just a 426 based pacifier to make the Ford executives happy.
For a couple of outings, Pete Robinson replaced his Top Fuel cammer 427 with a Boss 429. Also had an automatic transmission. Did not work out well, and the SOHC went right back in. Regards, Chase
On page 48 and 49 of the NHRA HRHS rule book under NTF. There's nothing that says you can't run a Ford in NTF.
Well that sucks!!! There was a time when NTF first got going that there were Hemis,Chevys big and small, and Fords running.
Yes there is, Read the rule again. The motor rule restricts bore spacing to Chevy's 4.840 the Ford is 4.900 No it wasn't by accident. This rule outlaws the 472-500 Cad & the 58 Packard both wouldn't have a prayer of being competitive. I think these and the Ford are the only automotive V8's made with bigger bore spacing than the Chevy. I've contacted NHRA, even mailed them the required written request to allow the Ford to run. No one at NHRA will talk about it. Chevy and Chrysler racers laugh it off. As I said there is a lot more to this story. Gasser 1961 why don't you call the NHRA and try to talk to anyone ? Ask why a simple bore rule saying, All bore spacing must be OEM can't be the rule.
Who knows what the NHRA is thinking??? Why wouldn't the NHRA want to have a true Ford running in NTF?
Engines get outlawed by whiners. If you are important and someone is either beating you or you are sure that they will you get a bunch of other important racers together and go whine. I wonder if it would have made a good nitro mill anyway. It may have gone the way of the cammer if they let it run. Pink who did a lot of the R&D with the cammer said that they were just not good nitro motors by design.
It may have something to do with their borespacing limits? I think it is 4.84" chev. 12- years ago, I wanted to build a Pontiac powered AA/Fuel Dragster. But, the rules only listed chev and 392 engines. I approached the VRA( sanctioning body at the time ) and requested them to change the rules to allow my '59 powered 389 tio compete. They told me yes, and then they also put it in the rule book. They also listed both my more modern wedge heads and my '62 era M/T HEMI Pontiac heads. My point is, if you have a vintage era engine and approach them, they will probably let you run. You could also contact aa/fd aasoc who makes up the rules. Just trying to help.
The new Ford hemi is the motor I made reference to in my previous post. It is indeed a Chrysler Hemi and MUST accept all existing late model Chrysler hemi parts. Anodise it blue and machine Boss Ford in the side of the block = Hell yes It'll fool everyone.
The VRA & the AA/FD assoc no longer are making any rules as NHRA took that away 4 years ago when the Heritage rules bomb was dropped. I talked to the VRA and was told that If I showed up at a race and was refused they would try to persuade NHRA to let me run. If the AA/FD assoc thinks they have any remaining power, I would like to contact there representative. I'm assuming your Steve from Pontiac Heaven ? When you say Vintage era ? The 385 Ford was first produced in 1967 for the 1968 year model Lincoln.
I think we have found the problem!! Yes it must be this statement by Pink that caused NHRA to outlaw the Ford. The 385 Ford motor loves nitro I can definitely say Bullshit on this one. The Ford 385 motor has been very deep into the 5's anybody want to sit behind a cammer and try it.
How about Jim Green's (Cammer King) tractor puller? Count em...3 Blown aluminun 429 Boss motors on fuel, between the rails. The sound is incredible!
The Ford Cammer was a very powerful nitro engine. In fact for a time it was probably the most powerful nitro engine. So powerful in fact that it set ET and top speed records and won many races. Mickey Thompson, Don Prudhomme, Connie Kalitta, Tommy Grove and others can attest to that. The problem was the power potential was great enough to overwhelm the cylinder block. Ed Pink was referring to the block designed for Nascar racing was not strong enough to hold killer nitro loads. In reality none of the factory blocks from any manufacturer were, it's just the Ford Cammer was putting out probably the greatest amount of power and it severely exposed any weaknesses. I have no doubt the Boss 429 Ford could have been a great nitro engine. It just did not get much development before Ford got out of racing. I have a Hot Rod magazine with a Boss 429 powered front engined dragster owned by Connie Kalitta on the front cover.
The Jalopy Journal
