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Don't know how many markets this ad was in but full page in today's WSJ. Key message IMO, Ford does things the right way..."We build with principle or we don't build at all".

 

Also the family ownership also highlighted.." We are proud to be an automotive company-that's the center of everything we do and that's why we put our family name on all that we build."

 

And..."We are still a family business. We are still inventor-led. And we still do our work for the masses-not just in Detroit or Texas or California, but worldwide.

 

Kind of goes along with the TV spot with a focused shot on a blue oval that I guess is on the grill of an Expedition and the "family owned" message comes through in a pronounced way.

 

Hmnn.."build with principle"..."family owned"...wonder if that is directed at those who make too much of the VW hype.

 

Oh yeah-and another line...."we're keeping our eyes on the road and our hands on the wheel"..and hopefully that also means ..."and our feet on the clutch, or brake or accelerator".

 

This old guy likes it.

 

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The Ford family could not care less if someone puts an LS in a Fox Mustang, nor does anyone else care.

 

Well said sullynd sir. Most customers of Ford vehicles don't care one whit who makes the engine. I once had a Fox 1984 Lincoln Continental with BMW turbodiesel engine and ZF transmission. Came that way from the factory. Pretty nice powertrain for the era.

Edited by rperez817
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Well said sullynd sir. Most customers of Ford vehicles don't care one whit who makes the engine. I once had a Fox 1984 Lincoln Continental with BMW turbodiesel engine and ZF transmission. Came that way from the factory. Pretty nice powertrain for the era.

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Apples and oranges....Ford "spec'ed" the motor and transmission and installed the powertrain at the factory....huge difference than some shade tree mechanic dropping a Chevy small block into a Ford <insert your favorite model here> ....For the record, the turbo diesel / ZF transmission option in the Lincoln was waaaay cool.

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Do you talk to yourself often?

The Ford family could not care less if someone puts an LS in a Fox Mustang, nor does anyone else care.

No I don’t talk to myself often smarty pants I couldn’t edit my post for some reason.

 

I tell you what I personally devised a timing cover/oil pump system that took inches off the length of a small block Ford and effectively made it a true rear sump engine. This is the perfect configuration for early Ford swaps.

 

I actually brought it to Ford Motorsports at the time and the engineers assigned to that kind of thing were very interested in it.

 

Problem was as is always “bean counters”.

 

So there’s me, 72 Mach 1 and a whole bunch of guys at Ford Motorsports that care too. Just no will from the top to change the course of things.

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I bet a lot of hot rodders that use Ford bodies aren't necessarily Ford enthusiasts and would continue to use Chevy drivetrains anyway because they know how to work on them or because they're cheap and widely available. I bet a lot of them start with the drivetrain and then pick a body.

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I too can't stand different-make powertrains in a hot rod or classic. I can understand why people do it though.

 

The SBF aftermarket hit its stride in the mid-late 90s and then all those 347 foxes started kicking SBC butt at the drags. Meanwhile Ford switched to the mod motor which was very docile in stock form and not easily modified due to the unprecedented (at least in a mass-market V8) ohc arrangement. It took the aftermarket a good decade to figure out how to make power with the mod motors and even then they're still significantly more expensive to play with than a sbf, sbc, or LSx. At the same time, GM came out with the LSx which reversed the advantage the sbf had over the sbc and was immediately embraced by the aftermarket due to the similarity to the standard pushrod designs they had been working with for decades. It wasn't until the coyote that Ford finally got the mod motor right from a performance standpoint. Then of course the mod/coyote has always been held back by the bore spacing / displacement limitations. Ford themselves had perfect answers to this issue with the V10 configuration and 6.2 boss design, but they never embraced either one from a Ford Performance standpoint.

 

So the LSx dominance in performance applications is at least partly due to Ford's decisions. Of course Ford isn't in business to build parts for racers, but that's always been an adjunct to the mainstream auto business whether intentional or not. Historically, GM has embraced it in a way Ford hasn't.

Edited by Sevensecondsuv
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I bet a lot of hot rodders that use Ford bodies aren't necessarily Ford enthusiasts and would continue to use Chevy drivetrains anyway because they know how to work on them or because they're cheap and widely available. I bet a lot of them start with the drivetrain and then pick a body.

