OUTLAW EAGLE MANUFACTURING

[Alumaman]

Lets hear some stories on the origin and history of the FX class. How did it get the "FX" prefix? When was the first race? Who were the pioneers of the class? How has it morphed between Can. U.S. & Mx. Why not in NZ.
What changes might be yet to come?

[Cavefish]

The first time I ever heard mention of FX was at the 2000 Worlds at Grants Pass. The class came from the US C-sprint class.The fastest C-class boat at that time was an exercise in extreme engineering and would run 76 mph downstream. That boat was purpose built from the lug nuts on the trailer up and, I heard, cost $40k to put together. Most of the rest ran very low 70s, comparable to the SJ class.
Del Ramsdell told me about this idea of a small block limited class with no hull restrictions unlike the C-sprint class we had at the time. We were sitting in the Riverside restaurant sometime during the weekend. We talked about engines and we both thought the ZZ4 would be a good one because it had decent performance, they were relatively cheap, should be durable and were available to everyone. They also had a direct upgrade path from the motors most people already had by a cam and carb change. The idea behind the open hulls was to get a bit more performance out of the class and , we hoped, make use of some of the older race tunnels around. (so far this has not worked too well)
The FX stood for "Factory Experimental" in reference to the engine and also the hull but mostly because we thought it sounded cool.
Most of the above Del already had figured out and was mostly asking me what I thought. I thought it was a great idea and can remember being very excited about it at the time! Del at the time was our President of the AWJA.
After the 2000 Worlds I was very busy building our Skytrail lift here at work and was not too involved with racing in 2001, we only made one race and that was Klamath. I cannot remember if we were running FX rules by then, but it seems to me we were.
Somewhere in there the realization and refinement of the SBFX rules were done to perfection by Dave Provost and were enhanced to include a Ford and a Dodge spec. I don't know how many of you know Dave, but he is the AWJAs brain trust. He was also President and/or Vice President with Dean Saxon from 2001 to 2004 or 5. They are also responsible for the original idea that we ought to set a goal of five plus good races with decent and predictable purses at each. If that wasn't enough, they also came up with the BBFX rule set. We all have great hopes for this class.
That's what I can attest to.
The present rules for Chevys in a nutshell are dual plane intake, ZZ4 cam, any production head, max of 10.5 compression, flat or dished pistons, stock stamped rockers and max 750 cfm off the shelf carb. Any hull at least 14 feet in length, any pump with any mods.
The Ford rules are in question as the specified motor is not available as a crate engine anymore, although you could easily build one from new parts. This is being re-worked as we speak! Gary Labrum (South Idaho Gary) is the newest addition to the AWJAs brain trust and works with Dave on the rules.
Their goals are, and have been, to keep them simple, safe, attainable, enforceable and fair and I think they have done an admirable job of that.
Oh my, got me going on my favorite subject!

[Cavefish]

My guess about NZ is that it might be a basic philosophy thing: they are very much into doing it yourself from scratch with what they have at hand, I would guess that the FX class to them seems a bit too, uh looking for a metaphor here, cookie cutter? Maybe a cost thing too. I'd guess you could build a decent 500+ hp motor there for what a crate motor would cost. They also have several well supported starter classes already.
Those are un-educated guesses, worth all of one cent. I'd sure like to hear from a Kiwi on this.

A lot of the future in the class is already here, and that is purpose built hulls for the class. It is somewhat amazing to me how fast one of these boats can go, I never would have guessed that back at the beginning. I have some unbelievable speeds recorded on my GPS. There is more speed coming too. In the sport as a whole there is an awful lot we DON'T know yet.

BBFX is coming along. So far it appears that a 502 needs some fine work before it can be expected to live like a ZZ4 does, but it appears to ultimately be a matter of small stuff. A good body of knowledge is being built up. At some point, this class is going to make a lot of sense to those who want to race bumping 100 mph. If I was starting now, that's where I would be. At present I have a lot of SBC parts and pump parts to match. Also, I have settled into my role as punching bag for the up and coming FX racers. Ha! One of these days....

[WILSON]

History in Mexico is as follows:

Some of us at the Mexican Powerboat Federation have pushed for lower cost standardized classes. A first attempt was back in 1997 with an "SJ" (for "standard jet") class which had a specific engine package similar to the ZZ4, but which really didn't catch on as it was forcing some people to change their "old" engines for the legal ones. It was then that we switched to the "Canadian C Class" approach of a claimer for the engine. The class was run as "SJ" for two or three years, but as not one engine was ever claimed, people started to add HP into the package and ended with a very uneven class. We came back to the claimer concept three years ago and called it "FX" with the idea to switch to a specific engine in two or three years. More strict ruling and clearer claiming procedures have helped us to keep the class within reasonable costs.

