How many of your remember the McGee top fuel engine from down under? Four overhead cams, four valves per cylinder, incredible torque. However, cracked heads were a problem they couldn't overcome. It's now history, but a damn good try by some cool guys.
On a similar note but certainly don't mean to change the subject. check this link for a new John Force "Ford based " nitro engine. Roger Gorringe: Your plans for 2006, I guess it's to recapture the title? John Force: We're in the development to build an all-Ford motor, NHRA-spec motor. We've been given the equipment by a company called Fadal, Fadal Machinery Giddings and Lewis. It's a worldwide corporation that will take us into the market. We've got a big machine shop in LA. We build our own blowers, our own heads, clutches, but now we're gonna build the block. Because we want an all-Ford motor and yet we have to fit underneath the NHRA...this won't be a Chrysler design, everything evolved from the Chrysler. This will be a Ford-spec motor by our brain trust, it's an exciting new time to grow because the financing's there, because who can afford to go out and buy ten million dollars' worth of equipment to build machinery? I went after a sponsorship six years ago, I said I'll supply the money for the suppliers to buy the manpower, and they'll work with us with technology, and Fadal Giddings and Lewis will supplied the equipment, that's two huge companies worldwide. And Ford's really into it. And wait 'til you see our new Mustang! It's an '05 and it's gonna hit in a few weeks and it's completely different. It's longer, we built a shorter Mustang believe it or not, our tail end is real short with a wing that overhangs a foot and a half, by the code. Well now we've gone back to the longer body and shorter wing. We went to the wider car in front for downforce, that's when we got into all the steering problems years ago, couldn't make the car steer it was too wide, too much downforce. And it bent all the steering apparatus. We couldn't figure out what was wrong, the chassis builders didn't know what was wrong. The downforce was so great that it would bend the main steering rod to the front - when you steered it, you couldn't turn the tyres because the downforce was so great. We had to go to bigger steering rods made out of titanium, special stuff. Next question! This was taken from an interview of Force on the Drag Racing Online website
I remember the McGee motor and I was pulling for those guys. Probably would have been great had one of the big manufacturers gotten behind it. Bet'cha the new solid billet heads would enable the McGee design to reach it's potential. It's boring to see only one type of engine powering top fuel and funny car. Did you know that the NHRA outlawed every other engine design except for the current hemi with the Chrysler 4.80" bore center in 2005. I think it was a reaction to the news of this Force effort. Something has changed though 'cause the Ford "fueler" engine project is back on. Yay!
Nah those guys are Aussies, real hotrodders, started with a clean slate and did it their way. Chris McGee is atill right amongst it building Jnr Dragster motors and cams http://www.mcgeecams.com/ His daughter races the "factory team" car.........third generation gearhead.
I remember that engine when they first did it in the early 70's and ran it in a fuel car they basically built themselves. The old man Headley used to manufacture injection - and cams as well I think. The family business was heavy into speedway in the old days which is where their equipment and engine building/tuning was mostly used. Could be wrong on this but sons Phil and ? were behind the drag race engine. Falling back on their speedway heritage with dad, the architecture was based on the Offy/Goosen 4 cylinder Indy engine, interpreted into a V8 configuration and used a 426 Chrysler spec crank (NHRA and ANDRA rules stipulate engines must be production based and apparently the crank satisfied this). There were plans to do a 4 version but I don't think this ever happened. Cosworth had pretty well killed the Offy and the market by then. Anyway, they tried to get the thing running here through the early 70's without a lot off success, then took the whole shebang to base themselves in the US. Dale Armstrong did testing in the 80's but ultimately didn't go ahead with it and the McGees got Gary Beck on board for their US based fuel car. $ and development stymied it's true potential in the end. A few were campaigned successfuly in the Alchohol ranks here in the 80's though to the mid 90's. I've got some photos of them stripped in the pits from that time. They sure looked trick and sounded good! This is from memory, so I am ready to stand corrected on anything.
Don't forget Stan Sainty's effort. Their 4 valve engine worked good on alcohol but the nitro torched heads. Their 3 valve design has proven to work with nitro and the car has run a 4 second pass.Not bad for a homebuilt billet aluminum engine. Stan was a world drag boat champion but has been running top fuel for a while after switching from Top Alcohol with his Son Terry in the drivers seat.
It ran pretty good in the end. First ran in the 4's back in '92 at Topeka. It was easy on parts once we made a fuel system to complement the airflow. NHRA outlawed more than 2valves/ cylinder or more than one cam in 1997. Kaitlyn has raced since she was 8 and captured her 3rd Pacific Division title in 2011. We will do something on Nitro when she gets out of college. Chris. www.kaitlynmcgeeracing.com
Just found an article in an old Australian HotRodding Nov 1974 with a great article on the McGee . Hope the pics turn out.
Typical NHRA. Ban something different or something that the "known's" don't want to use. Does NHRA really think that todays hemi engines have even one tiny part that is production based? Really? Do they think we are stupid? Or do they even care? Oh well, Wally is dead so anything goes I guess.
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