Research question on FF oil pans

[CARSHouston]

I tried searching for this but couldn't find anything.

What was the first Formula Ford to use the oil pan as a structural member, tying the frame at the front to the bellhousing adapter.

Swift or something before it?

Thanks
George

[CARSHouston]

With the knowledge base of this forum and almost a 170 views, I would have thought someone would have posted something.

[BorkRacing]

tying the frame at the front to the bellhousing adapter.

This doesn't make sense since the bell housing adapter is in the back.

Many cars prior to the Swift tied the motor into the frame. The Zink Z10 comes into mind where it connected the head to the back of the roll hoop structure and the bell housing to the frame in the rear but it used a standard steel pan.

[CARSHouston]

The Swift used a cast aluminum oil pan that had mounting bosses on the front and rear of the pan to attach the front of the pan to the frame and the rear of the pan to the bell housing adapter.
Was this the first use of the oil pan as a structural member or had someone tried it before?

[Marty Nygard]

A bit off the subject but a number of years ago I had a young friend who was a member of a Formula SAE (FSAE) team. They found a place with piles of surplus aluminum stock and had free time on a CNC mill available. They hogged out a dry sump in the middle for a 600cc bike motor and extended it forward and aft to pick up the chassis and the lower rear suspension. He claimed they were able to sell the chips for more than the cost of the billet.
M

[problemchild]

I think you have to remember that much of the Swift would have been considered illegal before it was built. The power team of politically-connected people involved in the project were able to make it all happen, and the class was changed forever. The better news is that the rules have been tightened up since, and anyone trying to revolutionize the FC/FF class (like Radon) has been shut down without success. Kudos to those like Firman, Citation, and Piper who have worked at building refined cars, rather than torturing the rule interpretations with revolutionary new cars. The rule stability is why most cars built in the last 30+ years can still be competitive.

In summary, I don't think pre-Swift builders were prepared to invest in custom cast oil pans and cast bell-housing bell-housing adapters that would have been considered illegal. If so, it would have been top secret and well disguised.

[alangbaker]

I think you have to remember that much of the Swift would have been considered illegal before it was built. The power team of politically-connected people involved in the project were able to make it all happen, and the class was changed forever. The better news is that the rules have been tightened up since, and anyone trying to revolutionize the FC/FF class (like Radon) has been shut down without success. Kudos to those like Firman, Citation, and Piper who have worked at building refined cars, rather than torturing the rule interpretations with revolutionary new cars. The rule stability is why most cars built in the last 30+ years can still be competitive.

In summary, I don't think pre-Swift builders were prepared to invest in custom cast oil pans and cast bell-housing bell-housing adapters that would have been considered illegal. If so, it would have been top secret and well disguised.

Sorry if I'm taking this off topic, but the Swift would have been illegal???

In what specific ways?

[S Lathrop]

Sorry if I'm taking this off topic, but the Swift would have been illegal???

In what specific ways?

The pan was a major structural member and it wasn't made from tubes. But once the pan went into production, most designers were too happy to use it.

[John LaRue]

Sorry if I'm taking this off topic, but the Swift would have been illegal???

In what specific ways?

The footbox was under sized and I believe that there was an issue with the tail. Lathrop or Pare' will have the institutional knowledge to provide a more learned response.