The Pushrod Hotrod- A Dying Breed

90lxwhite · Dec 13, 2014

This time around at the tune shop there were quite a few 99-04's having work done and there were two 2015's (one I think was the owners) and a 2014. Besides myself there was only one other pushrod vehicle, a fox.
I subscribe to Muscle Mustangs and Fast Fords and you might find a small article or two towards the back on a fox but it's primarily the new stuff now.
It's an overhead cam world we're living in. We're being phased out like the VHS.

jka · Dec 13, 2014

I agree about the magazine articles ...i don't even buy those magazines anymore. Don't get me wrong i have always like all mustangs fox/sn95 /and the new mustangs and have owned 4 of them and i have own my 89 GT for 12 years. I think a lot of the guys that are doing the articles are stuck on stupid..because if it was not for the 1979-93 mustang they wouldn't have a magazine and the mustang would not be the muscle car it is today. Just think ford was about to drop the mustang for the ford probe... if that had happened what would the magazines do and what kind of articles would they have. Also i know it takes time for them to do different articles and to try performance parts but you can't forget what made the mustang what it is today...the good old pushrod 5.0 mustang.

jetmech807 · Dec 13, 2014

I think it has a lot to do with "what hasn't been covered 1000 times already". You can only do so many things to one platform before you run out of new ideas. A lot of the reason I haven't read hot rod/car craft since back in the early 90's. One month hr builds a small block chivy and puts it a red 69 camaro. That same month cc builds a big block chivy and puts in a red 70 chevelle. The next month, they switch. Over and over and over and over and over.

RangerJoe · Dec 13, 2014

The OHC motors are the present and future. True, if it was not for our beloved pushrods we would not be where we are today, but it's not as exciting or challenging as the new stuff. I think there will always be an aftermarket for pushrod stuff. If you look at the mod motor stuff, it's all bolt ons and power adders.

Joe

89oem · Dec 13, 2014

The mags have to go where the money and market is....

On the OHC I agree, that's why my fox is getting a coyote, power, torque, reliability all in tame to wild in the press of the throttle....

CarMichael Angelo · Dec 13, 2014

Hmm,...all in the same thread.
On one hand were talking about Chevrolet, but in the big picture we're not. Last time I checked, a brand new for 2015, $22,000 LS 9 had pushrods.
And we're also discounting Chrysler. That brand new 15,ooo 7.2L 440 C.I. crate engine that MOPAR is offering has those dang ole' pushrods too.
Even Toyota has to make a pushrod engine for the 5.7 engine that's in the Tundra just to be able to compete in NASCAR.

The Pushrod is still alive and well. As long as you DONT buy a Mustang.

A5literMan · Dec 13, 2014

Well obviously there hasn't been a pushrod engine produced in a long time. For fords that is. Most of the pushrod Motors were not fuel injected so no need for a dyno tune. Most of them are still carb'd. The fox body platform is always going to have a huge aftermarket support. It isn't going anywhere. As far as the ohv engines go...they respond better to forced induction and that is the most popular mod these days.

89oem · Dec 13, 2014

So back to big block vs small block debate, and I highly doubt a few exceptions in niche areas makes a trend Mike,
OHC turbo/ecoboost seems the current industry trend. Guess the Ford flat plane development is just a flash too...

90lxwhite · Dec 13, 2014

A5literMan said:
Well obviously there hasn't been a pushrod engine produced in a long time. For fords that is. Most of the pushrod Motors were not fuel injected so no need for a dyno tune. Most of them are still carb'd. The fox body platform is always going to have a huge aftermarket support. It isn't going anywhere. As far as the ohv engines go...they respond better to forced induction and that is the most popular mod these days.

Yeah it looked like all of the 99-04's I saw were either getting turbos or a roots type blower put on.
As per the magazines, yeah simple marketing is all it is. New parts for new cars. It's been going on since car magazines came out. The saddest part about the mags these days is that they are like 70% advertisements and 30% article.

90lxwhite · Dec 13, 2014

madmike1157 said:
Hmm,...all in the same thread.
On one hand were talking about Chevrolet, but in the big picture we're not. Last time I checked, a brand new for 2015, $22,000 LS 9 had pushrods.
And we're also discounting Chrysler. That brand new 15,ooo 7.2L 440 C.I. crate engine that MOPAR is offering has those dang ole' pushrods too.
Even Toyota has to make a pushrod engine for the 5.7 engine that's in the Tundra just to be able to compete in NASCAR.

The Pushrod is still alive and well. As long as you DONT buy a Mustang.

Thanks for the lesson.

Shakerhood · Dec 13, 2014

I think there will always be a market for pushrod engines, you can still buy hotrod part for Flatheads.

elarm1 · Dec 13, 2014

I love my push rod motors. My 306 and my Hemi 355 Durango sound sooooo good. Buckets and shims just don't sound like pushrodders!

CarMichael Angelo · Dec 13, 2014

89oem said:
So back to big block vs small block debate, and I highly doubt a few exceptions in niche areas makes a trend Mike,
OHC turbo/ecoboost seems the current industry trend. Guess the Ford flat plane development is just a flash too...

