New rules are just out. Some changes from last year which actually favor us..



Dual plane intakes only on carbed engines



Carb size limited to 1 750-800 cfm



Hydraulic lifter only with a noted exception for the Y Block



RPM range is set at 2500 - 6500



The "Kaase Rule". The winner from 09 has to enter a different brand. Seems they are getting tired of Mr K's CHI headed 400s cleaning up every year.



The rules blantantly handicap carbed engines while giving injected motors a break.. Looks like they want some of the late model stuff to be more competitive.



Ted, do you think we can move up in the standings?

Ted if you cant run the y this year are you going to build a mel to run

86 mustang 351c

lt250/500r hybrid 4'' over swinger scr porting v2 reeds Q-pipe

West virgina

The rules are clear in that only hydraulic lifters are allowed.  For this year, mushroom tappets still remain disallowed in all cases except for the Y.  If a Y can be made to work with a hydraulic lifter while retaining the mushroom tappet design , then it will be legal for this years competition.  The 2010 rules are simply a rewrite of last years rules and the people writing the rules just do not realize that the Y did not come from the factory (for the mainstream engines anyhow) with hydraulic lifters so the rules exception for the Y concerning mushroom tappets is still there.  I don’t have a problem with this as rules are rules.  Was just glad that a Y was able to compete last year and show that they will hold together at 7400-7500 rpms while making respectable power numbers on pump gas and using cast iron oem heads.  While there were two Ford 427 SOHC engines at the competition last year, you’ll likely not see them this year for the same hydraulic lifter rule restriction.  That’s another engine that came from the factory with solid lifters only without the immediate capability for hydraulic lifters to be installed.

 

Here are a couple of pictures of a mushroom tappet hydraulic lifter.

 

Regarding a MEL (Mercury-Edsel-Lincoln) engine entry, I have considered one in the past for the EMC competiton and last year would have been the year to have entered it although the 3000-7000 rpm test range was not as favorable for this family of engines as the 2500-6500 rpm range that’s back in effect for this year.  Unfortunately there’s not a decent single four intake available for the MEL engine which keeps the MEL engine from being a serious player in this kind of competition in a single four barrel carb only format but the oem iron heads are more than up to the task.  Last years rules did allow multiple carburetion and the 1958 3X2 Super Marauder intake is very likely the best ever carbureted intake manifold made for this family of engines when used with the newer generation Holley 2V carbs.  But multiple carburetion is not in the rules this year.  This years rules also limit the carburetor throat size which will make the smaller engines much more competitive than they’ve been in the past.  Said differently, large cubed carbed engines will not be as competitive this year and will be at a disadvantage due to the carburetor throat size limitation.  Besides there not being a good single four barrel intake manifold available for the MEL engines, these engines are just too large in cubic inches to be competitive in this years competition with the carburetor restriction that’s in place.

Lorena, Texas (South of Waco)