AFVTech working on CNG-powered, 600-hp 1933 Ford Roadster
by Sebastian Blanco on Sep 28th 2009 at 7:58AM 
Take something old – in this case, a 1933 Ford Roadster body – and make it into something new – a CNG-powered, 600-horsepower beast, perhaps. That's what's happening over at AFVTech, which is prepping the fenderless hot rod for the upcoming Alternative Fuels and Vehicles Institute expo that's coming in May.
AFVTech is using what President Kevin Fern calls the "Natural Drive dedicated EPA-certified CNG retrofit systems" for 600 clean-burning horsepower. The conversion uses a modified General Motors LS7 seven-liter V8 engine (as used in the Chevrolet Corvette Z06), a six-speed transmission, drive-by-wire controls and ABS disc brakes.
The company is also working with the Arizona Fountain Hills High School's research club on turning a 2002 Ford Crown Victoria into a hydrogen-powered vehicle.
[Source: Green Car Advisor, Green Car Congress]
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)
sk 8:13AM (9/28/2009)
That's suicide on four wheels
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aooga 8:14AM (9/28/2009)
Gives a whole new meaning to having Gas
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Mike Se7en 8:14AM (9/28/2009)
A Chevy engine in a Ford. Isn't that still a felony in Detroit?
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scarface 9:27AM (9/28/2009)
I dont even know why they make fords anymore they always end up with chevy engines in them
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Cody 10:11AM (9/28/2009)
Is that why they're always breaking down? :)
Thipps 10:20AM (9/28/2009)
hahah someone calling a chevrolet V8 unreliable cant be taken serious. They cost less to make, more torque, far more fuel efficient. O and dont forget more reliable
you can listen to the propaganda about a push rod V8 if you want but just take a look into the racing world. corvette>Ferrari, porsche, ford, aston martin
Bobmarley 10:43AM (9/28/2009)
its just that corvette engines get used in every other super car and project car...which is easy to understand why
Stuka 9:28AM (9/28/2009)
While its a nice car, the fact that it has a GM engine makes it crap. I am so sick of people dumping money into restoring a ford only to put a GM engine into it.
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woootles 10:02AM (9/28/2009)
LS7 isn't crap. It's derived from an engine that won 3 24hr LeMans and finished its 240hour runs.
LoneWolf 10:04AM (9/28/2009)
Some people want a engine with heritage :p
Stuka 10:07AM (9/28/2009)
I am not saying the LS7 is crap really, as its a good (although technologically outdated (it uses pushrods)) engine. Its the fact that instead of using a Ford engine (and there are many to choose from) they went the route everybody else does and put in a GM engine. Everybody and their grandma has a SBC in a Ford coupe. Its almost rare to see a FORD engine in a FORD. And their is absolutely no excuse for it.
dal20402 10:15AM (9/28/2009)
Pushrods are not technologically outdated. Saying they are is mindless fanboyism.
Pushrod versus OHC is a matter of tradeoffs. OHC engines are more refined, quieter, and tend to breathe better and be capable of higher rpm (although the LS7 will rev to 7000). But pushrods have their advantages too. They are lighter and smaller per unit of displacement; they are cheaper to build (which lets you spend money making the engine bigger or more advanced in other areas); they generate stronger low-end torque than equivalent OHC motors; and they tend to give better fuel efficiency.
The market has spoken on small engines; people prefer OHC, probably because small engines often have to rev high, and OHC engines are more pleasant and effective at high revs. But on larger engines, pushrods continue to work well despite a lot of bad press. The Corvette wouldn't be such a great value if it didn't have a pushrod engine.
fshavlak 9:35AM (9/28/2009)
I believe that's a Factory Five '33 in the picture.
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Reimer 11:23AM (9/28/2009)
That is a FFR '33 Roadster.IT's as good platform as any to do this.
Todd 1:12PM (9/28/2009)
Funny thing about the LS7 if they're gonna use a Factory Five 33. The car was engineered with either a Ford Small Block or Modular engine in mind. They're going out of the way to re-engineer the car to make the LS7 Work.
Not saying the LS7 is bad, but buy putting it in a "Hot Rod" that would make it alot harder, throws the whole "It's easier" excuse to put a GM motor in a Ford out the window. I'm anti bellybutton, and the LS series is getting just as bad as the old SBC.
skicat 10:12AM (9/28/2009)
@scar & lone - How old are u guys... 12?
http://www.motorsport.com/news/article.asp?ID=56983&FS=History
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guerro 10:55AM (9/28/2009)
It is. http://www.factoryfive.com/hotrodhome.html
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My_SS_RX8 11:06AM (9/28/2009)
In the olden days we would have put a Lincoln-Zephyr engine in it.
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Tomac 11:50AM (9/28/2009)
I still don't get the attraction to the 30s-era cars. I've been attending cruise-ins and shows since before I could drive, and never understood why these were so desirable. They're cramped, ride terribly even when modified, and offer terrible visibility because to look "right" they are often excessively chopped. To my eye are just too simplistic to even be considered rolling art. They command high prices, though. To each his own, but I don't think American automobiles are even worth considering until about '39. The 40s remain my favorite decade, however abbreviated it was due to the war that largely left four model years absent.
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My_SS_RX8 2:47PM (9/28/2009)
Whether it's an Aston or a Zil, a horseless carriage or an electric Tesla...somewhere there is a group or a "B_E_N" who loves them to the exclusion of all others....sort of like our women.