Richard, Vaughn's advice sounds pretty much right on to me but I race
SCCA, not vintage- something you might want to consider. SCCA has a
regional class for older Formula Fords (typically pre-1978) which is
called Club Ford, or Spec Ford. It is very popular and very competitive.
I race a 78 Gurney Eagle in the San Francisco area and it is not at
all unusual for us Spec Ford guys to beat Formula Fords. We almost
always have 30+ car fields. I'll just throw in a few of my comments
after Vaughn's:
> Your Toyota Van can tow a Formula Ford on a light open trailer, but you'll
> soon want a enclosed trailer. You will want to to carry tools and parts,
> and have a place to go when it rains that you can stand up in. Once you get
> an enclosed trailer, the van won't be enough to tow it. Once you start
> towing an enclosed trailer, you will long for a bigger and bigger truck.
> You might as well bite the bullet and buy an 18 wheeler from a NASCAR Team
> up front.
I pull my car on an open trailer with an old Volvo station wagon. Gear
fits in the car just fine, tows beautifully, and at faraway tracks I sleep
in the back of the Volvo. Spartan but not bad really.
> Typically, except for formula Vee, Formula Ford is still the cheapest
> vintage class, considering initial cost and maintenance. A good car, ready
> to race can be bought for under $10,000. A good Vee can be bought for
> $6,000, maybe less. Sprites and Midgets are in the same ballpark. Tires
> are spec and can last more than ten race weekends. Since the FF engines
> are basically stock, they last a long time between rebuilds, compared to a
> full race motor in a production car.
You should get two full seasons (10-12 races each) between rebuilds, maybe
a head freshening in between. A rebuild will run you $1-3K depending who
does it. The spec tires we run in Club Ford/Spec Ford cost $400 a set and
last forever, but stop sticking after 2-3 weekends.
> Crash protection is hard to judge. They are certainly easier to repair
> after a crash than a production car. They are a whole lot easier to work
> on. When you take off the body, everything is exposed and easy to get to.
I don't know vintage rules but assuming you have a proper roll bar and
braces a Formula Ford is pretty darn bulletproof. As with all open wheel
cars, a bad crash will take off one or more corners which has cost me
anywhere between $200 and $800 each depending on how much breaks.
> There is no contact permitted in any vintage class, so the drivers of
> production cars and formula cars are equally careful not to hit each others
> cars.
"Racing room" is something open wheel drivers take very seriously. Still,
stuff happens...
> There are an equal number of races for formula cars as production cars.
> You should be able to do 20 events per year, east of the Mississippi, and at
> least 10 per year in the southeast. Look at the current VMC schedule on the
> vintage-race web page. Next years schedule will have even more races.
Don't think twice- it's the most fun you'll ever have. Do consider SCCA
Club Ford/Spec Ford. Good luck!
-Bill Kincaid
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