OMC Mod VP Motors

[Dabull1919]

About the even fire crank, Did they sound differant?

DB

[Ron Hill]

ALL the LOOP OMC V-6's had even fire cranks, I thought.

Every CROSS FLOW except Stokers were not even fireing, at least that is what I thought.

Yes, even fire cross flows had a distintively different sound the a regular 235 OMC CROSS FLOW. I never heard Pual Bender's cross flow sound like Stoker's.

[Ron Hill]

Well very few had even fire cranks in them, both of the pictured engines have them there might even be one up in the attic too, I know I have the timer bases

Both of those Second Effort Evinrudes have even fire cranks??? Are they 161 cube or 149???

[Bill Gohr]

Those engines are 161's, and they are even firing, and yes all loopers are even firing, you could tell when the crossflow had a crank in it, when it went by, just close your eyes and it sounds just like a merc

[Dabull1919]

Maybe this is a silly question but here goes. Did APBA completly erase Mod-VP from the OPC rule book? They still carry other old classes but i couldn`t find Mod-VP. If they killed it completly, Why? I know it doesn`t run anymore in the former configuration but does it take some kind of members vote to kill it?

DB

[Smokin' Joe]

Maybe this is a silly question but here goes. Did APBA completly erase Mod-VP from the OPC rule book? They still carry other old classes but i couldn`t find Mod-VP. If they killed it completly, Why? I know it doesn`t run anymore in the former configuration but does it take some kind of members vote to kill it?

DB

You find EP, GP and JP listed in a modern rule book?!

[Dabull1919]

No i didn`t. But i did see all the sst classes from the 45`s up. I never ran EP, GP or JP but i did run Mod-VP and thats why i was asking.

DB

[Smokin' Joe]

No i didn`t. But i did see all the sst classes from the 45`s up. I never ran EP, GP or JP but i did run Mod-VP and thats why i was asking.

DB

V-bottom racing was headed for the grave by 1985. Mod-VP killed it, big prize money there, seldom any for the smaller classes. Then Mod-VP was died, I don't know the reason for that.

SST 45 and 60 are tunnel classes. SST 45 is the more active class by far, Fred Miller fathers it and sees that good prize money is offered. We run two well-paying races in Tx., Port Neches and Orange, SST45, F1Sport (not an APBA class) and Tri Hulls. SST 45 and F1Sport boats come from as far as Miami and Canada to run. Anyway, the best of boat racing had been seen by 1985, and I'm glad to have experienced it.

[Ron Hill]

1985:

Jimmy and Charlie Strang were the best of friends. Charlie was President of OMC. JImmy Jost was Dirictor of Publicity for Evinrude. Strang had this delusion of building a racing engine the would beat Mercury into oblivion.

Jost on the other hand, had a vision that STOCK MOTOR RACING had a place. Jimmy had been Stock VP. He promotoed marathons like the Chicago to Milwaukkee to Chicago for stock motors.

In early 1979, I along with Dick Scherrer wrote rules for MOD VP. Dick and I were never really "Friends" but we were adversaries either. Both of us had been around boat racing long enough to know that OMC and MERCURY were NOT the boat racer's friends. he were in business to sell outboard motors and if they could USE the boat racers they would.

In attempt to stop the trend of dwindling entries at Parker, I had written rules for Divisions. These Divisions had been in effect since 1973, when I started buying trophies for the Enduro.

Dick and I decided we needed a class where the FACTORIES would have to PLAY, but would also help pay our bills. We wrote the rules for MOD VP saying the engines had to be in "warrantable condition". A stock motor covered under warrant tee.

Jimmy Jost liked this new "MOD VP" class and started selling motors to anyone who wanted to race for a 60% discount. By the 1980 Havasu Classic, we had 22 boats, all Evinrudes. We could buy a new 235 HP Evinrude for $2,200, retail was $4,500 and some of us could defer payments for a year.

By about 1984, with the help of Powerboat Magazine, Eliminator Boats, Sleek Craft Boats, Hydro Stream Boats, Nordic Boats, Laser boats, Stoker Boats, Havasu was fast becoming NASCAR on water.

1985 may have been a turning point.... When was Bill Muncey killed. When did Broc Glover drive Mod VP?

[Dabull1919]

Those engines are 161's, and they are even firing, and yes all loopers are even firing, you could tell when the crossflow had a crank in it, when it went by, just close your eyes and it sounds just like a merc

Bill, What was the advantage of this "even firing crank"?

DB