You've obviously never built a streetrod or hotrod.

When i bought my '34 it had a SBC in it. It now has a 5.0 out of a Mustang GT. They way Henry intended it to be hot rodded.

Edited by coupe3w
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You've obviously never built a streetrod or hotrod.

When i bought my '34 it had a SBC in it. It now has a 5.0 out of a Mustang GT. They way Henry intended it to be hot rodded.

 

No, but I have seen a lot of them built on TV. Just because somebody likes a 32 or 34 Ford body doesn't mean they're Ford fanatics like you.

 

There are Ford fanatics who are also hotrodders and then there are just hotrodders. Based on how many Fords we see with SBCs I'd say the latter group is much more prevalent.

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Actually SBC builds are probably in 4th place in terms of popularity now. If i had to guess, it's LSx by a large margin, second is coyote, third is sbf/windsor, and then the traditional carbed SBC. After that is big blocks, mopars, and 2/3/4 valve mods. It's funny how you can't hardly give vortec 350 heads away anymore. They were all the rage 15-20 years ago.

Edited by Sevensecondsuv
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The reason the SBC became popular before the LSx is because the SBF of the time was to long to fit without cutting the firewall to move the engine back or relocating the radiator forward which didn't look so cool. Until a company called Snow White made a shortened water pump did the SBF fit without alterations. But by then it was to late, the SBC was a popular swap, and continues today with the LSx. In my opinion Ford coming out with the MOD motor didn't help the situation.

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I thought the LS engines WERE small block Chevys (<= 400 ci)?

Well they are in a sense. But once the EI IE EI IE valve arrangement of the SBC went away in favor of the Ford like pattern IE IE IE IE. The SBC name faded away to the LSx

Edited by coupe3w
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Yeah, LSx and SBC share bore spacing and a few other dimensions but not much else. Port configuration and and head bolt count/arrangement are probably the biggest differences. Ironically, and not that it was intentional, but the LSx has a lot in common with a SBF/windsor. Overall the SBC and LSx are different enough to warrant different names.

 

Also LS's can get quite big. I've seen 454s and I think even close to 500 cubes. GM changed the block to accommodate big bores and stroker rotating assemblies much better than the old SBC ever could. For example, 383 and 400 were the "big" versions you could build out of an old 350 block. GM has factory made a 7.0L (~427") LS and obviously the 6.2L (~378") engine is common in the Camero and high-trim Silverado and SUVs.

Edited by Sevensecondsuv
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I have a list of 19 designs that Ford pioneered or used heavily in their V8 engines that the LS uses. It's more like the SBF than the ABC.

 

I'm not against cross breeding chassis & running gear. I don't like GM crap in Ford, but I've done a number of Ford powered swaps. I did an SS390 70 Chevelle mock up that made some Chevy guys fighting mad. I did a 302 4 speed swap in a Datsun 260 Z. I also did a 351C swap into a Dodge van.

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The reason the SBC became popular before the LSx is because the SBF of the time was to long to fit without cutting the firewall to move the engine back or relocating the radiator forward which didn't look so cool. Until a company called Snow White made a shortened water pump did the SBF fit without alterations. But by then it was to late, the SBC was a popular swap, and continues today with the LSx. In my opinion Ford coming out with the MOD motor didn't help the situation.

In addition, early Ford chassis were front steer (meaning steering gear was ahead on engine centerline), so a sbc with the rear sump oil pan worked more easily.

 

True story: I delivered to a customer that was wearing a Ford SVT hat. In the corner of the warehouse , I saw a T-Bucket. I mentioned the hat to the guy & he asked if I wanted to look over his car (pointed to the T-Bucket. I politely declined & made mention of the orange motor. He laughed, & told me to take a closer look. I noticed the distributor in the front & the non siamesed ports on the headers. He said he lost points at street rod meets for the engine "not being the proper color"; so he painted his SBF Chevy Orange.

 

After I finished unloading, he asked if I wanted to grab lunch. We took the T-Bucket...any idea what a 347 small block in a 2500 lb car runs like? Holy crap....

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