I said nothing about the continual use of pushrod engines by the other two of the big three being a trend. I just pointed out that ( in their case) that the pushrod engine used in their equivalent to the mustang flagships, is not dead at all. AND w/ regard to the same pony car, ONLY in fords case is the ohc engine " the future"

Adieu · Dec 14, 2014

madmike1157 said:
Hmm,...all in the same thread.
On one hand were talking about Chevrolet, but in the big picture we're not. Last time I checked, a brand new for 2015, $22,000 LS 9 had pushrods.
And we're also discounting Chrysler. That brand new 15,ooo 7.2L 440 C.I. crate engine that MOPAR is offering has those dang ole' pushrods too.
Even Toyota has to make a pushrod engine for the 5.7 engine that's in the Tundra just to be able to compete in NASCAR.

The Pushrod is still alive and well. As long as you DONT buy a Mustang.

Chrysler still has pushrods in the Hemi engines in the trucks, SUVs, Charger, Challenger, and 300.

The Tundra 5.7 does NOT have pushrods. The Toyota Nascrap engine has no production basis, and in fact is a clean-sheet design from the oil pan up. It has more in common with the 351 Windsor and Chevy small-block Nascar engines Toyota studied before designing their own. Ford was the last manufacturer running an engine that was remotely production based. The 351 was running until the Ford FR9 was ready. Chevy had already ditched the small-block for the SB2, and later the R07. Dodge had been running a new design from their return, the last time a production-based Chrysler engine ran in Nascar was in the early 80s, and Toyota never ran a production-based engine. Ford was into the 2000s.

If you guys want pushrod Ford magazine articles, read Car Craft. They have two fox projects going right now, and they're obsessed with yanking junkyard 5.0s out of Explorers and stuff, and doing different low-buck builds with them.

CarMichael Angelo · Dec 14, 2014

74stang2togo said:
Chrysler still has pushrods in the Hemi engines in the trucks, SUVs, Charger, Challenger, and 300.

The Tundra 5.7 does NOT have pushrods. The Toyota Nascrap engine has no production basis, and in fact is a clean-sheet design from the oil pan up. It has more in common with the 351 Windsor and Chevy small-block Nascar engines Toyota studied before designing their own. Ford was the last manufacturer running an engine that was remotely production based. The 351 was running until the Ford FR9 was ready. Chevy had already ditched the small-block for the SB2, and later the R07. Dodge had been running a new design from their return, the last time a production-based Chrysler engine ran in Nascar was in the early 80s, and Toyota never ran a production-based engine. Ford was into the 2000s.

If you guys want pushrod Ford magazine articles, read Car Craft. They have two fox projects going right now, and they're obsessed with yanking junkyard 5.0s out of Explorers and stuff, and doing different low-buck builds with them.

Well then, I stand corrected. I just assumed (based on old NASCAR requirements that the engine had to based on something that resembles current production car use) that they did.

Mark this as another blip in an almost impossible to measure instance that I am wrong.......ever.

Noobz347 · Dec 14, 2014

madmike1157 said:
Well then, I stand corrected. I just assumed (based on old NASCAR requirements that the engine had to based on something that resembles current production car use) that they did.

Mark this as another blip in an almost impossible to measure instance that I am wrong.......ever.

Ahh but think of future projects with another one-off style motor made from unobtanium.

The mind reels.

CarMichael Angelo · Dec 14, 2014

Nawww....If there is ever a replacement for this already irreplaceable on-off,...I'll be mindful of the fact that it it is/was a pushrod engine and source the Aussie Barra DOHC I-6.
'cause pushrod hotrods are a dying breed.

89oem · Dec 14, 2014

Anyway.....

My bet goes to copper wire and magnets, in the long run.

90lxwhite · Dec 14, 2014

89oem said:
Anyway.....

My bet goes to copper wire and magnets, in the long run.

I bought a copper knee brace the other day...

90lxwhite · Dec 14, 2014

madmike1157 said:
Well then, I stand corrected. I just assumed (based on old NASCAR requirements that the engine had to based on something that resembles current production car use) that they did.

Mark this as another blip in an almost impossible to measure instance that I am wrong.......ever.

Hell Mike did you think think the NASCAR Camry was fwd too!? I can't get into "stock car racing." I mean c'mon the cars they're designed after for sometime now are fwd and have two more doors. What's stock about that

The Pushrod Hotrod- A Dying Breed

90lxwhite

I'm kind of a She-Man

jka

jetmech807

RangerJoe

I leave the horn on while driving

89oem

Mustang Master

CarMichael Angelo

my rearend will smell so minty fresh,

A5literMan

At least it is lumpy...

89oem

Mustang Master

90lxwhite

I'm kind of a She-Man

90lxwhite

I'm kind of a She-Man

Shakerhood

elarm1

CarMichael Angelo

my rearend will smell so minty fresh,

Adieu

Easy there, this ain't a dating site.

CarMichael Angelo

my rearend will smell so minty fresh,

Noobz347

Stangnet Facilities Maint Tech... Er... Janitor

CarMichael Angelo

my rearend will smell so minty fresh,

89oem

Mustang Master

90lxwhite

I'm kind of a She-Man

90lxwhite

I'm kind of a She-Man

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