[TOP DAWG]

What kind of mods are involved in making the ZZ 502 live for racing application?

[SouthIdahoGary]

Oil control is a major one. These motors are required to be wet sump. The oil seems to entrap air easily if windage is not properly controlled. The subsequent oil foam causes the hydraulic lifters to collapse at about 5000rpm. The "stock" hydraulic lifters are built by Crane to Chevy specs and seem to be a little lacking also. Not as good as Crane's own spec lifters. Roller Rockers are allowed-definitely a must do. "Stock" Valve springs are not the best for what we do. I would also replace the pushrods. Lots more beef is called for IMHO. The oil pump needs to be braced at least. It is a heavy piece and with pounding some have actually broken off. I would also open up the oil clearances. I have also heard of lifter to bore being a little tight in the clearances. Some of the issues seemed to be a matter of just needing to disassemble and check what the clearances are on everything. In the US we have allowed a ½ point more CR. Seems as if some of these motors, when torn down in other uses, have spec'd out more than the 9.6 to 1 CR that Chevy says they are. All I can think of at the moment. I'll ruminate some more and see if I can think of / remember anything else.

[WILSON]

Are the modified springs tighter??? If so, it seems logical, as you say, to change lifters and pushrods. Does any of the changes imply disassembling the main block / heads and/or rotating assembly???

[SouthIdahoGary]

Valve spring replacement is best. BB valves are HEAVY and just work better with a stepped up spring. The aftermarket beehive design springs seem to be well suited to longer life and cutting down on "bad" harmonics. Big Blocks are notoriously tough on valves springs. With the design of the BB valve train, stiffer pushrods are good insurance. The "stock" lifters are thought to be not as "tight" and exact as the aftermarket ones. Disassembly and check everything is the safe play. The Big Blocks are not as forgiving as the small blocks. Need to make sure what you've got.

[Cavefish]

That's the things I also heard and talked about with people who have run them. It seemed to come down to oil control and valve train.

I asked Scott Adams what it was like going from a high revving B motor to a 502, his comment was that it sounded like going from an italian sports car to a tow truck: the 502 just grunts and pulls, the B motor screamed.

[MISSBHAVEN]

Gary - A couple of questions on the BBFX rules - The APBA Rules on Jesse's Web Page says Roller rockers are allowed but it also says they must be stamped?? Can you please clarify.

Also, with regards to valve springs, the rules just say springs and give a part #, if other springs are allowed like Beehive's, what are the guidelines going to be?

Thanks, and Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to all!

[SouthIdahoGary]

[SouthIdahoGary]

[RPM]

Wilson, curious what your FX rules are? I think the Canadian rules commitee made a good decision to make a ZZ4 only class as I think it is the the most available, least expensive crate engine with good power and proven reliability. I do hope that in the future that it is called ZZ4 class and that it is stock no touch from intake to oilpan and that FX class allows built-up engines from any make that are easy to tech and under 450 hp. I was thinking use the Canada C rules with restrictions limiting a max of 175cc intake port, unported dual-plane intake and a max 10.5:1 compression with a flat-top piston. I'd prefer 9.5-10:1 to make radical camshafts less effective and keep fuel costs down but most common combinations off the shelf are closer to 10.5:1. This would allow porting of your stock heads or the use of less expensive street performance heads like the Edelbrock Performer RPM but not the more powerful AFR's or race heads.
I have talked to other FX racers with similar interests, what do the rest of you think?

[WILSON]

Current Mexican FX rules are very similar to the Canadian "C" class rules:

Engine: Any V-8, 365 C.I.
Carburetor: Any commercial type.
Intake manifold: Any, but only one carburetor allowed.
Oil pan: Any "wet sump" style; "Dry Sump" not allowed.
Fuel: Boat must use regular pump fuel available at the gas station. The best current fuel available in gas stations in Mexico is Unleaded 92 Octane.

There is a $5000.00 (U.S.) Claimer for this class.

As you can see, this is very different to the "Strictly Stock ZZ4" as adopted by the organizers of the Canada worlds, but in my opinion, strictly stock ZZ4 is what will work best.